The Green Mummy
in crumpled evening dress, like a dissipated undergraduate.”
Archie laughed in spite of his weariness, and assumed his greatcoat at
the same moment as Random slipped into his. The two young men walked
out into the village and up to the Pyramids, for Random wished to see
Braddock before returning to the Fort. They found the door of the great
house open and the servants in the hall.
“What is all this?” demanded Hope, entering. “Why are you here, and not
at work? Where is your master?”
“He's run away,” said the cook in a shrill voice. “Lord knows why, sir.”
“Archie! Archie!” Lucy came running out of the museum, pale-faced and
white, “my father has gone away with Cockatoo and the green mummy. What
does it mean? And just when poor Mrs. Jasher is murdered too.”
“Hush, darling! Come in, and I'll explain,” said Hope gently.
CHAPTER XXVI. THE APPOINTMENT
Poor Lucy Kendal was terribly grieved and shocked when the full account
of her step-father's iniquity was revealed to her. Archie tried to break
the news as delicately as possible, but no words could soften the sordid
story. Lucy, at first, could not believe it possible that a man, whom
she had known for so long, and to whom she was related, would behave
in such a base way. To convince her Hope was forced to let her read the
account in Mrs. Jasher's handwriting. When acquainted with the contents,
the poor girl's first desire was to have the matter hushed up, and she
implored her lover with tears to suppress the damning document.
“That is impossible,” said Hope firmly; “and if you think again, my
dear, you will not repeat such a request. It is absolutely necessary
that this should be placed in the hands of the police, and that the
truth should become as widely known as possible. Unless the matter is
settled once and for all, someone else may be accused of this murder.”
“But the disgrace,” wept Lucy, hiding her face on her lover's shoulder.
He slipped his arm round her waist.
“My darling, the disgrace exists whether it be public or private. After
all, the Professor is no relation.”
“No. But everyone knows that I am his step-daughter.”
“Everyone,” echoed Archie, with an assumed lightness. “My dear, everyone
in this instance only means the handful of people who live in this
out-of-the-way village. Your name will not appear in the papers. And
even if by chance it does, you will soon be changing it for mine. I
think the best thing that can be done is for you to come with me to
London next week and marry me. Then we can go to the south of France
for the rest of the winter, until you recover. When we return and set up
house in London--say in a year--the whole affair will be forgotten.”
“But how can you bear to marry me, when you know that I come of such a
bad stock?” wept Lucy, a trifle more comforted.
“My dear, must I remind you again that you are no relation to Professor
Braddock; you have not a drop of his wicked blood in your veins. And
even if you had, I should still marry you. It is you I love, and you I
marry, so there is no more to be said. Come, darling, say that you will
become my wife next week.”
“But the Professor?”
Archie smiled grimly. He found it difficult to forgive Braddock for the
disgrace he had brought on the girl.
“I don't think we'll ever be troubled again with the Professor,” he
said, after a pause. “He has bolted into the unknown with that infernal
Kanaka.”
“But why did he fly, Archie?”
“Because he knew that the game was up. Mrs. Jasher wrote out this
confession, and told Cockatoo, when he entered the room to get the
emerald, that she had written it. To save his master the Kanaka stabbed
the wretched woman, and, had Random and I not arrived, he would have
secured the confession. I really believe he came back again out of the
mist in the small hours of the morning to steal it. But when he found
that all was vain, he returned here and told the Professor that the
story of the murder had been written out. Therefore there was
nothing left to Braddock but to fly. Although,” added Hope, with an
afterthought, “I can't imagine why those two fugitives should drag that
confounded mummy with them.”
“But why should the Professor fly?” asked Lucy again. “According to what
Mrs. Jasher writes, he did not strangle poor Sidney.”
“No. And I will do him the justice to say that he had no idea of having
his assistant murdered. It was Cockatoo's savage blood which came out in
the deed, and maybe it can be explained by the Kanaka's devotion to the
Professor. It was the same way in the murder of Mrs. Jasher. By killing
Bolton, the Kanaka hoped to save the emeralds for Braddock: in stabbing
Mrs. Jasher, he hoped to save the Professor's life.”
“Oh, Archie, will they hang my father?”
Hope winced.
“Call him your step-father,” he said quickly. “No, dear, I do not think
he will be hanged; but as an accessory after the fact he will certainly
be condemned to a long term of imprisonment. Cockatoo, however,
assuredly will be hanged, and a good job too. He is only a savage, and
as such is dangerous in a civilized community. I wonder where they have
gone? Did anyone hear them going?”
“No,” said Lucy unhesitatingly. “Cook came up this morning to my room,
and said that my father--I mean my step-father--had gone away with
Cockatoo and with the green mummy. I don't know why she should have said
that, as the Professor often went away unexpectedly.”
“Perhaps she heard rumors in the village and put two and two together.
I cannot tell. Some instinct must have told her. But I daresay Braddock
and his accomplice fled under cover of the mist and in the small hours
of the morning. They must have known that the confession would bring the
officers of the law to this house.”
“I hope they will escape,” murmured Lucy.
“Well, I am not sure,” said Hope hesitatingly. “Of course, I should like
to avoid a scandal for your sake, and yet it is only right that the two
of them should be punished. Remember, Lucy dear, how Braddock has acted
all along in deceiving us. He knew all, and yet not one of us suspected
him.”
While Archie was thus comforting the poor girl, Gartley village was in
an uproar. Everyone was talking about this new crime, and everyone was
wondering who had stabbed the unlucky woman. As yet the confession of
Mrs. Jasher had not been placed in the hands of the police and everyone
was ignorant that Cockatoo was the criminal who had escaped in the fog.
Inspector Date speedily arrived with his myrmidons on the scene and made
the cottage his headquarters. Later in the day, Hope, having taken a
cold bath to freshen himself up, came with the confession. This he gave
to the officer and explained the whole story of the previous night.
Date was more than astonished: he was astounded. He read the confession
and made notes; then he sent for Sir Frank Random, and examined him
in the same strict way as he had examined the artist. Jane was also
questioned. Widow Anne was put in the witness box, so as to report
about the clothes, and in every way Date gathered material for another
inquest. At the former one he had only been able to place scanty
evidence before the jury, and the verdict had been unsatisfactory to the
public. But on this occasion, seeing that the witnesses he could bring
forward would solve the mystery of the first death as well as the
second, Inspector Date exulted greatly. He saw himself promoted and
his salary raised, and his name praised in the papers as a zealous and
clever officer. By the time the inquest came to be held, the inspector
had talked himself into believing that the whole mystery had been solved
by himself. But before that time came another event happened which
astonished everyone, and which made the final phase of the green mummy
crime even more sensational than it had been. And Heaven knows that from
beginning to end there had been no lack of melodrama of the most lurid
description.
Don Pedro de Gayangos was exceedingly amazed at the unexpected turn
which the case had taken. That he should have been trying to solve a
deep mystery for so long, and that the solution, all the time, had been
in the hands of the Professor, startled him exceedingly. He admitted
that he had never liked Braddock, but explained that he had not expected
to hear that the fiery little scientist was such a scoundrel. But, as
Don Pedro confessed, it was an ill wind which blew him some good, when
the upshot of the whole mysterious tragic business was the restoration
of at least one emerald. Sir Frank brought the gem to him on the
afternoon of the day succeeding Mrs. Jasher's death, and while the whole
village was buzzing with excitement. It was Random who gave all details
to Donna Inez and her father, leading from one revelation to another,
until he capped the whole extraordinary story by producing the splendid
gem.
“Mine! mine!” said Don Pedro, his dark eyes glittering. “Thanks be to
the Virgin and the Saints,” and he bowed his head to make the sign of
the cross devoutly on his breast.
Donna Inez clapped her hands and her eyes flashed, for, like every
woman, she had a profound love for jewels.
“Oh, how lovely, Frank! It must be worth no end of money.”
“Professor Braddock sold the other to some Indian rajah in
Amsterdam--through an agent, I presume for three thousand pounds.”
“I shall get more than that,” said Don Pedro quickly. “The Professor
sold his jewel in a hurry and had no time to bargain. But sooner or
later I shall get five thousand pounds for this.” He held the gem in the
sunlight, where it glowed like an emerald sun. “Why, it is worthy of a
king's crown.”
“I fear you will never get the other gem,” said Random regretfully. “I
believe that it is on its way to India, if Mrs. Jasher can be trusted.”
“Never mind. I shall be content with this one, senor. I have simple
tastes, and this will do much to restore the fortunes of my family. When
I go back with this and the green mummy, all those Indians who know
of my descent from the ancient Incas will be delighted and will pay me
fresh reverence.”
“But you forget,” said Random, frowning, “the green mummy has been taken
away by Professor Braddock.”
“They cannot have gone far with it,” said Donna Inez, shrugging.
“I don't know so much about that, dearest,” said Sir Frank. “Apparently,
since they handled it at the time of the murder, it is easier carried
about than one would think. And then they fled last night, or rather in
the small hours of this morning, under cover of a dense fog.”
“It is clear enough now,” said De Gayangos, peering through the window,
where a pale winter sun shone in a clear steel-hued sky. “They are bound
to be caught in the long run.”
“Do you wish them to be caught?” asked Random abruptly.
“Not the Professor. For Miss Lucy's sake I hope he will escape; but I
trust that the savage who killed these two unfortunate people will be
brought to the gallows.”
“So do I,” said Random. “Well, Don Pedro, it seems to me that your task
in Gartley is ended. All you have to do is to wait for the inquest and
see Mrs. Jasher buried, poor soul! Then you can go to London and remain
there until after Christmas.”
“But why should I remain in London?” asked the Peruvian, surprised.
Random glanced at Donna Inez, who blushed.
“You forget that you have given your consent to my marriage with--”
“Ah, yes,” Don Pedro smiled gravely. “I return with the jewel to Lima,
but I leave my other jewel behind.”
“Never mind,” said the girl, kissing her father; “when Frank and I are
married we will come to Callao in his yacht.”
“Our yacht,” said Random, smiling.
“Our yacht,” repeated Donna Inez. “And then you will see, father, that I
have become a real English lady.”
“But don't entirely forget that you are a Peruvian,” said Don Pedro