"Indeed!"
"No. You can have the stone replaced as soon as you like, over the opening to the vaults."
"And you have seen nothing?" said the beadle.
"Nothing to speak of. If you have any doubts or any curiosity, you can easily satisfy yourself. There's the opening. Pray descend. You see I have escaped, so it cannot be very dangerous to do so. I will not myself go again, but I will wait for either of you, if you please. Now, gentlemen, go, and you will be able to make your own discoveries."
"Me?" cried the beadle. "Me? Oh, conwulsions! I thinks I sees me."
"Not I," said the churchwarden. "Cover it up—cover it up. I don't want to go down. I would not do so for a thousand pounds."
A covert smile was upon the lips of Sir Richard Blunt as he heard this, and he added—
"Very well; I have no objection, of course, to its being at once covered up; and I think the least that is said about it, will be the better."
"No doubt of that," said the churchwarden.
"Conwulsions! yes," said the beadle. "If I was only quite sure as all my ribs was whole, I shouldn't mind; but somebody stood a-top of me for a good quarter of an hour, I'm sure."