There's nothing like owning up."
"Are you not Swedish?" asked Lucy timidly.
"I am a citizen of the world, I guess," replied Hervey with great
politeness for him, "and America suits me for headquarters as
well as any other nation. I might be Swedish or Danish or a Dago
for choice. Vasa may be my name, or Hervey, or anything you
like. But I guess I'm a man all through."
"And a thief!" cried Don Pedro, who had resumed his seat, but
was keeping quiet with difficulty.
"Not of those emeralds," rejoined the skipper coolly: "Lord, to
think of the chance I missed! Thirty years ago I could have
looted them, and again the other day. But I never knew--I never
knew," cried Hervey regretfully, with his vividly blue eyes on
the mummy. "I could jes' kick myself, gentlemen, when I think of
the miss."
"Then you didn't steal the manuscript along with the emeralds?"
"Wal, I did," cried Hervey, turning to Archie, who had spoken,
"but it was in a furren lingo, to which I didn't catch on. If
I'd known I'd have learned about those blamed emeralds."
"What did you do with the copy of the manuscript you stole?"
asked Don Pedro sharply. "I know there was a copy, as my father
told me so. I have the original myself, but the transcript--and
not a translation, as I fancied--appeared in Sir Frank Random's
room to-day, hidden behind some books.
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