“What on earth did you go there for?” said Ernest, putting his dripping hat on to his head, for the sun was hot.
“I wanted to see the bones. I am very active, and thought that I could get up quite safely; but sand is so slippery. O, I forgot; look here;” and she pointed to a thin cord that was tied to her wrist.
“What is that?”
“Why, it is tied to such an odd lead box that I found in the sand. Mr. Jones said the other day that he thought it was a bit of an old coffin; but it is not, it is a lead box with a rusty iron handle. I could not move it much; but I had this bit of cord with me—I thought I might want it getting down, you know—so I tied one end of it to the handle.”
“Let us pull it up,” said Ernest, unfastening the cord from Eva’s wrist, and beginning to tug.
But the case was too heavy for him to lift alone; indeed, it proved as much as they could all three manage to drag it to the top. However, up it came at last. Ernest examined it carefully, and came to the conclusion that it was very ancient. The massive iron handle at the top of the oblong case was almost eaten through with rust, and the lead itself was much corroded, although, from fragments that still clung to it, it was evident that it had once been protected by an outer case of oak. Evidently the case had been washed out of the churchyard where it had lain for centuries.
“This is quite exciting,” said Eva, who was now sufficiently interested to forget all about her escape. “What can be in it?—treasure or papers, I should think.”
“I don’t know,” answered Ernest; “I should hardly think that they would bury such things in a churchyard. Perhaps it is a small baby.”
“Ernest,” broke in Dorothy, in an agitated way, “I don’t like that thing. I can’t tell you why, but I am sure it is unlucky. I wish that you would throw it back to where it came from, or into the sea. It is a horrid thing, and we have nearly lost our lives over it already.”
“Nonsense, Doll! whoever thought that you were so superstitious? Why, perhaps it is full of money or jewels. Let’s take it home and open it.”