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。