“The noise I made by kicking at a shutter brought out an old man from a side door.  He seemed stunned with astonishment at seeing me.  On receiving my letter, he read it, reread it, turned it over and over, looked me up and down, put the paper in his pocket and finally said: 

“‘Well, what is it you wish?’

“I replied shortly: 

“’You ought to know, since you have just read your master’s orders.  I wish to enter the chateau.’

“He seemed overcome.

“‘Then you are going in—­into her room?’

“I began to lose patience.

“‘Damn it!  Are you presuming to question me?’

“He stammered in confusion: 

“’No—­sir—­but—­but it has not been opened since—­since the-death.  If you will be kind enough to wait five minutes I will go and—­and see if—­’

“I interrupted him angrily: 

“’See here, what do you mean by your tricks?

“‘You know very well you cannot enter the room, since here is the key!’

“He no longer objected.

“‘Then, sir, I will show you the way.’

“‘Show me the staircase and leave me.  I’ll find my way without you.’

“‘But—­sir—­indeed—­’

“This time I lost patience, and pushing him aside, went into the house.

“I first went through the kitchen, then two rooms occupied by this man and his wife.  I then crossed a large hall, mounted a staircase and recognized the door described by my friend.

“I easily opened it, and entered the apartment.  It was so dark that at first I could distinguish nothing.  I stopped short, disagreeably affected by that disagreeable, musty odor of closed, unoccupied rooms.  As my eyes slowly became accustomed to the darkness I saw plainly enough a large and disordered bedroom, the bed without sheets but still retaining its mattresses and pillows, on one of which was a deep impression, as though an elbow or a head had recently rested there.

“The chairs all seemed out of place.  I noticed that a door, doubtless that of a closet, had remained half open.

“I first went to the window, which I opened to let in the light, but the fastenings of the shutters had grown so rusty that I could not move them.  I even tried to break them with my sword, but without success.  As I was growing irritated over my useless efforts and could now see fairly well in the semi-darkness, I gave up the hope of getting more light, and went over to the writing desk.

“I seated myself in an armchair and, letting down the lid of the desk, I opened the drawer designated.  It was full to the top.  I needed but three packages, which I knew how to recognize, and began searching for them.