And shrugging his shoulders he looked about him, judging with an artistic eye the effect which the room would have on a stranger.
Apparently he was not perfectly content with it, for, stepping to one of the long trunks, he drew from it a gold chain, some medals and a jewelled dagger, and flung these carelessly on a box in a corner.

He set up the alembics and pipkins which he had overturned, and here and there he opened a black-lettered folio, discovered an inch or two of crabbed Hebrew, or the corner of an illuminated script.

A cameo dropped in one place, a clay figure of Minerva set up in another, completed the picture.
His next proceeding was less intelligible.

He unearthed from the pile of duo-decimos on the window-seat the steel casket which has been mentioned.

It was about twelve inches long and as many wide; and as deep as it was broad.