"In fact," said the Professor, setting down his cup and preparing to take his departure, "everything is now settled excellently. I marry Mrs.

Jasher: you, my dear, marry Hope, and--"

"And Sir Frank marries Donna Inez," finished Lucy quickly.

"That," said Braddock stiffly, "entirely depends upon what De Gayangos says to this accusation of Hervey's."

"Sir Frank is innocent."

"I hope so, and I believe so. But he will have to prove his innocence.

I shall do my best, and I have sent round to Don Pedro to come here. We can then talk it over."

"Can Archie and I come in also?" asked Miss Kendal anxiously.

Somewhat to her surprise, the Professor yielded a ready a.s.sent.

"By all means, my dear. The more witnesses we have, the better it will be. We must do all in our powers to bring this matter to a successful issue."

So things were arranged, and when Archie came up to the drawing-room, Lucy informed him that Braddock was in the museum with Don Pedro, telling all that had happened. Hope was glad to hear that Lucy had secured the Professor's consent that they should be present, for the mystery of Bolton's terrible death was piquing him, and he dearly desired to learn the truth. As a matter of fact, although he was unaware of it, he was suffering from an attack of detective fever, and wished to solve the mystery. He therefore went gladly into the museum with his sweetheart. Oddly enough--as Lucy recollected when it was too late to speak--she quite forgot to relate what Widow Anne had said about the borrowed clothes.

Don Pedro, looking more stiff and dignified than ever, was in the museum with Braddock. The two men were seated in comfortable chairs, and c.o.c.katoo, some distance away, was polishing with a cloth the green mummy case of the fatal object which had brought about all the trouble. Lucy had half expected to see Donna Inez, but De Gayangos explained that he had left her writing letters to Lima in the Warrior Inn. When Miss Kendal and Hope were seated, the Peruvian expressed himself much surprised at the charge which had been brought against Sir Frank.

"If I can speak of such things in the presence of a lady," he remarked, bowing his head to Lucy.

"Oh yes," she answered eagerly. "I have heard all about the charge. And I am glad that you are here, Don Pedro, for I wish to say that I do not believe there is a word of truth in the accusation."

"Nor do I," a.s.serted the Peruvian decisively.

"I agree--I agree," cried Braddock, beaming. "And you, Hope?"

"I never believed it, even before I heard Random's defense," said Archie with a dry smile. "Did you not see Captain Hervey yourself, sir?" he added, turning to Don Pedro; "he started for Pierside to look you up."

"I have not seen him," said De Gayangos in his stately way, "and I am very sorry, as I desire to examine him about the accusation he had dared to bring against my very good friend, Sir Frank Random. I wish he were here at this very minute, so that I could tell him what I think of the charge."

Just as Don Pedro spoke the unexpected happened, as though some genie had obeyed his commands. As though transported into the room by magic, the American skipper appeared, not through the floor, but by the door. A female domestic admitted him and announced his name, then fled to avoid the anger of her master, seeing she had violated the sacred precincts of the museum.

Captain Hervey, amused by the surprise visible on every face, sauntered forward, hat on head and cheroot in mouth as usual. But when he saw Lucy he removed both with a politeness scarcely to be expected from so rude and ready and rough a mariner.

"I beg pardon for coming here uninvited," said Hervey awkwardly, "but I've been chasing the Don all over Pierside and through this village.

They told me at the police office that you"--he spoke to De Gayangos "had doubled on your trail, so here I am for a little private conversation."

The Peruvian looked gravely at Hervey's face, which was clearly revealed in the powerful light of the many lamps with which the museum was filled, and rose to bow.

"I am glad to see you, sir," he said politely, and with a still more searching glance. "With the permission of our host I shall ask you to take a chair," and he turned to Braddock.

"Certainly! certainly!" said the Professor fussily. "c.o.c.katoo?"

"Pardon, allow me," said De Gayangos, and brought forward a chair, still keeping his eyes on the skipper, who was rather confused by the courtesy. "Will you be seated, senor: then we can talk."

Hervey sat down quietly close to the Peruvian; who then leaned forward to address him.

"You will have a cigarette?" he asked, offering a silver case.

"Thanks, no. I'll smoke a cheroot if the lady don't mind."

"Not at all," replied Lucy, who, along with Archie and the Professor, was puzzled by Don Pedro's manner. "Please smoke!"

In taking back the case Don Pedro allowed it to drop. As he made no motion of picking it up, Hervey, although annoyed with himself for his politeness towards a yellow-stomach, as he called De Gayangos, was compelled to stretch for it. As he handed it back to Don Pedro, the Peruvian's eyes lighted up and he nodded gravely.

"Thank you, Vasa," said De Gayangos, and Hervey, changing color, leaped from his seat as though touched by a spear-point.

CHAPTER XIX. NEARER THE TRUTH

For a few moments there was silence. Lucy and Archie sat still, as they were too much surprised by Don Pedro's recognition of Captain Hervey as the Swedish sailor Vasa to move or speak. But the Professor did not seem to be greatly astonished, and the sole sound which broke the stillness was his sardonic chuckle. Perhaps the little man had progressed beyond the point of being surprised at anything, or, like, Moliere's hero, was only surprised at finding virtue in unexpected places.

As for the Peruvian and the skipper, they were both on their feet, eyeing one another like two fighting dogs. Hervey was the first to find his very useful tongue.

"I guess you've got the bulge on me," said he, trying to outstare the Peruvian, for which nationality, from long voyaging on the South American coast, he entertained the most profound contempt.

But in De Gayangos he found a foeman worthy of his steel.

"I think not," said Don Pedro quietly, and facing the pseudo-American bravely. "I never forget faces, and yours is a noticeable one. When you first spoke I fancied that I remembered your voice. All that business with the chair was to get close to you, so that I could see the scar on your right temple. It is still there, I notice. Also, I dropped my cigarette case and forced you to pick it up, so that, when you stretched your arm, I might see what mark was on your left wrist. It is a serpent encircling the sun, which Lola Farjados induced you to have tattooed when you were in Lima thirty years ago. Your eyes are blue and full of light, and as you were twenty when I knew you, the lapse of years has made you fifty--your present age."

"Shucks!" said Hervey coolly, and sat down to smoke.

Don Pedro turned to Archie and Braddock.

"Mr. Hope! Professor!" he remarked, "if you remember the description I gave of Gustav Vasa, I appeal to you to see if it does not exactly fit this man?"

"It does," said Archie unhesitatingly, "although I cannot see the tattooed left wrist to which you refer."

Hervey, still smoking, made no offer to show the symbol, but Braddock unexpectedly came to the a.s.sistance of Don Pedro.

"The man is Vasa right enough," he remarked abruptly. "Whether he is Swedish or American I cannot say. But he is the same man I met when I was in Lima thirty years ago, after the war."

Hervey slowly turned his blue eyes on the scientist with a twinkle in their depths.

"So you recognized me?" he observed, with his Yankee drawl.

"I recognized you at the moment I hired you to take The Diver to Malta to bring back that mummy," retorted Braddock, "but it didn't suit my book to let on. Didn't you recognize me?"

"Wal, no," said Hervey, his drawl more p.r.o.nounced than ever. "I haven't got the memory for faces that you and the Don here seem to possess.

Huh!" He wheeled his chair and faced Braddock squarely. "I'd have thought you wiser not to back up the Don, sir."

Braddock's little eyes sparkled.