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The Mysterious Mummy by sax Roamer.
It was about five o'clock on a hot

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August afternoon that a tall, thin
man, wearing a weedy beard and made

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conspicuous by an ill fitting frock coat
and an almost napless silk hat, walked

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into the entrance hall of the Great
Portland Square Museum. He carried no stick,

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and looking about him as though unfamiliar
with the building, he ultimately mounted

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the principal staircase, walking with a
pronounced stoop and at intervals coughing with a

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hollow sound. His gaunt figure attracted
the attention of several people, among them

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the attendant in the Egyptian room.
Hardened though he was to the eccentric inhumanity,

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the man who hung so eagerly over
the mummies of departed kings and cougheds

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so frequently nevertheless secured his instant attention. Visitors of the regulation type were rapidly

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thinning out, so that the gaunt
man, during the whole of the time

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he remained in the room, was
kept under close surveillance by the vigilant official.

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Seeing him go in the direction of
the stairs, the attendant supposed the

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strange visitor to be about to leave
the museum, but that he did not

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do so immediately was shown by subsequent
testimony. The day's business being concluded,

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the staff of police who patrol nightly
the Great Square Museum duly filed into the

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building. A man is placed in
each room, it being his duty to

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examine thoroughly every nook and cranny.
Having done which, all doors of communication

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are closed, the officer on guard
in one room, being unable to leave

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his post or or to enter another. Every hour the inspector, a sergeant

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and a fireman make a round of
the entire building, from which it will

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be seen that a person having designs
on any of the numerous treasures of the

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place would require more than average ingenuity
to bring his plans to a successful issue.

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In recording this very singular case,
the only incident of the night to

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demand attention is that of the mummy
in the Etruscan Room. Persons familiar with

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the Great Portland Square Museum will know
that certain of the tombs in the Etruscan

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Room are used as receptacles for Egyptian
mummies that have, for various reasons,

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never been put upon exhibition. Anyone
who has peered under the partially raised lid

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of a huge sarcophagus and found within
the rigid form of a mummy. Will

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appreciate the feelings of the man on
night duty amid das surroundings so lugubrious.

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The electric light, it should be
mentioned, is not extinguished until the various

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apartments have been examined, and its
extinction immediately precedes the locking of the door.

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The constable in the etruscan room glanced
into the various sarcophag guy and cast

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the rays of his bull's eye lantern
into the shadows of the great Stone tombs.

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Satisfied that no one lurked there,
he mounted the steps leading up to

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the Roman gallery, turning out the
lights in the room below from the switch

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at the top. The light was
still burning on the ground floor, and

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the sergeant had not yet arrived with
the keys. It was whilst the man

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stood awaiting his coming, that a
singular thing occurred from somewhere within the darkened

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chamber beneath There came the sound of
a hollow cough by no means deficient.

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Encouraged, the constable went down the
step in three bounds, his lantern,

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throwing discs of light upon stately statues
and gloomy tombs. The sound was not

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repeated, and having nothing to guide
him to its source, he commenced a

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second methodical search of the sarcophaguy as, offering the most likely hiding places.

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When all save one had been examined, the constable began to believe that the

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coughing had existed only in his imagination. It was upon casting the rays of

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his bull's eye into the last sarcophagus
that he experienced a sudden sensation of fear.

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It was empty, yet he distinctly
remembered from his previous examination that a

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mummy had lain there. At the
moment of making this weird discovery, he

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realized that he would have done better
before commencing his search for the man with

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the cough first to turn on the
light, for it must be remembered that

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he he had extinguished the electric lamps. Determined to do so before pursuing his

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investigations further. He ran up the
steps to find the Roman gallery in darkness.

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The bright disk of a lantern was
approaching from the upper end, and

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the man ran forward. Who turned
off the lights? Here came the voice

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of the sergeant. That's what I
want to know someone did it while I

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was downstairs, said the constable,
and gave a hurried account of the mysterious

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coughing and the missing mummy. How
long has there been a mummy in this

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tomb, asked the sergeant. There
was one there a month back, but

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they took it upstairs. They may
have brought it down again last week though,

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or it may have been a fresh
one. You see, the other

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lot were on duty up to last
night. This was quite true, as

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the sergeant was aware. Three bodies
of picked men share the night duties at

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the Great Portland Square Museum, and
those on duty upon this particular occasion had

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not been in the place during the
previous two weeks. Very strange, muttered

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the sergeant, and a moment later
his whistle was sounding from all over the

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building. Men came running, for
none of the doors had yet been locked.

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There seems to be someone concealed in
the museum. Search all the rooms

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again with the brief order. The
constables disappeared and the sergeant, accompanied by

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the inspector, went down to examine
the Etruscan room. Nothing was found there,

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nor were any of the other searchers
more successful. There was no trace

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anywhere of a man in hiding.
Beyond leaving open the door between the Roman

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Gallery and the steps of the Etruscan
Room, no more could be done in

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the matter. The gallery communicates with
the entrance hall, where the inspector,

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together with the sergeant and fireman,
spends the night, and the idea of

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the former was to keep in touch
with the scene of these singular happenings.

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His action was perfectly natural, but
these precautions were subsequently proved to be absolutely

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useless. The night passed without any
disturbing event, and the mystery of the

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vanishing mummy and the ghostly cough seemed
likely to remain a mystery. The night

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police filed out in the early morning, and the Inspector with the sergeant,

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returned as soon as possible to the
museum to make further inquiries concerning the missing

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occupant of the sarcophagus. A mummy
in the in tomb, exclaimed the curator

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of Etruscan Antiquities. My dear sir, there has been no mummy in there

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for nearly a month, but my
man states that he saw one there last

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night, declared the inspector. The
curator looked puzzled, turning to an attendant,

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He said, who was in charge
of the Etruscan room immediately before six

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last night? I was, sir, were there any visitors? No one

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came in between five forty and six, and before that I was away at

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tea, Sir, who was in
charge? Then mister Robins? Call Robins,

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the commissionaire in question arrived. How
long were you in the Etruscan room

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last night? About half an hour, sir? Are you sure that no

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one concealed himself? The man looked
startled. Well, sir, he said,

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hesitatingly, I'm sorry I didn't report
it before. But when mister Barton

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called me at about twenty five minutes
to six, there was some one in

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there, a gent in a seedy
frock coat and a high hat, and

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I don't remember seeing him come out. Did you search the room, yes,

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sir, but there was no one
to be seen. You should have

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reported the matter at once. I
must see Barton. Barton, the head

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attendant, remembered, speaking to Robin's
at the top of the stairs leading to

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the Etruscan room. He saw no
one come out, but it was just

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as possible for a person to have
done so and yet be seen by neither

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himself or robins. Let three of
you thoroughly overhaul the room for any sign

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of a man having hidden there,
directed the curator briskly. He turned to

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the sergeant an inspector, with a
smile. I rather fancy it will prove

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to be of Mayer's nest, he
said. We've had these mysteries before.

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The words had but just left his
lips when a museum official, a well

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known antiquarian expert, ran up in
a perfect frenzy of excitement. Good Heavens

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Peters, he gasped, the Rienzi
vase has gone. What came an incredulous

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chorus. The circular top of the
case has been completely cut out and ingeniously

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replaced at a plausible invitation of the
vase substituted. They waited for no more,

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but hurried upstairs to the vase room, which in the Great Portland Square

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Museum is really only a part of
the Egyptian Room. The Rienzi vase,

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though no larger than an ordinary breakfast
cup, all the world knows to be

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of fabulous value. It seemed inconceivable
that anyone could have stolen it. Yet

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there in the midst of a nod
of excited officials, stood the empty case.

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Whilst the imitation antique was being passed
from hand to hand. Never before,

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nor since has such a scene been
witnessed in the museum. The staff,

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to a man, had lost their
wits. What is to be done

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was the general inquiry. In less
than half an hour, the doors would

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have to be opened to the public, and the absence of the famous vase

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would inevitably be known. Noticed.
It was at this juncture, and whilst

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everyone was speaking at once, that
one of the parties, standing close to

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a wall cabinet, suddenly held up
a warning finger. Hush, he said,

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listen. A sudden silence fell upon
the room, so that people running

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about in other apartments could be plainly
heard, and presently, from somewhere behind

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the glass doors surrounding the place came
a low moan, electrifying the already excited

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listeners. The keys were promptly forthcoming, and then was made the second astounding

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discovery of the eventful morning. A
man, gagged and bound, was imprisoned

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behind a great mummy case. Eager
hands set to work to release him,

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and restoratives were applied, as he
seemed to be in a very weak condition.

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He was but partially dressed and breathed
heavily through his nose like a man

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in a drunken sla lumber. All
waited breathlessly for his return to consciousness,

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for certainly he, if anyone,
should be in a position to furnish some

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clue to the deep mystery. On
regaining his senses, he had disappointingly little

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to tell. He was Constable Smith, who had been on night duty in

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the Egyptian room. Sometime during the
first hour, and not long after the

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alarm in the basement. He had
been mysteriously pinioned. As he paraded the

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apartment, he caught no glimpse of
his opponent, who held him from behind

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in such a manner that he was
totally unable to defend himself. Some sweet

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smelling drug had been applied to his
nostrils, and he remembered no more until

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regaining consciousness. In the mummy case, that was the whole of his testimony

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In setting out the particulars of this
remarkable affair, a third and final discovery

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must be noted. The three men
who had been directed to examine the Etrus

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skin room brought to light a bundle
of old garments containing an ancient opera hat,

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a faded frock coat, a pair
of shiny trousers, and a pair

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of elastic sighted boots. They were
wedged high up at the back of a

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tall statue, where they had evidently
escaped the eyes of all previous searchers that

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constituted the entire data upon which investigations
had to be based. The Egyptian Room

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was closed indefinitely four repairs. No
further useful evidence could be obtained from anyone.

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Several witnesses furnished consistent descriptions of the
shabby stranger with the hollow cough,

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but it may here be mentioned that
no one of them ever set eyes upon

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him again. The inspector, the
sergeant, and the fireman solemnly swore to

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have visited the Egyptian Room at the
end of each hour throughout the night,

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and to having found the constable on
duty as usual. Smith swore with equal

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solemnity that he had been drug during
the first hour and subsequently confined in the

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mummy case. The matter was carefully
kept out of the papers, although the

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museum throughout many following days positively bristled
with detectives. As the second week drew

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to a close, and the Egyptian
Room still remained locked. Well informed persons

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began to whisper that a scandal could
no longer be avoided. There can be

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no doubt that in many quarters Constable
Smith's share in the proceedings was regarded with

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grave suspicion. It was at this
critical juncture, when it seemed inevitable that

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the loss of the world famous Rienzi
vase must be made known to an unsympathetic

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public, that certain high authorities gave
out that the vase had been removed,

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and that none of the night staff
were in any way implicated in its disappearance.

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On this announcement being made, several
strange theories were mooted. Some stated

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that the vase had never left the
museum. Others averred that it had been

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pawned to a foreign government. Whatever
the real explanation, and the secret was

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jealously guarded by the high placed officials
who alone knew the truth, Suffice it

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that the Egyptian Room was again thrown
open, and the Rienzi vase shown to

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be reposing in its usual position.
Now that it again stands in its place

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for all to see, there can
be no objection to my relating how I

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once held the famous Rienzi vase in
my possession for twelve days. If there

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be any objection, I am sorry. You must understand. I am no

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common feat, no footpad. I'm
a person of keenly observant character, and

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my business is to detect vital weaknesses
in great institutions and to charge a moderately

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high fee for my services. Thus
I discovered that a certain famous tiara in

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a French museum was inadequately protected,
and accordingly removed it, replacing it by

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a substitute. The authorities refused me
my fee, and all the world knows

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that my clever forgery was detected by
the experts that brought them to their senses.

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It is the genuine tiara that reposes
in their cabinet now. In the

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same way, I removed the world
renowned historical mummy from its resting place in

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Cairo, and two days later they
grew suspicious of my imitation. It was

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the handiwork of a clever Birmingham artist, and the department was closed. The

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bulky character of the mummy nearly brought
about my downfall, and it was only

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by abandoning it that I succeeded in
leaving Cairo. I'm not proud of that

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case I was clumsy. But of
the case of the Rienzi Vase, I

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have every reason to be highly proud
that you may judge of the neatness and

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dispatch with which I acted. I
will relate how the whole business was conducted.

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You must know, then, that
the first flaw I discovered in the

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arrangements at the Great Portland Square Museum
was this the wall cases were badly guarded.

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I learned this interesting fact one afternoon
as I strolled about the Egyptian room.

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A certain gentleman I will not name
him, was showing a party of

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the ladies round the apartment. He
had unlocked a wall case and was standing

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with a handsome bead necklet in his
hand, explaining where and when it was.

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He was only a few yards away, but with his back toward the

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case enough the key, with others
attached, was in the glass door.

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You will admit that this was exceedingly
careless, but the presence of four charming

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American ladies one can excuse him.
I regret to have to confess that I

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was somewhat awkward. The keys rattled, the whole party looked in my direction,

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but the immaculate mad about town with
his cultivated manner and his very considerable

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knowledge of Egyptology, How should they
suspect? I apologized I had brushed against

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them in passing. I made myself
agreeable, and the uncomfortable incident was forgotten

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by them, not by me.
I had a beautiful wax impression to keep

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my memory fresh. The scheme formed. Then I knew that a body of

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pick police promenaded the museum at night, and that each of the rooms was

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usually in charge of the same man. I learned later that there were three

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bodies of men, so that the
same police were in the museum but one

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week in every three. I made
the acquaintance of seven constables and frequented eight

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different public houses before I met the
man of whom I was in search.

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The first policeman I found, who
paraded the Egyptian room at night, was

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short and thick set. I gave
him up as a bad job. I

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learned from him, however, who
was to occupy the posse during the coming

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week, and presently I unearthed the
private bar which this latter officer, his

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name was Smith, used eureka.
He was tall and thin. Incidentally,

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he was also surly, but the
winning ways of the jovial master plumber,

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who was so free with his money, ultimately thought him. Every night.

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Throughout the rest of the week I
spent in this constable's company, studying his

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somewhat colorless personality. Then one afternoon
I entered the museum. My weedy beard,

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my gaunt expression, my hollow cough. They were all in the part.

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I went up to the Egyptian room
to assure myself that a certain mummy

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case had not been removed, and
having found it to occupy its usual place,

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I descended to the Etruscan basement.
For half an hour I occupied myself

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there, but the commissionaire never budged
from his seat. I knew that this

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particular man was only in temporary charge, whilst another was a tea for I

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was well posted, and wondered if
his companion were ever coming back. Luckily,

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an incident occurred to serve my purpose. The chief attendant appeared at the

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head of the steps Robin's. He
called Robins, ran briskly upstairs at his

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command, and then in fifteen seconds
my transformation was complete, gone with a

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weedy gray beard and mustache, gone, the seedy black garments and the elastic

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sighted boots, gone the old opera
hat. And behold I was Constable Smith,

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attired in mummy wrappings, an acrobatic
spring, and the bundle of aged

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garments was wedged behind a tall statue, where nothing but a most minute search

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could reveal it. Down again,
not a second despair into the empty sarcophagus

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at the further end of the room. And lastly, a hideous rubber mask

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slipped over the ruddy features of Constable
Smith and attached behind the ears. My

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arms stiffened and my hands concealed in
the wrappings, and I was a long

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dead mummy with a neat leather case
hidden beneath my arched back. Brisk work,

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I assure you, but one grows
accustomed to it in time. The

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Commission entered the room very shortly afterwards. He had not seen me go out,

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but as I expected, neither was
he absolutely sure I had not done

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so. He peered about suspiciously,
but I did not mind. The real

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ordeal came a couple of hours later, when a police officer flashed his lantern

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into all the tombs. For a
moment, my heart seemed to cease beating

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as the light shone on my rubber
countenance. But he was satisfied, this

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stupid policeman, and I heard his
footsteps retreating to the door. I allowed

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him time to get to the top
and extinguished the light in the Etruscan room.

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And then I was out of my
tomb and hidden in the little niche

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immediately beside the foot of the stairs. I coughed loudly. Heavens. He

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came back down the steps with such
velocity he was carried halfway along the room.

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He began to flash his latern into
the tombs again, but before he

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had examined the first of them,
I was upstairs in the Roman gallery without

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the electric light. It was quite
dark in the Etruscan room, which is

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in the basement, but being a
bright night, I knew I could find

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what I required in the Roman Gallery
without the aid of artificial light. Besides,

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I had not to act in the
open. Someone might arrive too soon.

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So thoroughly well posted as to the
situation of the switches, I extinguished

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the lamps and dodged in among the
Roman stone work, to the foot of

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a great pillar, towering almost to
the lofty roof and surmounted by an ornate

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capitol. I had planned all this
beforehand. You see, but I must

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confess it was an awful scramble to
the top. I had only just curled

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up on the summit, the hand
of my invaluable leather case held fast in

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my teeth, when a sergeant came
running down the gallery, almost into the

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arms of the constable, who was
running up the steps from the Etruscan room.

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A moment's hurried conversation, and the
lights turned on, and the sound

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of a whistle. It was foolish, of course, but I had expected

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it from all over the building.
The police arrived and fatigued. As I

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was with my climb, yet another
acrobatic feet was before me. The top

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of my pillar was no great distance
from the stone balustrade of the first floor

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landing on which the Egyptian room opens, and a narrow ledge, perhaps of

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eleven inches, runs all round the
wall of the Roman gallery, some four

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feet below the ceiling. I cautiously
stepped from the pillar to the ledge.

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I was invisible from the other end
of the place, and pressing my body

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close against the wall, reached the
balustrade before Constable Smith, who had left

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his post and descended to the lower
gallery. On hearing the sergeant's whistle,

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re entered the Egyptian room my bright
A new key had found the lock of

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a certain cabinet, and I was
secured behind a mummy case, whilst a

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little steel pin prevented the spring of
the lock from shutting me in. Poor

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Constable Smith, I was sorry to
have to act so, but ten minutes

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after the closing of the doors of
communication, I came on him from behind,

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having silently crept from the case as
he passed me, and following him

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down the darkened room, the thin
linen wrappings that covered my feet making no

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sound upon the wooden floor. I
had a pad ready in my hand,

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saturated with the contents of a small
pile that had reposed in my mummy garments.

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I thrust my knee in his spine, seized his hands by a trick

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which you may learn for a pasetta
any day. In the purliest of Tangier,

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a muscular man, he tried hard
to cope with his unseen opponent,

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but the pad never left his mouth
and nostrils, and the few muffled cries

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that is escaped team more luckily unheard. He soon became conscious, and I

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had to work hard lest the inspectors
should make his round before I was ready

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for him. The mummy case had
to be lowered onto the floor and the

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heavy body tightly bound and lifted into
it, then stood up again and securely

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locked behind the glass doors. It
was hot work, and I had but

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00:26:23,799 --> 00:26:30,799
just accomplished the task and climbed into
the constable's uniform when the inspector's key sounded

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in the door. Ah, it
is an exciting profession. The rest was

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easy, wrapped up in my yellow
mummy linen where the various appliances required,

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and in the leather box with the
imitation riens evase. The circular glass top

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of the case gave some trouble,
so hard and thick was it. I

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had to desist five times and conceal
my tools. Owing to the hourly visits

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of the inspect Poor Constable Smith began
to groan towards six o'clock, and a

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second dose of medicine was necessary to
keep him quiet for another hour or so.

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I filed out with the other policeman
in the morning, the Rienzi vase

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inside my helmet. As to the
sequel, it is brief, of course.

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The detectives tried their hands at the
affair, but pooh, I'm too

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old a bird to leave clues.
It's only amateurs that do that. My

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fee and the conditions to be observed
in paying it, I conveyed to the

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authorities privately. They thought they had
a clue then, and delayed another week.

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They actually detained my unhappy agent,
a most guileless and upright person who

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knew positively nothing. Oh it was
too funny, But realizing that only by

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the vase being returned to its place
could a scandal be avoided, they met

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me in the matter and of the
mysterious mummy