The record-union., 1892-11-26


direction, at least an inch while had
/ been looking on. But while | stood look
ing lis growth was suddenly aud percep-
noly stayed; it ceased to move. only the
noise continued.
II wonder how long it will be before
anything worth happening does happen?
L suppose something is going to happen;
there can't be ali this to-do for nothing.
II there is anything in the internal ma
chine line, and there is going to be an eX-
pIoslon, L might as we'll be here to see 1t.
L tmnk III have pipe"
lput on my dressing gown. l Lit my
| pipe. l sat and stared at the box. | dare
/ say sat there for twenty minutes when,
as before, without any sort OF warning,
| lne sound was stilled. Its sudden cessa-
! ton rather startled me.
Has the mechanism again hung fire?
Or, this time, is the explosion coming
/ olI:" 1t did not come Oft; nothing came
/ OH. Isn't The box ever going TO Open?'
IL ana not open. There was simply ST
Ience all at once and that was all. l sat
| there IN expectation for some moments
longer But | sat for nothing. l rose. L
took the box III my hand. l shook it.
This puzzle is a puzzle" | held the
/ poN hrst TO one ear, then to the other.
4 ! gave 1t several sharp raps with my
I knuckies. There was not an answering
sound, not even the sort Of reverberation
/ which Pugh and l had noticed at first. 1t
! seemed follower than ever. 1t was as
though the soul of the box was dead. Il
suppose ii l put you down and eXtin-
/ guIsh the gas and return to bed. in about
half an hour or 50, just as ! was dropping
OH to sleep, the performance viii be re-
commenced. Perhaps the third time will
! be lucky"
But ! was mistaken-there was no third
/ time. When l returned 10 bed that time
Q ~ q s-s, i
/ 10 sleep; there was no continuation of the
I performance, at least so far as | know.
! For no sooner was 1 once more between
/ the sheets than / was seized with an ire
/ sistible drowsineSs, 3 drowsiness which
/ so mastered me that II imagine it must
! have been instantly-sank into slumber
which lasted till long after day had
daWned. Whether or not any more mys-
/ terious sounds issued from the bowels OF
/ Pugh'S puzzle is more than | can tell. II
! they did, they did not succeed in rousing
/ me.
And yet when at last l did awake. l
had sort Of consciousness that my wax
! ing had been caused by something
strange. w hat ii was | could not sur
mise. My own impression was that ! had
! been awOke by the touch Of PERSONS
hand. But that impression must have
! been a mistaken one, because, as 1 could
/ easily see by looking round the room,
there was no one in the room to touch
me.
1t was broad daylight. I looked at my
| watch; it was nearly IL o'clock. | am a
pretty late sleeper as a rule, but do not
/ usually sleep as late as that. That scoun-
| drel Bob would let me sleep all day with
/ out thinking it necessary to call me. |
/ was just about to spring out OF bed, with
I the intention OF ringing the bell SO that
might give Bob piece OF my mind for
! "a IlfAN Lrl l.tt..
glance fell on the dressing-tab on which,
the night before, | had placed Pugh's
puzzle. It had gonel
Its absence so took me by surprise that
/ | ran to the table. II had gone. But it
had not gone Iar; it had gone to pieces
/ There We're the pieces lying where the
/ box had been. The puzzle had solved
itself The box was open, open with a
vengeance, one might say. Like that
unfortunate Humpty Dumpty, who, so
| the chrOniclerS tell us, sat on wall
surely "au the Kings horses and all the
! Kings men" never could put Pugh's
puzzle together again!
! The marquetry had resolved itself into
/ It's component parts. How those parts
| had ever been Joined was mystery.
/ They had been laid upon no foundation.
( as is the case with ordinary inlaid work
/ The several pieces Of wood were not only
| of different shapes and sizes. but thev
We're as thin as the thinnest veneer; vet
the box had been formed by joining them
/ together. The man who made that box
must have been possessed OF ingenuity
worthy Of a better cause.
| l perceived how the puzzle had been
I worked. The box had contained an ar
raugement Of springs which, on being re-
| leased, had expanded themselves in diff
ferent directions until their mere eXpan-
sion had rent the box to pieces. There
I ,ypvp the Snrippe lVirp qrpiIS+ ba ,.,,;
they had caused.
There was something else amidst that
ruin besides those springs-there was a
small piece of writing paper. | took ii
up. On the reverse side of it was written.
in a minute, grabbed hand, "A Present
For \ ou." What was present for me?
| looked, and. not for the first time since
| had caught sight Of Pugh's precious
puzzle, could scarcely believe my eyes.
| There, poised between two upright
wires, the bent ends OF which held it aIoft
in the air, was either piece of glass, or
a crystal. The scrap Of writing paper had
exactly covered it. 1 understood what if
was, which, when Pugh and | had tapped
with the hammer, had caused the an
swerings to proceed from within. our
taps had caused the wires 10 osclilate.
and in these oscillations the crystal,
which they held suspended, had touched
the side OF the box.
l. lOGhGQ aSSiu at INC piece OF papeT,
"a Present For You" Was this the
present-this crystal? l regarded it in
tently.
lit can't be diamond"
The idea was ridiculous, absurd. Nc
man in his senses would place a diamond
inside a enny-halt-penny puzzle
box. The thing was as big as a walnut
And yeti am pretty good Judge OF
precious stones If it was not an uncut
diamond it was the best imitation | had
! seen. | took 1t up. l examined 10 closely.
The more closely l examined it the more
my wonder grew.
''it is a diamond"
And yet the idea was too preposterous
for credence. " no would present "A dia-
mond as big as q walnut with a trumpery
puzzle? Besides, ali the diamonds which
the world contains, Of that size, are al
most as well known as the koh-i-noor.
''If it is a diamond il is worth-it is
worth-Heaven only knows what it isn't
worth if it's dimond."
! regarded it through a strong pocket
lens. AS | did 50 L could not restrain an
exclamation.
.'rhe world to a China orange tits dia-
moud"
The words had scarcely escaped my
lips than there came a tapping at the
door.
Come imp / cried, supposing it was
! Bob. 1t was not Bob, it was Pugh In
stincuveiy l put the lens and the crys-
tai behind my back. At sight OF me in
my nightshlrt Pugh began 10 shake his
/ head.
"W hat hours, Tress, what hoursl Why,
my dear Tress, Eve breakiasLed, read
the papers and my letters, come all the
way from my house here, and you are
not up."