While Don Pedro searched for his royal ancestor’s corpse, and incidentally for the thief and murderer, his daughter was being wooed by Sir Frank Random.  Heaven only knows what he saw in her —­as Lucy observed to young Hope—­for the girl had not a word to say for herself.  She was undeniably handsome, and dressed with great taste, save for stray hints of barbaric delight in color, doubtless inherited from her Inca ancestors.  All the same, she appeared to be devoid of small talk or great talk, or any talk whatsoever.  She sat and smiled and looked like a handsome picture, but after her appearance had satisfied the eye, she left much to be desired.  Yet Sir Frank approved of her stately quietness, and seemed anxious to make her his wife.  Lucy, in spite of the fact that he had so speedily got over her refusal to marry him, was anxious that he should be happy with Donna Inez, whom he appeared to love, and afforded him every opportunity of meeting the lady, so that he might prosecute his wooing.  All the same, she wondered that he should desire to marry an iceberg, and Donna Inez, with her silent tongue and cold smiles, was little else.  However, as Frank Random was the chief party concerned in the love-making—­for Donna Inez was merely passive—­there was no more to be said.

Sometimes Hope came to dine at the Pyramids, and on these occasions Mrs. Jasher was present in her character of chaperon.  As Miss Kendal was helping the widow to marry Professor Braddock, she in her turn did her best to speed Archie’s wooing.  Certainly the young couple were engaged and there was no understanding to be brought about.  Nevertheless, Mrs. Jasher was a useful article of furniture to be in the room when they were together, for Gartley, like all English villages, was filled with scandalmongers, who would have talked, had Hope and Lucy not employed Mrs. Jasher as gooseberry.  Sometimes Donna Inez came with the widow, while her father was hunting for the mummy in Pierside, and then Sir Frank Random would be sure to put in an appearance to woo his Dulcinea in admiring silence.  Mrs. Jasher declared that the two must have made love by telepathy, for they rarely exchanged a word.  But this was all the better, as Archie and Lucy chattered a great deal, and two pair of magpies—­Mrs. Jasher declared—­would have been too much for her nerves.  She made a very good chaperon, as she allowed the young people to act as they pleased, only sanctioning the meetings by her elderly presence.

One evening Mrs. Jasher was due to dinner, and Hope had already arrived.  No one else was expected, as Don Pedro had taken his daughter to the theatre at Pierside and Sir Frank had gone to London in connection with his military duties.  It was a bitterly cold night, and already a fall of snow had hinted that there was to be a real English Christmas of the genuine kind.  Lucy had prepared an excellent dinner for three, and Archie had brought a set of new patience cards for Mrs. Jasher, who was fond of the game.  While the widow played, the lovers hoped to make love undisturbed, and looked forward to a happy evening.  But there was one drawback, for although the dinner hour was supposed to be eight o’clock, and it was now thirty minutes past, Mrs. Jasher had not arrived.  Lucy was dismayed.