Further along, his eye lighted on a young girl's bonnet, exquisite in colour and nicety of material, but crushed out of all shape and only betraying its identity by its dangling strings.

The next article, in this long array of totally unhomogeneous objects, was a metronome, with its pendulum wrenched half off and one of its sides lacking.

He could not determine the character of what came next, and only gave a casual examination to the rest.

The whole affair was a puzzle to him, and he had no time for puzzles disconnected with the very serious affair he was engaged in investigating.
"Some childish nonsense," he remarked, and moved towards the door.

"The servants will be coming back, and I had rather not be found here.