I bristled. Talk about condemning with faint praise. "Very well. This way, then."
She was equally unimpressed with our imperial China collection, medieval display, and Assyrian and Sumer exhibits, barely sparing a glance for each of the rooms. When I took her to the ancient Egyptian room, she wrinkled her perfect little nose and said, "My, those bandages need a good washing, don't they?"
It had to be the shortest museum tour on record. Within no time we found ourselves outside the small family sitting room, where Grandmother had said she would wait for us. pausing in the hallway, Miss Sharpe bent down and brought her face closer to mine. "Your grandmother says you're bright as a button." Before I had a chance to marvel over that, she continued. "But don't worry, I shall soon show you how to hide that light of yours under a bushel. You don't want everyone to know what an odd duck you are."
I gaped at her, unable to think of a reply. She gave me a charming smile, then, with a swish of her silk skirts, disappeared into the sitting room.
The room was full, as all the curators seemed to have decided to take a late tea right then. When they saw Miss Sharpe, they all got quite silly as Father introduced her around. It would have been highly annoying if I hadn't been so fooled myself when I had first met her.
It took forever for Grandmother and Miss Sharpe to leave. When they did, I insisted on walking them to the door. Both seemed impressed by my manners, which was just as well. If they'd known that the real reason I'd come with them was to keep an eye out for a street urchin in order to get a message to a secret organization, they might not have been so pleased.
As I waved goodbye to them, my eyes searched for a sign of Will, but the street was deserted except for a tall, thin man sitting on a bench, his top hat just barely peeking above the evening newspaper he was reading. Will must have decided I had no news to pass on today and given up.
Miss Sharpe could not have arrived at a worse time. It was clear she would be a formidable opponent.
But then, so was I.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Snuffles
THE MUMMIES RETURNED AGAIN the next day.
Our first indication was the huge crowd awaiting us at the museum entrance. Inspector Turnbull was there, along with Lord Chudleigh, Snowthorpe, and a number of other people I'd never seen before.
"Good gad!" Father said, leaping out of the carriage. "What is the meaning of this?" He was so distraught, he forgot to help Mother down.
Inspector Turnbull glared at Father. "I might ask you the same thing, sir."
"What are all these people doing at our museum?" Mother asked, alighting from the carriage.
Snowthorpe took a step closer to Father. "We want our mummies back, Throckmorton. This joke of yours has gone on long enough."
"What joke?" Father said. "What are you talking about?"
But I knew. I could tell from the way people were pressed up against the window, whispering and pointing. I tugged on Father's coat pocket. "I think the mummies are back, Father."
All the blood drained from his face.
Inspector Turnbull glanced at me sharply. "How'd you know that, then?"
"Why else would you all be here?" I asked.
Recovering, Father hurried to the door, but when he tried to open it, a muffled voice called out, "Go away! I ain't letting none of you in without the master here to answer your questions."
"It's me, Flimp," Father called out. "You can open the door now."
Flimp did, slowly, then peeked out at the gathered crowd. "Am I glad to see you, sir!" he said, but poor Father was so beside himself that he didn't hear him. Instead, he stared at the foyer in dismay. Or more accurately, he stared at the queue of mummies lined up against the wall, his whole body sagging.
"Throckmorton, this is preposterous," Lord Chudleigh said, shoving forward. "What are you trying to prove, anyway! I've half a mind to call for a meeting of the board and demand your resignation!"
"But sir—" Father began to protest.
"And I've half a mind to haul you in," Inspector Turnbull added.
"On what grounds?" Mother asked.
"Exactly!" Father echoed. "All I've done is arrive to find another crowd of mummies in my museum. It's not as if I had anything to do with it!"
"You haven't, have you?" Turnbull growled.
"Now, now, gentlemen. There's no need for any of that." Admiral Sopcoate pushed his way through the crowd. Behind him, Grandmother Throckmorton's carriage was parked up against the street, her thin nose poking out from behind the carriage curtains. For the first time that morning, I felt hopeful. Sopcoate always had a calming effect on people. Perhaps he could prevent Father from being hauled off or fired after all.
Inspector Turnbull nodded in deference to the admiral. "But sir, surely you aren't saying he had nothing to do with this."
Sopcoate put one arm on Turnbull's back and the other on Chudleigh's. "What I'm saying is, we don't want to be arguing out here on the stoop where every news reporter and passerby can hear us, now, do we? Think of the scandal," he said to Chudleigh. Then to Turnbulclass="underline" "Think of how that could compromise your investigation!"
Turnbull scowled at the truth of Sopcoate's words. "Don't let anyone else through that door until I get back," Turnbull instructed his constables.
"Of course not, sir!"
Turnbull nodded, then followed the admiral and the others toward Father's office, where they could have some privacy.
"Oh no you don't, boy-o!" A constable's raised voice caught my attention. "You heard the man. No one gets in here."
"But it's Open Visitation Day, guvnor, me only chance to see the museum!" a paperboy whined as he tried to push past Biggs. "Ye don't want me to have to wait an entire month, do ye?" Even though he was talking to the constable, the paperboy was looking straight at me.
Only, it wasn't a paperboy at all—it was Will!
I tilted my head to indicate he should go round to the side.
"I don't give a horse's hind end how long you have to wait. Now, off wi' you!" As I watched Will scramble away, I caught sight of an elegant woman standing toward the back of the crowd. It was Miss Sharpe, and she was attempting to work her way to the front door. She tried to catch my eye, but I ignored her and hurried to the side entrance instead.
By the time I got there, Will was waiting for me. "Wot took you so long?" he huffed, looking over his shoulder.
"I came right away," I huffed back, wishing he wouldn't get so put out just because of a few constables around. Although I supposed if I were in his trade, I would feel the same.
I heard a loud, wet sniffing sound. "Quiet," I warned Will.
He immediately froze. "Wot is it?"
"I don't know, but I think someone is skulking in the bushes." I squinted, having a hard time making out what exactly I was seeing.
"Oo is it?" Will asked, his voice tense.
"I'm not sure," I said. "But it looks like a bowler hat with ears. And a much-too-large morning coat."
Will relaxed. "Oh, don't worry 'bout 'im. That's me brother, Snuffles."
"Snuffles?" I echoed.
Will nodded. "On account of 'is nose always runnin' and 'im always snuffling it back up."
Another thick, wet sniff emerged from the bushes. "Right. Snuffles," I said. "But he doesn't have to hide in the bushes, does he?"
"'E's practicing, miss."
"Practicing what?"
"Why, 'is skills, of course. He's got to practice moving quiet-like and tailing people or he'll never make it in our family line of work." Will leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Frankly, I think 'e's a bit 'opeless. Everyone can hear him sucking up that snot o' his from a mile away."
"We don't have time to discuss this right now. Come on." I grabbed Will's arm. "We need to go somewhere where we won't be overheard."