"Why didn't they take it up to the house?" asked Random, on hearing
this.
"That would have been dangerous," said Hope, looking up from the
manuscript, "seeing that the mummy was supposed to have been stolen by
the murderer. It was easier to hide it amongst the grasses under
the jetty, as no one ever goes there. Well"--he turned over a few
pages--"that is practically all. The rest is after events."
"I want to hear them," said Random, taking another cup of coffee.
Hope ran his eyes swiftly over the remaining portion of the paper, and
gave further details rapidly to his friend.
"You know all that happened," he said, "the Professor's pretended
surprise when he found the corpse he had himself helped to pack and--"
"Yes! yes! But why was the mummy placed in Mrs. Jasher's garden?"
"That was Braddock's idea. He fancied that the mummy might be found
under the jetty and that inconvenient inquiries might be made. Also,
he wished if possible to implicate Mrs. Jasher, so as to keep her from
telling to the police what he had told her. He and Cockatoo went down
to the river one night and removed the mummy to the arbor silently.
Afterwards he pretended to be astonished when I found it. I must say
he acted his part very well," said Hope reflectively, "even to accusing
Mrs. Jasher. That was a bold stroke of genius."
"A very dangerous one."
"Not at all. He swore to Mrs. Jasher that if she said anything, he would
tell the police that she had taken the clothes provided by Sidney from
the Pyramids and had gone to speak through the window, in order to fly
with Sidney and the emeralds. As the fact of the mummy being found in
Mrs. Jasher's garden would lend color to the lie, she was obliged to
hold her tongue. And after all, as she says, she didn't mind, since
she was engaged to the Professor, and possessed at least one of the
emeralds."
"Ah! the one she passed along to me. How did she get that?"
Hope referred again to the manuscript.
"She insisted that Braddock should give it to her as a pledge of good
faith. He had to do it, or risk her splitting. That was why he placed
the mummy in her garden, so as to bring her into the matter, and render
it more difficult for her to speak."
"What of the other emerald?"
"Braddock took that to Amsterdam, when he went to London that time--if
you remember, when Don Pedro arrived. Braddock sold the emerald for
three thousand pounds, and it is now on its way to an Indian rajah. I
fear Don Pedro will never set eyes on that again."
"Where is the money?"