perishedperishmiserably ; the Moonstone passed ( carrying its curse with it ) from one lawless Mohammedan hand to another ; and still , through all chances and changes , the successors of the three guardian priests kept their watch , waiting the day when the will of Vishnu the Preserver should restore to them their sacred gem .
It was at such times that he was almost inclined to envy his wife 's first husband , a business friend of his named Elmer Ford , who had perishedperishsuddenly of an apoplectic seizureseizure: and the pity which he generally felt for the deceased tended to shift its focus .