Because of the smallness of the luminous disk, it was difficult at first to make out the appearance of things: they saw a corner of a branch⁠ ⁠… and a leaf⁠ ⁠… and another leaf⁠ ⁠… and, next to it, nothing at all, nothing but the ray of light that seemed to reflect itself.⁠ ⁠… Raoul passed his hand over that nothing, over that reflection.

“Hullo!” he said. “The wall is a looking-glass!”

“Yes, a looking-glass!” said the Persian, in a tone of deep emotion. And, passing the hand that held the pistol over his moist forehead, he added, “We have dropped into the torture-chamber!”

What the Persian knew of this torture-chamber and what there befell him and his companion shall be told in his own words, as set down in a manuscript which he left behind him, and which I copy verbatim .