The Green Mummy - Page 157/191

Perhaps Widow Anne was the woman who had talked through the window, and

who had restored the emerald. But that was impossible, since Mrs. Bolton

habitually took more liquor than was good for her, and would not have

the nerve to deliver the jewel, much less commit the crime, the more

especially as the victim was her own son. Of course she might have

found out Sidney's scheme to run away with the jewels, and so would have

claimed her share. But if she had been in Pierside on that evening--and

her presence in Gartley had been sworn to by three or four cronies--she

would have guessed who had strangled her boy. If so, not all the jewels

in the world would have prevented her denouncing the criminal. With

all her faults--and they were many--Mrs. Bolton was a good mother, and

looked upon Sidney as the pride and joy of her somewhat dissipated life.

Mrs. Bolton was certainly as innocent as Mrs. Jasher.

There remained Hervey. Random laughed aloud when the name came into

his puzzled head. That buccaneer was the last person to surrender his

plunder or to feel compunction in committing a crime. Once the skipper

got his grip on two jewels, worth endless money, he would never let them

go--not even one of them. Arguing thus, it seemed that Hervey was out of

the running, and Random could think of no one else. In this dilemma he

remembered that two heads were better than one, and, before going into

dinner, he sent a note to Archie Hope, asking him to come to the Fort as

speedily as possible.

Sir Frank was somewhat dull at dinner on that evening, and scarcely

responded to the joking remarks of his brother officers. These jocularly

put his preoccupation down to love, for it was an open secret that the

baronet admired the fair Peruvian, although no one as yet knew that

Random was legally engaged with Don Pedro's consent. The young man

good-humoredly stood all the chaff hurled at him, but seized the

opportunity to slip away to his quarters as soon as coffee came on the

table and the smoking began. It was nine o'clock before he returned to

his room, and here he found Hope waiting for him impatiently.

"I see you have been dining at the Pyramids," said Random, seeing that

Hope was in evening dress.

Archie nodded.

"Yes. I don't put on this kit to have my humble chop at my lodgings. But

the Professor asked me to dinner to talk over matters."

"What does he say?" asked Random, looking for the cigarette box.

"Oh, he is very angry with Mrs. Jasher, and considers that she has

swindled him. He called to see her this afternoon, and--so he says--had

a stormy interview with her."

"I don't wonder at that, if he speaks as he generally does," said the

other grimly, and pushing along the cigarettes, "There you are! The

whisky and soda are on yonder table. Make yourself comfortable, and tell

me what the Professor intends to do."