The widow said she was going to town to see a lawyer on Monday morning, but agreed to Professor Thunder’s proposal, and called on the Missing Link in his cage.

“I think, madam, you will admit that you are mistaken,” said the Professor, at the door of the cage, “and will see that you have cast a serious aspersion on the character of an innocent animal and the genuineness of a reputable museum.”  He stirred up the huge, hairy body lying in the straw in the Missing Link’s cage.  “If you come inside the creature may attack you, but you are welcome to do so.”

Mrs. Spink, after looking closer at the hideous head the Professor lifted out of the straw, and brought close to her own at the back bars, decided not to enter the cage.  She had a painful impression that perhaps she was mistaken after all.

“I admit, madam, that we build the animal up to some extent to make him look large.  That is a mere showman’s trick, and innocent enough in itself, but I am determined to convince you that this is a genuine man-monkey, as your story has done me much mischief in my profession.  Pray look closely at the beast.”

Mrs. Spink did look closely.  There was not the slightest doubt that the animal she beheld, although somewhat faked, was one of the monkey tribe.  She confessed her error, she became contrite and tearful, and promised an apology if the Professor would not persist in his threatened action for defamation of character.

“I was told the wretch was seen with your company,” said the tearful Mrs. Spink.

When the widow was well out of range, Nickie crept from the tent of the Egyptian Mystic, and breathed a great sigh of relief.

“I shall probably never make love to a widow again,” he said, sadly; “they are so ungrateful.”

He was dressed in his ordinary clothes, and the creature in the Missing Link’s cage sprang towards him spitting and clawing spitefully.  It was Ammonia, the Gorilla, in the Missing Link’s skin, padded and faked to twice his size to deceive a poor, weak woman.

“I believe after all we ought to frighten something in the way of compensation out of the gorgon,” said Nickie, vengefully.  Our reprobate hero was a man who knew no remorse of conscience.

CHAPTER XIV.

Mardi has A night off.

Professor thunder was hurt in his professional pride by the signal failure of his Museum of Marvels in Rabbit township.  In the first place, the great impresario had been guilty of a grievous blunder in selecting Rabbit for a two-night’s pitch, but things had been going so remarkably well of late, due mainly to the eccentric adventures of the Missing Link, that the boss was getting proud, and was beginning to feel that his astounding galaxy of unparalleled attractions would draw well in the dead centre of the Old Man Plain.  Rabbit township was making his error plain to him.