im to pursue this occupation in quiet: I made
several attempts to snatch the book from his hands, but he held it too
firmly for that; I upbraided him in bitterness and scorn for his mean and
dishonourable conduct, but that had no effect upon him; and, finally, I
extinguished both the candles, but he only wheeled round to the fire, and
raising a blaze sufficient for his purposes, calmly continued the
investigation. I had serious thoughts of getting a pitcher of water and
extinguishing that light too; but it was evident his curiosity was too
keenly excited to be quenched by that, and the more I manifested my
anxiety to baffle his scrutiny, the greater would be his determination to
persist in it besides it was too late.

'It seems very interesting, love,' said he, lifting his head and turning
to where I stood, wringing my hands in silent rage and anguish; 'but it's
rather long; I'll look at it some other time; and meanwhile I'll trouble
you for your keys, my dear.'

'What keys?'

'The keys of your cabinet, desk, drawers, and whatever else you possess,'
said he, rising and holding out his hand.

'I've not got them,' I replied. The key of my desk, in fact, was at that
moment in the lock, and the others were attached to it.

'Then you must send for them,' said he; 'and if that old devil, Rachel,
doesn't immediately deliver them up, she tramps bag and baggage
tomorrow.'

'She doesn't know where they are,' I answered, quietly placing my hand
upon them, and taking them from the desk, as I thought, unobserved. 'I
know, but I shall not give them up without a reason.'

'And I know, too,' said he, suddenly seizing my closed hand and rudely
abstracting them from it. He then took up one of the candles and
relighted it by thrusting it into the fire.

'Now, then,' sneered he, 'we must have a confiscation of property. But,
first, let us take a peep into the studio.'

And putting the keys into his pocket, he walked into the library. I
followed, whether with the dim idea of preventing mischief, or only to
know the worst, I can hardly tell. My painting materials were laid
together on the corner table, ready for to-morrow's use, and only covered
with a cloth. He soon spied them out, and putting down the candle,
deliberately proceeded to cast them into the fire: palette, paints,
bladders, pencils, brushes, varnish: I saw them all consumed: the
palette-knives snapped in two, the oil and turpentine sent hissing and
roaring up