er--you may look at them if you like; they are very old."

All this time the Duke looked very grave. He was not accustomed to have
his word of honour asked for small matters, and if this were some
trivial question of an assumed name, or the like, he was prepared to be
angry with Claudius. So he silently took the little strong box, and
examined the contents. There were two packages of papers, two or three
morocco cases that might contain jewels, and there was a string of
pearls lying loose in the bottom of the casket. The Duke took the pearls
curiously in his hand and held them to the light. He had seen enough of
such things to know something of their value, and he knew this string
might be worth anywhere from eight to ten thousand pounds. He looked
graver than ever.

"Those are beautiful pearls, Dr. Claudius," he said; "too beautiful for
a Heidelberg student to have lying about among his traps." He turned
them over and added, "The Duchess has nothing like them."

"They belonged to my mother," said Claudius simply. "I know nothing of
their value."

The Duke took the papers and untied the smaller package, which appeared
to contain legal documents, while the larger seemed to be a series of
letters filed in their envelopes, as they had been received.

"My mother's name was Maria Lindstrand," said Claudius. He leaned back,
smoking the eternal cigarette, and watched the Duke's face.

Before the Englishman had proceeded far he looked up at Claudius,
uttering an exclamation of blank amazement. Claudius merely bent his
head as if to indorse the contents of the paper, and was silent. The
Duke read the papers carefully through, and examined one of them very
minutely by the light. Then he laid them down with a certain reverence,
as things he respected.

"My dear Claudius--" he rose and extended his hand to the young man with
a gesture that had in it much of dignity and something of pride. "My
dear Claudius, I shall all my life remember that you honoured me with
your confidence. I accepted it as a token of friendship, but I am now
able to look upon it as a very great distinction."

"And I, Duke, shall never forget that you believed in me on my own
merits, before you were really able to swear that I was myself."
Claudius had also risen, and their hands remained clasped a moment. Then
Claudius applied himself to rearranging the contents of his box; and the
Duke walked up and down the room, glancing from time to time at the
Do