``We're down to the till now,'' said one of them, ``and the neer a coffin or onything else is here--some cunninger chiel's been afore us, I reckon;''--and the labourer scrambled out of the grave.
``Hout, lad,'' said Edie, getting down in his room--``let me try my hand for an auld bedral;--ye're gude seekers, but ill finders.''
So soon as he got into the grave, he struck his pike-staff forcibly down; it encountered resistance in its descent, and the beggar exclaimed, like a Scotch schoolboy when he finds anything, ``Nae halvers and quarters--hale o' mine ain and 'nane o' my neighbour's.''
Everybody, from the dejected Baronet to the sullen adept, now caught the spirit of curiosity, crowded round the grave, and would have jumped into it, could its space have contained them.
The labourers, who had begun to flag in their monotonous and apparently hopeless task, now resumed their tools, and plied them with all the ardour of expectation.Their shovels soon grated upon a hard wooden surface, which, as the earth was cleared away, assumed the distinct form of a chest, but greatly smaller than that of a coffin.Now all hands were at work to heave it out of the grave, and all voices, as it was raised, proclaimed its weight and augured its value.They were not mistaken.
When the chest or box was placed on the surface, and the lid forced up by a pickaxe, there was displayed first a coarse canvas cover, then a quantity of oakum, and beneath that a number of ingots of silver.A general exclamation hailed a discovery so surprising and unexpected.The Baronet threw his hands and eyes up to heaven, with the silent rapture of one who is delivered from inexpressible distress of mind.Oldbuck, almost unable to credit his eyes, lifted one piece of silver after another.There was neither inscription nor stamp upon them, excepting one, which seemed to be Spanish.He could have no doubt of the purity and great value of the treasure before him.Still, however, removing piece by piece, he examined row by row, expecting to discover that the lower layers were of inferior value; but he could perceive no difference in this respect, and found himself compelled to admit, that Sir Arthur had possessed himself of bullion to the value, perhaps of a thousand pounds sterling.Sir Arthur now promised the assistants a handsome recompense for their trouble, and began to busy himself about the mode of conveying this rich windfall to the Castle of Knockwinnock, when the adept, recovering from his surprise, which had squalled that exhibited by any other individual of the party, twitched his sleeve, and having offered his humble congratulations, turned next to Oldbuck with an air of triumph.
``I did tell you, my goot friend, Mr.Oldenbuck, dat I was to seek opportunity to thank you for your civility; now do you not think I have found out vary goot way to return thank?''
``Why, Mr.Dousterswivel, do you pretend to have had any hand in our good success?--you forget you refused us all aid of your science, man; and you are here without your weapons that should have fought the battle which you pretend to have gained in our behalf: you have used neither charm, lamen, sigil, talisman, spell, crystal, pentacle, magic mirror, nor geomantic figure.Where be your periapts, and your abracadabras man?
your Mayfern, your vervain, Your toad, your crow, your dragon, and your panther, Your sun, your moon, your firmament, your adrop, Your Lato, Azoch, Zernich, Chibrit, Heautarit, With all your broths, your menstrues, your materials, Would burst a man to name?--Ah! rare Ben Jonson! long peace to thy ashes for a scourge of the quacks of thy day!--who expected to see them revive in our own?''
The answer of the adept to the Antiquary's tirade we must defer to our next chapter.