For many centuries, in an Indian temple there stood a sacred statue of the Moon God, in whose forehead a beautiful diamond sparkled in yellow. By ancient legend If the gem leaves the monastery, it will bring misfortune to its owner. The statue with the precious shrine was guarded by Brahmin priests. But during an attack on the temple by the British military, the diamond disappeared from the forehead of the Moon God.

The English Colonel Herncastle took possession of the jewel and decided to give it to his relative Rachel Verinder on her coming of age.

On Rachel’s birthday, at her family estate, a young man, Franklin Black, appeared among the assembled guests, handed the girl a stone of extraordinary beauty, bequeathed to her by Herncastle, and told the colonel’s request to break the diamond into several small diamonds. One of the guests heard the history of this ancient stone and the ongoing search for it by the Hindus. The traveler agreed with Herncastle's opinion that the diamond must be split, otherwise its owner could die. But Rachel refused to spoil the diamond.

Franklin became interested in a cheerful, charming girl and realized that he was in love, but it seems to him that Rachel is more sympathetic to cousin Godfrey. The birthday celebration continued and during the conversation, Franklin quarreled with Dr. Kandy, who was present at the celebration, arguing with him about the purpose of medicine. After dinner, the guests were invited to watch a circus performance, but no one noticed that the performers performing tricks were Indians.

The next morning it was discovered that the diamond had disappeared. Franklin called the police, but they were unable to find out anything, and then the young man turned to the services of private detective Cuff. The detective found traces of washed-out paint on the door behind which the stone was kept, decided that the thief had stained his clothes and directed his search in that direction. Cuff noticed that Rachel behaved very nervously and hysterically, she communicated dryly and reluctantly with Franklin, and it seemed to the detective that the girl knew who was involved in the disappearance of the stone. Continuing the investigation, Cuff's attention was drawn to one of the maids, Rosanna. He found out that the maid was convicted in the past, and now unrequitedly fell in love with Franklin. The detective was unable to find out anything from the maid; the girl died in a quagmire of quicksand. The detective was forced to complete the unsuccessful investigation, but leaving, he was sure: Rachel knows the thief of the precious thing, and the story of the moonstone is not over yet.

Worried about the health of her daughter, who was upset by the events that had taken place, her mother took Rachel to the capital, hoping that the girl would recover amid city life. Rachel's circle continued to gossip about the stolen diamond, and many members of society believed that Cousin Godfrey had a hand in this event. However, Rachel harshly cut off all conversations.

When Godfrey proposed marriage to Rachel, the girl decided to agree, but at that moment her mother suddenly died and Rachel broke off the engagement.

Franklin was haunted by the missing diamond, and he returned to the estate to continue the search for the missing stone. A friend of the maid Rosanna gave the young man a suicide note from the maid, in which she said that it was he, Franklin Black, who took the jewelry. Having recovered from what he had read, the young man decided to find out all the details of the strange disappearance.

He went to Rachel and insisted on talking to the girl. Rachel told Franklin that she saw him take the stone that night. The young man was very upset, but made a firm decision to find out the whole truth.

Franklin went to visit Dr. Cundy and found him mortally ill. The doctor's assistant revealed a secret to the young man: that evening the doctor slipped a strong medicine into his drink, which provoked an attack of sleepwalking in Franklin. Kandy made fun of his offender in this way. Much became clear to Franklin and Rachel was delighted at the young man’s innocence, but where the diamond was located remained unknown.

Black contacted Detective Cuff again and together they resumed the search. One day, their investigation led them to a man staying at a suburban hotel. Arriving at his room, the trackers found him dead. When Cuff removed the artificial hair from the man and peeled off the imitation beard, it became clear that this was Godfrey. It turned out that Franklin, while unconscious, gave the stone to Rachel's cousin, and he appropriated it for himself because he was in dire need of money. After a while, Godfrey was destroyed by the Hindus in order to return their holy thing to the temple.

Rachel and Franklin no longer hid their feelings for each other and got married. One evening they received a letter from a traveler who visited the Indian peninsula. The letter told of his visit to an ancient temple in which there is a statue of the Moon God with a bright diamond shining in his forehead.

Picture or drawing of Collins - Moonstone

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England has always been famous for its literary wealth, and the detective genre in British literature was no exception. Everyone knows the great names of Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. True lovers of detective stories still relish the works of Edgar Allan Poe, although they were not particularly outstanding in volume. But it is Wilkie Collins who must be considered the real progenitor of the detective genre in England, because it was this writer who was the first to use those techniques in literature that later became fundamental for the entire genre.

Thus, the structure proposed in the book “The Moonstone” is still considered almost the standard for detective novels. It consists of the following stages:

1. At the beginning of the work, a murder (or other serious crime) occurs, most often in a secluded place where there is no access for a large circle of people. An example would be Agatha Christie's Orient Express. In the case of The Moonstone, the setting was the residence of Lady Verinder.
2. Also at the beginning of the story, a narrow circle of people involved in the incident is introduced. As a rule, one of these persons is the criminal, whom it was initially extremely difficult to suspect. I think it’s not worth mentioning the name of the criminal, so as not to spoil the expectations of those who are just planning to read the book.
3. The work also features the figure of a detective, endowed with a mind of extreme observation and ingenuity. A similar image of detectives and police officers is used in almost all classic detective stories: Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Columbo, etc. In the work “The Moonstone,” detective Cuff became one, who probably could have served as a prototype for all the voiced inspectors.
4. An ornate plot, in which the investigation goes in the wrong direction several times, but ultimately leads to a logical conclusion.

What is the book about?

The Moonstone is considered by many to be perhaps the first detective novel (Poe also wrote in a similar style, but it should be noted that he wrote mostly short stories). History consists of a whole series of stories from different characters, united by one adjacent line. Thus, the author withdraws himself from the novel and allows each character to individually express his point of view and his vision of what happened, and the reader, page by page, can conduct his “own investigation” and compare his expectations with what is happening in the book.

As you probably already guessed, the plot of the novel centers on the disappearance of a precious stone, which was stolen during the celebration of an aristocratic British family. A professional detective was hired to investigate the cases, but the series of plot twists and turns is so dizzying that even he does not immediately manage to unravel this mystery. However, I will not reveal all my cards and kill the intrigue.

I just want to point out one feature. The book begins with quite “cheerful” events and almost immediately plunges the reader into the whirlwind of a detective investigation, but already in the middle of the book one gets the impression that the author himself could not maintain the chosen pace, and in his narrative the lethargy and confusion of the overall structure of the story begins to be observed. It would seem that the writer so famously stirred up interest in the disappearance of the diamond at the beginning of the work, and in the middle of the novel he simply did not know what to write next. Fortunately, there is a completely reasonable explanation for all this towards the end of the work, and all the little things and details that initially had nothing to do with the matter (at first glance) actually relate to it in the most direct way.

It is worth noting that the final part of the novel is of particular interest, since the active investigation into the theft of the diamond is resumed, but it is no longer conducted by a professional detective, but by an ordinary gentleman who wants to restore his reputation at all costs.

But how skillfully Collins managed to end the chapters of his novel on the highest note - that is, on the most intriguing moment. For reference, the original novel was first published in the monthly newspaper of Collins's friend, Charles Dickens. Each issue featured a new chapter, and readers had to wait another month to read the long-awaited sequel. I'm sure you know this feeling! Just remember how you watched the last episode of “Game of Thrones” and realized that you would have to wait until the next release of this series whole year, or even more. Luckily, things are different with books!

Moonstone is a huge yellow diamond. For centuries it sparkled in the forehead of the Moon God, whose statue was in the temple of the sacred city of Somnauta in India. In the eleventh century, three Brahmins hid it in Benares from the conquerors. Then at night the god Vishnu appeared before the Brahmins. He predicted to them that they would be the guardians of the Moonstone for the entire century. He warned the Brahmins that whoever dares to steal the stone will suffer for the rest of his life, and after his death this curse will pass on to his descendants. Time passed, the descendants of those three Brahmins continued to carry out their service near the Moonstone. At the beginning of the thirteenth century, the Mongol emperor became ruler. He ordered the destruction of the Brahma temple. The warlord who stole the Moonstone was followed by the guardians. They saw how the one who stole the stone died a terrible death. The moonstone changed owners, bringing death to everyone. The guards monitored his movements. Then the yellow diamond ended up with the Sultan, who decorated his dagger with it. When the British stormed Seringapatam in 1799, the diamond passed to John Herncastle. The new owner brutally kills the previous one.

However, during the war, Colonel Herncastle surrounded himself with such rumors that none of his relatives agreed to host him. The colonel was not very upset about such a cold reception and did not even try to somehow explain his actions. He began to live in solitude, surrounding himself with an aura of depravity and mystery. He was going to give the moonstone to his niece Rachel Verinder for her eighteenth birthday. In the summer of 1848, the yellow diamond was transported from London to the Verinder estate. Rachel's cousin, Franklin Black, brought him. At the Verinder estate, three Indians and a boy were already waiting for the appearance of the Moonstone. They all called themselves actors of the traveling theater. The old butler advises Franklin to hide the expensive stone more reliably - in a bank. Franklin takes the diamond to a bank located in Frizinghall. Time passes until Rachel's birthday, but nothing happens. Young people walk and have fun together, decorate the living room door with paintings. If it is obvious that Franklin is crazy about Rachel, then it is impossible to say the same about Rachel. Maybe she's more inclined towards her other cousin, Godfrey Ablewhite. The long-awaited holiday is finally coming. Franklin solemnly hands Rachel the diamond. The birthday girl and everyone present are delighted with the gift, and only Rachel’s mother, Madame Verinder, does not express much joy. Before everyone gathers at the table, Godfrey takes a moment alone with Rachel and confesses his feelings to her. Rachel refuses him. Throughout dinner, Godfrey sits silently, in gloomy stillness. Franklin, on the other hand, is extremely excited and joyful, makes bad jokes and constantly interrupts everyone. Without meaning to, he turns all the guests against himself. Among the guests was Dr. Kandy. He asks why Franklin is so nervous. Upon learning that the young man for a long time cannot sleep normally, advises him to see a specialist. Franklin swears rudely. It seems that this diamond that is now shining on Rachel’s dress has jinxed everyone. After dinner, actors came to entertain the guests. Wanting to see the performance, the guests went out to the terrace with the birthday girl. The Indians saw where the diamond was. Among those assembled was Mr. Murthwath. He was famous for his scientific works on India. As soon as he looked at the actors, he immediately realized that they were not actors, but Brahmins. Later it turns out that Colonel Gerncastle gave this stone with a bad intention, wanting to harm Rachel: anyone who becomes the owner of the diamond will suffer. In the evening the holiday completely fades away. Godfrey and Franklin are sarcastic to each other, and before they go their separate ways, Dr. Kandy and Godfrey whisper about something. Suddenly it starts to rain.

In the morning, no one can find the Moonstone. Despite yesterday's overexertion, Franklin had a great rest and cheerfully begins to look for the diamond. Having found nothing, he goes to file a statement with the police. Rachel reacts strangely to the disappearance of the stone: she is not just upset, for some reason she blames Franklin for the disappearance and does not hide her hatred of him. Inspector Seagrev arrives at the Verinder estate. First, he searches the house, then meticulously interrogates the servants and, having not found a clue, goes back to thoroughly interrogate the arrested Indians. Detective Cuff is called from London to help with the investigation. But he does anything but look for a stone. For example, he became very interested in roses. After some time, the detective finds a trace of paint on the door to Rachel’s room and announces: the one who wears the same paint is the criminal. The investigation shows that the maid Rosana Spearman, an inmate of the correctional home, is behaving extremely suspiciously. On the eve of the robbery, she was seen heading to Frizinghall. Rosanna's friends testify that the light was on in her room all night, but she did not answer the calls. In addition, Roseanne, having been in love with Franklin for a long time, suddenly began to pursue him. She seemed to want to tell him something. After interrogating all the servants, Cuff begins to follow the maid. The detective learns that Rosanna was recently near a mysterious and scary place - the Quicksand. She died there, poor thing, having managed to make sure that Franklin Black didn’t give a damn about her.

Madame Wehringer, worried about her daughter, decides that she needs some peace and sends her to relatives living in Frizinghall. Desperate Franklin, who has again doomed himself to unrequited love for Rachel, leaves for London, and from there he goes around the world. Detective Cuff concludes that Rosanna stole the diamond on the orders of the mistress herself and washes her hands of it, confident that the case will sooner or later reveal itself. After the Verinder estate is empty, the friend of the dead maid, Lame Lucy, comes to the house with a letter from Rosanna to Franklin. When the butler offers to hand over the envelope to the recipient, the girl refuses: she was ordered to hand it over personally.

Mother and daughter Verinder are in London. The doctors advised Rachel to get more rest and have fun, which is what the girl does. Society believes that perhaps Godfrey is exactly the one the detectives were looking for. Rachel refuses to believe the rumors. Godfrey faithfully follows on her heels, meekly enduring any whims. Soon Rachel begins to think about a possible wedding with him. Suddenly Madame Verinder becomes seriously ill and dies a few days later. Guardianship of Rachel goes to Father Godfrey. The girl settles in Brighton with the Ablewhites. Soon Rachel again refuses to marry Godfrey. The young man does not resist, but his father creates a scandal, endlessly reproaching Rachel. The girl is forced to leave her guardian and live in the lawyer's house.

Upon learning that his father has passed away, Franklin Black returns. When he tries to meet with Rachel, he is met with stubborn silence. Without reaching the girl, Franklin leaves for the Verinder estate in Yorkshire to again raise the old case of the stolen diamond. Arriving at the place, he receives a letter from the deceased Rosanna. The letter says that Franklin needs to go to the Shifting Sands and find there nightgown smeared with paint. Franklin follows the directions and pulls out a shirt, which, to his great surprise, is marked. Along with the shirt was a letter from Roseanne. In it, she explained what prompted her to sew another shirt and replace it with the one that had dye on it. Shocked by the news that it was he who stole the Moonstone, Franklin decides to continue the investigation. He persuades Rachel to tell him what happened that night. Rachel admits that she personally saw him take the diamond and take it somewhere. Franklin decides to recreate the events of that day as believably as possible. Not all guests can be found, but those who can still be met are interrogated by Franklin in detail. Dr. Kandy has suffered greatly over the past few years: a year ago, his cold developed into a fever, after which Mr. Kandy noticed that it was difficult for him to concentrate on anything for a long time. He often has memory lapses, and his assistant, Ezra Jennings, helps him a lot with this. The assistant gives Franklin the doctor's diary. After reading it and comparing the notes with the stories of others, Franklin concludes that he was given a small dose of the drug. Apparently, Mr. Kandy decided in this way to take revenge on him for his ridicule. Franklin remembers how he suffered from insomnia and was nervous about quitting smoking. A small dose did its job, and, along with other symptoms, completely stopped him from common sense and memory. Then, with the support of Jennings, Franklin tries to achieve this state again. He again refuses cigarettes and is deprived of sleep. Rachel secretly comes after Franklin - she hopes that the misunderstanding will be resolved and everything will end with the young man’s innocence. On Day X, Franklin takes opium and, in a fit of sleepwalking, takes a glass that played the role of a diamond. Together with her, he goes to his room, where the glass slips out of his hands. It is now clear that Franklin is innocent. But where is the diamond? It soon turns out that a man with a beard is buying some kind of precious stone from a certain Luker. There had been rumors about Luker before that he was somehow connected with the legend of the Moonstone. Franklin invites Detective Cuff, and together they head to the tavern where, according to rumors, the man with the beard was staying. However, they find him already dead. The corpse was wearing a false beard and a wig. Having taken off this masquerade, Cuff and Franklin see Godfrey Ablewhite in front of them. Then the previous events are restored: Godfrey squandered the money of some young man whom he was supposed to look after. Not knowing how else to return the stolen goods to him, Gaudry, finding Franklin out of his mind, asked him for a diamond. He thought he could get it back before the truth was revealed. So, the diamond was pledged, and after Gaudry received an inheritance, he immediately bought it back. As soon as the diamond returned to him again, Godry is attacked by Hindus and killed.

Rachel forgives Franklin. They are back together, happy and getting married soon. The old butler is happy for them. Mr. Murthwet in his letter tells the newlyweds about some ceremony in honor of the Moon, which took place near the city of Somnauth in India. At the end of the letter there is a description of the statue that was worshiped: it is a four-armed moon god seated on a throne. Each hand symbolizes a cardinal direction. There is a yellow diamond in the statue's forehead. So, the legendary Moonstone returned to where it belonged.

Please note that this is only summary literary work "The Moonstone". Many things are missing from this summary. important points and quotes.

Wilkie Collins

"Moonstone"

Since time immemorial, the moonstone - a huge yellow diamond - has adorned the forehead of the Moon god in one of the temples of the sacred Indian city of Somnauta. In the 11th century, saving the statue from Mohammedan conquerors, three Brahmins transported it to Benares. It was there that the god Vishnu appeared to the Brahmins in a dream, commanded them to guard the Moonstone day and night until the end of time and predicted misfortune to the daring one who dared to take possession of the stone, and to all his descendants to whom the stone would pass after him. Century after century passed, the successors of the three Brahmins did not take their eyes off the stone. At the beginning of the 18th century. The Mongol emperor plundered and destroyed the temples of Brahma's worshipers. The moonstone was stolen by one of the military leaders. Unable to return the treasure, three guardian priests, in disguise, watched over it. The warrior who committed sacrilege died. The moonstone passed, bringing with it a curse, from one illegal owner to another, the successors of the three priests continued to monitor the stone. The diamond ended up in the possession of the Seringapatam Sultan, who embedded it in the hilt of his dagger. During the storming of Seringapatam by English troops in 1799, John Herncastle, without stopping to kill, seizes the diamond.

Colonel Herncastle returned to England with such a reputation that the doors of his relatives were closed to him. The wicked colonel did not value the opinion of society, did not try to justify himself and led a solitary, vicious, mysterious life. John Herncastle bequeathed the moonstone to his niece Rachel Verinder as a gift for her eighteenth birthday. In the summer of 1848, the diamond is brought from London to the Verinder estate by Franklin Black, Rachel's cousin, but even before his arrival, three Indians and a boy appear near the Verinder house, posing as traveling magicians. In fact, they are interested in the Moonstone. On the advice of the old butler Gabriel Betteredge, Franklin takes the diamond to the nearest bank in Frizinghall. The time before Rachel's birthday passes without any special events. The young people spend a lot of time together, in particular, painting the door of Rachel's small living room with patterns. There is no doubt about Franklin's feelings for Rachel, but her attitude towards him remains unknown. Perhaps she prefers her other cousin, Godfrey Ablewhite. On Rachel's birthday, Franklin brings a diamond from the bank. Rachel and the guests who have already arrived are beside themselves with delight, only the girl’s mother, Milady Verinder, shows some concern. Before dinner, Godfrey declares his love to Rachel, but is refused. At dinner, Godfrey is gloomy, Franklin is cheerful, excited and speaks out of place, without malicious intent turning others against him. One of the guests, Frizinghall doctor Kandy, noticing Franklin's nervousness and hearing that he has been suffering from insomnia lately, advises him to get treatment, but receives an angry rebuke. It seems as if the diamond that Franklin managed to attach to Rachel’s dress like a brooch cast a spell on those present. As soon as lunch was over, the sounds of an Indian drum were heard and magicians appeared at the porch. The guests wanted to see the magic tricks and poured out onto the terrace, and with them Rachel, so that the Indians could make sure that the diamond was with her. Mr. Merthwath, a famous traveler in India, who was also present among the guests, determined without any doubt that these people were only disguised as magicians, but in fact they were Brahmins of a high caste. In a conversation between Franklin and Mr. Mertuet, it turns out that the gift is a sophisticated attempt by Colonel Herncastle to harm Rachel, that the owner of the diamond is in danger. The end of the festive evening goes no better than dinner, Godfrey and Franklin try to hurt each other, and in the end Doctor Kandy and Godfrey Ablewhite mysteriously agree on something. Then the doctor leaves for home in the sudden torrential rain.

The next morning it turns out that the diamond is missing. Franklin, having slept well against expectation, actively begins the search, but all attempts to find the diamond lead to nothing, and the young man leaves for the police. The loss of the jewel has had a strange effect on Rachel: not only is she upset and nervous, but her attitude towards Franklin has become undisguised anger and contempt, she does not want to talk to him or see him. Inspector Seagrave appears at the Verinder house. He searches the house and rather rudely interrogates the servants, then, having achieved no results, leaves to take part in the interrogation of three Indians detained on suspicion of stealing a diamond. The famous detective Cuff arrives from London. He seems interested in everything except the search for the stolen stone. In particular, he is partial to roses. But then the detective notices a speck of smeared paint on the door of Rachel’s small living room, and this determines the direction of the search: on whose clothes the paint is found, he, therefore, took the diamond. During the investigation, it turns out that the maid Rosanna Spearman, who entered the service of my lady from the correctional home, has been acting strange lately. The day before, Rosanna was met on the road to Frizingall, and Rosanna’s friends testify that she had a fire burning all night, but she did not answer the knock on the door. In addition, Roseanne, unrequitedly in love with Franklin Black, dared to speak to him in an unusually familiar manner and seemed ready to tell him something. Cuff, having interrogated the servants one by one, begins to follow Rosanna Spearman. Finding himself together with the butler Betteredge in the house of Roseanne's friends and skillfully conducting a conversation, Cuff realizes that the girl hid something in the Shifting Sands - an amazing and terrible place not far from the Verinder estate. In Quicksand, as in a quagmire, any thing disappears and a person may well die. It is this place that becomes the resting place of the poor suspected maid, who also had the opportunity to verify the complete indifference to her and to her fate of Franklin Black.

Milady Verinder, concerned about her daughter’s condition, takes her to her relatives in Frizinghall; Franklin, having lost Rachel’s favor, leaves first for London, then to travel around the world, and Detective Cuff suspects that the diamond was stolen by Rosanna at the request of Rachel herself, and believes that soon The Moonstone case will come to light again. The next day after the departure of Franklin and the owners of the house, Betteredge meets Lame Lucy, a friend of Rosanna, who brought a letter from the deceased for Franklin Black, but the girl does not agree to give the letter except to the addressee in her own hands.

Milady Verinder and her daughter live in London. Doctors have prescribed Rachel to have fun, and she is trying to follow their recommendations. Godfrey Ablewhite, in the opinion of the world, is one of the possible thieves of the Moonstone. Rachel strongly protests against this accusation. Godfrey’s meekness and devotion persuade the girl to accept his proposal, but here from a long time ago heart disease her mother dies. Father Godfrey becomes Rachel's guardian; she lives with the Ablewhite family in Brighton. After a visit from the solicitor Breff, who has been involved in family affairs for many years, and a conversation with him, Rachel terminates her engagement, which Godfrey accepts without complaint, but his father makes a scandal for the girl, because of which she leaves the guardian’s house and temporarily settles in the solicitor’s family.

Having received news of his father's death, Franklin Black returns to London. He tries to see Rachel, but she stubbornly refuses to meet with him and accept his letters. Franklin leaves for Yorkshire, where the Verinder house is located, to once again try to uncover the mystery of the disappearance of the Moonstone. Here Franklin is given a letter from Rosanna Spearman. The short note contains instructions, following which Franklin pulls out a nightgown stained with paint, hidden in a cache there, from the Quicksand. To his deepest amazement, he discovers his mark on his shirt! And Rosanna’s suicide letter, which was in the cache along with the shirt, explains the feelings that forced the girl to buy fabric, sew a shirt and replace it with the one that was smeared with paint. Having difficulty accepting the incredible news - that it was he who took the diamond - Franklin decides to bring the investigation to the end. He manages to persuade Rachel to talk about the events of that night. It turns out that she saw with her own eyes how he took the diamond and left the small living room. Young people part in sadness - an unsolved secret stands between them. Franklin decides to try to repeat the circumstances that preceded the loss of the stone, in the hope of tracing where it could have gone. It is impossible to gather everyone present at Rachel's birthday party, but Franklin asks about the events memorable day everyone he can find. Arriving on a visit to Dr. Kandy, Franklin is amazed at the change that has taken place in him. It turns out that the cold the doctor caught on his way home from visiting guests about a year ago turned into a fever, as a result of which Mr. Kandy’s memory continually fails him, which he diligently and in vain tries to hide. The doctor's assistant, Ezra Jennings, a sick and unhappy man, having taken part in Franklin's fate, shows him diary entries made when Jennings was caring for the doctor at the very beginning of his illness. Comparing these data with eyewitness accounts, Franklin understands that a small dose of opium was mixed into his drink (Dr. Cundy did not forgive him for ridicule and wanted to laugh at him in turn), and this, superimposed on his anxiety about the fate of the stone and nervousness associated with the fact that he had recently quit smoking plunged him into a state similar to sleepwalking. Under Jennings' guidance, Franklin prepares himself to repeat the experience. He quits smoking again, and his insomnia begins again. Rachel secretly returns to the house, she again believes in Franklin's innocence and hopes that the experiment will be successful. On the appointed day, under the influence of a dose of opium, Franklin, as before, takes the “diamond” (now it is replaced by glass of approximately the same type) and takes it to his room. There the glass falls out of his hands. Franklin's innocence has been proven, but the diamond has not yet been found. His traces are soon discovered: an unknown bearded man buys a certain jewel from the moneylender Luker, whose name had previously been rumored to be associated with the history of the Moonstone. A man stops at the Wheel of Fortune tavern, but Franklin Black and detective Cuff arrive there and find him already dead. Having removed the wig and false beard from the dead man, Cuff and Franklin recognize him as Godfrey Ablewhite. It is revealed that Godfrey was the guardian of one young man and squandered his money. Being in a desperate situation, Godfrey could not resist when Franklin, unconscious, gave him the stone and asked him to hide it better. Feeling complete impunity, Godfrey pledged the stone, then, thanks to the small inheritance he received, bought it back, but was immediately discovered by the Indians and killed.

The misunderstandings between Franklin and Rachel are forgotten, they get married and live happily. Old Gabriel Betteredge watches them with pleasure. A letter arrives from Mr. Merthwat in which he describes a religious ceremony in honor of the Moon God, which took place near the Indian city of Somnauta. The traveler ends the letter with a description of the statue: the moon god sits on a throne, his four arms are extended to the four cardinal directions, and a yellow diamond shines in his forehead. After centuries, the moonstone again found itself within the walls of the sacred city where its history began, but it is unknown what other adventures might befall it.

A huge yellow diamond - Moonstone - was on the forehead of the Moon god in the temple of the Indian city of Somnauta. Saving the statue from conquerors in the 11th century, the Brahmins transported it. The god Vishnu appeared to them and ordered them to guard the Moonstone. God predicted misfortune for everyone who dared to take possession of it. For centuries the successors of the three Brahmins kept the treasure. In the 18th century, the Mongol emperor destroyed the temples of Brahma, and the stone was stolen by a military commander. Three priests watched him. The warrior died, the diamond passed, bringing misfortune, from one hand to another. The stone ended up in the possession of the Seringapatam Sultan - he decorated the hilt of a dagger with it. The Englishman John Herncastle, having committed murder, appropriated the diamond.

Colonel Herncastle returned to England. He did not value people's opinions and led a vicious life. John decided to give the moonstone to his niece Rachel Verinder for her 18th birthday. Franklin Black, Rachel's cousin, takes him to the Verinder estate. Near the house he meets three Indian magicians. On her birthday, Rachel and the guests are delighted with the gift of a diamond. Only the girl's mother is concerned. The diamond that Franklin attached to Rachel's dress seems to have cast a spell on everyone - the guests are quarreling. After lunch, an Indian drum is heard. Mr. Murthwath, who knows India, saw that they were not really magicians, but Brahmins.

In the morning it turned out that the stone was missing. Rachel is upset and shows anger and contempt for Franklin. Inspector Seagrave searches the house, roughly interrogates the servants, and goes to interrogate three Indians. Detective Cuff arrived from London.

Then a series of tragic events occur: the maid Rosanna, who is in love with Franklin, dies in quicksand, Rachel’s mother dies of heart disease. The girl lives with her guardian, first agrees to marry Godfrey, and then breaks off the engagement. She assures Franklin that it was he who took the stone - she saw it herself. The young man begins an investigation, and from Dr. Kandy learns about the opium that was added to him. Convinced of the incredible fact that it was he who took the diamond, Franklin decides to reconstruct all the events. Having taken opium again, he takes a “diamond” (a piece of glass) and then does not remember anything, being in a state similar to sleepwalking. But who took the stone and where is it? Traces are discovered: an unknown bearded man bought the jewelry from a moneylender and went to the Wheel of Fortune tavern. He is found dead. After removing the wig and beard from the corpse, Cuff and Franklin recognize Godfrey. It turns out that Godfrey wasted other people's money. And he couldn’t resist when Franklin, unconscious, gave away the stone. Godfrey mortgaged the property, and then, having received an inheritance, bought it back. And he was killed by the Hindus.

Misunderstandings are forgotten between Franklin and Rachel, they get married. A letter arrives from Mertuet: he describes a ceremony in honor of the Moon God, God sits on a throne, four arms are extended to the four cardinal directions, and a yellow diamond shines in the forehead.

The very first, longest and best detective novel in English literature. Together with the novel The Woman in White, it is considered Collins's best work.

The novel was first published in Charles Dickens's magazine All the Year Round. The novel is built according to laws that will long become mandatory for classic works of the detective genre. But in addition, Collins gave a realistic picture of Victorian society and painted psychologically accurate portraits of its typical representatives.

Plot

A young girl, Rachel Verinder, according to the will of her uncle, who fought in India, receives on her coming of age a large diamond of extraordinary beauty. Rachel does not know that this diamond is a religious object stolen from one of the Indian sanctuaries, and three Hindu priests are on its trail. The history of the stone contains elements of the stories of such legendary stones as the Hope Diamond and, possibly, the Orlov.

On the night following Rachel's birthday, the stone disappears from the room next to her bedroom. There is every reason to believe that the diamond was stolen by one of the guests or house servants, and perhaps by Rachel herself.

History of creation

The title of the novel contains the name of a yellow diamond (not an adularia), which supposedly adorned the statue of the Moon god and was supposedly subject to its influence. At first the stone was kept in Somnaut, then, under the guard of three Brahmins who never left it, it was transported along with the statue of the god to Benares. Centuries later, the diamond was stolen, and, passing from hand to hand of illegal owners, brought them misfortune.

The novel contains a number of features that have become attributes of a classic detective story. His artistic models, plot twists, and images would later be adopted by G. K. Chesterton, Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and other masters of the detective genre:

• The crime takes place in a secluded place;
• The crime was committed by someone from a limited circle of people introduced to the reader at the very beginning of the story, by a person who was above suspicion until a certain moment;
• The investigation is on the wrong track;
• The case is being conducted by a professional investigator;
• He is confronted by a narrow-minded local policeman;
• Motive for the "locked room" murder;
• Scientific reconstruction of a crime in circumstances as close as possible to the events;
• Unexpected ending

The events are narrated directly by the characters involved.

Characters

• Rachel Verinder is a young girl who is Lady Verinder's only daughter;
• Franklin Black - Rachel's cousin, suitor for her hand; takes an active part in the search for diamonds;
• Godfrey Ablewhite - Rachel's cousin, later engaged to her; lawyer and philanthropist;
• Gabriel Betteredge as Lady Julia Verinder's butler;
• Rosanna Spearman - second servant in Lady Verinder's house, a former thief;
• Inspector Seagrave is a local policeman;
• Detective Cuff is a visiting policeman from London;
• Miss Drusilla Clack - Rachel's father's niece;
• Matthew Breff, solicitor for the Verinder family;
• Penelope Betteredge, servant, daughter of Gabriel Betteredge

Notes

Literature

D. Pesurtsev. Unfamiliar Acquaintance // W. Collins. Woman in white. - M.: OGIZ, 1993. - ISBN 5-88274-053-3

Links

• Light of the Moonstone. Excerpt from Audrey Peterson's Victorian Masters of Mystery (1984). Literary newspaper

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