Yet, the passage soon grew wider, the way more even; and we had not proceeded a minute, when we came into a vaulted cave, which apparently formerly was a cellar. We discovered, in the back part, a second receptacle, furnished with a table and chairs, that were pretty new. On examining the table, I found that a piece had recently been cut out of it; and it appeared to me that some person had attempted to obliterate a character which seemed to have been cut into the wood. After a more minute inspection, I discovered some traces of an E.
I could not guess, at first, what that letter could mean, but recollected, at last, that the Count had the singular custom to delineate frequently such an E in the sand, or to cut it into the bark of trees; and I ere now suspected that letter to be the first character of the name of a former mistress. I discovered nothing else besides this; neither a new avenue, nor a continuation of the vault. I had ordered allmy
