I left the goose with Maudsley, ran to my sister's house,
and went into the back garden. There were no geese there.
'Where are they all, Maggie?' I said.
'In Mr Breckinridge's shop, in Covent Garden.'
'Were there two birds with black tails?' I asked.
'Yes, there were, James: she said. 'And to my eyes one
was no different from the other.'
I understood it all then. The diamond was inside the other
goose with the black tail. And that goose was now in Mr
Breckinridge's shop. I ran to Covent Garden at once and
went to Breckinridge's. But the geese weren't in his shop,
and when I asked about them he told me: 'I sold them all at
once.'
'But you must tell me. Where are they now?' I asked again
and again. But he never told me. You and Dr Watson heard
him earlier tonight, Mr Holmes He never answered my
questions.
'Now my sister thinks I'm a terrible brother. I'm a thief,
I'm going to lose my good name, and I never got any money
from my crime at all. Oh, what's going to happen to me?'
He put his head in his hands and began to cry.
Holmes didn't speak for a long time. Then, in the end,
he stood up and opened the door,
'Get outl' he said.
'Oh, thank you! Thank you, sir!' said Ryder.
'Be quiet and get out!' said Holmes again, and, with
that, Ryder ran out of the door, downstairs, out into the
street, and away.
:After all, Watson,' said Holmes. 'It's not my job to do
the police's work for them and young Horner's going to
be all right. Ryder isn't going to go to court now.