The Mummy Case - Elizabeth Peters [88]
“Good Gad, Ramses,” I exclaimed. “For once will you give over your rhetorical orotundities and get to the point? What happened?”
“I can only guess as to de origin of de difficulty, since I was soundly sleeping,” said Ramses. “But I presume a person removed de screen and entered by way of de window. I did not awaken until he—or she, for I was not able to determine de gender of de intruder—was wrapping me in de sheet. In my attempt to free myself I fell off de cot and somehow, I cannot tell how, found myself beneat’ dat object of furniture.”
Being somewhat short of breath, he had to pause at this point, and I demanded, “How did the lion cub get out of its cage?”
Ramses looked at the cage. In the manner of all small creatures the cub had rolled itself into a furry ball and dropped off to sleep.
“Apparently I neglected to close de door of de cage,” said Ramses.
“And very fortunate it was, too,” said Emerson. “I shudder to think what would have happened if the noble beast had not warned us you were in danger.”
“It could have roused us just as effectively in the cage as out of it,” I said. “The only person it seems to have attacked is me; and if it had not done so I might have succeeded in apprehending the burglar.”
Father and son looked at me, and then at one another. “These women!” they seemed to remark, in silent unanimity. “They are always complaining about something.”
ii
Next morning at breakfast I reminded Emerson of his promise to give me a pyramid. He looked at me reproachfully. “I do not need to be reminded, Amelia. An Emerson never breaks his word. But we can’t begin today. I need to do a preliminary survey of the surrounding area and close down our excavations at the cemetery.”
“Oh, quite, my dear Emerson. But please don’t bring me any more bones. The last lot was frightfully brittle. I set them in a stiff jelly to remove the salt, but I am running short of suitable containers.”
“We have not the proper facilities to deal with bones,” Emerson admitted. “To expose them without being able to preserve them would be a violation of my principles of excavation.”
“Brother Ezekiel will be pleased you have given up the cemetery,” I said, helping Emerson to marmalade.
“I only hope he won’t think I was influenced by his outrageous demands.” Emerson looked sheepish. “I went on with the cemeteries longer than I ought to have done only because he told me to stop.”
“Since it will be several days before we can begin on the pyramids, I may as well make my trip to Cairo at once.”
“Go away, now?” Emerson cried. “After the murderous attack on our son last night?”
“I must go, Emerson. The lion has eaten every pair of slippers we own. There is no question of leaving Ramses unprotected; I can go and come in the same day. Besides, I don’t believe an assault on Ramses was intended. The intruder was after something—was, in short, a burglar, not a murderer.”
“After something? In Ramses’ room?”
“He may have mistaken the window. Or used it as a means of reaching the storage rooms, which are windowless, or the parlor, whose outer door was guarded by Abdullah.”
“And a fine help Abdullah was,” Emerson grunted. “He must have been dead asleep or he would not have been so late in arriving on the scene. Well, well, if you are determined to go, you will go—but I entertain some doubts as to your real motive. Slippers, indeed! Don’t deny it, Amelia—you are still on the trail of your imaginary Master Criminal.”
“We had better devote some attention to criminals, master or otherwise; they are giving us their full attention. How many more of these burglarious episodes must we endure?”
Emerson shrugged. “Do as you like, Amelia. You will in any case. Only try not to be assaulted, kidnapped, or murdered, if you can possibly do so.”
Somewhat to my surprise, Ramses refused to accompany me. (The invitation was proffered