points. Its seclusion from the outer world, which the heavy accumulation
of dust proved to have been for many years, did not seem to have damaged
it in the least; and the fact of a chimney-flue passing through the wall
at no great distance had no doubt conduced to maintain the air in the
cupboard at an equable temperature. So far as he was able to judge, the
wood was as sound as when it left the maker's hands; but the strings
were of course broken, and curled up in little tangled knots. The body
was of a light-red colour, with a varnish of peculiar lustre and
softness. The neck seemed rather longer than ordinary, and the scroll
was remarkably bold and free.

The violin which my brother was in the habit of using was a fine
_Pressenda_, given to him on his fifteenth birthday by Mr. Thoresby, his
guardian. It was of that maker's later and best period, and a copy of
the Stradivarius model. John took this from its case and laid it side by
side with his new discovery, meaning to compare them for size and form.
He perceived at once that while the model of both was identical, the
superiority of the older violin in every detail was so marked as to
convince him that it was undoubtedly an instrument of exceptional value.
The extreme beauty of its varnish impressed him vividly, and though he
had never seen a genuine Stradivarius, he felt a conviction gradually
gaining on him that he stood in the presence of a masterpiece of that
great maker. On looking into the interior he found that surprisingly
little dust had penetrated into it, and by blowing through the
sound-holes he soon cleared it sufficiently to enable him to discern a
label. He put the candle close to him, and held the violin up so that
a little patch of light fell through the sound-hole on to the label.
His heart leapt with a violent pulsation as he read the characters,
"_Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis faciebat_, 1704." Under ordinary
circumstances it would naturally be concluded that such a label was