Captain Charles' Narrative.
My name is Albert Charles. I have a curious old friend who lives at Strasburg, called Outhouse. I am Charles, his friend. I wrote to Outhouse and told him Miss Lukinglasse's story—of course, in unscientific language. He replied, it was deeply interesting, and he would come to me at once. He arrived, and immediately performed the old "drop of ink trick," where, it will be remembered, a chap is made to describe what he sees in a little writing-fluid.
Then Outhouse turned to me with a strangely solemn face.
"We have got our finger," said he, "on the tarantula in his hole, the viper in his lair, the pieuvre in his cave. Such monsters should not be allowed to live."
I was bewildered. We made our way from Newhaven to Chislehurst. We called upon the old man with the opal, of whom we had so often talked. He trembled. Outhouse seemed to swell to twice his natural height. Then the old chap with the opal appeared to wither under his gaze. Then he changed to all manner of colours, and literally exploded. He went off with a feeble bang, like a cheap firework. Not waiting to pick up his pieces, we returned to Dieppe, collared the omnibus old woman (whom we found on the point of strangling Ascena), and got her sent to prison, where she very properly committed suicide to save us further embarrassment. After these preliminaries had been successfully accomplished, I am pleased to say that Ascena enjoyed peaceful dreams and sweet repose.
There now! I have cleared up things pretty well, and don't think it bad for a first attempt.
Ascena's Narrative.
I am married to Captain Charles, and Outhouse is to live with us for ever. This is pleasant. I am a little disappointed that circumstances over which I have no control should prevent me from telling you why I was a foundling, what was done with my juvenile wardrobe, why my father never returned from Vienna, what on earth became of my dreams when I sold them to somebody or other for a pound a day—in fact, what it is all about. You will say that I am a fraud, a mistake, an unconsidered trifle. You will be right. Mrs. Captain Charles is very stupid and commonplace. Alas! there has been a great falling off since the days of Ascena Lukinglasse!