"He banked it in a feigned name in Amsterdam, and intended to account
for it when he married Mrs. Jasher by saying it was left to her by that
mythical Pekin merchant brother of hers. Savvy!"
"Yes. What an infernal little villain! And I expect he sent Cockatoo
down last night for the other emerald."
"That is not related in the manuscript," said Archie, laying down the
last sheet and taking up his coffee. "The confession ends abruptly--at
the time Cockatoo tapped at the window, I expect. But she said, when
dying, that the Kanaka asked for the second emerald. If she had not sent
it to you in a fit of weakness, I expect she would have passed it along.
I can't make out," added Archie musingly, "why Mrs. Jasher confessed
when everything was so safe."
"Well," said Random, nursing his chin, and staring into the fire, "she
made a mistake in trying to blackmail me, though why she did so I can't
tell, seeing she had the whiphand of Braddock. Perhaps she wanted the
five thousand to spend herself, knowing that the Professor's plunder
would be wasted on his confounded expedition. At any rate she gave
herself away by the blackmail, and I expect she grew frightened. If the
house had been searched--and it might have been searched by the police,
had I arrested her for blackmail the emerald would have been found and
she would have been incriminated. She therefore got rid of it cleverly,
by passing it along to me as a wedding gift. Then she again grew afraid
and wrote out this confession to exonerate herself."
"But it doesn't," insisted Hope. "She makes herself out plainly as an
accessory after the fact."
"A woman doesn't understand these legal niceties. She wrote that out to
clear herself in case she was arrested for the blackmail, and perhaps
in case Braddock refused to help her--as he certainly did, if you
remember."
"He was hard on her," confessed Archie slowly.
"Being such a villain himself," said Random grimly. "However, Cockatoo
arrived unluckily on the scene, and when he found she had parted with
the emerald, and had written out the truth, he stabbed her. If we hadn't
come just in the nick of time, he would have annexed that confession,
and the truth would never have become known. No one," ended Random,
rising and stretching himself, "would connect Braddock or Cockatoo with
the death of Mrs. Jasher."
"Or with the death of Sidney Bolton either," said Hope, also rising and
putting on his cap. "What an actor the man is!"
"Where are you going?" demanded Sir Frank, yawning.
"To the Pyramids. I want to see how Lucy is."
"Will you tell her about that confession?"
"Not until later. I shall give this to Inspector Date when he arrives.
The Professor has made his bed, so he must lie on it. When I marry Lucy,
I'll take her away from this damned place."