"Needless to say there are times when I find it most necessary that my preparations should not be suspected." Taken altogether, it was a room that had a strange fascination for me.

I had been in it many times before, but was always able to discover something new in it.

It was a conglomeration of cupboards and shelves.

A large variety of costumes hung upon the pegs in the walls, ranging from soldier's uniforms to beggar's rags.

There were wigs of all sorts and descriptions on blocks, pads of every possible order and for every part of the body, humps for hunchbacks, wooden legs, boots ranging from the patent leather of the dandy to the toeless foot-covering of the beggar.
There were hats in abundance, from the spotless silk to the most miserable head coverings, some of which looked as if they had been picked up from the rubbish-heap.