unquestionably a sensitive subject to the
mesmeric influence— and, under that influence, he
has no doubt reflected what was already in the
mind of the person mesmerising him. I have
tested the theory of clairvoyance— and I have
never found the manifestations get beyond that
point. The Indians don't investigate the matter
in this way; the Indians look upon their boy
as a Seer of things invisible to their eyes— and,
I repeat, in that marvel they find the source of
a new interest in the purpose that unites them.
I only notice this as offering a curious view of
human character, which must be quite new to
you. We have nothing whatever to do with
clairvoyance, or with mesmerism, or with anything
else that is hard of belief to a practical man, in
the inquiry that we are now pursuing. My
object in following the Indian plot, step by step,
is to trace results back, by rational means, to
natural causes. Have I succeeded to your
satisfaction, so far?"

"Not a doubt of it, Mr. Murthwaite! I
am waiting, however, with some anxiety, to
hear the rational explanation of the difficulty
which I have just had the honour of submitting
to you."

Mr. Murthwaite smiled. "It's the easiest
difficulty to deal with of all," he said. "Permit
me to begin by admitting your statement of the
case as a perfectly correct one. The Indians
were undoubtedly not aware of what Mr. Franklin
Blake had done with the Diamond— for we
find them making their first mistake, on the
first night of Mr. Blake's arrival at his aunt's
house."

"Their first mistake?" I repeated.

"Certainly! The mistake of allowing
themselves to be surprised, lurking about the terrace
at night, by Gabriel Betteredge. However, they
had the merit of seeing for themselves that they
had taken a false step— for, as you say, again,
with plenty of time at their disposal, they never
came near the house for weeks afterwards."

"Why, Mr. Murthwaite? That's what I
want to know! Why?"

"Because no Indian, Mr. Bruff, ever runs an
unnecessary risk. The clause you drew in
Colonel Herncastle's Will, informed them (didn't
it?) that the Moonstone was to pass absolutely
into Miss Verinder's possession on her birthday.
Very well. Tell me which was the safest course
for men in their position? To make their
attempt on the Diamond while it was under the
control of Mr. Franklin Blake, who had shown
already that he could suspect and outwit them?
Or to wait till the Diamond was at the disposal
of a young girl, who would innocently delight in
wearing the magnificent jewel at every possible
opportunity? Perhaps you want a proof that my
theory is correct? Take the conduct of the
Indians themselves as the proof. They appeared
at the house, after waiting all those weeks, on
Miss Verinder's birthday; and they were
rewarded for the patient accuracy of their calculations
by seeing the Moonstone in the bosom of
her dress! When I heard the story of the
Colonel and the Diamond, later in the evening,
I felt so sure about the risk Mr. Franklin
Blake had run (they would have certainly
attacked him, if he had not happened to ride back
to Lady Verinder's in the company of other
people); and I was so strongly convinced of
the worse risks still, in store for Miss Verinder,
that I recommended following the Colonel's
plan, and destroying the identity of the gem by
having it cut into separate stones. How its
extraordinary disappearance, that night, made
my advice useless, and utterly defeated the
Hindoo plot— and how all further action on the
part of the Indians was paralysed the next day
by their confinement in prison as rogues and
vagabonds— you know as well as I do. The
first act in the conspiracy closes there. Before
we go on to the second, may I ask whether I
have met your difficulty, with an explanation
which is satisfactory to the mind of a practical
man?"

It was impossible to deny that he had met
my difficulty fairly; thanks to his superior
knowledge of the Indian character— and thanks
to his not having had hundreds of other Wills
to think of since Colonel Herncastle's time!

"So far, so good," resumed Mr. Murthwaite.
"The first chance the Indians had of seizing the
Diamond was a chance lost, on the day when
they were committed to the prison at Frizinghall.
When did the second chance offer
itself? The second chance offered itself— as I
am in a condition to prove— while they were still
in confinement."

He took out his pocket-book, and opened it
at a particular leaf, before he went on.

"I was staying," he resumed, " with some
friends at Frizinghall, at the time. A day or
two before the Indians were set free (on a
Monday, I think), the governor of the prison,
came to me with a letter. It had been left for
the Indians by one Mrs. Macann, of whom they
had hired the lodging in which they lived; and
it had been delivered at Mrs. Macann's door,
in ordinary course of post, on the previous
morning. The prison authorities had noticed
that the post-mark was ' Lambeth,' and that
the address on the outside, though expressed
in correct English, was, in form, oddly at
variance with the customary method of directing
a letter. On opening it, they had found
the contents to be written in a foreign
language, which they rightly guessed at as
Hindustani. Their object in coming to me was,
of course, to have the letter translated to them.
I took a copy in my pocket-book of the
original, and of my translation and there they are
at your service."

He handed me the open pocket-book. The
address on the letter was the first thing copied.
It was all written in one paragraph, without
any attempt at punctuation, thus: " To the
three Indian men living with the lady called
Macann at Frizinghall in Yorkshire." The
Hindoo characters followed; and the English
translation appeared at the end, expressed in
these mysterious words:

"In the name of the Regent of the Night,