Archie looked after her in a puzzled way. There was no reason to
suspect Mrs. Jasher, so far as he saw, even though a woman had
been seen talking to Bolton on the night of the crime. And yet,
why should the widow refer to the emeralds, which were of such
immense value, according to Don Pedro? Hope glanced at the case
and shook the primitive coffin, anxious for the moment to open it
and ascertain if the jewels were still clutched grimly in the
mummy's dead hands. But the coffin was fastened tightly down
with wooden pegs, and could only be opened with extreme care and
difficulty. Also, as Hope reflected, even did he manage to open
this receptacle of the dead, he still could not ascertain if the
emeralds were safe, since they would be hidden under innumerable
swathings of green-dyed llama wool. He therefore let the matter
rest there, and, staring at the river, wondered how the mummy had
been brought to the garden in the marshes.
Hope recollected that experts had decided the mode in which the
mummy had been removed from the Pierside public-house. It had
been passed through the window, according to Inspector Date and
others, and, when taken across the narrow path which bordered the
river, had been placed in a waiting boat.
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