ned towards the shrivelled, almost naked mummy in the case, and
addressed it:

"O Nofri," she said, "Priestess of Set, great seeress and magician of
the old world in whom once my spirit dwelt, send forth your Ka, your
everlasting Emanation, to help me. Crush this black hound. Come forth,
come forth!"

As she spoke the fearful Godfrey in his corner saw the door of the
glass case fly open, also as he thought, probably erroneously, that he
saw the mummy move, lifting its stiff legs and champing its iron jaws
so that the yellow, ancient teeth caught the light as they moved. Then
he heard and saw something else. Suddenly the Pasteur in tones that
rang like a trumpet, cried out:

"She seems to hesitate, this mummy of yours, Madame. Let me be polite
and help her."

With a single bound he was in front of the case. With the hook of his
big umbrella he caught the shrivelled thing round the neck; with his
long thin arm he gripped it about the middle, just like somebody
leading a lady to the dance, thought Godfrey. Then he bent himself and
pulled. Out flew the age-withered corpse. The head came off, the body
broke above the hips and fell upon the floor, leaving the legs standing
in the case, a ghastly spectacle. On to this severed trunk the Pasteur
leapt, again as he had done upon the black beetle. It crunched and
crumbled, filling the air with a pungent, resinous dust. Then he stood
amidst the debris, and placing his right foot upon what had been the
mummy's nose, said mildly:

"Now, Madame, what next? This lady is finished?"

Madame Riennes uttered a stifled scream, more she could not do for rage
choked her. Her big eyes rolled, she clenched and unclenched her hands,
and bent forward as though she were about to fly at the Pasteur like a
wild cat. Still poised upon the fragments of the mummy he lifted the
point of the umbrella to receive the charge as it came, and taking
advantage of Madame's temporary paralysis of speech, went on:

"Hearken! daughter of Beelzebub. You have the curse and it shall work
upon your soul, but, yes, it shall work well. Still your body remains,
and of that too I would say something. Know that I have heard much of
you--oh! the quiet old Pasteur hears many things, especially if he has
members of the secret police among his flock. I think that yonder in an
office there is a _dossier_, yes, an official record concerning you and
your doings both in this country and in other lands. It has been
allowed