valet declare that a steel casket, to which Sir Philip attached
extraordinary value, and always carried about with him, was also missing.

The Albanian described this casket as of ancient Byzantine workmanship,
opening with a peculiar spring, only known to Sir Philip, in whose
possession it had been, so far as the servant knew, about three years:
when, after a visit to Aleppo, in which the servant had not accompanied
him, he had first observed it in his master's hands. He was asked if
this casket contained articles to account for the value Sir Philip set on
it,--such as jewels, bank-notes, letters of credit, etc. The man replied
that it might possibly do so; he had never been allowed the opportunity
of examining its contents; but that he was certain the casket held
medicines, for he had seen Sir Philip take from it some small phials, by
which he had performed great cures in the East, and especially during a
pestilence which had visited Damascus, just after Sir Philip had arrived
at that city on quitting Aleppo. Almost every European traveller is
supposed to be a physician; and Sir Philip was a man of great benevolence,
and the servant firmly believed him also to be of great medical skill.
After this statement, it was very naturally and generally conjectured that
Sir Philip was an amateur disciple of homoeopathy, and that the casket
contained the phials or globules in use among homoeopathists.

Whether or not Mr. Vigors enjoyed a vindictive triumph in making me feel
the weight of his authority, or whether his temper was ruffled in the
excitement of so grave a case, I cannot say, but his manner was stern and
his tone discourteous in the questions which he addressed to me. Nor did
the questions themselves seem very pertinent to the object of
investigation.

"Pray, Dr. Fenwick," said he, knitting his brows, and fixing his eyes on