istake, on the first night of Mr. Blake's arrival at
his aunt's house."

"Their first mistake?" I repeated.

"Certainly! The mistake of allowing themselves to be surprised, lurking
about the terrace at night, by Gabriel Betteredge. However, they had the
merit of seeing for themselves that they had taken a false step--for, as
you say, again, with plenty of time at their disposal, they never came
near the house for weeks afterwards."

"Why, Mr. Murthwaite? That's what I want to know! Why?"

"Because no Indian, Mr. Bruff, ever runs an unnecessary risk. The clause
you drew in Colonel Herncastle's Will, informed them (didn't it?) that
the Moonstone was to pass absolutely into Miss Verinder's possession on
her birthday. Very well. Tell me which was the safest course for men in
their position? To make their attempt on the Diamond while it was under
the control of Mr. Franklin Blake, who had shown already that he could
suspect and outwit them? Or to wait till the Diamond was at the disposal
of a young girl, who would innocently delight in wearing the magnificent
jewel at every possible opportunity? Perhaps you want a proof that my
theory is correct? Take the conduct of the Indians themselves as the
proof. They appeared at the house, after waiting all those weeks,
on Miss Verinder's birthday; and they were rewarded for the patient
accuracy of their calculations by seeing the Moonstone in the bosom of
her dress! When I heard the story of the Colonel and the Diamond, later
in the evening, I felt so sure about the risk Mr. Franklin Blake had run
(they would have certainly attacked him, if he had not happened to ride
back to Lady Verinder's in the company of other people); and I was so
strongly convinced of the worse risk still, in store for Miss Verinder,
that I recommended following the Colonel's plan, and destroying the
identity of the gem by having it cut into separate stones. How its
extraordinary disappearance that night, made my advice useless, and
utterly defeated the Hindoo plot--and how all further action on the part
of the Indians was paralysed the next day by their confinement in prison
as rogues and vagabonds--you know as well as I do. The first act in
the conspiracy closes there. Before we go on to the second, may I
ask whether I have met your difficulty, with an explanation which is
satisfactory to the mind of a practical man?"

It was impossible to deny that he had met my difficulty fairly; thanks
to his superio