Theofferwasacceptedwithanalmostyouthfulalacrityofgesture。TheCapuchintookthelargestpinchIeversawheldbetweenanyman’sfingerandthumb——inhaleditslowlywithoutspillingasinglegrain——halfclosedhiseyes——and，wagginghisheadgently，pattedmepaternallyontheback。
　　"Oh，myson，"saidthemonk，"whatdelectablesnuff！Oh，mysonandamiabletraveler，givethespiritualfatherwholovesyouyetanothertiny，tinypinch！"
　　"Letmefillyourboxforyou。Ishallhaveplentyleftformyself。"
　　Thebatteredtinsnuff—boxwasgiventomebeforeIhaddonespeaking；thepaternalhandpattedmybackmoreapprovinglythanever；thefeeble，huskyvoicegrewglibandeloquentinmypraise。IhadevidentlyfoundouttheweaksideoftheoldCapuchin，and，onreturninghimhisbox，Itookinstantadvantageofthediscovery。
　　"Excusemytroublingyouonthesubjectagain，"Isaid，"butI
　　haveparticularreasonsforwantingtohearallthatyoucantellmeinexplanationofthathorriblesightintheouthouse。"
　　"Comein，"answeredthemonk。
　　Hedrewmeinsidethegate，closedit，andthenleadingthewayacrossagrass—growncourtyard，lookingoutonaweedykitchen—garden，showedmeintoalongroomwithalowceiling，adirtydresser，afewrudely—carvedstallseats，andoneortwogrim，mildewedpicturesforornaments。Thiswasthesacristy。
　　"There’snobodyhere，andit’sniceandcool，"saidtheoldCapuchin。ItwassodampthatIactuallyshivered。"Wouldyouliketoseethechurch？"saidthemonk；"ajewelofachurch，ifwecouldkeepitinrepair；butwecan’t。Ah！maledictionandmisery，wearetoopoortokeepourchurchinrepair！"
　　Hereheshookhisheadandbeganfumblingwithalargebunchofkeys。
　　"Nevermindthechurchnow，"saidI。"Canyou，orcanyounot，tellmewhatIwanttoknow？"
　　"Everything，frombeginningtoend——absolutelyeverything。Why，I
　　answeredthegate—bell——Ialwaysanswerthegate—bellhere，"saidtheCapuchin。
　　"What，inHeaven’sname，hasthegate—belltodowiththeunburiedcorpseinyourhouse？"
　　"Listen，sonofmine，andyoushallknow。Sometimeago——somemonths——ah！me，I’mold；I’velostmymemory；Idon’tknowhowmanymonths——ah！miserableme，whataveryold，oldmonkIam！"
　　Herehecomfortedhimselfwithanotherpinchofsnuff。
　　"Nevermindtheexacttime，"saidI。"Idon’tcareaboutthat。"
　　"Good，"saidtheCapuchin。"NowIcangoon。Well，letussayitissomemonthsago——weinthisconventareallatbreakfast——wretched，wretchedbreakfasts，sonofmine，inthisconvent！——weareatbreakfast，andwehear_bang！bang！_twiceover。’Guns，’saysI。’Whataretheyshootingfor？’saysBrotherJeremy。’Game，’saysBrotherVincent。’Aha！game，’saysBrotherJeremy。’IfIhearmore，Ishallsendoutanddiscoverwhatitmeans，’saysthefathersuperior。Wehearnomore，andwegoonwithourwretchedbreakfasts。"
　　"Wheredidthereportoffirearmscomefrom？"Iinquired。
　　"Fromdownbelow——beyondthebigtreesatthebackoftheconvent，wherethere’ssomeclearground——niceground，ifitwasn’tforthepoolsandpuddles。But，ah！misery，howdampweareintheseparts！howvery，verydamp！"
　　"Well，whathappenedafterthereportoffirearms？"
　　"Youshallhear。Wearestillatbreakfast，allsilent——forwhathavewetotalkabouthere？Whathavewebutourdevotions，ourkitchen—garden，andourwretched，wretchedbitsofbreakfastsanddinners？Isayweareallsilent，whentherecomessuddenlysucharingatthebellasneverwasheardbefore——averydevilofaring——aringthatcaughtusallwithourbits——ourwretched，wretchedbits！——inourmouths，andstoppedusbeforewecouldswallowthem。’Go，brotherofmine，’saysthefathersuperiortome，’go；itisyourduty——gotothegate。’Iambrave——averylionofaCapuchin。Islipoutontiptoe——Iwait——Ilisten——I
　　pullbackourlittleshutterinthegate——Iwait，Ilistenagain——Ipeepthroughthehole——nothing，absolutelynothingthatIcansee。Iambrave——Iamnottobedaunted。WhatdoIdonext？
　　Iopenthegate。Ah！sacredMotherofHeaven，whatdoIbeholdlyingallalongourthreshold？Aman——dead！——abigman；biggerthanyou，biggerthanme，biggerthananybodyinthisconvent——buttoneduptightinafinecoat，withblackeyes，staring，staringupatthesky，andbloodsoakingthroughandthroughthefrontofhisshirt。WhatdoIdo？Iscreamonce——I
　　screamtwice——andrunbacktothefathersuperior！"
　　AlltheparticularsofthefatalduelwhichIhadgleanedfromtheFrenchnewspaperinMonkton’sroomatNaplesrecurredvividlytomymemory。ThesuspicionthatIhadfeltwhenIlookedintotheouthousebecameacertaintyasIlistenedtotheoldmonk’slastwords。
　　"SofarIunderstand，"saidI。"ThecorpseIhavejustseenintheouthouseisthecorpseofthemanwhomyoufounddeadoutsideyourgate。Nowtellmewhyyouhavenotgiventheremainsdecentburial。"
　　"Wait——wait——wait，"answeredtheCapuchin。"Thefathersuperiorhearsmescreamandcomesout；weallruntogethertothegate；
　　weliftupthebigmanandlookathimclose。Dead！deadasthis（smackingthedresserwithhishand）。Welookagain，andseeabitofpaperpinnedtothecollarofhiscoat。Aha！sonofmine，youstartatthat。IthoughtIshouldmakeyoustartatlast。"
　　Ihadstarted，indeed。Thatpaperwasdoubtlesstheleafmentionedinthesecond’sunfinishednarrativeashavingbeentornoutofhispocketbook，andinscribedwiththestatementofhowthedeadmanhadlosthislife。Ifproofpositivewerewantedtoidentifythedeadbody，herewassuchprooffound。
　　"Whatdoyouthinkwaswrittenonthebitofpaper？"continuedtheCapuchin"Wereadandshudder。Thisdeadmanhasbeenkilledinaduel——he，thedesperate，themiserable，hasdiedinthecommissionofmortalsin；andthemenwhosawthekillingofhimaskusCapuchins，holymen，servantsofHeaven，childrenofourlordthePope——theyask_us_togivehimburial！Oh！butweareoutragedwhenwereadthat；wegroan，wewringourhands，weturnaway，wetearourbeards，we——"
　　"Waitonemoment，"saidI，seeingthattheoldmanwasheatinghimselfwithhisnarrative，andwaslikely，unlessIstoppedhim，totalkmoreandmorefluentlytolessandlesspurpose——"waitamoment。Haveyoupreservedthepaperthatwaspinnedtothedeadman’scoat；andcanIlookatit？"
　　TheCapuchinseemedonthepointofgivingmeananswer，whenhesuddenlycheckedhimself。Isawhiseyeswanderawayfrommyface，andatthesamemomentheardadoorsoftlyopenedandclosedagainbehindme。
　　Lookingroundimmediately，Iobservedanothermonkinthesacristy——atall，lean，black—beardedman，inwhosepresencemyoldfriendwiththesnuff—boxsuddenlybecamequitedecorousanddevotionaltolookat。IsuspectedIwasinthepresenceofthefathersuperior，andIfoundthatIwasrightthemomentheaddressedme。
　　"Iamthefathersuperiorofthisconvent，"hesaid，inquiet，cleartones，andlookingmestraightinthefacewhilehespoke，withcoldlyattentiveeyes。"Ihaveheardthelatterpartofyourconversation，andIwishtoknowwhyyouaresoparticularlyanxioustoseethepieceofpaperthatwaspinnedtothedeadman’scoat？"
　　Thecoolnesswithwhichheavowedthathehadbeenlistening，andthequietlyimperativemannerinwhichheputhisconcludingquestion，perplexedandstartledme。IhardlyknewatfirstwhattoneIoughttotakeinansweringhim。Heobservedmyhesitation，andattributingittothewrongcause，signedtotheoldCapuchintoretire。Humblystrokinghislonggraybeard，andfurtivelyconsolinghimselfwithaprivatepinchofthe"delectablesnuff，"
　　myvenerablefriendshuffledoutoftheroom，makingaprofoundobeisanceatthedoorjustbeforehedisappeared。
　　"Now，"saidthefathersuperior，ascoldlyasever，"Iamwaiting，sir，foryourreply。"
　　"Youshallhaveitinthefewestpossiblewords，"saidI，answeringhiminhisowntone。"Ifind，tomydisgustandhorror，thatthereisanunburiedcorpseinanouthouseattachedtoyourconvent。IbelievethatcorpsetobethebodyofanEnglishgentlemanofrankandfortune，whowaskilledinaduel。Ihavecomeintothisneighborhoodwiththenephewandonlyrelationoftheslainman，fortheexpresspurposeofrecoveringhisremains；
　　andIwishtoseethepaperfoundonthebody，becauseIbelievethatpaperwillidentifyittothesatisfactionoftherelativetowhomIhavereferred。Doyoufindmyreplysufficientlystraightforward？Anddoyoumeantogivemepermissiontolookatthepaper？"
　　"Iamsatisfiedwithyourreply，andseenoreasonforrefusingyouasightofthepaper，"saidthefathersuperior；"butIhavesomethingtosayfirst。Inspeakingoftheimpressionproducedonyoubybeholdingthecorpse，youusedthewords’disgust’and’horror。’ThislicenseofexpressioninrelationtowhatyouhaveseenintheprecinctsofaconventprovestomethatyouareoutofthepaleoftheHolyCatholicChurch。Youhavenoright，therefore，toexpectanyexplanation；butIwillgiveyouone，nevertheless，asafavor。Theslainmandied，unabsolved，inthecommissionofmortalsin。Weinfersomuchfromthepaperwhichwefoundonhisbody；andweknow，bytheevidenceofourowneyesandears，thathewaskilledontheterritoriesoftheChurch，andintheactofcommittingdirectviolationofthosespeciallawsagainstthecrimeofdueling，thestrictenforcementofwhichtheholyfatherhimselfhasurgedonthefaithfulthroughouthisdominionsbyletterssignedwithhisownhand。
　　Insidethisconventthegroundisconsecrated，andweCatholicsarenotaccustomedtoburytheoutlawsofourreligion，theenemiesofourholyfather，andtheviolatorsofourmostsacredlawsinconsecratedground。Outsidethisconventwehavenorightsandnopower；and，ifwehadboth，weshouldrememberthatwearemonks，notgrave—diggers，andthattheonlyburialwithwhich_we_canhaveanyconcernisburialwiththeprayersoftheChurch。ThatisalltheexplanationIthinkitnecessarytogive。
　　Waitformehere，andyoushallseethepaper。"Withthosewordsthefathersuperiorlefttheroomasquietlyashehadenteredit。
　　Ihadhardlytimetothinkoverthisbitterandungraciousexplanation，andtofeelalittlepiquedbythelanguageandmannerofthepersonwhohadgivenittome，beforethefathersuperiorreturnedwiththepaperinhishand。Heplaceditbeforemeonthedresser，andIread，hurriedlytracedinpencil，thefollowinglines：
　　"ThispaperisattachedtothebodyofthelateMr。StephenMonkton，anEnglishmanofdistinction。Hehasbeenshotinaduel，conductedwithperfectgallantryandhonoronbothsides。
　　Hisbodyisplacedatthedoorofthisconvent，toreceiveburialatthehandsofitsinmates，thesurvivorsoftheencounterbeingobligedtoseparateandsecuretheirsafetybyimmediateflight。
　　I，thesecondoftheslainman，andthewriterofthisexplanation，certify，onmywordofhonorasagentlemanthattheshotwhichkilledmyprincipalontheinstantwasfiredfairly，inthestrictestaccordancewiththeruleslaiddownbeforehandfortheconductoftheduel。
　　"（Signed），F。"
　　"F。"IrecognizedeasilyenoughastheinitialletterofMonsieurFoulon’sname，thesecondofMr。Monkton，whohaddiedofconsumptionatParis。
　　Thediscoveryandtheidentificationwerenowcomplete。NothingremainedbuttobreakthenewstoAlfred，andtogetpermissiontoremovetheremainsintheouthouse。IbeganalmosttodoubttheevidenceofmyownsenseswhenIreflectedthattheapparentlyimpracticableobjectwithwhichwehadleftNapleswasalready，bythemerestchance，virtuallyaccomplished。
　　"Theevidenceofthepaperisdecisive，"saidI，handingitback。
　　"Therecanbenodoubtthattheremainsintheouthousearetheremainsofwhichwehavebeeninsearch。MayIinquireifanyobstacleswillbethrowninourwayshouldthelateMr。Monkton’snephewwishtoremovehisuncle’sbodytothefamilyburial—placeinEngland？"
　　"Whereisthisnephew？"askedthefathersuperior。
　　"HeisnowawaitingmyreturnatthetownofFondi。"
　　"Isheinapositiontoprovehisrelationship？"
　　"Certainly；hehaspaperswithhimwhichwillplaceitbeyondadoubt。"
　　"Lethimsatisfythecivilauthoritiesofhisclaim，andheneedexpectnoobstacletohiswishesfromanyonehere。"
　　Iwasinnohumorfortalkingamomentlongerwithmysour—temperedcompanionthanIcouldhelp。Thedaywaswearingonmefast；and，whethernightovertookmeornot，IwasresolvednevertostoponmyreturntillIgotbacktoFondi。Accordingly，aftertellingthefathersuperiorthathemightexpecttohearfrommeagainimmediately，Imademybowandhastenedoutofthesacristy。
　　Attheconventgatestoodmyoldfriendwiththetinsnuff—box，waitingtoletmeout。
　　"Blessyou，mayson，"saidthevenerablerecluse，givingmeafarewellpatontheshoulder，"comebacksoontoyourspiritualfatherwholovesyou，andamiablyfavorhimwithanothertiny，tinypinchofthedelectablesnuff。"
　　CHAPTERVI。
　　IRETURNEDatthetopofmyspeedtothevillagewhereIhadleftthemules，hadtheanimalssaddledimmediately，andsucceededingettingbacktoFondialittlebeforesunset。
　　Whileascendingthestairsofourhotel，IsufferedunderthemostpainfuluncertaintyastohowIshouldbestcommunicatethenewsofmydiscoverytoAlfred。IfIcouldnotsucceedinpreparinghimproperlyformytidings，theresults，withsuchanorganizationashis，mightbefatal。Onopeningthedoorofhisroom，Ifeltbynomeanssureofmyself；andwhenIconfrontedhim，hismannerofreceivingmetookmesomuchbysurprisethat，foramomentortwo，Ilostmyself—possessionaltogether。
　　EverytraceofthelethargyinwhichhewassunkwhenIhadlastseenhimhaddisappeared。Hiseyeswerebright，hischeeksdeeplyflushed。AsIentered，hestartedup，andrefusedmyofferedhand。
　　"Youhavenottreatedmelikeafriend，"hesaid，passionately；
　　"youhadnorighttocontinuethesearchunlessIsearchedwithyou——youhadnorighttoleavemeherealone。Iwaswrongtotrustyou；youarenobetterthanalltherestofthem。"
　　Ihadbythistimerecoveredalittlefrommyfirstastonishment，andwasabletoreplybeforehecouldsayanythingmore。Itwasquiteuseless，inhispresentstate，toreasonwithhimortodefendmyself。Ideterminedtoriskeverything，andbreakmynewstohimatonce。
　　"Youwilltreatmemorejustly，Monkton，whenyouknowthatI
　　havebeendoingyougoodserviceduringmyabsence，"Isaid。
　　"UnlessIamgreatlymistaken，theobjectforwhichwehaveleftNaplesmaybenearerattainmentbybothofusthan——"
　　Theflushlefthischeeksalmostinaninstant。Someexpressioninmyface，orsometoneinmyvoice，ofwhichIwasnotconscious，hadrevealedtohisnervously—quickenedperceptionmorethanIhadintendedthatheshouldknowatfirst。Hiseyesfixedthemselvesintentlyonmine；hishandgraspedmyarm；andhesaidtomeinaneagerwhisper：
　　"Tellmethetruthatonce。Haveyoufoundhim？"
　　Itwastoolatetohesitate。Iansweredintheaffirmative。
　　"Buriedorunburied？"
　　Hisvoiceroseabruptlyasheputthequestion，andhisunoccupiedhandfastenedonmyotherarm。
　　"Unburied。"
　　Ihadhardlyutteredthewordbeforethebloodflewbackintohischeeks；hiseyesflashedagainastheylookedintomine，andheburstintoafitoftriumphantlaughter，whichshockedandstartledmeinexpressibly。
　　"WhatdidItellyou？Whatdoyousaytotheoldprophecynow？"
　　hecried，droppinghisholdonmyarms，andpacingbackwardandforwardintheroom。"Ownyouwerewrong。Ownit，asallNaplesshallownit，whenonceIhavegothimsafeinhiscoffin！"
　　Hislaughtergrewmoreandmereviolent。Itriedtoquiethiminvain。Hisservantandthelandlordoftheinnenteredtheroom，buttheyonlyaddedfueltothefire，andImadethemgooutagain。AsIshutthedooronthem，IobservedlyingonatablenearathandthepacketoflettersfromMissElmslie，whichmyunhappyfriendpreservedwithsuchcare，andreadandre—readwithsuchunfailingdevotion。LookingtowardmejustwhenI
　　passedbythetable，theletterscaughthiseye。Thenewhopeforthefuture，inconnectionwiththewriterofthem，whichmynewswasalreadyawakeninginhisheart，seemedtooverwhelmhiminaninstantatsightofthetreasuredmemorialsthatremindedhimofhisbetrothedwife。Hislaughterceased，hisfacechanged，herantothetable，caughtthelettersupinhishand，lookedfromthemtomeforonemomentwithanalteredexpressionwhichwenttomyheart，thensankdownonhiskneesatthetable，laidhisfaceontheletters，andburstintotears。Iletthenewemotionhaveitswayuninterruptedly，andquittedtheroomwithoutsayingaword。
　　WhenIreturnedafteralapseofsomelittletime，Ifoundhimsittingquietlyinhischair，readingoneofthelettersfromthepacketwhichrestedonhisknee。
　　Hislookwaskindnessitself；hisgesturealmostwomanlyinitsgentlenessasherosetomeetme，andanxiouslyheldouthishand。
　　HewasquitecalmenoughnowtohearindetailallthatIhadtotellhim。IsuppressednothingbuttheparticularsofthestateinwhichIhadfoundthecorpse。Iassumednorightofdirectionastothesharehewastotakeinourfutureproceedings，withtheexceptionofinsistingbeforehandthatheshouldleavetheabsolutesuperintendenceoftheremovalofthebodytome，andthatheshouldbesatisfiedwithasightofM。Foulon’spaper，afterreceivingmyassurancethattheremainsplacedinthecoffinwerereallyandtrulytheremainsofwhichwehadbeeninsearch。
　　"Yournervesarenotsostrongasmine，"Isaid，bywayofapologyformyapparentdictation，"andforthatreasonImustbegleavetoassumetheleadershipinallthatwehavenowtodo，untilIseetheleadencoffinsoldereddownandsafeinyourpossession。AfterthatIshallresignallmyfunctionstoyou。"
　　"Iwantwordstothankyouforyourkindness，"heanswered。"Nobrothercouldhavebornewithmemoreaffectionately，orhelpedmemorepatientlythanyou。"
　　Hestoppedandgrewthoughtful，thenoccupiedhimselfintyingupslowlyandcarefullythepacketofMissElmslie’sletters，andthenlookedsuddenlytowardthevacantwallbehindmewiththatstrangeexpressionthemeaningofwhichIknewsowell。SincewehadleftNaplesIhadpurposelyavoidedexcitinghimbytalkingontheuselessandshockingsubjectoftheapparitionbywhichhebelievedhimselftobeperpetuallyfollowed。Justnow，however，heseemedsocalmandcollected——solittlelikelytobeviolentlyagitatedbyanyallusiontothedangeroustopic，thatIventuredtospeakoutboldly。
　　"Doesthephantomstillappeartoyou，"Iasked，"asitappearedatNaples？"
　　Helookedatmeandsmiled。
　　"DidInottellyouthatitfollowedmeeverywhere？"Hiseyeswanderedbackagaintothevacantspace，andhewentonspeakinginthatdirectionasifhehadbeencontinuingtheconversationwithsomethirdpersonintheroom。"Weshallpart，"hesaid，slowlyandsoftly，whentheemptyplaceisfilledinWincotvault。ThenIshallstandwithAdabeforethealtarintheAbbeychapel，andwhenmyeyesmeetherstheywillseethetorturedfacenomore。"
　　Sayingthis，heleanedhisheadonhishand，sighed，andbeganrepeatingsoftlytohimselfthelinesoftheoldprophecy：
　　WheninWincotvaultaplaceWaitsforoneofMonkton’srace——
　　WhenthatoneforlornshalllieGravelessunderopensky，Beggaredofsixfeetofearth，Thoughlordofacresfromhisbirth——ThatshallheacertainsignOftheendofMonktonsline。
　　Dwindlingeverfaster，faster，Dwindlingtothelast—leftmaster；
　　Frommortalken，fromlightofday，Monkton’sraceshallpassaway。"
　　Fancyingthathepronouncedthelastlinesalittleincoherently，Itriedtomakehimchangethesubject。HetooknonoticeofwhatIsaid，andwentontalkingtohimself。
　　"Monkton’sraceshallpassaway，"herepeated，"butnotwith_me_。Thefatalityhangsover_my_headnolonger。Ishallburytheunburieddead；IshallfillthevacantplaceinWincotvault；
　　andthen——thenthenewlife，thelifewithAda！"Thatnameseemedtorecallhimtohimself。Hedrewhistravelingdesktowardhim，placedthepacketoflettersinit，andthentookoutasheetofpaper。"IamgoingtowritetoAda，"hesaid，turningtome，"andtellherthegoodnews。Herhappiness，whensheknowsit，willbeevengreaterthanmine。"
　　Wornoutbytheeventsoftheday，Ilefthimwritingandwenttobed。Iwas，however，eithertooanxiousortootiredtosleep。Inthiswakingcondition，mymindnaturallyoccupieditselfwiththediscoveryattheconventandwiththeeventstowhichthatdiscoverywouldinallprobabilitylead。AsIthoughtonthefuture，adepressionforwhichIcouldnotaccountweighedonmyspirits。Therewasnottheslightestreasonforthevaguelymelancholyforebodingsthatoppressedme。Theremains，tothefindingofwhichmyunhappyfriendattachedsomuchimportance，hadbeentraced；theywouldcertainlybeplacedathisdisposalinafewdays；hemighttakethemtoEnglandbythefirstmerchantvesselthatsailedfromNaples；and，thegratificationofhisstrangecapricethusaccomplished，therewasatleastsomereasontohopethathismindmightrecoveritstone，andthatthenewlifehewouldleadatWincotmightresultinmakinghimahappyman。Suchconsiderationsasthesewere，inthemselves，certainlynotcalculatedtoexertanymelancholyinfluenceoverme；andyet，allthroughthenight，thesameinconceivable，unaccountabledepressionweighedheavilyonmyspirits——heavilythroughthehoursofdarkness——heavily，evenwhenIwalkedouttobreathethefirstfreshnessoftheearlymorningair。
　　Withthedaycametheall—engrossingbusinessofopeningnegotiationswiththeauthorities。
　　OnlythosewhohavehadtodealwithItalianofficialscanimaginehowourpatiencewastriedbyeveryonewithwhomwecameincontact。Wewerebandiedaboutfromoneauthoritytotheother，werestaredat，cross—questioned，mystified——notintheleastbecausethecasepresentedanyspecialdifficultiesorintricacies，butbecauseitwasabsolutelynecessarythateverycivildignitarytowhomweappliedshouldasserthisownimportancebyleadingustoourobjectinthemostroundaboutmannerpossible。Afterourfirstday’sexperienceofofficiallifeinItaly，Ilefttheabsurdformalities，whichwehadnochoicebuttoperform，tobeaccomplishedbyAlfredalone，andappliedmyselftothereallyseriousquestionofhowtheremainsintheconventouthouseweretobesafelyremoved。
　　ThebestplanthatsuggesteditselftomewastowritetoafriendinRome，whereIknewthatitwasacustomtoembalmthebodiesofhighdignitariesoftheChurch，andwhere，I
　　consequentlyinferred，suchchemicalassistanceaswasneededinouremergencymightbeobtained。Isimplystatedinmyletterthattheremovalofthebodywasimperative，thendescribedtheconditioninwhichIhadfoundit，andengagedthatnoexpenseonourpartshouldbesparediftherightpersonorpersonscouldbefoundtohelpus。Here，again，moredifficultiesinterposedthemselves，andmoreuselessformalitiesweretobegonethrough，butintheendpatience，perseverance，andmoneytriumphed，andtwomencameexpresslyfromRometoundertakethedutieswerequiredofthem。
　　ItisunnecessarythatIshouldshockthereaderbyenteringintoanydetailinthispartofmynarrative。WhenIhavesaidthattheprogressofdecaywassofarsuspendedbychemicalmeansastoallowoftheremainsbeingplacedinthecoffin，andtoinsuretheirbeingtransportedtoEnglandwithperfectsafetyandconvenience，Ihavesaidenough。Aftertendayshadbeenwastedinuselessdelaysanddifficulties，Ihadthesatisfactionofseeingtheconventouthouseemptyatlast；passedthroughafinalceremonyofsnuff—taking，orrather，ofsnuff—giving，withtheoldCapuchin，andorderedthetravelingcarriagestobereadyattheinndoor。HardlyamonthhadelapsedsinceourdepartureereweenteredNaplessuccessfulintheachievementofadesignwhichhadbeenridiculedaswildlyimpracticablebyeveryfriendofourswhohadheardofit。
　　ThefirstobjecttobeaccomplishedonourreturnwastoobtainthemeansofcarryingthecoffintoEngland——bysea，asamatterofcourse。AllinquiriesafteramerchantvesselonthepointofsailingforanyBritishportledtothemostunsatisfactoryresults。TherewasonlyonewayofinsuringtheimmediatetransportationoftheremainstoEngland，andthatwastohireavessel。Impatienttoreturn，andresolvednottolosesightofthecoffintillhehadseenitplacedinWincotvault，Monktondecidedimmediatelyonhiringthefirstshipthatcouldbeobtained。ThevesselinportwhichwewereinformedcouldsoonestbegotreadyforseawasaSicilianbrig，andthisvesselmyfriendaccordinglyengaged。Thebestdock—yardartisansthatcouldbegotweresettowork，andthesmartestcaptainandcrewtobepickeduponanemergencyinNapleswerechosentonavigatethebrig。
　　Monkton，afteragainexpressinginthewarmesttermshisgratitudefortheservicesIhadrenderedhim，disclaimedanyintentionofaskingmetoaccompanyhimonthevoyagetoEngland。