The Perils of Pauline | Page 5

sunken nose or mummy's hollow eyes.
A strand of black hair fell down, and the movement beneath the
bandages increased. Out of the folds came an arm, a woman's arm,
slender, yet rounded, an arm with light bones and fine sinews, clearly
an arm and hand that had never known work. Marvin was well aware
that a mummy's arm is invariably a black skeleton claw.
At this point the old man made a mental note that he was not dead, for
he could feel his own breathing. The arm rapidly and gracefully
loosened and removed wrappings from the neck and breast. On the
wrist gashed a bracelet made of linked scarabs. The arm now cast away
the last covering of the bosom, neck and shoulders.
She freed her left hand, lifted out the bottom half of the case and slid
the wrappings from her limbs. Barefooted and bare-ankled, clothed
only in a shimmering white gown that scarcely covered bare knees, and
a white head-dress with a green serpent head in front, she stepped
somewhat stiffly into the room. Slowly she made several movements of

limbs and body like the first steps of a dance. She rose on her toes,
looked down at herself and swayed her lithe hips. It occurred to Marvin
that all this was by way of a graceful little stretch after a few thousand
years of sleep.
Marvin now observed that she was Pauline's height, and age, as well as
general size and form. Slightly shorter she might have been, but then
she lacked Pauline's high heels. The general resemblance was striking
except in the color of the eyes and hair. Pauline's tresses were a light
golden yellow, while this girl's hair was black as the hollow of the
sphinx. Pauline's eyes were blue, but she who stood before him gazed
through eyes too dark to guess their color.
The Egyptian had found a little mirror. She patted her hair, adjusted the
head- dress, but Marvin waited in vain for the powder puff. From the
mirror the girl's eyes wandered to a painting hanging above the desk. It
was an excellent likeness of Pauline. The resemblance between the two
was obvious, not only to Marvin but evidently to the black-haired girl.
She turned to the old man and addressed him in a strange language. Not
one word did he recognize, yet the syllables were so clearly and
carefully pronounced that he felt he was listening to an educated
woman. Some of the tones were like Pauline's, some were not, but all
were soft, sweet, modulated.
The meaning was clear enough. She wished Marvin to see the
resemblance, and she frowned slightly because the rigid, staring figure
did not respond. Why should she be impatient, this woman of the
Pharaohs who had lain stiff and unresponsive while Babylon and
Greece and Rome and Spain had risen and fallen?
Soon she resorted to pantomime, pointed to herself and the picture,
touched her eyes and nose and mouth and then the corresponding
painted features. She felt of her own jet hair, shook her head and looked
questioningly at the light coiffure of Pauline. She turned to the old man,
evidently asking if the painting were true in this respect. Then she
smiled a smile like Pauline's. Perhaps she was asking if Pauline had
changed the color of her hair.

Now she became interested in a book on the corner of the desk. With
little musical exclamations of delight she turned the printed pages and
appreciated that the shelves contained hundreds more of these treasures.
The typewritten letters lying about excited her admiration and then the
pen and ink. She quickly guessed the use of the pen and ran eagerly to
the mummy case. A moment's search brought forth a long roll of
papyrus. Before Marvin's eyes she unrolled a scroll covered with
Egyptian hieroglyphics.
There were footsteps in the hall and the Egyptian looked toward the
door. Owen entered, looked at Marvin searchingly, placed him in a
more comfortable position in the chair, spoke his name and walked out.
What seemed most surprising to the sick, man was his secretary's
oversight of the girl. He passed in front of her, almost brushing her
white robe and yet it was clear that he did not see her.
But the Egyptian had seen him and the sight had excited her. She
seemed desperately anxious to say something to Marvin, something
about Pauline.
The mummy had a secret to reveal!
She tore the bracelet from her right wrist and tried to force it into
Marvin's nerveless grasp. Try as she would, his muscles did not
respond. There were voices in the hallway. Harry and Pauline were
running downstairs. The Princess gave one last imploring glance at the
paralyzed figure, passed her hand gently over his