More Mystery

Neither Lucy nor Archie Hope had ever seen the mummy, but they knew
the appearance which it would present, as Professor Braddock, with the
enthusiasm of an archaeologist, had often described the same to them. It
appeared, according to Braddock, that on purchasing the precious corpse
in Malta, his dead assistant had written home a full description of
the treasure trove. Consequently, being advised beforehand, Hope had no
difficulty in recognizing the oddly shaped case, which was made somewhat
in the Egyptian form. On the impulse of the moment he had proclaimed
this to be the long-lost mummy, and when a closer examination by the
light of a lucifer match revealed the green hue of the coffin wood, he
knew that he was right.

But what was the mummy in its ancient case doing in Mrs. Jasher's arbor?
That was the mute question which the two young people asked themselves
and each other, as they stood in the chilly moonlight, staring at the
grotesque thing. The mummy had disappeared from the Sailor's Rest at
Pierside some weeks ago, and now unexpectedly appeared in a lonely
garden, surrounded by marshes. How it had been brought there, or why
it should have been brought there, or who had brought it to such an
unlikely place, were questions hard to answer. However, the most obvious
thing to do was to question Mrs. Jasher, since the uncanny object was
lying within a stone-throw of her home. Lucy, after a rapid word or two,
went to ring the bell, and summon the lady, while Archie stood by the
arbor, wondering how the mummy came to be there. In the same way George
III had wondered how the apples got into the dumplings.