The Green Mummy

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"Now, my dear," whispered the widow in Lucy's ear, "we shall see
the kind of woman Sir Frank prefers to you."

"Well, as Sir Frank has seen the kind of man I prefer to him,"
retorted Lucy, "that makes us quite equal."

"I am glad these new-comers talk English," said Hope, who had
risen to his feet. "I know nothing of Spanish."

"They are not Spanish, but Peruvian," said Mrs. Jasher.

"The language is the same, more or less. Confound it! here is
Random bringing them here. I wish he would take them to the
Fort. There's no more work for the next hour, I suppose," and
Hope, rather annoyed, began to pack his artistic traps.

On a nearer view, Don Pedro proved to be a tall, lean, dry man,
not unlike Dore's conception of Don Quixote. He must have had
Indian blood in his veins, judging from his very dark eyes, his
stiff, lank hair, worn somewhat long, and his high cheek-bones.
Also, although he was arrayed in puritanic black, his barbaric
love of color betrayed itself in a red tie and in a scarlet
handkerchief which was twisted loosely round a soft slouch hat,
It was the hat and the brilliant red of tie and handkerchief
which had caught Mrs. Jasher's eye at so great a distance, and
which had led her to pronounce the man a stranger, for Mrs.
Jasher well knew that no Englishman would affect such vivid
tints. All the same, in spite of this eccentricity, Don Pedro
looked a thorough Castilian gentleman, and bowed gravely when
presented to the ladies by Random.

"Mrs. Jasher, Miss Kendal, permit me to present Don Pedro de
Gayangos."

"I am charmed," said the Peruvian, bowing, hat in hand, "and in
turn, allow me, ladies, to introduce my daughter, Donna Inez de
Gayangos."

Archie was also presented to the Don and to the young lady, after
which Lucy and Mrs. Jasher, while not appearing to look, made a
thorough examination of the lady with whom Random was in love.
No doubt Donna Inez was making an examination on her own account,
and with the cleverness of the sex the three women, while
chatting affably, learned all that there was to be learned from
the outward appearance of each other in three minutes. Miss
Kendal could not deny but what Donna Inez was very beautiful, and
frankly admitted--inwardly, of course--her own inferiority.
She was merely pretty, whereas the Peruvian lady was truly
handsome and quite majestic in appearance.

Yet about Donna Inez there was the same indefinite barbaric look
as characterized her father. Her face was lovely, dark and proud
in expression, but there was an aloofness about it which puzzled
the English girl. Donna Inez might have belonged to a race
populating another planet of the solar system. She had large
black, melting eyes, a straight Greek nose and perfect mouth, a
well-rounded chin and magnificent hair, dark and glossy as the
wing of the raven, which was arranged in the latest Parisian
style of coiffure. Also, her gown--as the two women guessed in
an instant--was from Paris. She was perfectly gloved and
booted, and even if she betrayed somehow a barbaric taste for
color in the dull ruddy hue of her dress, which was subdued with
black braid, yet she looked quite a well-bred woman. All the
same, her whole appearance gave an observant onlooker the idea
that she would be more at home in a scanty robe and glittering
with rudely wrought ornaments of gold. Perhaps Peru, where she
came from, suggested the comparison, but Lucy's thoughts flew
back to an account of the Virgins of the Sun, which the Professor
had once described. It occurred to her, perhaps wrongly, that in
Donna Inez she beheld one who in former days would have been the
bride of some gorgeous Inca.

"I fear you will find England dull after the sunshine of Lima,"
said Lucy, having ended a swift examination.

Donna Inez shivered a trifle and glanced around at the gray misty
air through which the pale sunshine struggled with difficulty.

"I certainly prefer the tropics to this," she said in musical
English, "but my father has come down here on business, and until
it is concluded we shall remain in this place."

"Then we must make things as bright as possible for you," said
Mrs. Jasher cheerfully, and desperately anxious to learn more of
the new-comers. "You must come to see me, Donna Inez--yonder is
my cottage."

"Thank you, madame: you are very good."

Meanwhile Don Pedro was talking to the two young men.

"Yes, I did arrive here earlier than I expected," he was
remarking, "but I have to return to Lima shortly, and I wish to
get my business with Professor Braddock finished as speedily as
possible."

"I am sorry," said Lucy politely, "but my father is absent."

"And when will he return, Miss Kendal?"

"I can scarcely say--in a week or a fortnight."

Don Pedro made a gesture of annoyance.

"It is a pity, as I am so very pressed for time. Still, I must
remain until the Professor returns. I am so anxious to hear if
the mummy has been found."

"It is not found yet," said Hope quickly, "and never will be."

Don Pedro looked at him quietly.

"It must be found," said he. "I have come all the way from Lima
to obtain it. When you hear my story you will not be surprised
at my desire to regain the mummy."

"Regain it?" echoed Hope and Random in one breath.

Don Pedro nodded.

"The mummy was stolen from my father," he said.

CHAPTER XI

THE MANUSCRIPT

It was certainly strange how constantly the subject of the
missing mummy came uppermost. Since it had disappeared and since
the man who had brought it to England was dead, it might have
been thought that nothing more would be said about the matter.
But Professor Braddock harped incessantly on his loss--which was
perhaps natural--and Widow Anne also talked a great deal as to
the possibility of the mummy, being found, as she hoped to learn
by that means the name of the assassin who had strangled her poor
boy. Now Don Pedro de Gayangos appeared with the strange
information that the weird relic of Peruvian civilization had
been stolen from his father. Apparently fate was not inclined to
let the matter of the lost mummy drop, and was working round to a
denouement, which would possibly include the solution of the
mystery of Sidney Bolton's death. Yet, on the face of it, there
appeared to be no chance of the truth becoming known.

Of course, when Don Pedro announced that the Mummy had formerly
belonged to his father, every one was anxious to hear how it had
been stolen. The Gayangos family were established in Lima, and
the embalmed body of Inca Caxas had been purchased from a
gentleman residing in Malta. How, then, had it crossed the
water, and how had Don Pedro learned its whereabouts, only to
arrive too late to secure his missing property? Mrs. Jasher was
especially anxious to learn these things, and explained her
reasons to Lucy.

"You see, my dear," she said to the girl on the day after Don
Pedro's arrival in Gartley, "if we learn the past of that horrid
mummy, we may gain a clue to the person who desired possession of
the nasty thing, and so may hunt down this terrible criminal.
Once he is found, the mummy may be secured again, and should I be
able to return it to your father, out of gratitude he would
certainly marry me."

"You seem to think that the assassin is a man," said Lucy dryly;
"yet you forget that the person who talked to Sidney through the
window of the Sailor's Rest was a woman."

"An old woman," emphasized Mrs. Jasher briskly: "quite so."

Lucy contradicted.

"Eliza Flight did not say if the woman was old or young, but
merely stated that she wore a dark dress and a dark shawl over
her head. Still, this mysterious woman was connected in some way
with the murder, else she would not have been speaking to
Sidney."

"I don't follow you, my dear. You talk as though poor Mr. Bolton
expected to be murdered. For my part, I hold by the verdict of
wilful murder against some person or persons unknown. The truth
is to be found, if anywhere, in the past of the mummy."

"We can discover nothing about that."

"You forget what Don Pedro said, my dear," remarked Mrs. Jasher
hastily, "that the mummy had been stolen from his father. Let
us hear what he has to say and we may find a clue. I am anxious
that the Professor should regain the green mummy for reasons
which you know of. And now, my hear, can you come to dinner
to-night?"

"Well, I don't know." Miss Kendal hesitated. "Archie said that
he would look in this evening."

"I shall ask Mr. Hope also, my love. Don Pedro is coming and his
daughter likewise. Needless to say Sir Frank will follow the
young lady. We shall be a party of six, and after dinner we must
induce Don Pedro to relate the story of how the mummy was
stolen."

"He may not be inclined."

"Oh, I think so," replied; Mrs. Jasher quickly. "He wants to get
the mummy back again, and if we discuss the subject we may see
some chance of securing it."

"But Don Pedro will not wish it to be restored to my father."

Mrs. Jasher shrugged her plump shoulders.

"Your father and Don Pedro can arrange that themselves. All I
desire is, that the mummy should be found. Undoubtedly it
belongs by purchase to the Professor, but as it has been stolen,
this Peruvian gentleman may claim it. Well?"

"I shall come and Archie also," assented Lucy, who was beginning
to be interested in the matter. "The affair is somewhat
romantic."

"Criminal, my dear, criminal," said Mrs. Jasher, rising to take
her leave. "It is not a matter I care to mix myself up with.
Still"--she laughed--"you know, why I am doing so."

"If I had to take all this trouble to gain a husband," observed
Lucy somewhat acidly, "I should remain single all my life."

"If you were as lonely as I am," retorted the plump widow, "you
would do your best to secure a man toy look after you. I should
prefer a young and handsomer husband--such as Sir Frank Random,
for instance but, as beggars cannot be choosers, I must content
myself with old age, a famous scientist, and the chance of a
possible title. Now mind, dear, to-night at seven--not a minute
later," and she bustled away to prepare for the reception of her
guests.

It seemed to Lucy that Mrs. Jasher was taking a great deal of
trouble to become Mrs. Braddock, especially as the Professor's
brother might live for many a long day yet, in which case the
widow would not gain the title she coveted for years. However,
the girl rather sympathized with Mrs. Jasher, who was a
companionable soul, and fond of society. Circumstances condemned
her to a somewhat lonely life in an isolated cottage in a rather
dull neighborhood, so it was little to be wondered at that she
should strive to move heaven and earth--as she was doing--in
the hope of escaping from her solitude. Besides, although Miss
Kendal did not wish to make a close companion of the widow, yet
she did not dislike her, and, moreover, thought that she would
make Professor Braddock a very presentable wife. Thinking thus,
Lucy was quite willing to forward Mrs. Jasher's plans by inducing
Don Pedro to tell all he knew about this missing mummy.

Thus it came about that six people assembled in the tiny pink
parlor of Mrs. Jasher at the hour of seven o'clock. It required
dexterous management to seat the whole company in the dining
room, which was only a trifle larger than the parlor. However,
Mrs. Jasher contrived to place them round her hospitable board
in, a fairly comfortable fashion, and, once seated, the dinner
was so good that no one felt the drawbacks of scanty elbow room.
The widow, as hostess, was placed at the head of the table; Don
Pedro, as the eldest of the men, at the foot; and Sir Frank, with
Donna Inez, faced Archie and Lucy Kendal. Jane, who was well
instructed in waiting by her mistress, attended to her duties
admirably, acting both as footman and butler. Lucy, indeed, had
offered Mrs. Jasher the services of Cockatoo to hand round the
wine, but the widow with a pretty shudder had declined.

"That dreadful creature with his yellow mop of hair gives me the
shivers," she declared.

Considering the isolation of the district, and the narrow limits
of Mrs. Jasher's income, the meal was truly, admirable, being
well cooked and well served, while the table was arrayed like an
altar for the reception of the various dishes. Whatever Mrs.
Jasher might be as an adventuress, she certainly proved herself
to be a capital housekeeper, and Lucy foresaw that, if she did
become Mrs. Braddock, the Professor would fare sumptuously, for
the rest of his scientific life. When the meal was ended the
widow produced a box of superfine cigars and another of
cigarettes, after which she left the gentlemen to sip their wine,
and took her two young friends to chatter chiffons in the tiny
parlor. And it said much for Mrs. Jasher's methodical ways that,
considering the limited space, everything went--as the saying
goes--like clockwork. Likewise, the widow had proved herself a
wonderful hostess, as she kept the ball of conversation rolling
briskly and induced a spirit of fraternity, uncommon in an
ordinary dinner party.

During the meal Mrs. Jasher had kept off the subject of the
mummy, which was the excuse for the entertainment; but when the
gentlemen strolled into the parlor, feeling well fed and happy,
she hinted at Don Pedro's quest. As the night was cold and the
Peruvian gentleman came from the tropics, he was established in a
well padded arm-chair close to the sea-coal fire, and with her
own fair hands Mrs. Jasher gave him a cup of fragrant coffee,
which was rendered still more agreeable to the palate by the
introduction of a vanilla bean. With this and with a good cigar
--for the ladies gave the gentlemen permission to smoke--Don
Pedro felt very happy and easy, and complimented Mrs. Jasher
warmly on her capability of making her fellow-creatures
comfortable.

"It is altogether comfortable, madame," said Don Pedro, rising to
make a courtly bow. In fact, so agreeable was the foreigner that
Mrs. Jasher dreamed for one swift moment of throwing over the
dry-as-dust scientist to become a Spanish lady of Lima.

"You flatter me, Don Pedro," she said, waving a wholly
unnecessary fan out of compliment to her guest's Spanish
extraction. "Indeed, I am very glad that you are pleased with my
poor little house."

"Pardon, madame, but no house can be poor when it is a casket to
contain such a jewel."

"There!" said Lucy somewhat satirically to the young men, while
Mrs. Jasher blushed and bridled, "what Englishman could turn such
a compliment? It reminds one of Georgian times."

"We are more sober now than my fathers were then," said Hope,
smiling, "and I am sure if Random thought for a few minutes he
could produce something pretty. Go on, Random."

"My brain is not equal to the strain after dinner," said Sir
Frank.

As for Donna Inez, she did not speak, but sat smiling quietly in
her corner of the room, looking remarkably handsome. As a young
girl Lucy was pretty, and Mrs. Jasher was a comely widow, but
neither one had the majestic looks of the Spanish lady. She
smiled, a veritable queen amidst the gim-crack ornaments of Mrs.
Jasher's parlor, and Sir Frank, who was fathoms deep in love,
could not keep his eyes off her face.

For a few minutes the conversation was frivolous, quite the
Shakespeare and musical glasses kind of speech. Then Mrs.
Jasher, who had no idea that her good dinner should be wasted in
charming nothings, introduced the subject of the mummy by a
reference to Professor Braddock. It was characteristic of her
cleverness that she did not address Don Pedro, but pointed her
speech at Lucy Kendal.

"I do hope your father will return with that mummy," she
observed, after a dexterous allusion to the late tragedy.

"I don't think he has gone to look for it," replied Miss Kendal
indifferently.

"But surely he desired to get it back, after paying nearly one
thousand pounds for it," said Mrs. Jasher, with well-feigned
astonishment.

"Oh, of course; but he would scarcely look for it in London."

"Has Professor Braddock gone to search for the mummy?" asked Don
Pedro.

"No," answered Lucy. "He is visiting the British Museum to make
some researches in the Egyptian department."

"When do you expect him back, please?"

Lucy shrugged her shoulders.

"I can't say, Don Pedro. My father comes and goes as the whim
takes him."

The Spanish gentleman looked thoughtfully into the fire.

"I shall be glad to see the Professor when he returns," he said
in his excellent, slow-sounding English. "My concern about this
mummy is deep."

"Dear me," remarked Mrs. Jasher, shielding her fair cheek with
the unnecessary fan, and venturing on a joke, "is the mummy a
relative?"

"Yes, madame," replied Don Pedro, gravely and unexpectedly.

At this every one, very naturally, looked astonished--that is,
all save Donna Inez, who still preserved her fixed smile. Mrs.
Jasher took a mental note of the same, and decided that the young
lady was not very intelligent. Meanwhile Don Pedro continued his
speech after a glance round the circle.

"I have the blood of the royal Inca race in my veins," he said
with pride.

"Ha!" murmured the widow to herself, "then that accounts for your
love of color, which is so un-English;" then she raised her
voice. "Tell us all about it, Don Pedro," she entreated; "we are
usually so dull here that a romantic story excites us
dreadfully."

"I do not know that it is very romantic," said Don Pedro with a
polite smile, "and if you will not find it dull--"

"Oh, no!" said Archie, who was as anxious as Mrs. Jasher to hear
what was to be said about the mummy. "Come, sir, we are all
attention."

Don Pedro bowed again, and again swept the circle with his
deep-set eyes.

"The Inca Caxas," he remarked, "was one of the decadent rulers of
ancient Peru. At the Conquest by the Spaniards, Inca Atahuallpa
was murdered by Pizarro, as you probably know. Inca Toparca
succeeded him as a puppet king. He died also, and it was
suspected that he was slain by a native chief called
Challcuchima. Then Manco succeeded, and is looked upon by
historians as the last Inca of Peru. But he was not."

"This is news, indeed," said Random lazily. "And who was the
last Inca?"

"The man who is now the green mummy."

"Inca Caxas," ventured Lucy timidly.

Don Pedro looked at her sharply. "How do you come to know the
name?"

"You mentioned it just now, but, before that, I heard my father
mention it," said Lucy, who was surprised at the sharpness of his
tone.

"And where did the Professor learn the name?" asked Don Pedro
anxiously.

Lucy shook her head.

"I cannot say. But go on with the story," she continued, with
the naive curiosity of a child.

"Yes, do," pleaded Mrs. Jasher, who was listening with all her
ears.

The Peruvian meditated for a few minutes, then slipped his hand
into the pocket of his coat and brought out a discolored
parchment, scrawled and scribbled with odd-looking letters in
purple ink somewhat faded.

"Did you ever see this before?" he asked Lucy, "or any
manuscript like it?"

"No," she answered, bending forward to examine the parchment
carefully.

Don Pedro again swept an inquiring eye round the circle, but
everyone denied having seen the manuscript.

"What is it?" asked Sir Frank curiously.

Don Pedro restored the manuscript to his pocket.

"It is an account of the embalming of Inca Caxas, written by his
son, who was my ancestor."

"Then you are descended from this Inca?" said Mrs. Jasher
eagerly.

"I am. Had I my rights I should rule Peru. As it is, I am a
poor gentleman with very little money. That," added Don Pedro
with emphasis, "is why I wish to recover the mummy of my great
ancestor."

"Is it then so valuable?" asked Archie suddenly. He was thinking
of some reason why the mummy should have been stolen.

"Well, in itself it is of no great value, save to an
archaeologist," was Don Pedro's reply; "but I had better tell
you the story of how it was stolen from my father."

"Go on, go on," cried Mrs. Jasher. "This is most interesting."

Don Pedro plunged into his story without further preamble.

"Inca Caxas held his state amidst the solitudes of the Andes,
away from the cruel men who had conquered his country. He died
and was buried. This manuscript,"--he touched his pocket--"was
written by his son, and details the ceremonies, the place of
sepulchre, and also gives a list of the jewels with which the
mummy was buried."

"Jewels," murmured Hope under his breath. "I thought as much."

"The son of Inca Caxas married a Spanish lady and made peace with
the Spaniards. He came to live at Cuzco, and brought with him,
for some purpose which the manuscript does not disclose, the
mummy of his father. But the manuscript was lost for years, and
although my family--the De Gayangoses--became poor, no member
of it knew that, concealed in the corpse of Inca Caxas, were two
large emeralds of immense value. The mummy of our royal ancestor
was treated as a sacred thing and venerated accordingly.
Afterwards my family came to live at Lima, and I still dwell in
the old house."

"But how was the mummy stolen from you?" asked Random curiously.

"I am coming to that," said Don Pedro, frowning at the
interruption. "I was not in Lima at the time; but I had met the
man who stole the precious mummy."

"Was he a Spaniard?"

"No," answered Don Pedro slowly, "he was an English sailor
called Vasa."

"Vasa is a Swedish name," observed Hope critically.

"This man said that he was English, and certainly spoke like an
Englishman, so far as I, a foreigner, can tell. At that time,
when I was a young man, civil war raged in Peru. My father's
house was sacked, and this Vasa, who had been received hospitably
by my father when he was shipwrecked at Callao, stole the mummy,
of Inca Caxas. My father died of grief and charged me to get the
mummy back. When peace was restored to my unhappy country I
tried to recover the venerated body of my ancestor. But all
search proved vain, as Vasa had disappeared, and it was supposed
that, for some reason, he had taken the embalmed body out of the
country. It was when the mummy was lost that I unexpectedly came
across the manuscript, which detailed the funeral ceremonies of
Inca Caxas, and on learning about the two emeralds I was
naturally more anxious than ever to discover the mummy and
retrieve my fallen fortunes by means of the jewels. But, as I
said, all search proved vain, and I afterward married, thinking
to settle down on what fortune remained to me. I did live
quietly in Lima for years until my wife died. Then with my
daughter I came to Europe on a visit."

"To search for the mummy?" questioned Archie eagerly.

"No, sir. I had given up all hope of finding that. But chance
placed a clue in my hands. At Genoa I came across a newspaper,
which stated that a mummy in a green case--and a Peruvian mummy
at that--was for sale at Malta. I immediately made inquiries,
thinking that this was the long-lost body of Inca Caxas. But it
so happened that I was too late, as already the mummy had been
sold to Professor Braddock, and had been taken to England on
board The Diver by Mr. Bolton. Chance, which had pointed out the
whereabouts of the mummy, also brought me at Genoa into relations
with Sir Frank Random"--Don Pedro bowed his head to the baronet
--"and, as it appeared that he knew Professor Braddock, I
thankfully accepted his offer to introduce me. Hence I am here,
but only to hear that the mummy is again lost. That is all," and
the Peruvian gentleman dramatically waved his arm.

"A strange story," said Archie, who was the first to speak, "and
it certainly solves at least one part of the mystery."

"What is that?" demanded Mrs. Jasher quickly.

"It shows that the mummy was stolen on account of the emeralds."

"Pardon me, but that is impossible, sir," said Don Pedro, drawing
up his lean figure. "No one but myself knew that the mummy held
two emeralds in its dead hands, and I learned that only a few
years ago from the manuscript which I had the honor of showing
you."

"There is that objection assuredly," replied Hope with composure.
"Yet I can hardly believe that any man would risk his neck to
steal so remarkable a mummy, which he would have a difficulty in
disposing of. But did this assassin know of the emeralds, he
would venture much to gain them, since jewels can be disposed of
with comparative ease, and cannot easily be traced."

"All the same," said Random, looking up, "I do not see how the
assassin could have learned that the jewels were wrapped in the
bandages."

"Humph!" said Hope, glancing at De Gayangos, "perhaps there is
more than one copy of this manuscript you speak of."

"Not to my knowledge."

"The sailor Vasa might have copied it."

"No." Don Pedro shook his head. "It is written in Latin, since
a Spanish priest taught the son of Inca Caxas, who wrote it, that
language. I do not think that Vasa knew Latin. Also, if Vasa
had copied the manuscript, he would have stripped the mummy to
procure the jewels. Now, in the newspaper advertisement it
stated that the bandages of the mummy were intact, as also was
the verdant case. No," said Don Pedro decisively, "I am quite
of opinion that Vasa, and indeed everyone else, was ignorant of
this manuscript."

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