The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-27
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cienf numbers to render any attack by the Indians out of the question. But after aII," thought Franklin. rather annoyed with himself. Every likely these fellows are merely band of strolIing jugglers. who never heard getting on my nerves"
 Rachel was delighted with the gem when the yellow, shining splendor In It's strange Oriental setting was placed in her hand. When she came to din- nor it giowed on her maiden bosom. At the sight Of 1t. q cry of surprise ; came from one of the guests, Mir Murthwattes q celebrated traveller. Excuse me- he said to Rachel. hut the magnificent diamond you wear in- terests me greatly. r know of but one other such stone. and that--well. 1t has a history to 1t and has disap- peared."
 "oh," replied Rachel. this is legacy, you must know; and 1t also has hiss tory. though I don't know exactly what that history is. believe my jewel is called the Mponstone, and was brought by an uncle of mine from ln- dia years and years ago."
 ssThe Moonstoneia exclaimed Murth- waite, Miss verinJder. let me tell you that I would Dc safer among the wiid- est tribes of Central Asia than you would be in India wearing that gem"
 s.ReallyT' said Rachel. lis my dia- mond so celebrated as all that? You must tell me more about it."
 Just then tine company arose from the dinner table and went ont upon the terrace, where the gentlemen could have their coffee and cigars without being separated from the ladies. As they sat there. Blake saw the myster- foiis Indians approach, and their lead CT. Bowling low to Lady Verinders ask- ed permission to show some of their tricks Of iegerdemain.
 To the rest of the company the ap- pearance of the jugglers were merely A div6rting incident, but to Blake it was a most alarming one; and to Murth- waite it meant more than it did to BIake, for hts knowledge of the Moon stone,s history was more exact, and his suspicions of who the pretended jug eIers were and of the mission on which they were bent mado him fear for the innocent possessor of the Moonstone.
 After the Indians had performed fevv simple tricks Murthwaits, who was an expert not only in Indian his- tory. but in the dialect of the great and mysterious land, strclfed toward the performers and said something apart in an oriental tongue to the lead ef of the bond Blake. who was watch ing. saw that the Indian turned pale under the awarthiness of his skin. With look of defiance and Tear ne turned to the trAveler and asked him to announce that no more tricks could be performed that evening.
 Hastily the Indians gathered up their paraphernaIia and departed. What was that you said to the tugglersY" asked Blake of Murthwaite as soon as he got an opportunity to speak witk him aside. Those were no jugglersp replied tho traveller. '"They were Brah- mins of high caste. and It must be something of the utmost importance that has induced them to break that caste by crossing the water"
 "Can you guess what the object isg' asked Blake. T can---it is the Moon stone" answered Murthwaite, These Idlans are, firmly believe, of the chosen servants of the Moongod ap- pointed to watch over the Moonstone and to restore it, at whatever cost, to the forehead of him whose seat is on tho antelope.H
 Blake groaned. "And that gem you now see shining on the breast of her whom love-" said he. With my own hands gave 1t te her, perhaps there- by ordaining her to a horrible fate. What is to be done?"
 s.WeIl, 1t is rather difficult to say, but of course we ought not to alarm Miss verinder unnecessarily" said T would suggest that we havesa talk with Lady verinder tomor- row and get her to persuade her daughter to have the gem deposited I at once with some banker in London. 1"
 The next morning there was dismay and confusion in the house of Lady Verinder. The Moonstone had been stolen during che, night. In RachePs sitting room, which opened on her bed- room. stood an in1aid cabinet of East Indian make. The girl had publicly an- nounced that she was going to place her new gem in a drawer of this cab- inet, since 1t would be so appropriate a place for 1t. She had deposited It there in the presence of her maid, Pen elope. Before retiring the maid had said: o. miss. The cabinet does not even lock-" And now the gem was gone.
 Blake at once sent off message to Frizinghall asking the arrest of the Indians. and then sought an interview. with Rachel. He felt that he ought to take on himself the detection of the thieves, and he could not doubt that those mysterious Indians had had a hand in the theft. He intended to tell Rachel the story of the gem. ~
 To his surprise Rachel refused to see him. Neither to Blake nor to any one ele would the girl speak about the loss of the diamond. She had placed it in the cabinet at night; in the mora ps it was gone. That was all she had to say.
 Almost all of the morning she kept her room and appeared to be in great mental distress. Once she emerged. said few sharp words to Blake. look ing at him with eyes of scorn the while, and then retired again to her secIusion. Lady Verinder expostulated in vain with her. Franklin could im- agine no explanation of her conduct un- less the happening had given Rachel a nervous shock that had affected her seriously.
 Sergeant Gun, the great London de- tective, arrived. His trained eye at once discovered that some of the paint had been rubbed off the door of Rach- el's sitting room. apparently by a gar- ment which had brushed against 1t be- fore 1t was dry. The door had been painted in the forenoon of the birth day. When Penelope had seen her mis- tress to bed on that night she had mo- ticed the door, and the smudge was not there. Could it have been made the next morning after the theft? No; for the vehicle used in painting the door and no brushing garment could have made an impression on it after 3 o'clock of the eventful night n
 'tHum," said Sergeant Cuff. looking as if the whole thing were now an open book to him. We must exam inc all the clothing in the house."
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