These thieves have a high sense of humor.

Yet the question remained to be solved--How had they gained access to MY ancestral vault, unless by means of a false key?
All at once I was left in darkness, My candle went out as though blown upon by a gust of air.

I had my matches, and of course could easily light it again, but I was puzzled to imagine the cause of its sudden extinction.
I looked about me in the temporary gloom and saw, to my surprise, a ray of light proceeding from a corner of the very niche where I had fixed the candle between two stones.

I approached and put my hand to the place; a strong draught blew through a hole large enough to admit the passage of three fingers.

I quickly relighted my torch, and examining this hole and the back of the niche attentively, found that four blocks of granite in the wall had been removed and their places supplied by thick square logs cut from the trunks of trees.