where's the Mummy, Dad?" said Miss Nitocris, as she came into her
father's study just before breakfast the next morning, and looked in
amazement at the empty case.

"Stolen, my dear, I am sorry to say," replied the Professor gravely.
"Did you hear any noises in the house last night, or were you sleeping
too soundly?"

"I seem to have an idea that I did," she said, "but only a dim one; I
thought I only dreamt it. But did you, Dad? Do tell me all about it.
What a horrible shame to steal that lovely Mummy! And it was so like me,
too. I believe I should have got quite fond of it."

"Yes, dear," continued the Professor, speaking, as she thought, a little
nervously. "There was a noise, and I heard it. I came down here and
turned the light on. I found the window open and the Mummy gone--and
that is all I can tell you about it."

CHAPTER V

ACROSS THE THRESHOLD

After breakfast Professor Marmion, according to his practice on fine
days, lit his pipe, and went out for a stroll on the Common to put in a
little hard thinking, while Miss Nitocris, after seeing to certain
household matters, sat down in his study and read the papers, in order
that she might be able to give him a synopsis of the world's news at
lunch. He did not read the newspapers himself, except, perhaps, in the
train, when he had nothing better to do. He took no interest in
politics, for one thing, and he had still less interest in professional
cricket and football, racing, and what is generally called sport. He had
a fixed opinion that all the events happening in the world which really
mattered, not even excepting the proceedings of learned societies and
the criminal and civil Law Courts, could be adequately recorded on a
couple of sheets of notepaper. In other words, he had an absolute
contempt for everything that makes a newspaper sell, and therefore his
daughter had very soon learnt to omit these fascinating items entirely.

Curiously enough, his mind seemed to be running on this subject of all
things that morning. He had been reading an article in the _Fortnightly_
on the growing sensationalism, and therefore the general decadence of
the English Press a day or two before, and this had got connected up in
his thoughts with the amazing happenings of the last twelve hours, and
he asked himself what would happen if he were to give the narrative of
his experiences in a letter to the _Times_, supported by the authority
of his own distinguished and ir