"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, as I am sure you will not shoot again in the presence of
a lady."
"No, miss," muttered the captain, and when again invited by the angry
Professor to speak, resumed his discourse in low tones. "Wal, as I was
saying," he remarked, sitting down with a dogged look, "Bolton intended
to clear with the emeralds, but I guess Sir Frank got ahead of him and
packed him in that blamed case, while he annexed the emeralds. He then
took the manuscript, which he looted from Bolton's corpse, and hid
it among his books, as you say, while he left the blamed mummy in the
garden of the old lady you talked about. I guess that's what I say."
"It's all theory," said Don Pedro in vexed tones.
"And there isn't a word of truth in it," said Lucy indignantly, standing
up for Frank Random.
"It ain't for me to contradict you, miss," said Hervey, who was still
humble, "but I ask you, if what I say ain't true, how did that copy of
the manuscript come to be in that aristocrat's room?"