The wooing of Archie and Lucy went on smoothly, and the Professor showed no sign of wishing to break the engagement.  But Hope, as he confided to Lucy, was somewhat worried, as his pauper uncle, on an insufficient borrowed capital, had begun to speculate in South African mines, and it was probable that he would lose all his money.  In that case Hope fancied he would be once more called upon to make good the avuncular loss, and so the marriage would have to be postponed.  But it so happened that the pauper uncle made some lucky speculative shots and acquired money, which he promptly reinvested in new mines of the wildcat description.  Still, for the moment all was well, and the lovers had a few halcyon days of peace and happiness.

Then came a bolt from the blue in the person of Captain Hervey, who called a fortnight after the funeral to see the Professor.  The skipper was a tall, slim man, lean as a fasting friar, and hard as nails, with closely clipped red hair, mustache of the same aggressive hue, and an American goatee.  He spoke with a Yankee accent, and in a truculent manner, sufficiently annoying to the fiery Professor.  When he met Braddock in the museum, the two became enemies at the first glance, and because both were bad-tempered and obstinate, took an instant dislike to one another.  Like did not draw to like in this instance.

“What do you want to see me about?” asked Braddock crossly.  He had been summoned by Cockatoo from the perusal of a new papyrus to see his visitor, and consequently was not in the best of tempers.

“I’ve jes’ blew in fur a trifle of chin-music,” replied Hervey with an emphatic U.S.A. accent.

“I’m busy:  get out,” was the uncomplimentary reply.

Hervey took a chair and, stretching his lengthy legs, produced a black cheroot, as long and lean as himself.

“If you were in the States, Professor, I’d draw a bead on you for that style of lingo.  I’m not taking any.  See!” and he lighted up.

“You’re the captain of ’The Diver’?”

“That’s so; I was, that is.  Now, I’ve shifted to a dandy wind-jammer of sorts that can run rings round the old barky.  I surmise I’m off for the South Seas, pearl-fishing, in three months.  I’ll take that Kanaka along with me, if y’like, Professor,” and he cast a side glance at Cockatoo, who was squatting on his hams as usual, polishing a blue enameled jar from a Theban tomb.

“I require the services of the man,” said Braddock stiffly.  “As to you, sir:  you’ve been paid for your business in connection with Bolton’s passage and the shipment of my mummy, so there is no more to be said.”

“Heaps more! heaps, you bet,” remarked the man of the sea placidly, and controlling a temper which in less civilized parts would have led him to wipe the floor with the plump scientist.  “My owners were paid fur that racket:  not me.  No, sir.  So I’ve paddled into this port to see if I can rake in a few dollars on my own.”