Franklin and I knew) both
started, and both looked surprised.
"I can't stop to explain myself now," Mr. Franklin went on. "I can only
tell you that the Indians have certainly stolen the Diamond. Give me
a letter of introduction," says he, addressing my lady, "to one of the
magistrates at Frizinghall--merely telling him that I represent your
interests and wishes, and let me ride off with it instantly. Our chance
of catching the thieves may depend on our not wasting one unnecessary
minute." (Nota bene: Whether it was the French side or the English, the
right side of Mr. Franklin seemed to be uppermost now. The only question
was, How long would it last?)
He put pen, ink, and paper before his aunt, who (as it appeared to me)
wrote the letter he wanted a little unwillingly. If it had been possible
to overlook such an event as the loss of a jewel worth twenty thousand
pounds, I believe--with my lady's opinion of her late brother, and her
distrust of his birthday-gift--it would have been privately a relief to
her to let the thieves get off with the Moonstone scot free.
I went out with Mr. Franklin to the stables, and took the opportunity of
asking him how the Indians (whom I suspected, of course, as shrewdly as
he did) could possibly have got into the house.
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