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318
The Royal Mail: Its Curiosities and Romance
·
James Wilson Hyde
234
"Oh
dear,
no,"
was
the
reply;
"they
are
all
most
respectable,
and
have
the
highest
characters."
The
lady
had
the
utmost
confidence
in
them,
and
to
admit
such
a
thought
was
to
do
them
grave
injustice.
The
officer
was
not
to
be
satisfied
with
such
an
assurance,
however,
and
by
using
tact
and
patience
he
brought
the
lady
to
see
that,
if
there
was
no
dishonesty
with
her
own
servants,
they
would
come
safely
out
of
the
inquiry,
and
it
might
be
well
to
allow
him
to
question
them.
It
was
further
permitted,
after
some
objection
on
the
lady's
part
and
persuasion
on
that
of
the
officer,
that
the
latter
should
ask
each
of
the
servants
separately
whether
they
would
allow
their
boxes
to
be
examined.
If
they
had
nothing
to
conceal,
the
ordeal
could
not,
of
course,
hurt
them.
The
female
servants
were
called
up
one
by
one
and
closely
questioned,
and
on
the
proposed
examination
of
the
boxes
being
suggested,
the
girls
at
once
assented.
This
was
so
far
satisfactory,
but
there
was
still
the
butler
to
deal
with.
In
due
turn
the
presence
of
this
household
ornament
was
summoned
to
the
room,
when,
up
to
a
certain
point,
everything
went
well;
but
it
being
put
to
him
to
have
his
boxes
searched,
injured
virtue
cried
out,
and
indignation
and
scorn
were
vented
upon
the
obtrusive
inquirer.
The
officer
had,
however,
gained
a
point,
for
he
was
now
in
a
position
to
say
that
if
the
butler
continued
to
object,
the
suspicion
would
arise
that
he
might
possibly
be
the
culprit,
and
it
might
even
be
concluded
that
he
and
not
the
Post-office
ought
to
account
for
the
watch.
At
length
the
man-servant
gave
way,
and
he
and
the
officer
proceeded
to
the
butler's
quarters.
Upon
the
trunk
being
opened,
the
first
thing
to
attract
notice
was
three
bottles
of
wine.
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