"If your Lordship would simply break off the neck, I think we
might easily withdraw the papers," suggested John Mangles.

"Try it, Edward, try it," said Lady Helena.

Lord Glenarvan was very unwilling, but he found there
was no alternative; the precious bottle must be broken.
They had to get a hammer before this could be done, though,
for the stony material had acquired the hardness of granite.
A few sharp strokes, however, soon shivered it to fragments,
many of which had pieces of paper sticking to them.
These were carefully removed by Lord Glenarvan, and separated
and spread out on the table before the eager gaze of his
wife and friends.

CHAPTER II THE THREE DOCUMENTS


ALL that could be discovered, however, on these pieces of paper
was a few words here and there, the remainder of the lines being
almost completely obliterated by the action of the water.
Lord Glenarvan examined them attentively for a few minutes,
turning them over on all sides, holding them up to the light,
and trying to decipher the least scrap of writing,
while the others looked on with anxious eyes. At last he said:
"There are three distinct documents here, apparently copies
of the same document in three different languages.
Here is one in English, one in French, and one in German."

"But can you make any sense out of them?" asked Lady Helena.