"'It ain't possible for me to say, sir.'
"'Neither can you say, I suppose, whether M. Felix set any particular store upon them?'
"'Well, sir, now you bring me to it, things come to my mind.'
"'Exactly.'
"'Whenever I come into the room,' said Mrs. Middlemore, 'and the desk was open, Mr. Felix used to shut it up quick.'
"'Lest you should see them too closely?'
"'I'm sure I shouldn't 'ave made no use of 'em; least of all, bad use.'
"'That is not the point. He closed the desk quickly when another person was by, with an evident wish to keep all possible knowledge of them to himself.'
"'It looks like that. You do push a thing close.'
"Our reporter accepted this as a compliment, and continued: