The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-12-17
CHAPTER III.-coSrNUED.

CHAPTER III.-coSTrNUED.
Maybe. Miss Clack. own don't
know what IL is
Before was so fortunate. Sir. rs 10
convince You Of Mr.. Ablcwhite's innocence
YOU mentioned il rs one OF the reasons for
suspecting him that he was in the house
at the time when the Diamond was lost.
Permit me to remind you that Mr.. Frank
lin Blake was also in the house ut the
time when the Diamond was lost
The old worldling LEFT the window, took
n chair exactly opposite to mine, and look
ed at me steadily, with hard and vicious
smile.
.You are not so good n lawyer, Miss
Clack,' in u meditative manner, 'as L sup
posed. You don't know how TO let well
alone
Il am afraid fail to follow you, Mr..
Brufr,' l said. modcstly.
1t won't do. Miss Clack-it really won't
to second time. Franklin Blake Is n
prime favoritc OF mine, rs you are well
aware. But that doesn't matter. I'll
adopt your view. on this occasion. before
You have time TO turn round ON mo. You
are quito right. ma'am. i have suspect
ed Mr.. Ablewhite. on grounds which alb
strlctedly Justify suspccting Mr.. Blake
too. Very good-let's suspect him to-
gether. It's quite in his character, we
will say, TO be capable of stealing the
MoOnstone. The only qucstionis, wheth-
cr IL was his interest 20 do it,
Mr.. franklin Blakeis debts remark
cd. ARE matters of family notoriety.'
And Mr.. Godfrey Ablcwhite's debts
have noe arrived Mt that stage Of devel-
opement yet. Quite true. But there
happen to be two difficulties in the way
Of your theory. Miss Glack. l manage
Franklin Blake's affairs, and l beg to in
form YOU that the vast majority OF his
creditors (knowing his father to be rich
man) are quite content to chargs interest
ON their debts, and To wait for their mon
ey. There is the first difliculty-which Is
tough enough. You will find the second
tougher still. have II on the authority
of Lady Verinder herself, that her daugh-
Ter was ready To marry Franklin Blake,
before that Internal Indian disappeared
from the house. She had drawn him on
and put him of again, with the coquetry
ofa Young girl. But she had confessed
To her mother that she loved cousin Frank
lin. and her mother had trusted cou-
sin Franklin with the secret. So there
he was, Miss Clack. with his creditors
content to wait. and with the certain pros
pect before him Of marrying an heress,
By all means consider him scOundrcl; {;
hut tell me, why he should steal the Moon-
stone p
The human heart Is unscarchable,' 1
said gently. who Is to fsthom it|
In other words. ma'am - though he
haiin't the shadow of reason for taking
the Diamond-hc might have taken 1t,
nevertheless, through natural depravity.
Very well. Say ho did. Why the
deyil-r
Il beg your pardon. Mr.. Bruif. III
hear the devil referred to In that manner
must leave the ROOM
Il beg your pardon. Miss Clack-Ill bc
more careful In my choice Of language in
the future. All / meant to ask was this,
Why-even supposing he did take the
should Franklin Blake make
himself the most prominent person IN the
house. in trying to recover IL! You may
tell me he cunningly did that to divert
suspicion from himself. / answer that
he had no need to divert suspicion-be'
cause nobody suspected him. He first
steals the Moonstone-withou the slight
est reason-through natural deprayity
and he then acts part, relation to the loss
of the Jewel, which there Is not the slight
est necessity To act, and which leads To his
mortally offending the young lady who
would otherwise have married him. That
is tho monstrous proposition which YOU
are driven 10 assert, II YOU attempt tn as-
sociate the disappearance Of the Moon
stone with Franklin Blake. No, no, Miss
Clack! After what has passed here to-
day. between us two, the deadlock In this
case is complete. Rachefs own Innocence
is las her mother knows, and rs / know
beyond doubt. Mr.. Abelwhites limo.
ncnce is equally oertain-or rachel would
ceyer have testified to il. And franklin
Blakes innocence. rs YOU have just seen,
unanswerably asserts itself. On the one
hand. we are morally certain OF all these
things. And. on the other hand. we are
equally sure that somebody has brought
the Moonstone to London, and that Mr..
I.ukcr. OF his banker, is in private possess
sion Of il ut this moment. What Is the
Use of my experience. what Is the use OF
any persons experience, In such case rs
thatp II battles me; IL battles you; IL
battles everybody
No, not every body. 1t had not bafllc,i
Sergeant Cuff. l was about to mention
this with all possible mildness, and with
every necessary protest against boing sup
posed to cast n slur upon Rachel-when
the servant came in To say that the doctor
had gone, and that my aunt was waiting
to receive us.
This stopped the discussion. Mr.. Bruil
collected his papers. looking little cS'
h,ustcd by tho demands which our con'
yersation hal made ON him. ! took nT
my hag full Of precious publications, feel
ing rs if could have gone ON talking iot
hours. We proceeded In silence 10 Lady
Vcrinder's room.
Permit me to add here, before my mar.
ratiyc advance TO other events. that I have
not described what passed between the
lawyer and me without having definite
object in view. am ordered tn include
In nv contribution tn the shocking story
of the Moonstone plain disclosure not
only of the turn which suspicion took. bu
even of the names OF the persons ON whom
suspicion rested Mt the time when the In
dian Diamond was known 10 be in London
A report Of my conversation In the library
with Mr.. Bruf appeared To me to be ex
actly what was wanted TO answer this pur
pose-while. at the sams time, it possessed
the great moral advantage OF rendering 9