“Braddock,” read Archie from the confession, for Mrs. Jasher did not trouble herself with a polite prefix—­“Braddock explained that when he received a letter from Sidney stating that he would have to remain with the mummy for a night in Pierside, he guessed that his treacherous assistant intended to effect the robbery.  It seems that Sidney by mistake had left behind the disguise in which he intended to escape.  Aware of this through me”—­Mrs. Jasher referred to herself—­“he made Cockatoo assume the dress and row up the river to the Sailor’s Rest.  The Kanaka easily could be mistaken for a woman, as he also, like Sidney, was slender and smooth-chinned.  Also, he wore the shawl over his head to disguise his mop of frizzy hair as much as possible, and for the purpose of concealing his tattooed face.  In the darkness —­it was after nine o’clock—­he spoke to Sidney through the window, as he had seen him there earlier, when searching for him.  Cockatoo said that Sidney was much afraid when he heard that his purpose had been discovered by the Professor.  He offered a share of the plunder to the Kanaka, and Cockatoo agreed, saying he would come back late, and that Sidney was to admit him into the bedroom so that they could open the mummy and steal the jewels.  Sidney quite believed that Cockatoo was heart and soul with him, especially as the cunning Kanaka swore that he was weary of his master’s tyranny.  It was when Cockatoo was talking thus that he was seen by Eliza Flight, who mistook him—­very naturally—­for a woman.  Cockatoo then returned by boat to the Gartley jetty and told his master.  Afterwards, the Professor, at a much later hour, went down to the jetty and was rowed up to Pierside by the Kanaka.”

“That was when Mrs. Jasher saw them,” said Random, much interested.

“Yes,” said Archie.  “And then, if you remember; she watched for the return of the couple.”

“It was nearly midnight when the boat was brought alongside the sloping stone bank of the alley which ran past the Sailor’s Rest.  No one was about at that hour, not even a policeman, and there was no light in Sidney Bolton’s window.  Braddock was much agitated as he thought that Sidney had already escaped.  He waited in the boat and sent Cockatoo to knock at the window.  Then a light appeared and the window was silently opened.  The Kanaka slipped in and remained there for some ten minutes after closing the window.  When he returned, the light was extinguished.  He whispered to his master that Sidney had opened the packing case and the mummy coffin, and had ripped the swathings to get the jewels.  When Sidney would not hand over the jewels to the Kanaka, as the latter wanted him to, Cockatoo, already prepared with the window cord, which he had silently taken from the blind, sprang upon the unfortunate assistant and strangled him.  Cockatoo told this to his horrified master, and wanted him to come back to hide the corpse in the packing case.  Braddock refused, and then Cockatoo told him that he would throw the jewels—­which he had taken from Sidney’s body—­into the river.  The position of master and servant was reversed, and Braddock was forced to obey.