-"

"But you have, you witch. Go away!" and he stamped.

But by this time Lucy had recovered her self-possession, which had been
sorely shaken by the sight of the dead. "Leave her to me," she observed,
taking Mrs. Bolton's arm, and leading her towards the stairs. "I shall
take her to my room and give her some brandy. Father, you must make some
allowance for her natural grief, and--"

Braddock stamped again. "Take her away! take her away!" he cried
testily, "and keep her out of my sight. Is it not enough to have lost
an invaluable assistant, and a costly mummy of infinite historical
and archaeological value, without my being accused of--of--oh!" The
Professor choked with rage and shook his hand in the air.

Seeing that he was unable to speak, Lucy seized the opportunity of the
lull in the storm, and hurried the old woman, sobbing and moaning, up
the stairs. By this time the shrieks of Mrs. Bolton, and the wordy
wrath of Braddock, had drawn the cook and her husband, along with the
housemaid, from the basement to the ground floor. The sight of their
surprised faces only added to their master's anger, and he advanced
furiously.

"Go downstairs again: go down, I tell you!"

"But if there's anything wrong, sir," ventured the gardener timidly.

"Everything is wrong. My mummy has been lost: Mr. Bolton has been
murdered. The police are coming, and--and--" He choked again.

But the servants waited to hear no more. The mere mention of the words
"murder" and "police" sent them, pale-faced and startled, down to the
basement, where they huddled like a flock of sheep. Braddock looked
around for Hope, but found that he had opened the front door, and had
vanished. But he was too distracted to think why Archie had gone, and
there was much to do in putting things straight. Beckoning to Cockatoo,
he stalked into a side room, and scribbled a pencil note to the
inspector of police at Pierside, telling him of what had happened, and
asking him to come at once to the Pyramids with his underlings. This
communication he dispatched by Cockatoo, who flew to get his bicycle.
In a short time he was riding at top speed to Brefort, which was on this
side of the river; facing Pierside. There he could ferry across to the
town and deliver his terrible message.

Having done all that he could until the police came, Braddock walked out
of the front door and into the roadway to see if Archie was in sight. He
could not see the young man, but, as luck