He unlocked his door, and, taking the chest on his shoulder, carried it
up to the turret-room, the door of which also he unlocked. Even at the
time he was amazed at his own strength, and wondered whence it had come.
His mind, lost in conjecture, was too far off to realise more immediate
things. He knew that the chest was enormously heavy. He seemed, in a
sort of vision which lit up the absolute blackness around, to see the two
sturdy servant men staggering under its great weight. He locked himself
again in the turret-room, and laid the opened chest on a table, and in
the darkness began to unpack it, laying out the contents, which were
mainly of metal and glass--great pieces in strange forms--on another
table. He was conscious of being still asleep, and of acting rather in
obedience to some unseen and unknown command than in accordance with any
reasonable plan, to be followed by results which he understood. This
phase completed, he proceeded to arrange in order the component parts of
some large instruments, formed mostly of glass. His fingers seemed to
have acquired a new and exquisite subtlety and even a volition of their
own. Then weariness of brain came upon him; his head sank down on his
breast, and little by little everything became wrapped in gloom.

He awoke in the early morning in his bedroom, and looked around him, now
clear-headed, in amazement. In its usual place on the strong table stood
the great steel-hooped chest without lock or key. But it was now locked.
He arose quietly and stole to the turret-room. There everything was as
it had been on the previous evening. He looked out of the window where
high in air flew, as usual, the giant kite. He unlocked the wicket gate
of the turret stair and went out on the roof. Close to him was the great
coil of cord on its reel. It was humming in the morning breeze, and when
he touched the string it sent a quick thrill through hand and arm. There
was no sign anywhere that there had been any disturbance or displacement
of anything during the night.