We shall see something worth seeing." We had to go downstairs to reach my study, which occupies the right wing of the house.

In the kitchen we met the servant; she too was bewildered by the state of affairs.

She was pursuing the huge butterflies with her apron, having taken them at first for bats.
It seemed as though the Great Peacock had taken possession of my whole house, more or less.

What would it be upstairs, where the prisoner was, the cause of this invasion?
Happily one of the two study windows had been left ajar; the road was open.
[Illustration: THE GREAT PEACOCK OR EMPEROR MOTH.] Candle in hand, we entered the room.

What we saw is unforgettable.