The man was no doubt the singing-master, going away after giving his lesson.

I heard the house door close on him, and started at the familiar sound as if it were something terrible which I had never heard before.

Then there was silence again.

I roused myself as well as I could, and began my examination of the first cupboard.
It was divided into two compartments.
The top compartment contained nothing but boxes of cigars, ranged in rows, one on another.

The under compartment was devoted to a collection of shells.