rplexed.

"Sir Frank Random."

"What! did he kill Bolton and steal my mummy?"

"And hide it in that garden on his way to the Fort? I guess he did."

The Professor sat down and closed his eyes with horror. When he opened
them again, Hervey was gone.

CHAPTER XVI. THE MANUSCRIPT AGAIN

But the Professor was not going to let Captain Hervey escape without
giving him full information. Before the Yankee skipper could reach
the front door, Braddock was at his heels, gasping and blowing like a
grampus.

"Come back, come back. Tell me all."

"I reckon not," rejoined the mariner, removing Braddock's grip. "You
ain't the one to give the money. I'll go to the Don, or to Inspector
Date of Pierside."

"But Sir Frank must be innocent," insisted Braddock.

"He's got to prove it," was the dry response. "Let me go."

"No. You must tell me on what grounds--"

"Oh, the devil take you!" said Hervey hastily, and sat down on one of
the hall chairs. "It's this way, since you won't let me skip until
I tell you. This almighty aristocrat came to Pierside on the same
afternoon as I cast anchor. While Bolton was on board, he looked in to
have a yarn of sorts."

"What about?"

"Now, how in creation should I know?" snapped the skipper. "I wasn't on
hand, as I'd enough to do with unloading cargo. But his lordship went
with Bolton to the state-room, and they talked for half an hour. When
they came out, I saw that his lordship had his hair riz, and heard him
saying things to Bolton."

"What sort of things?"

"Well, for one, he said, `You'll repent of this,' and then again, `Your
life isn't safe while you keep it.'"

"Meaning the mummy?"

"I reckon that's so, unless I am mistaken," said Hervey serenely.

"Why didn't you go to the police with this information?"

"Me? Not much. Why, I saw no way of making dollars. And then, again,
I did not think of putting things together, until I found that his
lorship--"

"Meaning Sir Frank," interpolated the Professor, frowning.

"I'm talking Queen's, or King's, or Republican lingo, I guess, and I
do mean his lorship," said the skipper dryly--"until I found that his
lorship had been in the public-house where the crime was committed."

"The Sailor's Rest? When did he go there?"

"In the evening. After his talk with Bolton, and after a row--as they
both seemed to have their hair off--he skipped over the side and went
back to his yacht, which wasn't far away. Bolton took his blamed