them! Sufficient unto the job is the regular
labor thereof, without helping quasi-detectives from London to do
their work for them. I'm being paid by the Earl to take care of the
gardens, and that only; while you're the guy that he's paying to find
his cussed old cuff-buttons for him. I wouldn't give a nickel for the
whole lot of them, anyhow!"

And the gardener calmly turned his back on us, and went ahead with his
spading up, while Demetrius spread the fertilizer.

"Gosh, that guy takes my breath away, he's so fresh! But then, we've
got all the information out of him that we need, so come along,
Watson."

Holmes then led me back to the castle, where we entered and proceeded
along till we met Lord Launcelot idly fingering the keys of the piano
in the music-room.

"Ah, good afternoon, Your Lordship," said Holmes suavely, as we
entered the room and Launcelot faced about on the piano-stool toward
us. "This thing called music is indeed a delightful surcease from the
dull cares of the day, but finer still would be the resolution in
young men of noble lineage to keep their lily-white hands off of
property that is not listed on the tax-duplicate in their name, and to
refrain from dishonest and secret contact with uncouth crooks from
Australia, who induce them to forget their family pride and to conceal
valuable gems from the eye of the law! In other words, to come right
down to brass tacks, you stole one of the diamond cuff-buttons,--gol
darn it!--and I want you to hand it back to me before I become so
brutal as to seize you and take it away from you!"

Launcelot, however, did not avow his probable guilt so readily as his
brother's revered uncle-in-law had done, but laughed right in Holmes's
face as the latter concluded his little speech of accusation.

"Why, you old false alarm you,--do you think for a minute that you can
bluff me like that? I didn't take any of the cuff-buttons. Go on and
guess again. Maybe the cat took 'em, or maybe George walked in his
sleep and threw them away down the road!" said he.

But his pleasantry was lost on Hemlock Holmes, who advanced a step
toward him and, in menacing tones, demanded the instant return of the
final cuff-button. At this point the door from the corridor opened,
and old Uncle Tooter came in, without any present contrition for his
recently confessed share in the robbery showing in his face.

"What's this stiff of a Holmes trying to hand you now, Launcie my
boy?" he inquir