Answer:
He's reading to try to distract himself from the grief of losing a "rare and radiant maiden" named Lenore. ... Perhaps the gentle knocking on the door causes him to hope that it's Lenore, and he has to tell himself otherwise in order to quell the likely disappointment that reality will bring him.
The pronoun <em>what </em>is used as an interrogative pronoun. These pronouns are used to ask questions usually.
Treasure means valuable objects
