Baker's countenance brightened up; he had
no fear of their being found.

"I will," said Alfred; "please to follow me."

Baker grinned with anticipated triumph.

Alfred led the way to a bedroom near his own;
and asked Mr. Baker to unlock it. Baker had not
the key; no more had Cooper; the latter was sent
for it; he returned, saying the key was mislaid.

"That I expected," said Alfred. "Send for
the kitchen poker, sir; I'll soon unlock it."

"Fetch the kitchen poker," said Vane.

"Good gracious! sir," said Cooper; "he only
wants that to knock all our brains out. You
have no idea of his strength and ferocity."

"Well lied, Cooper," said Alfred, ironically.

"Fetch me the poker," said Vane.

Cooper went for it; and came back with the
key instead.

The door was opened, and they all entered.
Alfred looked under the bed. The rest stood
round it.

There was nothing to be seen but a year's dust.

Alfred was dumb-foundered, and a cold
perspiration began to gather on his brow. He saw
at once a false move would be fatal to him.

"Well, sir," said Vane, grimly. "Where are
they?"

Alfred caught sight of a small cupboard; he
searched it; it was empty. Baker and Cooper
grinned at his delusion, quietly, but so that Vane
might see that formula. Alfred returned to the
bed and shook it. Cooper and Baker left off
grinning; Alfred's quick eye caught this, and he
shook the bed violently, furiously.

"All!" said Mr. Vane, "I hear a chink."

"It is an iron bedstead, and old," suggested
Baker.

Alfred tore off the bed-clothes, and then the
mattress. Below the latter was a framework,
and below the framework a receptacle about six
inches deep, five feet long, and three broad, filled
with chains, iron belts, wrist locks, muffles, and
screw-locked hobbles, &c.; a regular Inquisition.

If Baker had descended from the Kemble
family, instead of rising from nothing, he could
not have acted better. " Good Heavens!" cried
he, "where do these come from? They must
have been left here by the last proprietor."

Vane replied only by a look of contempt, and
ordered Cooper to go and ask Mr. Tollett to
come to him.

Alfred improved the interval. "Sir," said he,
"all my delusions, fairly tested, will turn out
like this."

"They shall be tested, sir; I give you my
word."

Mr. Tollett came, and the two justices
commenced a genuine scrutiny; their first. They
went now upon the true method, in which all
these dark places ought to be inspected. They
did not believe a word; they suspected
everything; they examined patients apart, detected
cruelty filth and vermin under philanthropic
phrases and clean linen; and the upshot was
they reprimanded Baker and the attendants
severely, and told him his license should never
be renewed, unless at their next visit the whole
asylum was reformed. They ordered all the iron
body-belts, chains, leg-locks, wrist-locks, and
muffs, to be put into Mr. Tollett' s carriage, and
concluded a long inspection by inquiring into
Alfred's sanity, at this inquiry they did not allow
Baker to be even present, but only Dr. Bailey.

First they read the order; and found it really
was not Alfred's father who had put him into the
asylum. Then they read the certificates,
especially Wycherley's; it accused Alfred of headache,
insomnia, nightly visions, a rooted delusion
(pecuniary), a sudden aversion to an affectionate
father; and at the doctor's last visit, a wild look
(formula), great excitement, and threats of
violence without any provocation to justify them.
This overpowered the worthy squires'
understandings, to begin. But they proceeded to
examine the three books an asylum has to keep by
law; the visitors' book, the case book, and the
medical journal. All these were kept with the
utmost looseness in Silverton House; as indeed
they are in the very best of these places.
However, by combining the scanty notices in the
several books, they arrived at this total.

"Admitted April 11. Had a very wild look, and
was much excited. Attempted suicide by throwing
himself into a tank. Attacked the keepers,
for rescuing him, with prodigious strength and
violence. Refused food."

And some days after came an entry with his
initials instead of his name, which was contrary
to law. "A. H. Much excited. Threats. Ordered
composing draught."

And a day or two after: " A. H. Excited.
Blasphemous. Ordered blister."

The first entry, however, was enough. The
doctor had but seen real facts through his green
spectacles, and lo! "suicide," "homicide," and
"refusal of food," three cardinal points of true
mania.

Mr. Vane asked Dr. Bailey whether he was
better since he came.

"Oh, infinitely better," said Dr. Bailey. " We
hope to cure him in a month or two."

They then sent for Mrs. Archbold, and had a
long talk with her, recommending Alfred to her
especial care: and, having acted on his judgment
and information in the teeth of those who called
him insane, turned tail at a doctor's certificate;
distrusted their eyesight at an unsworn affidavit.

Alfred was packing up his things to go away;
bright as a lark. Mrs. Archbold came to him,
and told him she had orders to give him every
comfort; and the justices hoped to liberate him
at their next visit.

The poor wretch turned pale. "At their next
visit!" he cried. "What, not to-day? When
is their next visit?"

Mrs. Archbold hesitated: but at last she said,
"Why you know; I told you; they come four
times every year."

The disappointment was too bitter. The