Such was the conversation, inside the study, as reported to me by Mr.

Jeffco. The conversation outside the study, was shorter still. "Jeffco,

see what time the tidal train starts to-morrow morning." "At six-forty,

Mr. Franklin." "Have me called at five." "Going abroad, sir?" "Going,

Jeffco, wherever the railway chooses to take me." "Shall I tell your

father, sir?" "Yes; tell him at the end of the session."

The next morning Mr. Franklin had started for foreign parts. To what

particular place he was bound, nobody (himself included) could presume

to guess. We might hear of him next in Europe, Asia, Africa, or America.

The chances were as equally divided as possible, in Mr. Jeffco's

Advertisement..

opinion, among the four quarters of the globe.

This news--by closing up all prospects of my bringing Limping Lucy and

Mr. Franklin together--at once stopped any further progress of mine

on the way to discovery. Penelope's belief that her fellow-servant had

destroyed herself through unrequited love for Mr. Franklin Blake, was

confirmed--and that was all. Whether the letter which Rosanna had

left to be given to him after her death did, or did not, contain the

confession which Mr. Franklin had suspected her of trying to make to him

in her life-time, it was impossible to say. It might be only a farewell

word, telling nothing but the secret of her unhappy fancy for a person

beyond her reach. Or it might own the whole truth about the strange

proceedings in which Sergeant Cuff had detected her, from the time

when the Moonstone was lost, to the time when she rushed to her own

destruction at the Shivering Sand. A sealed letter it had been placed in

Limping Lucy's hand, and a sealed letter it remained to me and to every

one about the girl, her own parents included. We all suspected her of

having been in the dead woman's confidence; we all tried to make her

speak; we all failed. Now one, and now another, of the servants--still

holding to the belief that Rosanna had stolen the Diamond and had hidden

it--peered and poked about the rocks to which she had been traced,

and peered and poked in vain. The tide ebbed, and the tide flowed; the

summer went on, and the autumn came. And the Quicksand, which hid her

body, hid her secret too.

The news of Mr. Franklin's departure from England on the Sunday morning,

and the news of my lady's arrival in London with Miss Rachel on the

Monday afternoon, had reached me, as you are aware, by the Tuesday's

post. The Wednesday came, and brought nothing. The Thursday produced a

second budget of news from Penelope.

My girl's letter informed me that some great London doctor had been

consulted about her young lady, and had earned a guinea by remarking

that she had better be amused. Flower-shows, operas, balls--there was

a whole round of gaieties in prospect; and Miss Rachel, to her mother's

astonishment, eagerly took to it all. Mr. Godfrey had called; evidently

as sweet as ever on his cousin, in spite of the reception he had

met with, when he tried his luck on the occasion of the birthday. To

Penelope's great regret, he had been most graciously received, and had

added Miss Rachel's name to one of his Ladies' Charities on the spot.

My mistress was reported to be out of spirits, and to have held two long

interviews with her lawyer. Certain speculations followed, referring to

a poor relation of the family--one Miss Clack, whom I have mentioned in

my account of the birthday dinner, as sitting next to Mr. Godfrey, and

having a pretty taste in champagne. Penelope was astonished to find that

Miss Clack had not called yet. She would surely not be long before she

fastened herself on my lady as usual--and so forth, and so forth, in the

way women have of girding at each other, on and off paper. This would

not have been worth mentioning, I admit, but for one reason. I hear you

are likely to be turned over to Miss Clack, after parting with me. In

that case, just do me the favour of not believing a word she says, if

she speaks of your humble servant.




Most Popular