Book-shelves, and cupboards with glass doors, containing geological and other specimens, occupied much of the wall space; while in the centre of the floor stood a large writing-table, covered with a miscellaneous collection of pens, ink-pots, bundles of papers, and a polished mahogany box which could easily be recognized as a microscope-case.
The intruders stood for a few moments gazing round in silence.
The place did not look very interesting, and smelt rather damp and mouldy.
"I say," exclaimed Jack Vance, "look there: he don't seem very careful how he leaves his things when he goes away." As he spoke he pointed across to the opposite side of the room, where, between two bookcases, an iron safe had been let into the wall.
The heavy door was standing half open, while the floor beneath was strewn with a quantity of shallow wooden trays lined with green baize.
"Old bachelors are always untidy," remarked Diggory.

"Let's see where this door leads to." He turned the handle as he spoke, and walked out into a gloomy little hall paved with cold, bare flagstones, which caused their footsteps to waken mournful echoes in the empty house.
"I say, you fellows, don't let's go any further," murmured Mugford;" we've seen enough now.

Suppose the old chap came back and--" He never reached the end of the sentence, for Diggory suddenly raised his hand, exclaiming in a whisper, "Hark! what was that ?" The loud ticking of Mugford's old turnip of a watch was distinctly audible in the silence which followed.
"What is it, Diggy?
what--" "Hark! there it is again; listen." The suspense became awful.

At length Diggory dropped his hand.
"Didn't you hear footsteps ?" he asked.

"I'm certain there's some one walking about on the gravel path." "We shall be caught," whimpered Mugford; "I knew we should.