wrung the hand which had been dishonoured by the touch of an

assassin; and among all these whirling thoughts, there flashed in

from time to time, and ever with a chill of fear, the thought of

the confounded ingredients with which the house was stored. A

powder magazine seemed a secure smoking-room alongside of the

Superfluous Mansion.

He sought refuge in flight, in locomotion, in the flowing bowl. As

long as the bars were open, he travelled from one to another,

seeking light, safety, and the companionship of human faces; when

these resources failed him, he fell back on the belated baked-

potato man; and at length, still pacing the streets, he was goaded

to fraternise with the police. Alas, with what a sense of guilt he

conversed with these guardians of the law; how gladly had he wept

upon their ample bosoms; and how the secret fluttered to his lips

and was still denied an exit! Fatigue began at last to triumph

over remorse; and about the hour of the first milkman, he returned

to the door of the mansion; looked at it with a horrid expectation,

as though it should have burst that instant into flames; drew out

his key, and when his foot already rested on the steps, once more

lost heart and fled for repose to the grisly shelter of a coffee-

shop.

It was on the stroke of noon when he awoke. Dismally searching in

his pockets, he found himself reduced to half-a-crown; and when he

had paid the price of his distasteful couch, saw himself obliged to

return to the Superfluous Mansion. He sneaked into the hall and

stole on tiptoe to the cupboard where he kept his money. Yet half

<<BackPagesTo menuNext>>