The Green Mummy Part 38

"For the emeralds," faltered Hervey weakly.

"For the emeralds!" echoed the lady scornfully. "Sir Frank is rich. He does not need to steal to have much money. He is a gentleman, who does not murder, as you have done."

Hervey started to his feet, dismayed but defiant, and saw that he was ringed with unfriendly faces.

"As I have done. Why, I am--"

Donna Inez interrupted.

"You are a murderer. I truly believe that you--yes, that you" she pointed a scornful finger at him "killed this poor man who was bringing the mummy to the Professor. If you were in my own country, I should have you lashed like the dog you are. Pig of a Yankee, vile sc.u.m of the--"

"That will do, Inez," said De Gayangos imperiously. "We wish to make this gentleman tell the truth, and this is not the way to go about the matter."

"Gentleman," echoed the angry Peruvian, "he is none. Truth! There is no truth in him, the pig of pigs!" and then, her English failing, she took refuge in Spanish, which is a fairly comprehensive language for swearing in a polite way. The words fairly poured from her mouth, and she looked as fierce as Bellona, the G.o.ddess of war.

Archie, listening to her words and watching her beautiful face distorted out of all loveliness, secretly congratulated himself upon the fact that he was not her prospective bridegroom. He wondered how Sir Frank, who was a mild, good-tempered man himself, could dare to make such a fiery female Lady Random.

Perhaps the young man thought himself that she was going a trifle too far, for he touched her nervously on the arm. At once the anger of Donna Inez died down, and she submitted to be led to a chair, whispering as she went, "It was for your sake, my angel, that I was angry," she said, and then relapsed into silence, watching all future proceedings with flashing eyes but compressed mouth.

"Wal," muttered Hervey with his invariable drawl, "now that the lady has eased her mind, I should like to know why this aristocrat says I placed that ma.n.u.script in his room."

"You shall know, and at once," said Random promptly. "Did you not call to see me a day or so ago?"

"I did, sir. I wished to tell you what I had discovered, so that you might pay me to shut my mouth if you felt so inclined. I asked where your room was, sir, and walked right in, since your flunky was not at the door."

"Quite so. You were in my room for a few minutes--"

"Say five," interpolated the American imperturbably.

"And then came down. You met my servant, who told you that I would not be back for five or six hours."

"That's just as you state, sir. I was sorry to miss you, but, my time being valuable, I had to get back to Pierside. Failing you, I later came to see the Professor here, and told him what I had discovered."

"You merely discovered a mare's nest," said Random contemptuously; "but this is not the point. I believe that you, and you only, could have hidden that ma.n.u.script among my books, intending that it should be discovered, so that I might be implicated in this crime."

"Did your flunky tell you that much?" inquired Hervey coolly.

"My servant told me nothing, save that you had been in my room, where you had no right to be."

"Then," said the American quietly and decisively, "I can't see, sir, how you can place the ticket on me."

"You accuse me, so why should I not accuse you?" retorted Random.

"Because you are guilty, and I ain't," snapped the American.

"You join issue: you join issue," murmured Braddock, rubbing his hands.

Random took no notice of the interruption.

"I have heard from Mr. Hope and Professor Braddock of the grounds upon which you base your accusation, and I have explained to them how I came to be on board your ship and both in and out of the Sailor's Rest."

"And the explanation is quite satisfactory," said Hope smartly.

"I agree," Donna Inez nodded with very bright eyes. "Sir Frank has explained to me also. He knew nothing of the ma.n.u.script."

"And you, sir," said Don Pedro quietly to Captain Hervey, "apparently did, since you stole it along with the mummy from Lima."

"I confess the theft, but I didn't know what the ma.n.u.script contained,"

said the skipper dryly, "or I reckon you wouldn't have to ask who stole the emeralds. No, sir, I should have looted them."

"I believe you did, and murdered Bolton," cried Random hotly.

"Shucks!" retorted Hervey, rising with a shrug, "if I had wished to get rid of Bolton, I'd have yanked him overboard and then would have written 'accident' in my blamed log-book."

Braddock looked at Don Pedro, and Archie at Sir Frank. What the skipper said was plausible enough. No man would have been such a fool as to have murdered Bolton ash.o.r.e, when he could have done so without suspicion on board the tramp. Moreover, Hervey spoke with genuine regret, since he had missed the emeralds and a.s.suredly would not have hesitated to steal them even at the cost of Bolton's life, had he known of their whereabouts. So far he had made a good defense, and, seeing the impression produced, he strolled to the door. There he halted.

"If you gents want to lynch me," he said leisurely, "I'll be found at the Sailor's Rest for the next week. Then I'm going as skipper of The Firefly steamer, Port o' London, to Algiers. You can send the sheriff along whenever you choose. But I mean to have my picnic first, and to-morrow I'm going to Inspector Date with my yarn. Then I guess that almighty aristocrat wilt find himself in quod."

"Wait a moment," cried Braddock, running to the door. "Let me talk to you and arrange what is best to be done. If you will--"

He proceeded no further, for without vouchsafing him a reply, Hervey, now quite master of the situation, pa.s.sed through the door, and the Professor hastily followed him. Those who remained looked at one another, scarcely knowing what to say, or how to act.

"They will arrest thee, my angel," cried Donna Inez, clasping Random's arm.

"Let them," retorted the young man defiantly. "They can prove nothing.

With all my heart and soul I believe Hervey to be the guilty person.

Hope, what do you say?--and you, Miss Kendal?"

"Hervey has certainly made an excellent defense," said Archie cautiously. "He wouldn't have been such a fool as to murder Bolton ash.o.r.e when he could have done it so easily when on the narrow seas."

"I agree with you there," said Random quickly. "But if he is innocent; if he did not bring the ma.n.u.script into my room, who did?"

"I wonder if Widow Anne herself is guilty?" said Lucy in a musing tone.

All present turned and looked at the girl.

"Who is Widow Anne?" asked Don Pedro with a puzzled air.

"She is the mother of Sidney Bolton, the man who was murdered," said Hope quickly. "My dear Lucy, why do you say that?"

Lucy paused before replying and then answered the question by asking another one.

"Did you ask Sidney to get you some clothes from his mother to clothe a model?"

"Never in my life," said Hope promptly, and, as Lucy, saw, truly.

"Well, I accidentally met Mrs. Bolton to-day, and she insisted that her son had borrowed from her a dark shawl and a dark dress for you."

"That is not true," said Hope hotly. "Why should the woman tell such a lie?"