A Perfect Treasure

I floa not the man to have hobbies, buk -Ttiat I liko is plate, good serviceabio gold and silver. It is whispered by rualignant person3 that I would not trive so manf dinner-parties, if it woro not to exhibit these. I am not conscious of sucli a motive for my hospitality, btit if it exists t need not surely bo objncted to; it is 1 who have to pay for the we:ikness, and not my friends. Last Wednesday we happened to have ral her a large dinnor party; I had been dining out a {rood deal at vaiïous clubs lately, and of courso it was necessary to invite my entertainers in return. The dinner had gona off uncommonly wel!. The ladies had retired to tho drawing-room, and I had just passed the vine-leaf claret jug to Col. Twankay, when Bowles stoóped down and whispered in my car that a person irisbed to see me in the hall upon business. "Ask him what it is," said I. "It is impossible that I leave my guosts." "I did ask him, sir, and ho refused to state," replied Bowles confidentially. "It is my opinión he's a begging-letter impostor; but he says ho must see you in person." I was upon the point of enying, "Toll him to leave the house," when soniething or othcr in Bowles' manner slruck me so decidedly that I resolved not to doso. Porhaps I placed rather too much confldence in my butler. Actunted' by a vague presentment of dis,gust and danger, I arose from the table, made a hasty apology to my friends. and went with Bowles into the hall. A shabby-genteel sort of person was standing by the umbrella stáll. "What is it you want with me, sir?" said I in a magisterial tone. 'One minute's private conversation with you," he replied, with a glance at the butler. "You ruay leave us Bowles," said I, and he withdrew accordingly, although I am bound to say, very unwillingly. Tho thought flashed acros3 me Iike lightning, "Bowles has something to fear from this mau's disclosuro," and the nuxt words of my visitor confirmed me iti the suspicion. "I am a member of tho detective police forcé," said he, "and I camo to wam you that thero is something wrong in your house." ".N'othino; to do with my plate, I hope?" said I with considerable anxioty. "Very mnch to do with it, sir," returned ho grimly. "There is a thief harborcd here and by this time to-morrow you will not have a silver spoon in your possession, unless I find him out. I must seo evory soul you have cot nnder vour roof." "A thief!" said I; "impossible, I nevor have eveu so much as a strango waiter. That butler has livod with me for ton years, and my two footmen even longer. I will answer for their honesty. " "Let me see 'em sir; that's all I want" was the deeisive reply. "It is not Bowles?" said I, appealingly; "don't say it's Bowles; but, although it agiiated me beyond measuro to think that I should have to trust a new butler with all my plate, I confess that I had a horrible idea that it was Bowles. "I think not," said the detective quictly. "L'Jt me see the other men." Itnrnod the gaslight over the door as high as it would go, and callcd them . into the hall. "It is not them," said he. "What othcr men havo you in the house?" "None but my guests," saidl; "here in the dining room." "Do you know them all very wel!, sir? Are none of them mere acquaintancos or neighbors?" "Wcll," roturned I with hesitation, and feeling very glad that Mrs. Matciiam was not a third party to this interview, "I kuow some, of course, better than othera." "Just so," said the detective, quietJy; "Uien I must sec them." Tliis was a shocking proposal, and raado me foei hot all over; but still I was not going to run any risk with thoso shiold-shaped salvers. Major Pinkey 1 now remembercd.had expressed a great wish to examine them and perhaps that fact had had some woight in my inviting him to dinner. Who the deuce Major Pinkey was - except that he belonged tomy club- I certain)y knevv no more than the detective and perhaps a great deal less. Still, it seemed a very base thing to open tho dining room and lot this fcllow seruLn'ze my guests, in hopes to find a ícoundrel among them. "Upon my íife," said I, "Mr. Detective, I can't do it." "Very right, sir- very natural," replied he. smiling in his'quiet way. "It would never do, would it? But, look you, Bir; I'm a waiter, a hired waiter. Who is to know that I havo not business at your side-board. In one minuto I could run my eyes over the wholo lot, and spy my man if he's there." 1 did not Iike even this arrangement; but sending for Bowles I arrangod with him the plan of the proceeding, and ihen returned to the dining-room. Afier a period of anxicty no measure of time oould indicato, tho supposed waiter took his departurc. "You've got a new man I see," said Dr. Twistlo, carelessly, "With so much píate about, I hope you are satisiiud aLout his honesty. I was exceodingly glad to find old Twistlo was honest, and had not been taken by the shirt frill, and walked off to Bow street, but of course I did not teil him that. "Please sir, you are wanted again," whispered Bowies as he brought in anothcr bottlo of claret. I once more sought the inspector. "The one I am af ter is not among them, sir, as far as I know," observed this official jerking his thumb in tho direction of the dining-room. "Are you suro there are no other men in your house besides those 1 havo alreadv seen?" ' "Ycs," said I, "there are no more." "Then 1 must now have a look at tho ladies." "Tho ladies!" cried I; aghast at the proposal. "You don't want to go in the drawing-room?" "It would bu moro satisfactory," observed the detective, coolly. "My informution is very reliable. But at all 9vunt., who is there?" "Woil," s:iid I, "my wife i there for nr ; vou hava no iuiormation against lier, f rappose?" He noddcd satisfaction so far. "X hen ihero's tho honorable Mrs. Matcham and her daughler. " "Safe," njoined the detective, chocking them o ft' on bis iinrrers. ""Mrs. Twistle, of Regalia Square, and Lady Bobbington." Í supposo they'ro all right," remarked my inqnisitor, doubtfully. "Are you suro thore are no more?" "There's my niother-in-law, and sho is in her owñ room, and exceedingly unwell." "Very good," observed tho delective, ineonsequenlially. "There is a plant somewliero in this house, howover; you may take your oath of that, and in the last placo you would ever look for it; so now Í must see tho maids." I was full of suspicions that the detective himself was a "plant" that would soon blossom into a burglar; but my ovortaxod mind rofused to boar Ihis burden. If it was so, I would trust to his clemency, lo leavo me a silver fork or two to carry on tho business of life. If this man turned out to bc anything less than what he deseribed himself to bc, all authority henceforth would lose its effocts with'me. He had to repeat, "so now I must see tho maids," in his undcniable manner, before I could collect myself sufflciently to lead ihe way to ttia kitchen. To say tho cook and the kitchen-maid stared at the phenomena of our presence, is to underrato their power of visión. "Now, I daro say you have no charwoman nor any temporary assistant, my good lady, even on auy occasion like the present," observed my companion urbanely; "but you and tuis young woman do all the work yourselves." "That's true, sir; wo don't mind hard work now and then," returned tho cook, tossing her head; "and besides I don't like strangers in my kitchen," added sho with rneaning, "especially when I'm busy, and would rather havo their room than their company." ïhe detcetive's longue was silenced by my domestic needle-gun, and ho retired much discomlited. I led the way to the nursery, he walked admiringly from cot to cot. "Charrning children," observed he, with a familiar nod (I thought) toward theunder nurse. "It's neither of them," ho added in a low whisper: "You've got a thousand or twol suppose?" The housemaids were lnspected, nnd pronounced to be freo from suspicion. "But I cannot have scen everybody," he said decisively. "Yes," said I. "everybody except Mrs. Maqueechy." "Fiiend of tho familv?" inquired the detective, with a dissipnted air. "VVell," said I, "I niight almost say so. She came to ns not only with tho best of written characters, but my wifo had an interview with her late mistress, a Mrs. Ogilvie, who pronounced her a perfect treasure; and we oursolves havo found her all that could be wished." "I should like to see the perfect treasure," quoth tho detective, smiling grimly; "we often lind them to be ihe very people we want." "Nay," said I, "but in this case your snspicions aro quito groundless; Mrs. Maqueechy is a superior person, and takéa an interest in us, which j-ou seldom lind in a domeslie except after years of service. Besides, sho is my mother-in-law's sick nurse, and most likely thoy have already made tlieir arrangements for the night. It Would be a pity to disturb them." "I must see Mrs. Maqueechy," returned my companion grtively. "She seems altogether too charming to be missed." "You detectives are clever fellows," replied I with irritation; "but you oflen spend jour time very fruitlessly. It is a pity ïhat a man can't be deturmined, and yet avoid beinj; obstinate. However, sinco you have gone so far, you shall gro through with the business." With that I knocked at the door, and, admilted to the sick-room, infonned brielly of what was t:iking place; while the invaluable Maqueechy retired with her usual delieacy lo the dressing room. Perhaps 1 spoko a Hule too loud - ior that Mrs. M:iqueechy could stoop to eavesdroping, it is hard to believe - but at all ovents that intelligent wonian must have possessed herself of the substance of what I related, for when I oponed the door to admit the jffioer, I found her alrcady outside, ind in his custody. She had endeaTored to escape through the second door of tho dressing-room - "bolted like a rabbit," said the detective - but had run into the very danger she would ave avoided, and there sho wa with n couple of handcuffs over hor neat ïnittens. "We know one another ver? well, me and Mrs. Maqueechy," olxwrved the detective grimly, "I was told I should find an old friend in this house, allhough I had no idea who it would be until you mentioned Mrs. Olgilvie. She is very ohnritable, she is, ia getting her fellow creature3 situations in respestable families where there happens to be a good deal of plate. It was this very night that this good lady here had engaged lo open j'our front door to hor husband and a friend of his who keeps a light cart in the mews yonder. Beins; a sick nurse, you sec, nobody would be surprised atherbeing about the house at all hours. Wasn't that your neat little game, Mrs. Maqueechy?" "Wel!, I suppose it's a nine-year touch?" observod that lady with philosophic coolness. "Well, I'm afraid it is, ma'am; since that other littlo business in C.irlton Brothers still remains unsettled. Goodby, sir; you will seo Mis. M. aain once or twice, before you have done with her; and in tho meantirae you take my advico, sir, and in hiring ":noiher sick nursu for your mother-ihlaw, don't you apply lo Mr3. ügi.vie." And off he walked with our "periect Ireasure."