rratives. One was contained in a letter, and the other in
the form of a diary, and both had been received by him directly from the
writers. Besides these contributions, he had undertaken to help us by
some work of his own, and had been engaged for the last four days in
molding certain events which had happened within his personal knowledge
into the form of a story. His extreme fastidiousness as a writer
interfered, however, so seriously with his progress that he was still
sadly behindhand, and was likely, though less heavily burdened than
Morgan or myself, to be the last to complete his allotted task.

Such was our position, and such the resources at our command, when
the first of the Ten Days dawned upon us. Shortly after four in the
afternoon I completed my work of revision, numbered the manuscripts from
one to six exactly as they happened to lie under my hand, and inclosed
them all in a portfolio, covered with purple morocco, which became known
from that time by the imposing title of The Purple Volume.

Miss Jessie returned from her expedition just as I was tying the strings
of the portfolio, and, womanlike, instantly asked leave to peep inside,
which favor I, manlike, positively declined to grant.

As soon as dinner was over our guest retired to array herself in
magnificent evening costume. It had been arranged that the readings were
to take place in her own sitting-room; and she was so enthusiastically
desirous to do honor to the occasion, that she regretted not having
brought with her from London the dress in which she had been presented
at court the year before, and not having borrowed certain materials for
additional splendor which she briefly described as "aunt's diamonds."

Toward eight o'clock we assembled in the sitting-room, and a strangely
assorted company we were. At the head of the table, radiant in silk
and jewelry, flowers and furbelows, sat The Queen of Hearts, looking so
handsome and so happy that I secretly congratulated my absent son on
the excellent taste he had shown in falling in love with her. Round this
bright young creature (Owen, at the foot of the table, and Morgan and
I on either side) sat her three wrinkled, gray-headed, dingily-attired
hosts, and just behind her, in still more inappropriate companionship,
towered the spectral figure of the man in armor, which had so
unaccountably attracted her on her arrival. This strange scene was
lighted up by candles in high and heavy brass sconces.