'Mr. Blake!' he said. 'Look at the man's face. It is a face disguised—and here's a proof of it!'
He traced with his finger a thin line of livid white, running backward from the dead man's forehead, between the swarthy complexion, and the slightly-disturbed black hair. 'Let's see what is under this,' said the Sergeant, suddenly seizing the black hair, with a firm grip of his hand.
My nerves were not strong enough to bear it. I turned away again from the bed.
The first sight that met my eyes, at the other end of the room, was the irrepressible Gooseberry, perched on a chair, and looking with breathless interest, over the heads of his elders, at the Sergeant's proceedings.
'He's pulling off his wig!' whispered Gooseberry, compassionating my position, as the only person in the room who could see nothing.
There was a pause—and then a cry of astonishment among the people round the bed.
'He's pulled off his beard!' cried Gooseberry.
There was another pause—Sergeant Cuff asked for something. The landlord went to the wash-hand-stand, and returned to the bed with a basin of water and a towel.
Gooseberry danced with excitement on the chair. 'Come up here, along with me, sir! He's washing off his complexion now!'
The Sergeant suddenly burst his way through the people about him, and came, with horror in his face, straight to the place where I was standing.
'Come back to the bed, sir!' he began. He looked at me closer, and checked himself 'No!' he resumed. 'Open the sealed letter first—the letter I gave you this morning.'
I opened the letter.
'Read the name, Mr. Blake, that I have written inside.'
I read the name that he had written. It was GODFREY ABLEWHITE.
'Now,' said the Sergeant, 'come with me, and look at the man on the bed.'
I went with him, and looked at the man on the bed.
GODFREY ABLEWHITE!
SIXTH NARRATIVE
Contributed by SERGEANT CUFF
I
Dorking, Surrey, July 30th, 1849. To Franklin Blake, Esq. Sir,—I beg to apologise for the delay that has occurred in the production of the Report, with which I engaged to furnish you. I have waited to make it a complete Report; and I have been met, here and there, by obstacles which it was only possible to remove by some little expenditure of patience and time.
The object which I proposed to myself has now, I hope, been attained. You will find, in these pages, answers to the greater part—if not all—of the questions, concerning the late Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite, which occurred to your mind when I last had the honour of seeing you.
I propose to tell you—in the first place—what is known of the manner in which your cousin met his death; appending to the statement such inferences and conclusions as we are justified (according to my opinion) in drawing from the facts.
I shall then endeavour—in the second place—to put you in possession of such discoveries as I have made, respecting the proceedings of Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite, before, during and after the time, when you and he met as guests at the late Lady Verinder's country-house.
II
As to your cousin's death, then, first.
It appears to be established, beyond any reasonable doubt, that he was killed (while he was asleep, or immediately on his waking) by being smothered with a pillow from his bed—that the persons guilty of murdering him are the three Indians—and that the object contemplated (and achieved) by the crime, was to obtain possession of the diamond, called the Moonstone.
The facts from which this conclusion is drawn, are derived partly from an examination of the room at the tavern; and partly from the evidence obtained at the Coroner's Inquest.
On forcing the door of the room, the deceased gentleman was
