‘I remember now! Yes, she has pawned six items here. Three have sold. I can show you the other three,’ said Mr Flan. ‘Luisa, the diamond earrings in case six.’ He nodded towards his wife. ‘And that gold bracelet vith a seahorse …’

‘I am only interested in these two rings,’ said Holmes, leading Flan to the case where Dillie’s two engagement rings sat.

‘Girl in the picture did not pawn those.’

‘Are you quite sure?’

‘Positive. They only just came in – last night, vasn’t it, Luisa?’

‘I don’t trust these ’ere people,’ said his wife, eyeing us malevolently.

She was right to be suspicious of us. Holmes was certainly lying by omission.

‘Last night? Who brought them, then?’ asked Holmes.

The man hesitated, and glanced from Holmes to me and back again, estimating his chances. He smiled. ‘I am not sure.’

We exchanged a look. Then we both reached deep into our pockets, and between us found only a few additional coins. We laid them on the glass case containing the two engagement rings. The man paused, then shook his head.

‘This is all I have. I am not a wealthy man,’ said Holmes.

Flan waved his fingers at Holmes’s gold chain and watch.

My friend sighed. ‘All right. I will not give it, but will pawn it, and pay you from the fee. How much will you loan me for it?’

‘Five.’

Holmes swallowed. ‘It is worth much more. You make this difficult.’

The man shrugged.

‘All right, then. You won’t sell my watch, then?’ said Holmes, anxiously. ‘I will be back for it, you can be sure.’

The man shrugged. ‘That is vat they all say.’

Holmes placed his watch on the velvet cloth. Flan took up the watch without even looking at it again and pocketed it with a small grin of satisfaction. He handed Holmes a five-pound note.

Holmes took it, sighed, then handed back the five-pound note he had just been given.

The pawnbroker pocketed that as well. This put the fellow twelve pounds and Holmes’s good watch ahead. We had nothing more to offer, and I hoped he would cooperate.

‘A young man. Came and pawned them in the middle of the night. Last night.’

‘A young man?’ I exclaimed.

‘Can you describe him, please?’ said Holmes.

‘Twenties. Fair hair. All curly. Gold-rimmed spectacles. Nice ones.’

Deacon Buttons! It must have been! Even Holmes looked surprised. We exchanged a look.

Never one to assume, Holmes pressed on. ‘Tall?’

‘Fairly so.’

‘Awkward looking, or a handsome man?’

‘Both. A good-looking young man. But something about him. Shy, perhaps.’

‘Small gold ring on the left fifth finger?’ asked Holmes.

‘Yes. He tried to pawn that, too, but vould not take my offer.’

It was definitely Deacon Buttons.

‘Understandable. At what time was this?’

The man shrugged.

‘Three-thirty in the mornin’,’ said his wife.

‘Was he wearing a cleric’s collar by chance?’ asked Holmes.

‘No.’