The Moonstone

Sergeant Cuff, a famous police detective, arrives at the Verinder house to investigate the disappearance of the diamond. Cuff seems eccentric, but is very observant of small details. When Cuff inspects Rachel’s sitting-room where the diamond had been locked up, he notices that the paint on the doorframe is smudged; the paint was recently applied because Rachel and Franklin Blake had been painting the doorframe together prior to the diamond’s disappearance. Cuff deduces that the paint was not smudged when the household went to bed around midnight, but would likely have been dry enough not to smudge by the early hours of the morning. Therefore, whoever brushed up against the door between midnight and the early morning is likely the thief; if an item of clothing can be found with paint smudges, it would be a very incriminating piece of evidence.

The questioning is cut short by Rachel breaking in. She is upset that Franklin Blake is participating in the investigation, and speaks very bitterly to him. She also refuses to answer any questions from Cuff. Franklin is hurt and confused by Rachel’s behavior, but Cuff is unperturbed.

Cuff meets with Lady Verinder, accompanied by Betteredge. Cuff explains that he wants to search the wardrobes of everyone, servants and household alike, who was present on the night the diamond disappeared, to look for any smudges of paint. He also wants to see the book listing the laundry records.

Lady Verinder agrees, and when Rosanna Spearman brings the document to him, Cuff recognizes the young woman. Cuff met Rosanna when she was previously imprisoned for theft; he questions Lady Verinder, who admits that she hired Rosanna knowing the young woman’s criminal history. Meanwhile, Rachel sends a message that she will not consent to having her wardrobe searched. Betteredge is very confused because he does not understand why Rachel won’t cooperate with the investigation.

Cuff and Betteredge walk in the garden, and Cuff asks Betteredge if anyone in the household behaved strangely the day after the diamond was stolen. Betteredge is torn because he did observe Rosanna behaving strangely, with her spending most of the day alone in her room, but he does not want to incriminate her. Betteredge explains that Rosanna seems to be infatuated with Franklin Blake, but he doesn’t reveal her behavior after the diamond’s disappearance.

However, Betteredge continues to worry because he learns that two maids have told Cuff that they suspect Rosanna wasn’t actually in her room. Betteredge confides to Franklin Blake that he is afraid suspicions have fallen upon Rosanna; however, tension between Franklin and Cuff prevents any action from being taken. Cuff asks Betteredge to accompany him to the seashore, and the two men walk together toward the Shivering Sands.

At the Shivering Sands, Cuff explains his current theory: He thinks that Rosanna did take the diamond, but that she was acting on behalf of someone else. Cuff also explains the sequence of events he has deduced. He thinks that, the day after the diamond disappeared, Rosanna realized the smudge of paint was on her dress, and that she needed to hide the evidence. Rosanna claimed to be in her room all day, but actually made a trip to town to buy the necessary materials for making a new dress. She would also have needed to dispose of the stained dress, and Cuff caught a glimpse of her earlier, making her way toward the sea. Together, Cuff and Betteredge search for any items of clothing, but are unable to find anything.

Since Cuff also saw Rosanna stop at a fishing cottage owned by the Yolland family, the two men go there. They chat with Mrs. Yolland, who confirms that Rosanna stopped by a few hours earlier, and confided that she, Rosanna, was soon going to leave the Verinder household and go travelling. Rosanna also borrowed a metal box and some chains; these items imply that Rosanna might have wanted to sink something into the water, but still have the option to pull it back up again using the chains at a later time. Betteredge and Cuff disagree about whether Rosanna is trying to hide stained clothing, or the diamond itself.

Cuff and Betteredge go back to the house and find that Rachel is planning to leave.

Rachel is planning to stay with her aunt and uncle Ablewhite, Godfrey’s parents. Betteredge realizes that Cuff thinks Rachel has faked the robbery and actually has the diamond in her possession. Betteredge is offended, and does not think this could be true.

A short time later, Betteredge learns that there has been a strange confrontation between Rosanna and Franklin Blake: Rosanna approached him, and he became nervous that she was going to confess to stealing the diamond. Since Franklin didn’t seem to want to talk to her, Rosanna became upset and ran off. Franklin regretted hurting her feelings, and offered to meet with her later, but Rosanna declined.

The next day, Betteredge, Franklin Blake, and Cuff meet in the garden. Cuff questions Franklin about anything Rosanna might have told him. Franklin is unwilling to tell him anything; the three men catch sight of Rosanna coming toward them. Cuff tells Franklin that if he cares about Rosanna, he should not keep any secrets. Franklin retorts that he doesn’t care about Rosanna at all. All of them can tell that Rosanna has heard this comment; she rushes back into the house, and seems distressed. Franklin feels bad: He only made the statement because he wanted to prevent Rosanna from potentially making an incriminating confession.

Later, Penelope tells her father that she is becoming alarmed by Rosanna’s mental and emotional state. Betteredge tries to talk with Rosanna, and is also worried. Rosanna seems to him “not like a living woman, but like a creature moved by machinery” (152).

Meanwhile, Cuff has gone to the town of Frizinghall. He wants to find out information about what Rosanna might have purchased when she was buying supplies to repair her dress, and to question the Indians.

Cuff returns to the Verinder house just before it is time for Rachel to depart. Cuff quickly explains to Betteredge that he is convinced the Indians did not steal the diamond; he also believes the Indians are now trying to find it as well. Cuff reports that, based on the fabric Rosanna purchased, she was replacing a simple nightgown. This leads him to believe that it was indeed Rosanna who smudged the paint: Had she been replacing an item of clothing for Rachel, she would have needed more lavish fabric and ornamentation.

Rachel leaves the house to stay with the Ablewhite family, behaving especially coldly toward Franklin Blake. Cuff is confident that Rachel has the diamond and is taking it with her. He also learns from some of the other servants that no one has seen Rosanna recently: She left a letter, which was mailed on her behalf. Since Cuff presumes Rosanna was sending the letter to the Yollands, he plans to visit them in a few days and find out what the letter contained.

Cuff and Betteredge begin looking for Rosanna. They find footprints that match her shoe size leading to the rocks overlooking the Shivering Sands quicksand. There are no footprints leading back. They surmise that Rosanna has died by suicide because, due to the position of the rocks and water, she would have been able to get out if she had wanted to.

Their conjecture is confirmed when they return to the house, where Betteredge finds a note that Rosanna left for him: “I have found my grave where my grave was waiting for me” (165). Everyone is very saddened, and Betteredge blames Cuff and his suspicions for having driven Rosanna to her death.

Lady Verinder is distressed by Rosanna’s death and also blames Cuff. She initially orders him to leave the house, but then agrees to a meeting with him and Betteredge. Betteredge worries that Cuff is going to offend Lady Verinder by telling her his theory that Rachel has faked the whole crime. Meanwhile, Franklin Blake tells Betteredge that he is going to leave England and go abroad.

Betteredge, Cuff, and Lady Verinder gather together. Cuff explains that “young ladies of rank and position do occasionally have private debts which they dare not acknowledge” (171). He thinks that Rachel has taken the diamond intending to pawn it and use the money to pay off her debts. Lady Verinder does not believe this could be true, but also doesn’t have any other explanation for Rachel’s strange behavior and refusal to cooperate with the investigation.

Cuff wants to spy on Rachel while she is in London to see if she pawns the diamond, but Lady Verinder forbids this. Cuff suggests an alternative: Telling Rachel suddenly, and without warning, that Rosanna has died by suicide. Cuff thinks that this information will cause Rachel distress and guilt, leading her to blurt out the truth. Lady Verinder agrees, but she insists that she wants to be the one to tell Rachel, and departs for London.

Lady Verinder sends word to Cuff and Betteredge that she has told Rachel about Rosanna’s death. Rachel has affirmed that “the Diamond is not now, and never has been, in her possession” (182). Lady Verinder considers the investigation over, sends money to pay Cuff, and tells him to leave.

Cuff dutifully packs up, but tells Betteredge that he predicts several things. Cuff thinks the Yollands will reach out to Betteredge after they receive the letter Rosanna sent them, that there will be more news about the three Indians, and that a pawnbroker named Septimus Luker is somehow going to become involved in the case.

Betteredge is surprised that Franklin Blake is still planning to go abroad. Franklin shows him a letter that he received from Lady Verinder. Lady Verinder writes that Rachel is very distressed; she doesn’t think there is any point pressuring Rachel to reveal any more information at this point, and that “for the present, [Franklin] and Rachel are better apart” (188). Lady Verinder and Rachel are going to spend some time together in London, and Penelope goes to meet them. Franklin Blake also leaves.

Shortly thereafter, Lucy Yolland, Rosanna’s friend, comes to confront Betteredge. Lucy knew about Rosanna’s feelings for Franklin, and blames him for her death. She also has a letter that Rosanna wrote to Franklin and entrusted to her. Lucy gives the letter to Betteredge, but since Franklin has already left the country, Betteredge has no way of passing it along. A few days later, Cuff sends a newspaper article to Betteredge. The article describes how a London pawnbroker named Septimus Luker has reported concerns about three Indians lurking near his shop.

Betteredge ends his narrative by concluding that he doesn’t know what happened to the diamond. He concedes that it does seem probable that Rachel had the diamond with her and sold it to the pawnbroker in London—hence why the Indians became so interested in his shop. Betteredge concludes that he has documented everything he observed firsthand concerning the diamond, and that the story will have to be continued by other narrators.