Left alone, his master approached a cabinet curiously carved in the Italian style, and took from it a long flat ebony box.
This contained two pistols.

He loaded them with great care, adjusting the caps by pressing them lightly to the nipple with his thumb.

That done, he lighted a cigar, and for half an hour the muffled beat of his regular tread sounded on the carpet of the gallery.

He finished his cigar, paused a moment in deep thought, and then entered the adjoining room, taking the pistols with him.
This room, like the other, was furnished in a style of severe elegance, relieved by tasteful ornament.

It showed some pictures by famous masters, statues, bronzes, and rare carvings in ivory.