"I have every reason to believe," I answered, "that one of them had an

interview with me, in my office, yesterday."

Mr. Murthwaite was not an easy man to astonish; but that last answer

of mine completely staggered him. I described what had happened to Mr.

Luker, and what had happened to myself, exactly as I have described it

here. "It is clear that the Indian's parting inquiry had an object," I

added. "Why should he be so anxious to know the time at which a borrower

of money is usually privileged to pay the money back?"

"Is it possible that you don't see his motive, Mr. Bruff?"

"I am ashamed of my stupidity, Mr. Murthwaite--but I certainly don't see

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it."

The great traveller became quite interested in sounding the immense

vacuity of my dulness to its lowest depths.

"Let me ask you one question," he said. "In what position does the

conspiracy to seize the Moonstone now stand?"

"I can't say," I answered. "The Indian plot is a mystery to me."

"The Indian plot, Mr. Bruff, can only be a mystery to you, because you

have never seriously examined it. Shall we run it over together, from

the time when you drew Colonel Herncastle's Will, to the time when

the Indian called at your office? In your position, it may be of very

serious importance to the interests of Miss Verinder, that you should

be able to take a clear view of this matter in case of need. Tell me,

bearing that in mind, whether you will penetrate the Indian's motive for

yourself? or whether you wish me to save you the trouble of making any

inquiry into it?"

It is needless to say that I thoroughly appreciated the practical

purpose which I now saw that he had in view, and that the first of the

two alternatives was the alternative I chose.

"Very good," said Mr. Murthwaite. "We will take the question of the ages

of the three Indians first. I can testify that they all look much about

the same age--and you can decide for yourself, whether the man whom you

saw was, or was not, in the prime of life. Not forty, you think? My

idea too. We will say not forty. Now look back to the time when Colonel

Herncastle came to England, and when you were concerned in the plan he

adopted to preserve his life. I don't want you to count the years. I

will only say, it is clear that these present Indians, at their age,

must be the successors of three other Indians (high caste Brahmins all

of them, Mr. Bruff, when they left their native country!) who followed

the Colonel to these shores. Very well. These present men of ours have

succeeded to the men who were here before them. If they had only done

that, the matter would not have been worth inquiring into. But they

have done more. They have succeeded to the organisation which their

predecessors established in this country. Don't start! The organisation

is a very trumpery affair, according to our ideas, I have no doubt. I

should reckon it up as including the command of money; the services,

when needed, of that shady sort of Englishman, who lives in the byways

of foreign life in London; and, lastly, the secret sympathy of such

few men of their own country, and (formerly, at least) of their own

religion, as happen to be employed in ministering to some of the

multitudinous wants of this great city. Nothing very formidable, as you

see! But worth notice at starting, because we may find occasion to

refer to this modest little Indian organisation as we go on. Having now

cleared the ground, I am going to ask you a question; and I expect your

experience to answer it. What was the event which gave the Indians their

first chance of seizing the Diamond?"




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