y
manuscript."

"Well, he wouldn't," replied Hervey calmly, "seeing that he'd know
Latin."

"He did know Latin," admitted Braddock uneasily; "I taught him myself.
But do you mean to say that he got that manuscript and read it and
intended to keep the fact of the emeralds secret?"

Hervey nodded three times, and twisted his cheroot in his mouth.

"How else can you figure the business out?" he demanded quietly, and
with his eyes fixed on the excited Professor. "Bolton must have got that
manuscript, as I can't remember what I did with it, save pass it along
with the corpse. He--as you admit--doesn't tell you about it when
he writes. Well, then, I reckon he calculated getting this corpse to
England, and intended to steal the emeralds when safely ashore."

"But he could have done that on the boat," said Archie quickly.

"I guess not, with me about," said Hervey coolly. "I'd have spotted his
game and would have howled for shares."

"You dare to say that?" demanded De Gayangos fiercely.

"Keep your hair on. I dare to say anything that comes up my darned back,
you bet. I'm not going to knuckle down to a yellow-stomach--"

Out flew Don Pedro's long arm, and Hervey slammed against the wall. He
slipped his hand around to his hip pocket with an ugly smile, but before
he could use the revolver he produced, Hope dashed up his arm, and the
ball went through the ceiling. "Lucy!" cried the young man, knowing
that the drawing-room was overhead, and in a moment was out of the
door, racing up the stairs at top speed. Some sense of shame seemed to
overpower Hervey as he thought that he might have shot the girl, and he
replaced the revolver in his pocket with a shrug.

"I climb down and apologize," he said to Don Pedro, who bowed gravely.

"Hang you, sir; you might have shot my daughter," cried Braddock. "The
drawing-room, where she is sitting, is right overhead, and-"

As he spoke the door opened, and Lucy came in on Archie's arm. She
was pale with fright, but had sustained no damage. It seemed that the
revolver bullet had passed through the floor some distance away from
where she was sitting.

"I offer my humble apologies, miss," said the cowed Hervey.

"I'll break your neck, you ruffian!" growled Hope, who looked, and was,
dangerous. "How dare you shoot here and--"

"It's all right," interposed Lucy, not wishing for further trouble. "I
am all safe. But I shall remain here for the rest of your interview,
Captain Hervey, a