A Hidden Drawer

The brass drop handle where my suspended snail shell hung offered an inviting foothold down to the base cabinet. Gripping the carved molding with both hands, I dropped lightly onto the dusty floor runner. A hairline seam along the baseboard revealed a shallow, forgotten drawer recessed flush into the plinth. Wedging my fingers beneath the ornate brass escutcheon, I braced my boots and levered the cedar drawer outward inch by inch. Inside lay an ivory measuring rule and a dry, velvet-wrapped lead weights box. I carefully withdrew the smooth ivory rule, its faded ink lines still sharp in the evening gloom.