The Green Mummy [95]
pay for the mummy goes back to that infernal Hope because of Lucy's silly ideas. I have nothing - absolutely nothing, and that tomb is amongst those Ethiopian hills, I swear, waiting to be opened. Oh, what a chance I have missed! - what a chance! But I shall see Mrs. Jasher myself. She knows about this murder."
"She declares that she does not."
"Don't tell me! don't tell me!" vociferated the Professor. "She would not have written that letter had she known nothing."
"That was bluff. I explained all that."
"Bluff be hanged!" cried Braddock, only he used a more vigorous word. "I do not believe that she would have dared to act on such a slight foundation. I shall see her myself this very afternoon and force her to confess. In one way or another I shall find the assassin and make him disgorge those emeralds under the penalty of being hanged. Then I can sell them and finance my Egyptian expedition."
"But you forget, Professor, that the emeralds, when found, belong to Don Pedro."
"They don't," rasped the little man, turning purple with rage. "I refuse to let him have them. I bought the mummy, and the contents of the mummy, including those emeralds. They are, mine."
"No," said Random sharply. "I buy the mummy, from you, so they pass into my possession and belong to De Gayangos. I shall give them to him."
"You'll have to find them first," said Braddock savagely; "and as to the mummy, you shan't have it. I decline to sell it. So there!"
"If you don't," said Random very distinctly, "Don Pedro will bring an action against you, and Captain Hervey will be called as a witness to prove that the mummy was stolen."
"Don Pedro hasn't the money," said Braddock triumphantly; "he can't pay lawyer's fees."
"But I can," rejoined the young man very dryly. "As I am going to marry Donna Inez, it is only just that I should help my future father-in-law in every way. He has a romantic feeling about this relic of poor humanity and wishes to take it back to Peru. He shall do so."
"And what about me? - what about me?"
Well," said Random, speaking slowly with the intention of still further irritating the little man, whose selfishness annoyed him, "if I were you I should marry Mrs. Jasher and settle down quietly in this house to live on what income you have."
Braddock turned purple again and spluttered.
"How dare you make a proposition like that to me, sir?" he bellowed. "You ask me to marry this low woman, this adventuress, this - this - this - " Words failed him.
Of course Random had no intention of advising such a marriage, although he did not think so badly of Mrs. Jasher as did the Professor. But the little man was so venomous that the young man took a delight in stirring him up, using the widow's name as a red rag to this particular bull.
"I do not think Mrs. Jasher is a bad woman," he remarked.
"What! what! what! After what she has done? Blackmail! blackmail! blackmail!"
"That is bad, I admit, but she has failed to get what she wanted, and, after all, you indirectly are the cause of her writing that blackmailing letter."
"I am? - I am? How dare you?"
"You see, she wanted to get five thousand out of me as her dowry."
"Yes, and told me lies about her damned brother who was a Pekin merchant, when after all he never existed."
"Oh, I don't defend that," said Random coolly. "Mrs. Jasher has behaved badly on the whole. Still, Professor, I think there is good in her, as I said before. She evidently had bad parents and a bad husband; but, so far as I can gather, she is not an immoral woman. The poor wretch only came here to try and drag herself out of the mire. If she had married you I feel sure that she would have made you a most excellent wife."
The Professor was in such a rage that he suddenly became calm.
"Of course you talk absolute rubbish," he said caustically. "Had I my way this woman would be whipped at a cart's tail for the shameful way in which she has deceived us all. However, I shall see her to-day and make her confess who murdered Bolton."
"She declares that she does not."
"Don't tell me! don't tell me!" vociferated the Professor. "She would not have written that letter had she known nothing."
"That was bluff. I explained all that."
"Bluff be hanged!" cried Braddock, only he used a more vigorous word. "I do not believe that she would have dared to act on such a slight foundation. I shall see her myself this very afternoon and force her to confess. In one way or another I shall find the assassin and make him disgorge those emeralds under the penalty of being hanged. Then I can sell them and finance my Egyptian expedition."
"But you forget, Professor, that the emeralds, when found, belong to Don Pedro."
"They don't," rasped the little man, turning purple with rage. "I refuse to let him have them. I bought the mummy, and the contents of the mummy, including those emeralds. They are, mine."
"No," said Random sharply. "I buy the mummy, from you, so they pass into my possession and belong to De Gayangos. I shall give them to him."
"You'll have to find them first," said Braddock savagely; "and as to the mummy, you shan't have it. I decline to sell it. So there!"
"If you don't," said Random very distinctly, "Don Pedro will bring an action against you, and Captain Hervey will be called as a witness to prove that the mummy was stolen."
"Don Pedro hasn't the money," said Braddock triumphantly; "he can't pay lawyer's fees."
"But I can," rejoined the young man very dryly. "As I am going to marry Donna Inez, it is only just that I should help my future father-in-law in every way. He has a romantic feeling about this relic of poor humanity and wishes to take it back to Peru. He shall do so."
"And what about me? - what about me?"
Well," said Random, speaking slowly with the intention of still further irritating the little man, whose selfishness annoyed him, "if I were you I should marry Mrs. Jasher and settle down quietly in this house to live on what income you have."
Braddock turned purple again and spluttered.
"How dare you make a proposition like that to me, sir?" he bellowed. "You ask me to marry this low woman, this adventuress, this - this - this - " Words failed him.
Of course Random had no intention of advising such a marriage, although he did not think so badly of Mrs. Jasher as did the Professor. But the little man was so venomous that the young man took a delight in stirring him up, using the widow's name as a red rag to this particular bull.
"I do not think Mrs. Jasher is a bad woman," he remarked.
"What! what! what! After what she has done? Blackmail! blackmail! blackmail!"
"That is bad, I admit, but she has failed to get what she wanted, and, after all, you indirectly are the cause of her writing that blackmailing letter."
"I am? - I am? How dare you?"
"You see, she wanted to get five thousand out of me as her dowry."
"Yes, and told me lies about her damned brother who was a Pekin merchant, when after all he never existed."
"Oh, I don't defend that," said Random coolly. "Mrs. Jasher has behaved badly on the whole. Still, Professor, I think there is good in her, as I said before. She evidently had bad parents and a bad husband; but, so far as I can gather, she is not an immoral woman. The poor wretch only came here to try and drag herself out of the mire. If she had married you I feel sure that she would have made you a most excellent wife."
The Professor was in such a rage that he suddenly became calm.
"Of course you talk absolute rubbish," he said caustically. "Had I my way this woman would be whipped at a cart's tail for the shameful way in which she has deceived us all. However, I shall see her to-day and make her confess who murdered Bolton."