"The man is a rascal, and deserves prison rather than reward, but since the mummy was stolen by him thirty years back, he alone can prove my ownership.""But why take all this trouble?" argued the baronet. "I can buy the mummy from Braddock.""No," said Don Pedro. "I have a right to my own property."Random lingered until late in the afternoon and until darkness fell, as he was anxious to see Donna Inez. But she did not appear until late. Meanwhile Archie Hope put in an appearance, having come to see Don Pedro with an account of his interview with Widow Anne. Before coming to the inn he had called on Professor Braddock, and from him had heard all about the wickedness of Mrs. Jasher. His surprise was very great.
"I should not have believed it," he declared. "Poor woman!""Ah," said Random, rather pleased, "you are more merciful than the Professor, Hope. He calls her a bad woman.""Humph! I don't think that Braddock is so good that he can afford to throw a stone," said Archie rather sourly. "Mrs.
Jasher has not behaved well, but I should like to hear her complete story before judging. There must be a lot of good in her, or Lucy, who has been with her a great deal, would have found her out long ago. I go by a woman's judgment of a woman.
But Mrs: Jasher must have been anxious to marry.""She was; as Professor Braddock knows," said Random quickly.
"I am not thinking of that so much as of what Widow Anne told me.""Oh," said Don Pedro, looking up from where he was seated, "so you have seen that old woman? What does she say about the clothes?""She sticks to her story. Sidney, she declares, borrowed the clothes to give to me for a model. Now, I never asked Bolton to do this, so I fancy the disguise must have been intended for himself, or for Mrs. Jasher.""But what had Mrs. Jasher to do with him?" demanded Random sharply.
"Well, it's odd," replied Hope slowly, "but Mrs. Bolton declares that her son was in love with Mrs. Jasher, and when he returned from Malta intended to marry her.""Impossible!" cried Sir Frank. "She engaged herself to Braddock.
"But only after Bolton's death, remember."
Don Pedro nodded.
"That is true. But what you say, Mr. Hope, proves the truth of Hervey's theory.""In what way?"
"Mrs. Jasher, as we know from what Random told us, wanted money.
She would not marry a man who was poor. Bolton was poor, but of course the emeralds would make him wealthy, as they are of immense value. Probably he intended to steal them in order to marry this woman. This implicates Mrs. Jasher in the crime.""Yes," assented Sir Frank, nodding. "But as Bolton did not know that the emeralds existed before he bought the mummy in Malta, Ido not see why he should borrow a disguise beforehand for Mrs.
Jasher to meet him at the Sailor's Rest."
"The thing is easily settled," said Hope impatiently. "Let us both go to Mrs. Jasher's this evening, and insist upon the truth being told. If she confesses about her secret engagement to Sidney Bolton, she may admit that the clothes were borrowed for her.""And she may admit also that she placed the manuscript in my room," said Sir Frank after a pause. "Hervey did not place it there, but it is just possible that Mrs. Jasher, having got it from Bolton when she Talked to him through the window, may have done so.""Nonsense!" said Hope with vigorous commonsense. "Mrs. Jasher would be spotted in a moment if she had gone to your quarters.
She had to pass the sentry, remember. Then, again, we have not yet proved that she was the woman in Mrs. Bolton's clothes who spoke through the window. That can all be settled if we speak to her this evening.""Very good." Random glanced at his watch. "I must get back. Don Pedro, will you tell Inez that I shall come in this evening? We can then talk further about these matters. Hope?""I shall stop here, as I wish to consult Don Pedro."Random nodded and took a reluctant departure. He dearly wished, as an engaged lover should, to remain on the chance that Donna Inez might return, but duty called him and he was forced to obey.
The night was very dark, although it was not particularly late.
But there was no rain, and Random walked rapidly through the village and down the road to the Fort. He caught a glimpse of the lights of Mrs. Jasher's cottage twinkling in the distance, and smiled grimly as he thought of the invisible spell he had placed thereon. No doubt Mrs. Jasher was shivering in her Louis Quinze shoes at the idea of being watched. But then, she deserved that much punishment at least, as Random truly thought.
When entering the Fort, the sentry saluted as usual, and Random was about to pass, when the man stepped forward, holding out a brown paper package.
"Please, sir, I found this in my sentry box," he said, saluting.
Sir Frank took the packet.
"Who placed it there? and why do you give it to me?" he demanded in surprise.
"Please, sir, it's directed to you, sir, and I don't know who put it in my box, sir. I was on duty, sir, and I 'spose someone must have dropped it on the floor of the box, sir, when I was at the other end of my beat, sir. It was as dark as this, sir, and Isaw nothing and heard nothing. When I come back, sir, I stepped into the box out of the rain and felt it with my, feet. I struck a light, sir, and found it was for you."Sir Frank slipped the package into his pocket and went away after a grim word or so to the sentry, advising him to be more on the alert. He was puzzled to think who had left the packet in the sentry box, and curious to know what it contained. As soon as he got to his own room, he cut the string which bound loosely the brown paper. Then, in the lamplight, there rolled out from the carelessly-tied parcel a glorious sea-green emerald of great size, radiating light like a sun. A scrap of white paper lay in the brown wrapping. On it was written, "A wedding gift for Sir Frank Random."
