The Moonstone - Page 170/404

The inevitable explanation followed. No! Let me be scrupulously

particular. Sal volatile and water followed, to compose dear Mr.

Godfrey's nerves. The explanation came next.

It appeared from the statement of the landlord and landlady of the house

(persons of good repute in the neighbourhood), that their first and

second floor apartments had been engaged, on the previous day, for a

week certain, by a most respectable-looking gentleman--the same who has

been already described as answering the door to Mr. Godfrey's knock. The

gentleman had paid the week's rent and all the week's extras in advance,

stating that the apartments were wanted for three Oriental noblemen,

friends of his, who were visiting England for the first time. Early on

the morning of the outrage, two of the Oriental strangers, accompanied

by their respectable English friend, took possession of the apartments.

The third was expected to join them shortly; and the luggage (reported

as very bulky) was announced to follow when it had passed through the

Custom-house, late in the afternoon. Not more than ten minutes previous

to Mr. Godfrey's visit, the third foreigner had arrived. Nothing out of

the common had happened, to the knowledge of the landlord and landlady

down-stairs, until within the last five minutes--when they had seen the

three foreigners, accompanied by their respectable English friend,

all leave the house together, walking quietly in the direction of the

Strand. Remembering that a visitor had called, and not having seen the

visitor also leave the house, the landlady had thought it rather strange

that the gentleman should be left by himself up-stairs. After a

short discussion with her husband, she had considered it advisable to

ascertain whether anything was wrong. The result had followed, as I

have already attempted to describe it; and there the explanation of the

landlord and the landlady came to an end.

An investigation was next made in the room. Dear Mr. Godfrey's property

was found scattered in all directions. When the articles were

collected, however, nothing was missing; his watch, chain, purse,

keys, pocket-handkerchief, note-book, and all his loose papers had been

closely examined, and had then been left unharmed to be resumed by the

owner. In the same way, not the smallest morsel of property belonging to

the proprietors of the house had been abstracted. The Oriental noblemen

had removed their own illuminated manuscript, and had removed nothing

else.

What did it mean? Taking the worldly point of view, it appeared to mean

that Mr. Godfrey had been the victim of some incomprehensible error,

committed by certain unknown men. A dark conspiracy was on foot in the

midst of us; and our beloved and innocent friend had been entangled in

its meshes. When the Christian hero of a hundred charitable victories

plunges into a pitfall that has been dug for him by mistake, oh, what a

warning it is to the rest of us to be unceasingly on our guard! How soon

may our own evil passions prove to be Oriental noblemen who pounce on us

unawares!