By all means consider him a scoundrel; but tell me,
if you please, why he should steal the Moonstone?"
"The human heart is unsearchable," I said gently. "Who is to fathom it?"
"In other words, ma'am--though he hadn't the shadow of a reason for
taking the Diamond--he might have taken it, nevertheless, through
natural depravity. Very well. Say he did. Why the devil----"
"I beg your pardon, Mr. Bruff. If I hear the devil referred to in that
manner, I must leave the room."
"I beg YOUR pardon, Miss Clack--I'll be more careful in my choice
of language for the future. All I meant to ask was this. Why--even
supposing he did take the Diamond--should Franklin Blake make himself
the most prominent person in the house in trying to recover it? You may
tell me he cunningly did that to divert suspicion from himself. I answer
that he had no need to divert suspicion--because nobody suspected him.
He first steals the Moonstone (without the slightest reason) through
natural depravity; and he then acts a part, in relation to the loss of
the jewel, which there is not the slightest necessity to act, and which
leads to his mortally offending the young lady who would otherwise have
married him.
Pages:
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435