Page:The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (emended first edition), Volume 3.djvu/71

Rh "And I know, too," said he, suddenly seizing my closed hand and rudely abstracting them from it. He then took up one of the candles and relighted it by thrusting it into the fire.

"Now then," sneered he, "we must have a confiscation of property. But first, let us take a peep into the studio."

And putting the keys into his pocket, he walked into the library. I followed, whether with the dim idea of preventing mischief or only to know the worst I can hardly tell. My painting materials were laid together on the corner table, ready for to-morrow's use, and only covered with a cloth. He soon spied them out, and putting down the candle, deliberately proceeded to cast them into the fire—palette, paints, bladders, pencils, brushes, varnish—I saw them all consumed—the palette knives snapped in two—the oil and turpentine sent hissing and roaring up the chimney. He then rang the bell.