"Take a seat, Mr. Eccles," said the Squire, sitting down himself, while I stood back by the window. "I do hope you have brought tidings of the earring." "Yes--and no," replied Mr. Eccles, with another fascinating smile, as he unbuttoned his top-coat. "We think we have traced it; but we cannot yet be sure." "And where is it?--who has it?" cried the Squire, eagerly. "It is a very delicate matter, and requires delicate handling," observed the detective, after a slight pause. "For that reason I have come over to-day myself. Cripp did not choose to entrust it to one of his men." "I am sure I am much obliged to him, and to you too," said the Squire, his face beaming. "Where is the earring?" "Before I answer that question, will you be so kind as to relate to me, in a few concise words, the precise circumstances under which the earring was lost?" The pater entered on the story, and I helped him. Mr. Eccles listened attentively. "Exactly so," said he, when it was over. "Those are the facts Cripp gave me; but it was only second-hand, you see, and I preferred to hear them direct from yourselves. They serve to confirm our suspicion." "But where is the earring?" repeated the pater. "If it is where we believe it to be, it is in a gentleman's house at Worcester. At least he may be called a gentleman. He is a professional man: a lawyer, in fact. But I may not give names in the present stage of the affair." "And how did the earring get into his house?" pursued the Squire, all aglow with interest. "News reached us last evening," began Mr. Eccles, after searching in his pockets for something that he apparently could not find: perhaps a note-case--"reached us in a very singular way, too--that this gentleman had been making a small purchase of jewellery in the course of yesterday; had been making it in private, and did not wish it talked of. A travelling pedlar--that was the description we received--had come in contact with him and offered him an article for sale, which he, after some haggling, purchased. By dint of questioning, we discovered this article to be an earring: one earring, not a pair. Naturally Mr. Cripp's suspicion was at once aroused: he thought it might be the very self-same earring that you have lost. We consulted together, and the result is, I decided to come over and see you." "I'd lay all I've got it is the earring!" exclaimed the Squire, in excitement. "The travelling pedlar that sold it must have been that woman tramp." "Well, no," returned the detective, quietly. "It was a man. Her husband, perhaps; or some confederate of hers." "No doubt of that! And how can we get back the earring?"