"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
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?"