more respectful," said the Coroner again, and grew red. "Have you
any idea as to the name of anyone who desired to obtain possession of
this mummy?"

"I daresay dozens of scientists in my line of business would have liked
to get the corpse of Inca Caxas. Such as--" and he reeled out a list of
celebrated men.

"Nonsense," growled the Coroner. "Famous men like those you mention
would not murder even for the sake of obtaining this mummy."

"I never said that they would," retorted Braddock, "but you wanted to
hear who would like to have the mummy; and I have told you."

The Coroner waived the question.

"Was there any jewelry on the mummy likely to attract a thief?" he
asked.

"How the devil should I know?" fumed the Professor. "I never unpacked
the mummy; I never even saw it. Any jewelry buried with Inca Caxas would
be bound up in the bandages. So far as I know those bandages were never
unwound."

"You can throw no light on the subject?"

"No, I can't. Bolton went to get the mummy and brought it home. I
understood that he would personally bring his precious charge to my
house; but he didn't. Why, I don't know."

When the Professor stepped down, still fuming at what he considered
were the unnecessary questions of the Coroner, the young doctor who had
examined the corpse was called. Robinson deposed that deceased had been
strangled by means of a red window cord, and that, from the condition of
the body, he would judge death had taken place some twelve hours more
or less before the opening of the packing case by Braddock. That was at
three o'clock on Thursday afternoon, so in witness's opinion the crime
was committed between two and three on the previous morning.

"But I can't be absolutely certain as to the precise hour," added
witness; "at any rate poor Bolton was strangled after midnight and
before three o'clock."

"That is a wide margin," grumbled the Coroner, jealous of his
brother-practitioner. "Were there any, other wounds on the body?"

"No. You can see for yourself, if you have inspected the corpse."

The Coroner, thus reproved, glared, and Widow Anne appeared after
Robinson retired. She stated, with many sobs, that her son had no
enemies and was a good, kind young man. She also related her dream,
but this was flouted by the Coroner, who did not believe in the occult.
However, the narration of her premonition was listened to with deep
interest by those in the court. Widow Anne concluded her evidence