Book Read Free

Observatory Mansions: A Novel

Page 28

by Edward Carey


  23. A cotton handkerchief (unclean).

  24. A sealed jar containing used bathwater.

  25. A collection of ash from a fireplace.

  26. A bent hairclip.

  27. A quantity of potato peelings.

  28. A newspaper.

  29. A snapped metal coathanger.

  30. An apple core.

  31. A china teacup missing its handle.

  32. A used disposable razor.

  33. A fuse (blown).

  34. A cork (from a wine bottle).

  35. A cigar butt.

  36. A bent staple.

  37. A sock with three holes.

  38. A teddy bear (small).

  39. A tin soldier (infantry).

  40. A clockwork robot.

  41. A stuffed fox.

  42. A plastic frog.

  43. A collection of shattered glass.

  44. A tin of tobacco.

  45. A wad of black cigarette papers.

  46. A miniature ivory elephant.

  47. A marriage casket (tortoiseshell and metal marquetry).

  48. A dinner gong (copper and tin).

  49. A love letter.

  50. The eighth volume of an encyclopedia.

  51. A pair of brass doorknobs.

  52. A mahogany ruler.

  53. A large bottle of black writing ink.

  54. A hairnet.

  55. A pair of wooden doorknobs.

  56. A soup ladle.

  57. Four curtain pulls.

  58. A photograph of a shooting party.

  59. A photograph of a hunt.

  60. An oriental wooden cockerel.

  61. A globe (terrestrial).

  62. A leg from an old ice chest.

  63. A piano stool.

  64. A book on the science of physiognomy.

  65. A gold signet ring.

  66. Various parts from four scarecrows.

  67. A punch bowl (silver and tortoiseshell).

  68. A two-handed sword (steel).

  69. A pine draining board.

  70. A riding crop.

  71. An ivory shoehorn.

  72. A family tree (on parchment paper).

  73. A carving knife.

  74. A pair of nail scissors (silver).

  75. A miniature steam engine.

  76. A corner of a tapestry (wool and silk).

  77. A pestle.

  78. A photograph of a woman with a number of porcelain dolls.

  79. A clothes brush.

  80. A brown leather shoe (gentleman’s, right foot).

  81. A black leather shoe (gentleman’s, right foot).

  82. A pepper pot.

  83. A porcelain swan.

  84. A gilded beechwood candlestick.

  85. A brown trilby.

  86. A soup tureen (porcelain).

  87. A wooden croquet ball (red).

  88. Two crystals of glass from a chandelier.

  89. Twelve cash books.

  90. A silver-gilt ewer.

  91. A marble bust of a bald gentleman.

  92. A chair leg (pine).

  93. The bit from a bridle.

  94. A snuffbox (ivory).

  95. A book entitled The Eucharist (black goatskin binding).

  96. A tiara (gold, silver, emeralds).

  97. An ash pan.

  98. An illustrated book of moths and butterflies.

  99. A salmon fly-fishing rod.

  100. A pair of silver and diamond earrings.

  101. A book of maps of modern cities of the world.

  102. A small sculpture of a classical figure (boxwood).

  103. A straw doll.

  104. A wheel-lock musket.

  105. A large terracotta flowerpot.

  106. A stained-glass window of a family crest.

  107. A silver letter knife.

  108. Two eggs made of malachite.

  109. A charcoal drawing of a large house.

  110. A tontine salver (silver).

  111. A parasol.

  112. Three silver napkin rings.

  113. A newspaper rod.

  114. An apron.

  115. A copper kettle lid.

  116. A gate latch.

  117. A screw from a microscope.

  118. A toboggan.

  119. Two china teacups.

  120. A wooden lavatory seat.

  121. A bottle-corking machine.

  122. A watering can.

  123. A pair of cricket bails.

  124. An illuminated manuscript.

  125. A cushion with an embroidered cover.

  126. A pin box.

  127. A cooking thermometer.

  128. A book containing botanical drawings.

  129. A pair of prints, of fighting cocks.

  130. A book of anatomical drawings.

  131. A metal bolt.

  132. A gardening glove.

  133. A watercolour of a beautiful woman, two centuries dead.

  134. An hourglass.

  135. A bottle of old port wine (unopened).

  136. A silver-gilt and glass salt cellar.

  137. A weathervane.

  138. A quantity of bookplates (with heraldic design).

  139. A fountain pump.

  140. A pair of dice (ivory).

  141. Two wooden pieces taken from a game of backgammon.

  142. A castle from a chess set (ivory).

  143. A castle from a chess set (wood).

  144. A stick for cleaning shotguns.

  145. A pair of oven gloves.

  146. Seven drying-up cloths.

  147. The winding key to a grandfather clock.

  148. The winding key to a grandfather clock.

  149. The winding key to a grandmother clock.

  150. The winding key to a carriage clock.

  151. The winding key to a table clock.

  152. A magnifying glass.

  153. An amount of turmeric.

  154. An amount of garlic salt.

  155. Two bay leaves.

  156. A cut-glass decanter containing malt whisky.

  157. A silver sugar bowl.

  158. A naval cutlass.

  159. A pair of bellows.

  160. A fire poker.

  161. A porcelain vase.

  162. A psalter.

  163. A morocco-bound book (a volume of Orme history).

  164. A photograph of a boy with a teddy bear (black and white).

  165. A wading stick.

  166. A silver-gilt and glass pepper pot.

  167. A wrought-iron fireguard.

  168. A coal scuttle.

  169. Twelve book dust-wrappers.

  170. An iron mantrap.

  171. A fish kettle.

  172. A black leather riding boot.

  173. A glass-crystal fruit bowl.

  174. A teddy bear without a mouth.

  175. A wooden spinning top.

  176. A wooden yo-yo.

  177. A cricket bat.

  178. A puppet (of a boy with a long nose).

  179. A tricycle.

  180. A birth certificate.

  181. A death certificate.

  182. The remains of a mouse nailed to a board (labelled).

  183. The remains of a mouse nailed to a board (labelled).

  184. A light switch.

  185. A shooting stick.

  186. A chewed dog collar with name tag (inscribed).

  187. A lampshade dog collar.

  188. Eight hinges from a dressing screen.

  189. A bedside light.

  190. A letter of resignation.

  191. A bell pull.

  192. A naked porcelain doll.

  193. One half of a pair of curtains.

  194. A number of tapers.

  195. A farewell letter.

  196. A letter of apology.

  197. A letter from a master to his housekeeper.

  198. A housekeeper’s keys.

  199. A servant’s livery.

  200. Two ice tr
ays.

  201. A set of children’s building blocks.

  202. Six dismissal letters.

  203. A hookah pipe.

  204. A clockwork toy train.

  205. A tub of floor wax.

  206. Seven screws taken from a boiler.

  207. A dustpan and brush.

  208. Four postcards from foreign cities.

  209. The key to the servants’ hall.

  210. An antique box camera.

  211. A tin of silver polish.

  212. A shoe grate.

  213. A tear-stained confession (ink on paper).

  214. A letter to notify termination of contract.

  215. A monocle.

  216. A tennis racket bracket.

  217. A lavatory handle.

  218. A mummified cat.

  219. An oriental rug.

  220. A dog bowl.

  221. A globe (celestial).

  222. A quantity of green baize (from a door).

  223. A bottle of aspirin tablets.

  224. A list of items to be auctioned (booklet).

  225. An auctioneer’s hammer.

  226. A cheque made out to an auctioneering company.

  227. Two rolls of wallpaper.

  228. A drum of household electricity wire.

  229. A hacksaw.

  230. An electric drill.

  231. Two boiler suits.

  232. A carefully cut length of skirting board.

  233. An industrial floor polisher.

  234. The insides of a telephone.

  235. A tool box.

  236. A fuse box.

  237. Thirteen paintbrushes.

  238. A ballet shoe.

  239. A new resident’s first set of keys.

  240. Seven invitations to a house-warming party.

  241. An unused doormat.

  242. A length of bandage.

  243. A number of photographs of the sun’s chromosphere.

  244. A travel book.

  245. A metronome.

  246. A will.

  247. A cashmere scarf.

  248. A medal (silver, ribbon).

  249. A map of Western Europe.

  250. A map of Eastern Europe.

  251. A photograph of a wedding.

  252. A tennis racket.

  253. A wooden clog.

  254. A bugle.

  255. An X-ray of a pair of lungs.

  256. A plastic male doll.

  257. A dried globe fish.

  258. A paraffin lamp.

  259. A trumpet.

  260. A pair of spectacles.

  261. A pebble.

  262. A Ventolin inhaler.

  263. A leather boxing glove.

  264. A dog collar (for a priest).

  265. A quantity of communion wafers.

  266. A book of fairy tales.

  267. Four lace bonnets.

  268. A military sword.

  269. A can-opener.

  270. A book of instructions (for a child’s model kit).

  271. A piece of cardboard with writing on it (belonging to a tramp).

  272. A passport.

  273. A number of guitar strings.

  274. A discus.

  275. A death mask.

  276. A hand-drawn map.

  277. A shopping basket.

  278. An umbrella.

  279. A pair of aeroplane tickets (non-returnable).

  280. A cross-cut saw.

  281. A pencil drawing of a hunchback.

  282. A woollen mitten.

  283. A crucifix.

  284. A gold sports medal.

  285. A reel of barbed wire.

  286. A tap-dancing shoe.

  287. A leather punch bag.

  288. A dog whistle.

  289. A calfskin gauntlet.

  290. A record player.

  291. A lawnmower blade.

  292. A death threat (letters cut from a newspaper glued on to white paper).

  293. A length of stair carpet.

  294. The transcripts from a trial.

  295. A tin of dried tea leaves.

  296. A tax rebate (cheque).

  297. A collection of scissors (twenty-six pairs).

  298. A pair of moleskin trousers.

  299. A list of records from a jukebox.

  300. A bottle of massage oil.

  301. A pair of walking sticks.

  302. A nail brush.

  303. A blue shirt.

  304. An appointment book.

  305. A quantity of keys on a keyring.

  306. A road sign.

  307. A zoetrope.

  308. A quantity of dried chillies.

  309. A bird’s nest.

  310. A shopping list.

  311. A puppet on a stick.

  312. A child’s potty (enamelware).

  313. A Bible (leather bound).

  314. The top of a human thumb (wrapped in cotton wool).

  315. A tin foot bowl.

  316. A school photograph.

  317. A guidebook to a public abattoir.

  318. A component from a washing machine.

  319. A book of philosophy.

  320. A glassblower’s iron pipe.

  321. A child’s story book.

  322. A dog-leg chisel.

  323. A black leather belt.

  324. An address book.

  325. The peddle from a sewing machine.

  326. A microphone.

  327. A silver teaspoon.

  328. A dried starfish.

  329. A book on dieting.

  330. A quill pen.

  331. A Noah’s ark (containing twenty wooden animals and two wooden people).

  332. A plastic doll that wets itself.

  333. An oboe reed.

  334. A urine sample (inside a test tube).

  335. The lid of a baptismal font.

  336. A rudder.

  337. A child’s drum.

  338. An electric toaster.

  339. A gym slip.

  340. A Petit’s tourniquet.

  341. A wineglass with a lipstick mark on its rim.

  342. A betting slip.

  343. A bottle of liquid paper.

  344. A Jew’s harp.

  345. A blow pipe.

  346. A plastic toy tank.

  347. A political manifesto.

  348. A bull’s-eye (from a dartboard).

  349. A knuckle duster.

  350. A poster of a screen idol.

  351. A tin of straw-hat varnish.

  352. A telegram.

  353. A pair of pearl earrings

  354. A paper flag on a wooden stick.

  355. A metal detector.

  356. A dinosaur model kit.

  357. A code book.

  358. A library book.

  359. A library card.

  360. A piece of shrapnel.

  361. A pair of pyjama bottoms (unclean).

  362. A length of tartan material.

  363. A number of exhibition catalogues.

  364. A flag.

  365. A tooth mug.

  366. A tube of spot cream.

  367. A kazoo.

  368. A medical dictionary.

  369. The tusk of a narwhal.

  370. A battery-operated torch (rubber casing).

  371. A handwritten map of the whereabouts of a grave (paper).

  372. A pair of boots, one with raised heel and metal supports.

  373. A cardboard theatre.

  374. A book of illustrated stories.

  375. A quantity of sand stored in a glass receptacle.

  376. A pair of earphones.

  377. A fob watch.

  378. A soldier’s bayonet.

  379. A blood-stained tea cosy.

  380. A television’s remote control.

  381. A saline drip.

  382. A cheap piece of jewellery (engraved).

  383. A roller skate.

  384. A top hat.

  385. A smoke alarm.

&nbs
p; 386. A corduroy jacket.

  387. A brass doorknocker.

  388. A fingerless shooting glove.

  389. A medical bracelet.

  390. A darning egg.

  391. A boomerang (karenya wood).

  392. A beer mat (with a telephone number written on it).

  393. A radiator tap.

  394. A job contract (to work at a waxworks exhibition).

  395. A list of rules and conditions in the workplace.

  396. A city map.

  397. A hat pin.

  398. A fragment of a wax ear.

  399. A wooden hoop.

  400. An ink pad.

  401. A rubber stamp.

  402. A blue sock.

  403. A paintbox.

  404. A nurse’s uniform.

  405. A dunce’s cap.

  406. A harmonica.

  407. A miniature statue of Buddha.

  408. A Saint Christopher medallion.

  409. A pair of candy-striped braces.

  410. An ostrich feather.

  411. A soldier’s helmet.

  412. A bottle of arsenic.

  413. An artist’s preliminary sketches.

  414. A circular saw blade.

  415. A sculptor’s spatula.

  416. A silver propelling pencil.

  417. Moulds from a wax head.

  418. A quantity of fair hair.

  419. A wax foot.

  420. A glass eyeball.

  421. A silk headscarf.

  422. A machine for counting notes of money.

  423. A quantity of brown hair.

  424. A postcard of the founder of a wax museum.

  425. A kaleidoscope.

  426. A black and white photograph (a family portrait).

  427. A pair of black leather gloves.

  428. A packet of cigarettes (unopened).

  429. A metal cog.

  430. A hot-water bottle.

  431. An architect’s plan.

  432. A number of matchstick boxes (all empty).

  433. A quantity of ginger hair.

  434. A wilted rose.

  435. A sports trophy.

  436. A silver bracelet.

  437. A bow and arrow.

  438. A wax pear.

  439. A pair of tortoiseshell spectacles.

  440. A child’s raincoat.

  441. A dog’s lead.

  442. A piano key.

  443. A pair of swimming goggles.

  444. A chorister’s gown.

  445. A wind-resistant cigarette lighter.

  446. A set square.

  447. A protractor.

  448. A compass.

  449. A blunt pencil.

  450. A schoolboy’s homework.

  451. A silver tiepin (engraved).

  452. A rifle’s telescopic lens.

  453. A quantity of red ribbon.

  454. An epaulette.

  455. A black cotton waistcoat.

  456. A pair of leather slippers.

  457. A wheel from a hospital bed.

  458. A bar of soap (lemon smelling).

  459. Four tins of consommé soup.

  460. A hearing trumpet.

  461. An anglepoise lamp.

  462. A ball, chain and ankle cuff.

  463. A plastercast of a person’s teeth.

 

‹ Prev