He pulled the old
letters from the writing-desk, and ran them over as swiftly as a
gambler deals out cards; he dropped on his knees before the fireplace
and dragged out the dead coals with his bare fingers, and then, with
a low, worried cry, like a hound on a scent, he ran back to the
waste-paper basket and, lifting the papers from it, shook them out
upon the floor. Instantly, he gave a shout of triumph, and,
separating a number of torn pieces from the others, held them up
before me.
"'Look!' he cried. 'Do you see? Here are five letters, torn across in
two places. The Russian did not stop to read them, for, as you see,
he has left them still sealed. I have been wrong. He did not return
for the letters. He could not have known their value. He must have
returned for some other reason, and, as he was leaving, saw the
letter-box, and, taking out the letters, held them together--so--and
tore them twice across, and then, as the fire had gone out, tossed
them into this basket. Look!' he cried, 'here in the upper corner of
this piece is a Russian stamp. This is his own letter--unopened!'
"We examined the Russian stamp and found it had been cancelled in St.
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