of its contents, which
made a considerable litter on the floor; and then--Silas taking the
heels and the Doctor supporting the shoulders--the body of the murdered
man was carried from the bed, and, after some difficulty, doubled up and
inserted whole into the empty box. With an effort on the part of both,
the lid was forced down upon this unusual baggage, and the trunk was
locked and corded by the Doctor's own hand, while Silas disposed of what
had been taken out between the closet and a chest of drawers.

"Now," said the Doctor, "the first step has been taken on the way to
your deliverance. To-morrow, or rather to-day, it must be your task to
allay the suspicions of your porter, paying him all that you owe; while
you may trust me to make the arrangements necessary to a safe
conclusion. Meantime, follow me to my room, where I shall give you a
safe and powerful opiate; for, whatever you do, you must have rest."

The next day was the longest in Silas's memory; it seemed as if it would
never be done. He denied himself to his friends, and sat in a corner
with his eyes fixed upon the Saratoga trunk in dismal contemplation. His
own former indiscretions were now returned upon him in kind; for the
observatory had been once more opened, and he was conscious of an almost
continual study from Madame Zephyrine's apartment. So distressing did
this become that he was at last obliged to block up the spy-hole from
his own side; and when he was thus secured from observation he spent a
considerable portion of his time in contrite tears and prayer.

Late in the evening Dr. Noel entered the room carrying in his hand a
pair of sealed envelopes without address, one somewhat bulky, and the
other so slim as to seem without enclosure.

"Silas," he said, seating himself at the table, "the time has now come
for me to explain my plan for your salvation. To-morrow morning, at an
early hour, Prince Florizel of Bohemia returns to London, after having
diverted himself for a few days with the Parisian Carnival. It was my
fortune, a good while ago, to do Colonel Geraldine, his Master of the
Horse, one of those services, so common in my profession, which are
never forgotten upon either side. I have no need to explain to you the
nature of the obligation under which he was laid; suffice it to say
that I knew him ready to serve me in any practicable manner. Now, it was
necessary for you to gain London with your trunk unopened. To this the
Custom House s