no bounds intact: his inward definition of a boundary was "a thing
you should go a good way out of your way rather than not overleap."

Accordingly, he was often on Highmore farm at night, and even in
Highmore garden; the boundary wall tempted him so.

One light but windy night, when everybody that could put his head under
cover, and keep it there, did, reckless Reginald was out enjoying the
fresh breezes; he mounted the boundary wall of Highmore like a cat, to
see what amusement might offer. Thus perched, he speedily discovered a
bright light in Highmore dining-room.

He dropped from the wall directly, and stole softly over the grass and
peered in at the window.

He saw a table with a powerful lamp on it; on that table, and gleaming
in that light, were several silver vessels of rare size and
workmanship, and Mr. Bassett, with his coat off, and a green baize
apron on, was cleaning one of these with brush and leather. He had
already cleaned the others, for they glittered prodigiously.

Reginald's black eye gloated and glittered at this unexpected display
of wealth in so dazzling a form.

But this was nothing to the revelation in store. When Mr. Bassett had
done with that piece of plate he went to the paneled wall, and opened a
door so nicely adapted to the panels, that a stranger would hardly have
discovered it. Yet it was an enormous door, and, being opened, revealed
a still larger closet, lined with green velvet and fitted with shelves
from floor to ceiling.

Here shone, in all their glory, the old plate of two good families:
that is to say, half the old plate of the Bassetts, and all the old
plate of the Goodwyns, from whom came Highmore to Richard Bassett
through his mother Ruperta Goodwyn, so named after her grandmother; so
named after her aunt; so named after her godmother; so named after her
father, Prince Rupert, cavalier, chemist, glass-blower, etc., etc.

The wall seemed ablaze with suns and moons, for many of the chased
goblets, plates, and dishes were silver-gilt: none of your filmy
electro-plate, but gold laid on thick, by the old mercurial process, in
days when they that wrought in precious metals were honest--for want of
knowing how to cheat.

Glued to the pane, gloating on this constellation of gold suns and
silver moons, and trembling with Bohemian excitement, reckless Reginald
heard not a stealthy step upon the grass behind him.

He had trusted to a fact in optics, forgetting the doctrine of