By the tone of his voice I knew that whatever he had sought he had
failed once more to find. Presently, desisting from this quest of his,
he stood and stared curiously for some time at a recess immediately
behind one of the high-backed chairs drawn up to the supper table. We
had already explored this recess and had found it to be vacant. Gatton
advanced towards it and drew aside the curtain which was draped in the
opening.

It was a recess about four feet wide by three deep and it contained
nothing in the nature of furniture or ornament.

"Does anything strike you as curious about this arrangement?" said my
companion.

I looked for a long time, but failed to detect anything of a notable
nature.

"Nothing," I said, "except that it seems a peculiar idea to drape a
curtain before a recess in that way."

"And such a curtain!" said Gatton, fingering the texture.

I in turn touched the material with my fingers and found it to be an
extremely heavy velvet. Looking upward, I noticed that it was attached
to a rod set so high in the wall on either side that the top of the
drapery actually touched the ceiling.

"Well," said Gatton, looking at me oddly, "in addition to the texture
of the curtain do you notice anything else?"