contempt. He
arose in a terrible passion, slouched his funnel down over his eyes,
swore a vast oath, uttered a threat of some character which I did
not precisely comprehend, and finally made me a low bow and departed,
wishing me, in the language of the archbishop in Gil-Blas, "_beaucoup de
bonheur et un peu plus de bon sens_."

His departure afforded me relief. The _very_ few glasses of Lafitte that
I had sipped had the effect of rendering me drowsy, and I felt inclined
to take a nap of some fifteen or twenty minutes, as is my custom after
dinner. At six I had an appointment of consequence, which it was
quite indispensable that I should keep. The policy of insurance for
my dwelling house had expired the day before; and, some dispute having
arisen, it was agreed that, at six, I should meet the board of directors
of the company and settle the terms of a renewal. Glancing upward at the
clock on the mantel-piece, (for I felt too drowsy to take out my watch),
I had the pleasure to find that I had still twenty-five minutes to
spare. It was half past five; I could easily walk to the insurance
office in five minutes; and my usual siestas had never been known
to exceed five and twenty. I felt sufficiently safe, therefore, and
composed myself to my slumbers forthwith.

Having completed them to my satisfaction, I again looked toward the
time-piece and was half inclined to believe in the possibility of odd
accidents when I found that, instead of my ordinary fifteen or twenty
minutes, I had been dozing only three; for it still wanted seven and
twenty of the appointed hour. I betook myself again to my nap, and at
length a second time awoke, when, to my utter amazement, it _still_
wanted twenty-seven minutes of six. I jumped up to examine the clock,
and found that it had ceased running. My watch informed me that it was
half past seven; and, of course, having slept two hours, I was too late
for my appointment. "It will make no difference," I said: "I can call at
the office in the morning and apologize; in the meantime what can be the
matter with the clock?" Upon examining it I discovered that one of
the raisin stems which I had been filliping about the room during the
discourse of the Angel of the Odd, had flown through the fractured
crystal, and lodging, singularly enough, in the key-hole, with an end
projecting outward, had thus arrested the revolution of the minute hand.

"Ah!" said I, "I see how it is. This thing speaks for itsel