thought nothing of it. The people at Bellaggio could not have known
which box to steal, nor had there been time to concoct the plan in
carrying the boxes up to the hotel. I came at last to this
conclusion, that the missing trunk had either been purloined and
carried on to Como,--in which case it would be necessary to lose no
time in going after it; or that it had been put out of sight in some
uncommonly clever way, by the Greenes themselves, as an excuse for
borrowing as much money as they could raise and living without payment
of their bills. With reference to the latter hypothesis, I declared
to myself that Greene did not look like a swindler; but as to Mrs.
Greene--! I confess that I did not feel so confident in regard to
her.

Charity begins at home, so I proceeded to make myself comfortable in
my room, feeling almost certain that I should not be able to leave
Bellaggio on the following morning. I had opened my portmanteau when
I first arrived, leaving it open on the floor as is my wont. Some
people are always being robbed, and are always locking up everything;
while others wander safe over the world and never lock up anything.
For myself, I never turn a key anywhere, and no one ever purloins from
me even a handkerchief. Cantabit vacuus--, and I am always
sufficiently vacuus. Perhaps it is that I have not a handkerchief
worth the stealing. It is your heavy-laden, suspicious, mal-adroit
Greenes that the thieves attack. I now found out that the
accommodating Boots, who already knew my ways, had taken my travelling
gear into a dark recess which was intended to do for a dressing-room,
and had there spread my portmanteau open upon some table or stool in
the corner. It was a convenient arrangement, and there I left it
during the whole period of my sojourn.