yhow,--he
will look more respectable there than on the floor," said Holmes, as
Vermicelli, the valet, assisted by another man, who said he was Peter
Van Damm, valet to Lord Launcelot, picked up the Earl's body and
deposited it, or him, on the bed.

Launcelot, Uncle Tooter, Budd, Hicks and Thorneycroft here crowded
themselves into the room and, on seeing what had happened, added to
the general buzz of excited exclamations; but Holmes took command of
the situation, like the old hand that he was, entirely used to such
gruesome sights, and stepped to the telephone on a small table in one
corner of the Earl's room.

"Give me the village constables,--any of them,--at Hedge-gutheridge,
quick!" he called through the instrument. "This one of the
constables?"--after a moment. "This is Normanstow Towers. The Earl of
Puddingham has apparently been murdered by some one attempting to
steal the last of his diamond cuff-buttons.... Hemlock Holmes, from
London, talking. Have all your men come up here at once and surround
the place, letting no one in or out!... Whom do I suspect? Never mind
whom I suspect. I'd never suspect you constables of having too much
brains after the way you left here yesterday noon, with the castle
unguarded,--that's a cinch!... Now don't take all day getting here.
Good-by!"

And Holmes slammed the receiver back on the hook, whirled around on
the chair, and faced the gaping crowd of people in the room.

"Well, what are you looking at?" he demanded. "Get together there,
some of you, and bring order out of chaos. You there, with the vacant
look on your face, are you the Countess's maid?"--addressing one of
the three woman servants. "Take care of your mistress there in that
chair. Can't you see she's coming out of her faint? If the cook is
among you, he'd better get back to the kitchen and prepare breakfast.
Watson, you take this revolver here,"--fishing a six-shooter out of
his pocket and handing it to me,--"go to the rear entrance of the
castle, and stand guard there till those tortoise-like constables
arrive. Let no one in or out; and I will do the same at the front
entrance. Do you get me, Steve?"

And Holmes jumped up, full of renewed "pep," and boldly pushed those
of the friends and servants of the deceased Earl who didn't move
quickly right out of the room into the corridor, the Countess having
been assisted in the meantime up to her own room on the second floor
by her Spanish maid.

"I say there, Ho