“Very well; try it.”
“I’d rayther not. I—I—Couldn’t we postpone this here? It’s so solemn!”
“Postpone it! Why, man, what are you thinking of? Postpone it! Nonsense! Think of your baby. Postpone it! And you pretend to be a father!”
Captain Corbet drew a long sigh.
“I feel,” said he, “rayther uncomfortable here;” and he pressed his hand against his manly bosom.
“Never mind,” said Bart. “Come; try the mineral rod.”
Captain Corbet took the rod, and tried to balance it on his finger; but his hand trembled so that it at once fell to the ground.
The boys gave a cry of delight. He had been standing, as before, in the middle of the cellar, and the rod fell in the former place.
“Not a bit of doubt about it!” cried Phil. “There it goes again! Come, let’s go to work, boys.”
“But we must have some ceremonies,” said Bart. “It would never do to begin to dig without something.”