i first o'erleaped my dear departed stolen `` wife , '' now entangled forever in damned and forgotten bunching bedclothes , and as i reached the middle of the floor i drew my dull but silvern blade , beaten to sturdiness by me , on a simple anvil , and more than a match for all `` better '' such forged gem-encrusted junk , crossing the floor in my powerfullest single stride .