Verinder be satisfied (begging your ladyship's
pardon) with leading us all to think that the
Moonstone was merely lost? Or would she go
a step further, and delude us into believing that
the Moonstone was stolen? In the latter event,
there was Rosanna Spearman—with the character
of a thief—ready to her hand; the person of
all others to lead your ladyship off, and to lead
me off, on a false scent."

Was it possible (I asked myself) that he
could put his case against Miss Rachel and
Rosanna in a more horrid point of view than
this? It was possible, as you shall now see.

"I had another reason for suspecting the
deceased woman," he said, "which appears to
me to have been stronger still. Who would be
the very person to help Miss Verinder in raising
money privately on the Diamond? Rosanna
Spearman. No young lady in Miss Verinder's
position could manage such a risky matter
as that by herself. A go-between she
must have, and who so fit, I ask again, as
Rosanna Spearman? Your ladyship's deceased
housemaid was at the top of her profession
when she was a thief. She had relations, to
my certain knowledge, with one of the few men
in London (in the money-lending line) who
would advance a large sum on such a notable
jewel as the Moonstone, without asking
awkward questions, or insisting on awkward
conditions. Bear this in mind, my lady; and now
let me show you how my suspicions have been
justified by Rosanna's own acts, and by the plain
inferences to be drawn from them."

He thereupon passed the whole of Rosanna's
proceedings under review. You are already as
well acquainted with those proceedings as I am;
and you will understand how unanswerably this
part of his report fixed the guilt of being
concerned in the disappearance of the Moonstone
on the memory of the poor dead girl. Even
my mistress was daunted by what he said now.
She made him no answer when he had done.
It didn't seem to matter to the Sergeant
whether he was answered or not. On he went
(devil take him!), just as steady as ever.

"Having stated the whole case as I understand
it," he said, "I have only to tell your
ladyship, now, what I propose to do next. I
see two ways of bringing this inquiry successfully
to an end. One of those ways I look
upon as a certainty. The other, I admit, is a
bold experiment, and nothing more. Your
ladyship shall decide. Shall we take the
certainty first?"

My mistress made him a sign to take his own
way, and choose for himself.

"Thank you," said the Sergeant. "We'll
begin with the certainty, as your ladyship is so
good as to leave it to me. Whether Miss
Verinder remains at Frizinghall, or whether she
returns here, I propose, in either case, to keep
a careful watch on all her proceedings—on the
people she sees, on the rides or walks she may
take, and on the letters she may write or
receive."

"What next?" asked my mistress.

"I shall next," answered the Sergeant, "request
your ladyship's leave to introduce into
the house, as a servant in the place of Rosanna
Spearman, a woman accustomed to private
inquiries of this sort, for whose discretion I can
answer."

"What next?" repeated my mistress.

"Next," proceeded the Sergeant, "and last,
I propose to send one of my brother-officers to
make an arrangement with that money-lender in
London, whom I mentioned just now as
formerly acquainted with Rosanna Spearman—and
whose name and address, your ladyship may rely
on it, have been communicated by Rosanna to
Miss Verinder. I don't deny that the course of
action I am now suggesting will cost money, and
consume time. But the result is certain. We
run a line round the Moonstone, and we draw
that line closer and closer till we find it in Miss
Verinder's possession, supposing she decides to
keep it. If her debts press, and she decides on
sending it away, then we have our man ready,
and we meet the Moonstone on its arrival in
London."

To hear her own daughter made the subject
of such a proposal as this, stung my mistress
into speaking angrily for the first time.

"Consider your proposal declined, in every
particular," she said. "And go on to your
other way of bringing the inquiry to an end."

"My other way," said the Sergeant, going
on as easy as ever, "is to try that bold
experiment to which I have alluded. I think
I have formed a pretty correct estimate of Miss
Verinder's temperament. She is quite capable
(according to my belief) of committing a daring
fraud. But she is too hot and impetuous in
temper, and too little accustomed to deceit as a
habit, to act the hypocrite in small things, and
to restrain herself under all provocations. Her
feelings, in this case, have repeatedly got
beyond her control, at the very time when it
was plainly her interest to conceal them. It
is on this peculiarity in her character that I
now propose to act. I want to give her a
great shock suddenly, under circumstances which
will touch her to the quick. In plain English,
I want to tell Miss Verinder, without a word
of warning, of Rosanna's death—on the chance
that her own better feelings will hurry her into
making a clean breast of it. Does your
ladyship accept that alternative?"

My mistress astonished me beyond all power
of expression. She instantly answered.

"Yes; I do."

"The pony-chaise is ready," said the
Sergeant. "I wish your ladyship good morning."

My lady held up her hand, and stopped him
at the door.

"My daughter's better feelings shall be
appealed to, as you propose," she said. "But I
claim the right, as her mother, of putting her to
the test myself. You will remain here, if you
please; and I will go to Frizinghall."

For once in his life, the great Cuff stood
speechless with amazement, like an ordinary
man.