of the wrappings."

"No; I should say it is a tattoo mark. It is too indefinite for a
gilded device. And I should say further that the tattooing is done in
vermilion, as carbon tattooing could cast no visible shadow."

"I think you must be mistaken about that," said Dr. Norbury, "but we
shall see, if the Director allows us to unroll the mummy. By the way,
those little objects in front of the knees are metallic, I suppose?"

"Yes, they are metallic. But they are not in front of the knees; they
are in the knees. They are pieces of silver wire which have been used
to repair fractured kneecaps."

"Are you sure of that?" exclaimed Dr. Norbury, peering at the little
white marks with ecstasy; "because if you are, and if these objects are
what you say they are, the mummy of Sebek-hotep is an absolutely unique
specimen."

"I am quite certain of it," said Thorndyke.

"Then," said Dr. Norbury, "we have made a discovery, thanks to your
inquiring spirit. Poor John Bellingham! He little knew what a
treasure he was giving us! How I wish he could have known! How I wish
he could have been here with us to-night!"

He paused once more to gaze in rapture at the photograph. And then
Thorndyke, in his quiet, impassive way, said:

"John Bellingham is here, Doctor Norbury. This is John Bellingham."

Dr. Norbury started back and stared at Thorndyke in speechless
amazement.

"You don't mean," he exclaimed, after a long pause, "that this mummy is
the body of John Bellingham!"

"I do indeed. There is no doubt of it."

"But it is impossible! The mummy was here in the gallery a full three
weeks before he disappeared."

"Not so," said Thorndyke. "John Bellingham was last seen alive by you
and Mr. Jellicoe on the fourteenth of October, more than three weeks
before the mummy left Queen Square. After that date he was never seen
alive or dead by any person who knew him and could identify him."

Dr. Norbury reflected a while in silence. Then, in a faint voice, he
asked:

"How do you suggest that John Bellingham's body came to be inside that
cartonnage?"

"I think Mr. Jellicoe is the most likely person to be able to answer
that question," Thorndyke replied dryly.

There was another interval of silence, and then Dr. Norbury asked
suddenly:

"But what do you suppose has become of Sebek-hotep? The real
Sebek-hotep, I mean?"

"I take it," said Thorndyke, "that the remains of Sebek-hotep, or at
least a portion of them,