The Moonstone Read online

  V

  This was the story told by your cousin (under pressure of necessity) toMr. Luker.

  Mr. Luker believed the story to be, as to all main essentials, true--onthis ground, that Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite was too great a fool to haveinvented it. Mr. Bruff and I agree with Mr. Luker, in considering thistest of the truth of the story to be a perfectly reliable one.

  The next question, was the question of what Mr. Luker would do in thematter of the Moonstone. He proposed the following terms, as the onlyterms on which he would consent to mix himself up with, what was (evenin HIS line of business) a doubtful and dangerous transaction.

  Mr. Luker would consent to lend Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite the sum of twothousand pounds, on condition that the Moonstone was to be depositedwith him as a pledge. If, at the expiration of one year from that date,Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite paid three thousand pounds to Mr. Luker, he was toreceive back the Diamond, as a pledge redeemed. If he failed to producethe money at the expiration of the year, the pledge (otherwise theMoonstone) was to be considered as forfeited to Mr. Luker--who would,in this latter case, generously make Mr. Godfrey a present of certainpromissory notes of his (relating to former dealings) which were then inthe money-lender's possession.

  It is needless to say, that Mr. Godfrey indignantly refused to listen tothese monstrous terms. Mr. Luker thereupon, handed him back the Diamond,and wished him good night.

  Your cousin went to the door, and came back again. How was he to besure that the conversation of that evening would be kept strictly secretbetween his friend and himself?

  Mr. Luker didn't profess to know how. If Mr. Godfrey had accepted histerms, Mr. Godfrey would have made him an accomplice, and might havecounted on his silence as on a certainty. As things were, Mr. Lukermust be guided by his own interests. If awkward inquiries were made, howcould he be expected to compromise himself, for the sake of a man whohad declined to deal with him?

  Receiving this reply, Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite did, what all animals (humanand otherwise) do, when they find themselves caught in a trap. He lookedabout him in a state of helpless despair. The day of the month, recordedon a neat little card in a box on the money-lender's chimney-piece,happened to attract his eye. It was the twenty-third of June. On thetwenty-fourth he had three hundred pounds to pay to the young gentlemanfor whom he was trustee, and no chance of raising the money, exceptthe chance that Mr. Luker had offered to him. But for this miserableobstacle, he might have taken the Diamond to Amsterdam, and have made amarketable commodity of it, by having it cut up into separate stones. Asmatters stood, he had no choice but to accept Mr. Luker's terms. Afterall, he had a year at his disposal, in which to raise the three thousandpounds--and a year is a long time.

  Mr. Luker drew out the necessary documents on the spot. When they weresigned, he gave Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite two cheques. One, dated June 23rd,for three hundred pounds. Another, dated a week on, for the remainingbalance seventeen hundred pounds.

  How the Moonstone was trusted to the keeping of Mr Luker's bankers, andhow the Indians treated Mr. Luker and Mr. Godfrey (after that had beendone) you know already.

  The next event in your cousin's life refers again to Miss Verinder. Heproposed marriage to her for the second time--and (after having beingaccepted) he consented, at her request, to consider the marriage asbroken off. One of his reasons for making this concession has beenpenetrated by Mr. Bruff. Miss Verinder had only a life interest in hermother's property--and there was no raising the twenty thousand poundson THAT.

  But you will say, he might have saved the three thousand pounds, toredeem the pledged Diamond, if he had married. He might have done socertainly--supposing neither his wife, nor her guardians and trustees,objected to his anticipating more than half of the income at hisdisposal, for some unknown purpose, in the first year of his marriage.But even if he got over this obstacle, there was another waiting for himin the background. The lady at the Villa, had heard of his contemplatedmarriage. A superb woman, Mr. Blake, of the sort that are not to betrifled with--the sort with the light complexion and the Roman nose.She felt the utmost contempt for Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite. It would besilent contempt, if he made a handsome provision for her. Otherwise,it would be contempt with a tongue to it. Miss Verinder's life interestallowed him no more hope of raising the "provision" than of raising thetwenty thousand pounds. He couldn't marry--he really couldn't marry,under all the circumstances.

  How he tried his luck again with another lady, and how THAT marriagealso broke down on the question of money, you know already. Youalso know of the legacy of five thousand pounds, left to him shortlyafterwards, by one of those many admirers among the soft sex whose goodgraces this fascinating man had contrived to win. That legacy (as theevent has proved) led him to his death.

  I have ascertained that when he went abroad, on getting his fivethousand pounds, he went to Amsterdam. There he made all the necessaryarrangements for having the Diamond cut into separate stones. He cameback (in disguise), and redeemed the Moonstone, on the appointed day.A few days were allowed to elapse (as a precaution agreed to by bothparties) before the jewel was actually taken out of the bank. If he hadgot safe with it to Amsterdam, there would have been just time betweenJuly 'forty-nine, and February 'fifty (when the young gentleman came ofage) to cut the Diamond, and to make a marketable commodity (polished orunpolished) of the separate stones. Judge from this, what motives hehad to run the risk which he actually ran. It was "neck or nothing" withhim--if ever it was "neck or nothing" with a man yet.

  I have only to remind you, before closing this Report, that there is achance of laying hands on the Indians, and of recovering the Moonstoneyet. They are now (there is every reason to believe) on their passage toBombay, in an East Indiaman. The ship (barring accidents) will touchat no other port on her way out; and the authorities at Bombay (alreadycommunicated with by letter, overland) will be prepared to board thevessel, the moment she enters the harbour.

  I have the honour to remain, dear sir, your obedient servant, RICHARDCUFF (late sergeant in the Detective Force, Scotland Yard, London).*

  * NOTE.--Wherever the Report touches on the events of the birthday, or of the three days that followed it, compare with Betteredge's Narrative, chapters viii. to xiii.