that he was enjoying her mother's income and was about to
marry Mrs. Jasher, who was rich.

"Therefore," argued Lucy, "you certainly do not want to keep poor
Archie's money."

"He paid me that sum on condition that I consented to the wedding."

"He did nothing of the sort," she cried indignantly. "I am not going
to be bought and sold in this manner. Archie lent you the money, and it
must be returned. Don't force me to think you selfish, father."

The upshot of the argument was that Lucy got her own way, and the
Professor rather unwillingly agreed to part with the mummy and restore
the thousand pounds. But he regretted doing so, as he wished to get all
the money he could to go towards his proposed Egyptian expedition, and
Mrs. Jasher's fortune, as he assured his step-daughter, was not so large
as might be thought. However, Lucy overruled him, and retired to bed,
congratulating herself that she would soon be able to marry Hope. She
was beginning to grow a trifle weary of the Professor's selfish nature,
and wondered how her mother had put up with it for so long.

Next day Braddock did not go with Don Pedro to Pierside, as he was
very busy in his museum. The Peruvian went alone, and Archie, after a
morning's work at his easel, sought out Widow Anne to ask questions.
Lucy and Donna Inez paid an afternoon visit to Mrs. Jasher and found
her in bed, as she had caught a mild sort of influenza. They expected to
find Sir Frank here, but it seemed that he had not called. Thinking that
he was detained by military business, the girls thought nothing more of
his absence, although Donna Inez was somewhat downcast.

But Random was detained in his quarters by a letter which had arrived by
the mid-day host, and which surprised him not a little. The postmark
was London, and the writing, evidently a disguised hand, was almost
illegible in its crudeness. The contents ran as follows, and it will be
noticed that there is neither date nor address, and that it is written
in the third person:

"If Sir Frank Random wants his character to be cleared and all suspicion
of murder to be removed from him, he can be completely exonerated by
the writer, if he will pay the same five thousand pounds. If Sir Frank
Random is willing to do this, let him appoint a meeting-place in London,
and the writer will send a messenger to receive the money and to hand
over the proofs which will clear Sir Frank Random. If Sir Frank Random
plays the writer false, or