The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-27
c0PTRGnmTEn, 1907. R OBa0HF1 MF9. RESERVH

Well continued Beteredge, "l<ie com mitted suicide just after you left by throwing herself into the quagmire we call the Shivering Sands down on the beach there'
 "What did she do that for?" asked Blake innocently.
 Well there's some as thinks she had a reason She was q nervous, hysterieal girl' replied the old man. giving Blake a curious look. At any rate,' he added. "she left letter addressed to you with instructions that it was not to be sent to you but must be placed in your own hands the first time you came down this way The daughter of q fisherman on the shore, friend of Rosanna S has it.
 The next day Franklin walked to the fishermans cottage and got the letter. When he read 1t he was more bewidered than ever 1t consisted simply of direc- tions for finding a metal case which. se- cured by a chain attached to a rock on the shore, had been sunk in the Shiver- ing Sands "The lost Moonstone at last! thought Franglin.
 He found the case He opened 1t. It contained no diamond from the brow of the Regent of the Night. What was in it was a mans night gown and letter The letter was a long, hysterical one signed by Rosanna Spearman.
 In 1t she confessed her love for Blake and told him in making up his room on the morning after the robbery of the dia- mondshe had picked up his night gown and found paint on 1t. which proved that he had been in the sitting room of Miss Verinder during the night. Because Of her love for him she had taken the in criminating garment to her own room when the detectives began their work. Then, in order that it might not be dis covered. she had purchased the metal case, placed the night gown in 1t and sunk it where he had found It. Also, in crder that the search might not discover that any of his linen was missing Ro- sanna had purchased cloth in Frzing hall and while pretending to be ill in her room. had made another nightgown ex- acty like it. washed and ironed 1t and finally placed it among his belongings. When she had discovered the unfortu- nate girl wrote. that Blake was a thief. | as she herself had been, she had hope | that in spite of the difference of their | social stations and her plain face and de- l formed body he might yet be hers. His | His gratitude for her efforts to shield him l from the consequences of his crime would | she thought, incline him in her favor il nothing else would She had tried to lei | him know that she held his secret, but each time her courage had failed her and | his cold manner repelled her. When he ] had finally gone away she had yielded to , despair and would be dead when he read l the letter.
 | Franklin examined the nightgown II | was his-marked with his own name. well" said he, there doesn't seem to l be much doubt but that I stole that da- 1 mond-ether I or a double [ have some where. This sort of thing is really pre- l posterous. Here is a girl who falls in 1 love with me and commits suicide and l l don't even remember having spoken five | words with her-and she charges me with | stealing the Moonstone Here Is my own l nightgown bearing testimony against me, | and there are the words of Rachel. What | does all this mean. anyway? Am I crazy. l or is it all the rest of the world?' l To cool his brain Blake walked across l the fields to Frizinghall. CT will call on l old Dr. Candy. who was, I remember at l the birthday dinner" he thought "He 1 is a clever old gentleman and perhaps can | give me some light in all this darkness. Blake found the doctor in d feeble state 1 of health and q feebler state of mind. He l tried painfully but vainly to tell Franklin l something that he wanted him to know | That 1t was something of importance | seemed evident; but his poor intellect | once so bright. could not formulate the | thoughts for him or compel their utter | ance
 | However. Blake had a long talk witt | the doctors assistant, who said that his
 chief had often tried to speak of Blak,
 and tell something which he wanted hin
 to know.
 From fragmentary notes that he haC 1 made of the doctors distointed words h, ! had come to the conclusion that 1t wa
 something that happened on the night O | the birthday dinner. Blake complained Q 1 being unable to sleep and had scoffed n
 the medical profession. Surreptiously th | doctor had administered to the young
 scoffer a dose of laudanum. He had in
 tended to tell him the next morning wha
 he had done and to laugh at hint
 show that medicine could do something
 But sudden illness had interposed I This thought the assistant, was still or
 the doctors mind.
 Blake. at first disappointed at learnin,
 something so comparatively trivial. sud
 denly was seized with an idea. He tol'
 the assistant the whole story of the Moon
 stone, and asked If 1t could possibly b.
 that the laudanum had produced a stat
 of somnambuism in which he had reail,
 committed the theft Possibly" said tn
 assistant: "let us try an experiment"
 He proposed that Franklin was to ge
 himself as nearly as possible into tn
 same physical condition as he was on tn
 night of the birthday The interior O
 Lady Verinder's house was to be arrang
 cd as it was on that night. Franklin wa | to take a dose of laudanum go to bed fl I
 night of the theft and watchers would
 note what happened.
 ! The experiment was a success in a de | gree Franklin. in his laudanum dream
 stallSed into Rachels sitting room. tool from the cabinet q piece of crystal tha i had been placed there. Then he sat dow on a sofa and went into a stupor
 He was convinced now that he hal stolen the Moonstone-but what had al | done with it?
 Unknown to Franklin, an intereste, 1 watcher had been a witness of thi | strange experiment. Rachel had beel | told of what had been arranged and ha' 1 come down secretly to Yorkshire to wit | ness tue result.
 "Oh. Franklin" she said when they me the next day "I am perfectly satisfied. ] 1 was only your persistence in denying tha I you had taken the Moonstone that mad 1 me so hard with you'
 well, fancy stole it, all right" re l piled Franklin. "I only wish l could re
 store it to you"
 "Ohi Bother the Moonstone" criei
 Rachel "I never want to hear of i | again"
 | Well. let me give you myself in f.
 place then" said Franklin. and Rache
 did not say him nay
 1 But though the wherea bouts of tn 1 Moonstone thus ceased to trouble the tw | most vitally concerned the gem rema in
 ed important to others. Mir Bruf. th | solicitor learned that the day was au
 preaching when Luker was to take th | gem he had placed in the bank out of de i posit If 1t was the Moonstone. the In | dians would be on hand. Bruff and Bla k and some trusty assistants went to tn |