The Moonstone (Episode 2)

John Herncastle made it back to England safely. But he found that he could not sell the moonstone. It made people feel uncomfortable and no one would buy it. They all thought it must be stolen. A few years after his return home, Herncastle died, lonely and poor. In his will he said that he wanted his young niece, Rachel, to save the moonstone for her eighteenth birthday.

It was the duty of Franklin Blake, a young friend of the family, to give Rachel the moonstone. On the day of Rachel’s birthday party, Franklin was looking at the moonstone in his study. He was fascinated by the strange look and feel of the diamond. It glowed with a special light and it almost seemed as though it had special powers

.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. It was Godfrey Ablewhite, an old friend of Franklin and Rachel. “I have something to show you,” Franklin told him. He showed Godfrey the moonstone. Godfrey had never seen anything like it. “Did you buy that?’’ he asked.

Franklin laughed. “Oh, no,” he said. He told Godfrey that only John Herncastle knew where the stone came from and that isnce he was dead perhaps no one would ever know. “I am giving it to Rachel tonight for her eighteen birthdays,” said Franklin. “This is what Herncastle wanted. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?”

Godfrey laughed. “Beautiful? It’s only a bit of carbon, just like coal! I would rather have a piece of coal than a diamond. After all, we can burn coal to make heat. Diamonds are useless! I would not want anything to do with it!”

Franklin was surprised. In spite of his words. He would tell that Godfrey was fascinated by the large, glowing stone. “You are so harsh!” he told him. “But you might be right about the moonstone. They say there might be a curse attached to it.”

Later, when Franklin left the house, he was sure he could feel someone watching him. He looked around but the street was empty. He wondered if it could have something to do with the moonstone. What if it really were cursed? May be it would just be better to try and sell it, and give Rachel the money, he thought. But Franklin knew that he had to carry out her uncle’s wishes.

Franklin stopped at a jewelry store and had the moonstone mounted on a silver chain.

Then he boarded the train for Rachel’s birthday party with the moonstone safely in his pocket.