be absurd to send to America, and equally absurd to sell. They will be
something for the Logons if you think well to take them. I can easily
arrange with the legatees on the other side, who will certainly make no
difficulty."

It was a good idea, and we resolved to act upon it. The lawyer drove
with us to the hotel, to introduce us to the manager, and left us when
we ascended to the room occupied by the dead man, which was still being
retained by the executor until the property should be removed.

The manager himself very civilly accompanied us, directing us to summon
a servant, when we had examined things to our satisfaction, and to give
orders about packing and removal.

I must confess that I had not altogether given up hope of discovering
the lost document among the clothes and packing-cases. But my
anticipations were dispelled when we entered. Everything had been
neatly folded and placed on the bed and the two tables; it was evident
that no document could have been passed unnoticed. The room, too, was
quite clean and in order. Val, like myself, seemed rather depressed at
the state of things. There was no receptacle where any paper could
have been stowed away that had not been thoroughly ransacked by the
lawyer's men, whose interest it was to discover the will. A wardrobe
for hanging clothes, a chest of drawers, dressing-table, and washstand
were the only articles of furniture besides bed, tables, and chairs;
none of them looked like possible receptacles of a hidden paper.

Scarcely realizing what I did, I began opening one after another the
drawers in the chest. Each was neatly lined with paper, but otherwise
empty. As though possessed by a mania for searching, I took out each