was in my
husband's confidence, the man who knew where the clew was to be found,
had been watching me at the book-case! There was no doubt of it now.
Major Fitz-David had shown me the hiding-place of the secret in spite of
himself!

I looked with indifference at the other pieces of furniture, ranged
against the fourth wall, which I had not examined yet. I surveyed,
without the slightest feeling of curiosity, all the little elegant
trifles scattered on the tables and on the chimney-piece, each one
of which might have been an object of suspicion to me under other
circumstances. Even the water-color drawings failed to interest me in my
present frame of mind. I observed languidly that they were most of
them portraits of ladies--fair idols, no doubt, of the Major's facile
adoration--and I cared to notice no more. _My_ business in that room (I
was certain of it now!) began and ended with the book-case. I left
my seat to fetch the library ladder, determining to begin the work of
investigation on the top shelves.

On my way to the ladder I passed one of the tables, and saw the keys
lying on it which Major Fitz-David had left at my disposal.

The smaller of the two keys instantly reminded me of the cupboards under
the bookcase. I had strangely overlooked these. A vague distrust of the
locked doors a vague doubt of what they might be hiding from me, stole
into my mind. I left the ladder in its place against the wall, and set
myself to examine the contents of the cupboards first.

The cupboards were three in number. As I opened the first of them
the singing upstairs ceased. For a moment there was something almost
oppressive in the sudden change from noise to silence. I suppose my
nerves must have been overwrought. The next sound in the house--nothing
more remarkable than the creaking of a man's boots descending
the stairs--made me shudder all over. The man was no doubt the
singing-master, going away after giving his lesson. I heard the house
door close on him, and started at the familiar sound as if it were
something terrible which I had never heard before. Then there was
silence again. I roused myself as well as I could, and began my
examination of the first cupboard.

It was divided into two compartments.

The top compartment contained nothing but boxes of cigars, ranged in
rows, one on another. The under compartment was devoted to a collection
of shells. They were all huddled together anyhow, the Major evidently
setting