"Let them," retorted the young man defiantly. "They can prove nothing.
With all my heart and soul I believe Hervey to be the guilty person.
Hope, what do you say?--and you, Miss Kendal?"
"Hervey has certainly made an excellent defense," said Archie
cautiously. "He wouldn't have been such a fool as to murder Bolton
ashore when he could have done it so easily when on the narrow seas."
"I agree with you there," said Random quickly. "But if he is innocent;
if he did not bring the manuscript into my room, who did?"
"I wonder if Widow Anne herself is guilty?" said Lucy in a musing tone.
All present turned and looked at the girl.
"Who is Widow Anne?" asked Don Pedro with a puzzled air.
"She is the mother of Sidney Bolton, the man who was murdered," said
Hope quickly. "My dear Lucy, why do you say that?"
Lucy paused before replying and then answered the question by asking
another one.
"Did you ask Sidney to get you some clothes from his mother to clothe a
model?"
"Never in my life," said Hope promptly, and, as Lucy, saw, truly.
"Well, I accidentally met Mrs. Bolton to-day, and she insisted that her
son had borrowed from her a dark shawl and a dark dress for you."
"That is not true," said Hope hotly. "Why should the woman tell such a
lie?"
"Well," said Lucy slowly, "it struck me that the woman who spoke with
Sidney through the Sailor's Rest window might be Widow Anne herself, and
that she has invented this story of the clothes being lent to account
for their being worn, should she be discovered."
"It's certainly odd she should speak like this," said Random
thoughtfully; "but you forget, Miss Kendal, that she proved an alibi."
"What of that?" cried Don Pedro hurriedly, "alibis can be manufactured."
"It will be best to see this woman and question her," suggested Donna
Inez.
Archie nodded.
"I shall do so to-morrow. By the way, does she ever come to your room in
the Fort, Random?"
"Oh yes, she is my laundress, you know, and at times brings back the
clothes herself. My servant is usually in, though. I see what you mean.
That she might have received the manuscript from Bolton, and have left
it in my room."
"Yes, I think that," said Archie slowly. "I should not be at all
surprised to learn that a portion of Hervey's theory is correct. Bolton
may have found the manuscript packed up in the mummy, amongst the
graveclothes, in fact. If he read it--as he would and could, seeing
that he was an excellent Latin scholar, thanks to Professor Braddock's
training--he might have formed a design to steal the emeralds when he
was in the Sailor's Rest. Then someone saved him the trouble, and packed
him off to Gartley instead of the mummy."