In that case Hope fancied he would be once more
called upon to make good the avuncular loss, and so the marriage
would have to be postponed. But it so happened that the pauper
uncle made some lucky speculative shots and acquired money, which
he promptly reinvested in new mines of the wildcat description.
Still, for the moment all was well, and the lovers had a few
halcyon days of peace and happiness.
Then came a bolt from the blue in the person of Captain Hervey,
who called a fortnight after the funeral to see the Professor.
The skipper was a tall, slim man, lean as a fasting friar, and
hard as nails, with closely clipped red hair, mustache of the
same aggressive hue, and an American goatee. He spoke with a
Yankee accent, and in a truculent manner, sufficiently annoying
to the fiery Professor. When he met Braddock in the museum, the
two became enemies at the first glance, and because both were
bad-tempered and obstinate, took an instant dislike to one
another. Like did not draw to like in this instance.
"What do you want to see me about?" asked Braddock crossly. He
had been summoned by Cockatoo from the perusal of a new papyrus
to see his visitor, and consequently was not in the best of
tempers.
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