He could find no way of opening the padded door, no bell nor other means of calling for attendance.

His feeling of wonder was in abeyance; but he was curious, anxious for information.

He wanted to know exactly how he stood to these new things.
He tried to compose himself to wait until someone came to him.

Presently he became restless and eager for information, for distraction, for fresh sensations.
He went back to the apparatus in the other room, and had soon puzzled out the method of replacing the cylinders by others.

As he did so, it came into his mind that it must be these little appliances had fixed the language so that it was still clear and understandable after two hundred years.