The doors, of which it had two, were both tightly locked; but as they were made of transparent glass, the objects behind them were quite visible.

It was the nature of these objects which made the mystery.

The longer Sweetwater examined them, the less he understood the reason for their collection, much less for their preservation in a room which in all other respects, expressed the quintessence of taste.
At one end he saw a stuffed canary, not perched on a twig, but lying prone on its side.

Near it was a doll, with scorched face and limbs half-consumed.

Next this, the broken pieces of a china bowl and what looked like the torn remnants of some very fine lace.