say you got it from the Baroness d'Altenberg?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered, "I took it from the safe at her direction."

"Whatever can it contain?" he muttered to himself; then the figure of
Lopes lying on the sofa caught his eye.

"We must have this fellow removed," he said. "What shall we do with
him?"

I looked at the recumbent figure for some time, and it only inspired me
with pity.

"I think he ought to be sent somewhere," I proposed, "where he would be
taken care of and prevented from doing further mischief. Have you a
hospital in Valoro?"

The old gentleman looked at me in some surprise.

"I assure you," he answered, "that we have two, as fine as any in
Europe."

"Then," I said, "if I may make the suggestion, I would have Lopes sent
off to one."

Don Juan rang the bell immediately, and when a servant answered it, he
indicated the man on the couch and gave some order in Spanish to him.

"They will take him away," he explained, "and send him down to the
hospital in one of my carriages. There we can have him arrested later
if it is worth while."

In a very short time two men appeared and carried Lopes out of the room.

Then we sat down facing one another, and Don Juan produced the casket
from his pocket and stood contemplating it upon his knee.

"Whatever could have prompted the old Baroness d'Altenberg to send me
this," he cogitated half to himself, "after so many years; and what can
it contain?"

I made a suggestion.

"Supposing you open it," I said, "while I walk in the garden."

"My dear Mr. Anstruther," he said, quite frightened at giving me so
much trouble, "that is not at all necessary. I can go into my little
cabinet here."

He indicated a small room, the door of which stood partly open, and
revealed a little study with a writing table and a reading lamp.

"If you will excuse me for five minutes," he added, "I will retire into
that little room and open the casket!"

"But have you the keys?" I asked.

He nodded with a smile.

"Oh yes," he answered, "those three little locks and the secret of
opening them are very familiar to me, but I have not seen it for a
great many years."

I did not in the least understand what he was alluding to, but I, of
course, urged him to retire into his little room and examine the
contents of the casket in peace, while I amused myself in the study
itself.

"You will find some marvellous stuffed specimens of the green lizard in
those lower cases,