第5章

metwithherattherailwaystation。Shewasbehindthecounterinarefreshment—room，poorinnocent，rinsingwine—glasses，andsingingoverherwork。GoodHeavens，suchsinging！Heruppernoteselectrifiedme。Isaidtomyself；’Hereisabornprimadonna——Iwillbringherout！’SheisthethirdIhavebroughtoutinmytime。IshalltakehertoItalywhenhereducationissufficientlyadvanced，andperfectheratMilan。Inthatunsophisticatedgirl，mydearlady，youseeoneofthefutureQueensofSong。Listen！Sheisbeginningherscales。Whatavoice！Brava！Brava！Bravissima！"

ThehighsopranonotesofthefutureQueenofSongrangthroughthehouseashespoke。Oftheloudnessoftheyounglady’svoicetherecouldbenosortofdoubt。Thesweetnessandthepurityofitadmitted，inmyopinion，ofconsiderabledispute。

Havingsaidthepolitewordswhichtheoccasionrenderednecessary，IventuredtorecallMajorFitz—Davidtothesubjectindiscussionbetweenuswhenhisvisitorhadenteredtheroom。

TheMajorwasveryunwillingtoreturntotheperiloustopiconwhichwehadjusttouchedwhentheinterruptionoccurred。Hebeattimewithhisforefingertothesingingupstairs；heaskedmeabout_my_voice，andwhetherIsang；heremarkedthatlifewouldbeintolerabletohimwithoutLoveandArt。Amaninmyplacewouldhavelostallpatience，andwouldhavegivenupthestruggleindisgust。Beingawoman，andhavingmyendinview，myresolutionwasinvincible。IfairlyworeouttheMajor’sresistance，andcompelledhimtosurrenderatdiscretion。Itisonlyjusticetoaddthat，whenhedidmakeuphismindtospeaktomeagainofEustace，hespokefrankly，andspoketothepoint。

"Ihaveknownyourhusband，"hebegan，"sincethetimewhenhewasaboy。Atacertainperiodofhispastlifeaterriblemisfortunefelluponhim。Thesecretofthatmisfortuneisknowntohisfriends，andisreligiouslykeptbyhisfriends。ItisthesecretthatheiskeepingfromYou。Hewillnevertellittoyouaslongashelives。Andhehasbound_me_nottotellit，underapromisegivenonmywordofhonor。Youwished，dearMrs。

Woodville，tobemadeacquaintedwithmypositiontowardEustace。

Thereitis！"

"YoupersistincallingmeMrs。Woodville，"Isaid。

"Yourhusbandwishesmetopersist，"theMajoranswered。"HeassumedthenameofWoodville，fearingtogivehisownname，whenhefirstcalledatyouruncle’shouse。Hewillnowacknowledgenoother。Remonstranceisuseless。Youmustdowhatwedo——youmustgivewaytoanunreasonableman。Thebestfellowintheworldinotherrespects：inthisonematterasobstinateandself—willedashecanbe。Ifyouaskmemyopinion，ItellyouhonestlythatIthinkhewaswrongincourtingandmarryingyouunderhisfalsename。Hetrustedhishonorandhishappinesstoyourkeepinginmakingyouhis——wife。Whyshouldhenottrustthestoryofhistroublestoyouaswell？Hismotherquitesharesmyopinioninthismatter。Youmustnotblameherforrefusingtoadmityouintoherconfidenceafteryourmarriage：itwasthentoolate。

Beforeyourmarriageshedidallshecoulddo——withoutbetrayingsecretswhich，asagoodmother，shewasboundtorespect——toinducehersontoactjustlytowardyou。IcommitnoindiscretionwhenItellyouthatsherefusedtosanctionyourmarriagemainlyforthereasonthatEustacerefusedtofollowheradvice，andtotellyouwhathispositionreallywas。OnmypartIdidallI

couldtosupportMrs。Macallaninthecoursethatshetook。WhenEustacewrotetotellmethathehadengagedhimselftomarryanieceofmygoodfriendDoctorStarkweather，andthathehadmentionedmeashisreference，IwrotebacktowarnhimthatI

wouldhavenothingtodowiththeaffairunlessherevealedthewholetruthabouthimselftohisfuturewife。Herefusedtolistentome，ashehadrefusedtolistentohismother；andheheldmeatthesametimetomypromisetokeephissecret。WhenStarkweatherwrotetome，IhadnochoicebuttoinvolvemyselfinadeceptionofwhichIthoroughlydisapproved，ortoanswerinatonesoguardedandsobriefastostopthecorrespondenceattheoutset。Ichosethelastalternative；andIfearIhaveoffendedmygoodoldfriend。YounowseethepainfulpositioninwhichIamplaced。Toaddtothedifficultiesofthatsituation，Eustacecameherethisverydaytowarnmetobeonmyguard，incaseofyouraddressingtometheveryrequestwhichyouhavejustmade！Hetoldmethatyouhadmetwithhismother，byanunluckyaccident，andthatyouhaddiscoveredthefamilyname。HedeclaredthathehadtraveledtoLondonfortheexpresspurposeofspeakingtomepersonallyonthisserioussubject。’Iknowyourweakness，’hesaid，’wherewomenareconcerned。Valeriaisawarethatyouaremyoldfriend。Shewillcertainlywritetoyou；shemayevenbeboldenoughtomakeherwayintoyourhouse。

Renewyourpromisetokeepthegreatcalamityofmylifeasecret，onyourhonorandonyouroath。’Thosewerehiswords，asnearlyasIcanrememberthem。Itriedtotreatthethinglightly；Iridiculedtheabsurdlytheatricalnotionof’renewingmypromise，’andalltherestofit。Quiteuseless！Herefusedtoleaveme；heremindedmeofhisunmeritedsufferings，poorfellow，inthepasttime。Itendedinhisburstingintotears。

Youlovehim，andsodoI。CanyouwonderthatIlethimhavehisway？TheresultisthatIamdoublyboundtotellyounothing，bythemostsacredpromisethatamancangive。Mydearlady，I

cordiallysidewithyouinthismatter；Ilongtorelieveyouranxieties。ButwhatcanIdo？"

Hestopped，andwaited——gravelywaited——tohearmyreply。

Ihadlistenedfrombeginningtoendwithoutinterruptinghim。

Theextraordinarychangeinhismanner，andinhiswayofexpressinghimself，whilehewasspeakingofEustace，alarmedmeasnothinghadalarmedmeyet。Howterrible（Ithoughttomyself）

mustthisuntoldstorybe，ifthemereactofreferringtoitmakeslight—heartedMajorFitz—Davidspeakseriouslyandsadly，neversmiling，neverpayingmeacompliment，neverevennoticingthesingingupstairs！MyheartsankinmeasIdrewthatstartlingconclusion。ForthefirsttimesinceIhadenteredthehouseIwasattheendofmyresources；Iknewneitherwhattosaynorwhattodonext。

AndyetIkeptmyseat。Neverhadtheresolutiontodiscoverwhatmyhusbandwashidingfrommebeenmorefirmlyrootedinmymindthanitwasatthatmoment！Icannotaccountfortheextraordinaryinconsistencyinmycharacterwhichthisconfessionimplies。Icanonlydescribethefactsastheyreallywere。

Thesingingwentonupstairs。MajorFitz—DavidstillwaitedimpenetrablytohearwhatIhadtosay——toknowwhatIresolvedondoingnext。

BeforeIhaddecidedwhattosayorwhattodo，anotherdomesticincidenthappened。Inplainwords，anotherknockingannouncedanewvisitoratthehousedoor。Onthisoccasiontherewasnorustlingofawoman’sdressinthehall。Onthisoccasiononlytheoldservantenteredtheroom，carryingamagnificentnosegayinhishand。"WithLadyClarinda’skindregards。ToremindMajorFitz—Davidofhisappointment。"Anotherlady！Thistimealadywithatitle。Agreatladywhosentherflowersandhermessageswithoutcondescendingtoconcealment。TheMajor——firstapologizingtome——wroteafewlinesofacknowledgment，andsentthemouttothemessenger。Whenthedoorwasclosedagainhecarefullyselectedoneofthechoicestflowersinthenosegay。

"MayIask，"hesaid，presentingtheflowertomewithhisbestgrace，"whetheryounowunderstandthedelicatepositioninwhichIamplacedbetweenyourhusbandandyourself？"

Thelittleinterruptioncausedbytheappearanceofthenosegayhadgivenanewimpulsetomythoughts，andhadthushelped，insomedegree，torestoremetomyself。IwasableatlasttosatisfyMajorFitz—Davidthathisconsiderateandcourteousexplanationhadnotbeenthrownawayuponme。

"Ithankyou，mostsincerely，Major，"Isaid"YouhaveconvincedmethatImustnotaskyoutoforget，onmyaccount，thepromisewhichyouhavegiventomyhusband。Itisasacredpromise，whichItooamboundtorespect——Iquiteunderstandthat。"

TheMajordrewalongbreathofrelief，andpattedmeontheshoulderinhighapprovalofwhatIhadsaidtohim。

"Admirablyexpressed！"herejoined，recoveringhislight—heartedlooksandhislover—likewaysallinamoment。"Mydearlady，youhavethegiftofsympathy；youseeexactlyhowIamsituated。Doyouknow，youremindmeofmycharmingLadyClarinda。_She_hasthegiftofsympathy，andseesexactlyhowIamsituated。I

shouldsoenjoyintroducingyoutoeachother，"saidtheMajor，plunginghislongnoseecstaticallyintoLadyClarinda’sflowers。

Ihadmyendstilltogain；and，being（asyouwillhavediscoveredbythistime）themostobstinateoflivingwomen，I

stillkeptthatendinview。

"IshallbedelightedtomeetLadyClarinda，"Ireplied。"Inthemeantime——"

"Iwillgetupalittledinner，"proceededtheMajor，withaburstofenthusiasm。"YouandIandLadyClarinda。Ouryoungprimadonnashallcomeintheevening，andsingtous。Supposewedrawoutthe_menu？_Mysweetfriend，whatisyourfavoriteautumnsoup？"

"Inthemeantime，"Ipersisted，"toreturntowhatwewerespeakingofjustnow——"

TheMajor’ssmilevanished；theMajor’shanddroppedthependestinedtoimmortalizethenameofmyfavoriteautumnsoup。

"_Must_wereturntothat？"heasked，piteously。

"Onlyforamoment，"Isaid。

"Youremindme，"pursuedMajorFitz—David，shakinghisheadsadly，"ofanothercharmingfriendofmine——aFrenchfriend——MadameMirliflore。Youareapersonofprodigioustenacityofpurpose。MadameMirlifloreisapersonofprodigioustenacityofpurpose。ShehappenstobeinLondon。Shallwehaveheratourlittledinner？"TheMajorbrightenedattheidea，andtookupthepenagain。"Dotellme，"hesaid，"what_is_yourfavoriteautumnsoup？"

"Pardonme，"Ibegan，"wewerespeakingjustnow——"

"Oh，dearme！"criedMajorFitz—David。"Isthistheothersubject？"

"Yes——thisistheothersubject。"

TheMajorputdownhispenforthesecondtime，andregretfullydismissedfromhismindMadameMirlifloreandtheautumnsoup。

"Yes？"hesaid，withapatientbowandasubmissivesmile。"Youweregoingtosay——"

"Iwasgoingtosay，"Irejoined，"thatyourpromiseonlypledgesyounottotellthesecretwhichmyhusbandiskeepingfromme。

YouhavegivennopromisenottoanswermeifIventuretoaskyouoneortwoquestions。"

MajorFitz—Davidhelduphishandwarningly，andcastaslylookatmeoutofhisbrightlittlegrayeyes。

"Stop！"hesaid。"Mysweetfriend，stopthere！Iknowwhereyourquestionswillleadme，andwhattheresultwillbeifIoncebegintoanswerthem。Whenyourhusbandwashereto—dayhetookoccasiontoremindmethatIwasasweakaswaterinthehandsofaprettywoman。Heisquiteright。I_am_asweakaswater；Icanrefusenothingtoaprettywoman。Dearandadmirablelady，don’tabuseyourinfluence！don’tmakeanoldsoldierfalsetohiswordofhonor！"

Itriedtosaysomethinghereindefenseofmymotives。TheMajorclaspedhishandsentreatingly，andlookedatmewithapleadingsimplicitywonderfultosee。

"Whypressit？"heasked。"Ioffernoresistance。Iamalamb——whysacrificeme？Iacknowledgeyourpower；Ithrowmyselfonyourmercy。Allthemisfortunesofmyyouthandmymanhoodhavecometomethroughwomen。Iamnotabitbetterinmyage——I

amjustasfondofthewomenandjustasreadytobemisledbythemasever，withonefootinthegrave。Shocking，isn’tit？Buthowtrue！Lookatthismark！"Heliftedacurlofhisbeautifulbrownwig，andshowedmeaterriblescaratthesideofhishead。

"Thatwound（supposedtobemortalatthetime）wasmadebyapistolbullet，"heproceeded。"Notreceivedintheserviceofmycountry——ohdear，no！Receivedintheserviceofamuch—injuredlady，atthehandsofherscoundrelofahusband，inaduelabroad。Well，shewasworthit。"Hekissedhishandaffectionatelytothememoryofthedeadorabsentlady，andpointedtoawater—colordrawingofaprettycountry—househangingontheoppositewall。"Thatfineestate，"heproceeded，"oncebelongedtome。Itwassoldyearsandyearssince。Andwhohadthemoney？Thewomen——Godblessthemall！——thewomen。Idon’tregretit。IfIhadanotherestate，Ihavenodoubtitwouldgothesameway。Youradorablesexhasmadeitsprettyplaythingsofmylife，mytime，andmymoney——andwelcome！TheonethingIhavekepttomyselfismyhonor。Andnow_that_isindanger。Yes，ifyouputyourcleverlittlequestions，withthoselovelyeyesandwiththatgentlevoice，Iknowwhatwillhappen。Youwilldeprivemeofthelastandbestofallmypossessions。HaveIdeservedtobetreatedinthatway，andbyyou，mycharmingfriend？——byyou，ofallpeopleintheworld？Oh，fie！fie！"

Hepausedandlookedatmeasbefore——thepictureofartlessentreaty，withhisheadalittleononeside。Imadeanotherattempttospeakofthematterindisputebetweenus，frommyownpointofview。MajorFitz—Davidinstantlythrewhimselfprostrateonmymercymoreinnocentlythanever。

"Askofmeanythingelseinthewideworld，"hesaid；"butdon’taskmetobefalsetomyfriend。Spareme_that_——andthereisnothingIwillnotdotosatisfyyou。ImeanwhatIsay，mind！"

hewenton，bendingclosertome，andspeakingmoreseriouslythanhehadspokenyet"Ithinkyouareveryhardlyused。Itismonstroustoexpectthatawoman，placedinyoursituation，willconsenttobeleftfortherestofherlifeinthedark。No！no！

ifIsawyou，atthismoment，onthepointoffindingoutforyourselfwhatEustacepersistsinhidingfromyou，Ishouldrememberthatmypromise，likeallotherpromises，hasitslimitsandreserves。Ishouldconsidermyselfboundinhonornottohelpyou——butIwouldnotliftafingertopreventyoufromdiscoveringthetruthforyourself。"

Atlasthewasspeakingingoodearnest：helaidastrongemphasisonhisclosingwords。Ilaidastrongeremphasisonthemstillbysuddenlyleavingmychair。Theimpulsetospringtomyfeetwasirresistible。MajorFitz—Davidhadstartedanewideainmymind。

"Nowweunderstandeachother！"Isaid。"Iwillacceptyourownterms，Major。Iwillasknothingofyoubutwhatyouhavejustofferedtomeofyourownaccord。"

"WhathaveIoffered？"heinquired，lookingalittlealarmed。

"Nothingthatyouneedrepentof，"Ianswered；"nothingwhichisnoteasyforyoutogrant。MayIaskaboldquestion？Supposethishousewasmineinsteadofyours？"

"Considerityours，"criedthegallantoldgentleman。"Fromthegarrettothekitchen，considerityours！"

"Athousandthanks，Major；Iwillconsideritmineforthemoment。Youknow——everybodyknows——thatoneofawoman’smanyweaknessesiscuriosity。Supposemycuriosityledmetoexamineeverythinginmynewhouse？"

"Yes？"

"SupposeIwentfromroomtoroom，andsearchedeverything，andpeepedineverywhere？Doyouthinktherewouldbeanychance——"

Thequick—wittedMajoranticipatedthenatureofmyquestion。Hefollowedmyexample；hetoostartedtohisfeet，withanewideainhismind。

"Wouldtherebeanychance，"Iwenton，"ofmyfindingmyownwaytomyhusband’ssecretinthishouse？Onewordofreply，MajorFitz—David！Onlyoneword——YesorNo？"

"Don’texciteyourself！"criedtheMajor。

"YesorNo？"Irepeated，morevehementlythanever。

"Yes，"saidtheMajor，afteramoment’sconsideration。

ItwasthereplyIhadaskedfor；butitwasnotexplicitenough，nowIhadgotit，tosatisfyme。Ifeltthenecessityofleadinghim（ifpossible）intodetails。

"Does’Yes’meanthatthereissomesortofclewtothemystery？"

Iasked。"Something，forinstance，whichmyeyesmightseeandmyhandsmighttouchifIcouldonlyfindit？"

Heconsideredagain。IsawthatIhadsucceededininterestinghiminsomewayunknowntomyself；andIwaitedpatientlyuntilhewaspreparedtoanswerme。

"Thethingyoumention，"hesaid，"theclew（asyoucallit），mightbeseenandmightbetouched——supposingyoucouldfindit。"

"Inthishouse？"Iasked。

TheMajoradvancedastepnearertome，andanswered——

"Inthisroom。"

Myheadbegantoswim；myheartthrobbedviolently。Itriedtospeak；itwasinvain；theeffortalmostchokedme。InthesilenceIcouldhearthemusic—lessonstillgoingonintheroomabove。Thefutureprimadonnahaddonepracticingherscales，andwastryinghervoicenowinselectionsfromItalianoperas。AtthemomentwhenIfirstheardhershewassingingthebeautifulairfromthe_Somnambula，_"Comepermesereno。"Ineverhearthatdeliciousmelody，tothisday，withoutbeinginstantlytransportedinimaginationtothefatalback—roominVivianPlace。

TheMajor——stronglyaffectedhimselfbythistime——wasthefirsttobreakthesilence。

"Sitdownagain，"hesaid；"andpraytaketheeasy—chair。Youareverymuchagitated；youwantrest。"

Hewasright。Icouldstandnolonger；Idroppedintothechair。

MajorFitz—Davidrangthebell，andspokeafewwordstotheservantatthedoor。

"Ihavebeenherealongtime，"Isaid，faintly。"TellmeifIamintheway。"

"Intheway？"herepeated，withhisirresistiblesmile。"Youforgetthatyouareinyourownhouse！"

Theservantreturnedtous，bringingwithhimatinybottleofchampagneandaplatefulofdelicatelittlesugaredbiscuits。

"Ihavehadthiswinebottledexpresslyfortheladies，"saidtheMajor。"ThebiscuitscametomedirectfromParis。Asafavorto_me，_youmusttakesomerefreshment。Andthen——"Hestoppedandlookedatmeveryattentively。"Andthen，"heresumed，"shallI

gotomyyoungprimadonnaupstairsandleaveyouherealone？"

ItwasimpossibletohintmoredelicatelyattheonerequestwhichInowhaditinmymindtomaketohim。Itookhishandandpresseditgratefully。

"Thetranquillityofmywholelifetocomeisatstake，"Isaid。

"WhenIamleftherebymyself，doesyourgeneroussympathypermitmetoexamineeverythingintheroom？"

Hesignedtometodrinkthechampagneandeatabiscuitbeforehegavehisanswer。

"Thisisserious，"hesaid。"Iwishyoutobeinperfectpossessionofyourself。Restoreyourstrength——andthenIwillspeaktoyou。"

Ididashebademe。InaminutefromthetimewhenIdrankitthedelicioussparklingwinehadbeguntoreviveme。

"Isityourexpresswish，"heresumed，"thatIshouldleaveyouherebyyourselftosearchtheroom？"

"Itismyexpresswish，"Ianswered。

"Itakeaheavyresponsibilityonmyselfingrantingyourrequest。ButIgrantitforallthat，becauseIsincerelybelieve——asyoubelieve——thatthetranquillityofyourlifetocomedependsonyourdiscoveringthetruth。"Sayingthosewords，hetooktwokeysfromhispocket。"Youwillnaturallyfeelasuspicion，"hewenton，"ofanylockeddoorsthatyoumayfindhere。Theonlylockedplacesintheroomarethedoorsofthecupboardsunderthelongbook—case，andthedooroftheItaliancabinetinthatcorner。Thesmallkeyopensthebook—casecupboards；thelongkeyopensthecabinetdoor。"

Withthatexplanation，helaidthekeysbeforemeonthetable。

"Thusfar，"hesaid，"IhaverigidlyrespectedthepromisewhichImadetoyourhusband。Ishallcontinuetobefaithfultomypromise，whatevermaybetheresultofyourexaminationoftheroom。Iamboundinhonornottoassistyoubywordordeed。Iamnotevenatlibertytoofferyoutheslightesthint。Isthatunderstood？"

"Certainly！"

"Verygood。Ihavenowalastwordofwarningtogiveyou——andthenIhavedone。Ifyoudobyanychancesucceedinlayingyourhandontheclew，rememberthis——_thediscoverywhichfollowswillbeaterribleone。_Ifyouhaveanydoubtaboutyourcapacitytosustainashockwhichwillstrikeyoutothesoul，forGod’ssakegiveuptheideaoffindingoutyourhusband’ssecretatonceandforever！"

"Ithankyouforyourwarning，Major。Imustfacetheconsequencesofmakingthediscovery，whatevertheymaybe。"

"Youarepositivelyresolved？"

"Positively。"

"Verywell。Takeanytimeyouplease。Thehouse，andeverypersoninit，areatyourdisposal。Ringthebellonceifyouwanttheman—servant。Ringtwiceifyouwishthehousemaidtowaitonyou。

FromtimetotimeIshalljustlookinmyselftoseehowyouaregoingon。Iamresponsibleforyourcomfortandsecurity，youknow，whileyouhonormebyremainingundermyroof。"

Heliftedmyhandtohislips，andfixedalastattentivelookonme。

"IhopeIamnotrunningtoogreatarisk，"hesaid——moretohimselfthantome。"Thewomenhaveledmeintomanyarashactioninmytime。Have_you_ledme，Iwonder，intotherashestactionofall？"

Withthoseominouslastwordshebowedgravelyandleftmealoneintheroom。

CHAPTERX。

THESEARCH。

THEfireburninginthegratewasnotaverylargeone；andtheouterair（asIhadnoticedonmywaytothehouse）hadsomethingofawintrysharpnessinitthatday。

Still，myfirstfeeling，whenMajorFitz—Davidleftme，wasafeelingofheatandoppression，withitsnaturalresult，adifficultyinbreathingfreely。Thenervousagitationofthetimewas，Isuppose，answerableforthesesensations。Itookoffmybonnetandmantleandgloves，andopenedthewindowforalittlewhile。Nothingwastobeseenoutsidebutapavedcourtyard，withaskylightinthemiddle，closedatthefurtherendbythewalloftheMajor’sstables。Afewminutesatthewindowcooledandrefreshedme。Ishutitdownagain，andtookmyfirststeponthewayofdiscovery。Inotherwords，Ibeganmyfirstexaminationofthefourwallsaroundme，andofallthattheyinclosed。

Iwasamazedatmyowncalmness。MyinterviewwithMajorFitz—Davidhad，perhaps，exhaustedmycapacityforfeelinganystrongemotion，forthetimeatleast。Itwasarelieftometobealone；itwasarelieftometobeginthesearch。Thoseweremyonlysensationssofar。

Theshapeoftheroomwasoblong。Ofthetwoshorterwalls，onecontainedthedooringrooveswhichIhavealreadymentionedascommunicatingwiththefrontroom；theotherwasalmostentirelyoccupiedbythebroadwindowwhichlookedoutonthecourtyard。

Takingthedoorwaywallfirst，whatwasthere，intheshapeoffurniture，oneithersideofit？Therewasacard—tableoneitherside。Aboveeachcard—tablestoodamagnificentchinabowlplacedonagiltandcarvedbracketfixedtothewall。

Iopenedthecard—tables。Thedrawersbeneathcontainednothingbutcards，andtheusualcountersandmarkers。Withtheexceptionofonepack，thecardsinbothtableswerestillwrappedintheirpapercoversexactlyastheyhadcomefromtheshop。Iexaminedtheloosepack，cardbycard。Nowriting，nomarkofanykind，wasvisibleonanyoneofthem。Assistedbyalibraryladderwhichstoodagainstthebook—case，Ilookednextintothetwochinabowls。Bothwereperfectlyempty。Wasthereanythingmoretoexamineonthatsideoftheroom？Inthetwocornersthereweretwolittlechairsofinlaidwood，withredsilkcushions。I

turnedthemupandlookedunderthecushions，andstillImadenodiscoveries。WhenIhadputthechairsbackintheirplacesmysearchononesideoftheroomwascomplete。SofarIhadfoundnothing。

Icrossedtotheoppositewall，thewallwhichcontainedthewindow。

Thewindow（occupying，asIhavesaid，almosttheentirelengthandheightofthewall）wasdividedintothreecompartments，andwasadornedattheirextremitybyhandsomecurtainsofdarkredvelvet。Theampleheavyfoldsofthevelvetleftjustroomatthetwocornersofthewallfortwolittleuprightcabinetsinbuhl，containingrowsofdrawers，andsupportingtwofinebronzeproductions（reducedinsize）oftheVenusMiloandtheVenusCallipyge。IhadMajorFitz—David’spermissiontodojustwhatI

pleased。Iopenedthesixdrawersineachcabinet，andexaminedtheircontentswithouthesitation。

Beginningwiththecabinetintheright—handcorner，myinvestigationsweresooncompleted。Allthesixdrawerswerealikeoccupiedbyacollectionoffossils，which（judgingbythecuriouspaperinscriptionsfixedonsomeofthem）wereassociatedwithapastperiodoftheMajor’slifewhenhehadspeculated，notverysuccessfullyinmines。Aftersatisfyingmyselfthatthedrawerscontainednothingbutthefossilsandtheirinscriptions，Iturnedtothecabinetintheleft—handcornernext。

Hereavarietyofobjectswasrevealedtoview，andtheexaminationaccordinglyoccupiedamuchlongertime。

Thetopdrawercontainedacompletecollectionofcarpenter’stoolsinminiature，relicsprobablyofthefar—distanttimewhentheMajorwasaboy，andwhenparentsorfriendshadmadehimapresentofasetoftoytools。Theseconddrawerwasfilledwithtoysofanothersort——presentsmadetoMajorFitz—Davidbyhisfairfriends。Embroideredbraces，smartsmoking—caps，quaintpincushions，gorgeousslippers，glitteringpurses，allborewitnesstothepopularityofthefriendofthewomen。Thecontentsofthethirddrawerwereofalessinterestingsort：theentirespacewasfilledwitholdaccount—books，rangingoveraperiodofmanyyears。Afterlookingintoeachbook，andopeningandshakingituselessly，insearchofanyloosepaperswhichmightbehiddenbetweentheleaves，Icametothefourthdrawer，andfoundmorerelicsofpastpecuniarytransactionsintheshapeofreceiptedbills，neatlytiedtogether，andeachinscribedattheback。AmongthebillsIfoundnearlyadozenloosepapers，allequallyunimportant。Thefifthdrawerwasinsadconfusion。I

tookoutfirstaloosebundleofornamentalcards，eachcontainingthelistofdishesatpastbanquetsgivenorattendedbytheMajorinLondonorParis；next，aboxfullofdelicatelytintedquillpens（evidentlyalady’sgift）；next，aquantityofoldinvitationcards；next，somedog’s—earedFrenchplaysandbooksoftheopera；next，apocket—corkscrew，abundleofcigarettes，andabunchofrustykeys；lastly，apassport，asetofluggagelabels，abrokensilversnuff—box，twocigar—cases，andatornmapofRome。"Nothinganywheretointerestme，"I