"Fool!—the wench must be provided for. Look thee,—if she get away, she'll spoil all. When dead, young Buckley must be charged with the murder."
"Weel, weel; but I'll ha' nought more to do wi't. E'en tak' your own fling,—I'll wash my hands on't a'together, an' so——"
"I want help, thou chicken-faced varlet,—come, budge,—to thy work; we may have helpers to the booty, if time be lost."
"Mercy on us!" said Tim, in great dolour, "I wish I had ne'er had aught to do wi' treasure-hunting an' sich like occupation. If ever I get rid of this job, if I don't stick to my old trade hang me up to dry."
"Hold thy peace, carrion! and remember, should a whisper even escape thee, I will have thee hanged in good earnest."
"Aye, aye; just like Satan 'ticing to iniquity, an' then, biggest rogue al'ays turns retriever."
"None o' thy pretences; thou hast as liquorish a longing after the gold as any miser in the parish, and when the broad pieces and the silver nobles jingle in thy fob, thoul't forget thy qualms, and thank me into the bargain. Now to work. Let me see, what did the sleeping beauty say? Humph,—'Under the main pillar at the south-east corner.' Good. Nay, man, don't light up yet. Let us get fairly under ground first, for fear of accidents."
To the great alarm of Dr. Dee, who heard every word, these two worthies came straight towards the opening. He drew on one side at a venture. Luckily, it proved the right one; they proceeded up the passage in the opposite direction. He heard them groping at the further end. A trap-door was evidently raised, and he was pretty well convinced they had found the way to the vaults; probably it had been blocked up for ages until recently, and, in all likelihood, Tim had pointed it out, as well as the notion that treasure was concealed somewhere in these labyrinths.
How to make this discovery in some way subservient to his mission was the next consideration; and with a firm conviction, generally the forerunner of success, he determined to employ some bold stratagem for their detection. They were now fairly in the trap, and he hoped to make sure of the vermin. For this end he cautiously felt his way to the opposite extremity of the passage, where he found the floor emitted a hollow sound. This was assuredly the entrance; but he tried in vain,—it resisted every effort. Here, however, he determined to keep watch and seize them if possible on their egress, trusting to his good fortune or his courage for help in any emergency that might ensue. At times he laid his ear to the ground, but nothing was audible as to their operations below. This convinced him they were at a considerable distance from the entry, but he felt assured that ere long they must emerge from their den, when, taken by surprise, he should have little difficulty in securing the first that came forth, keeping fast the door until he had made sure of his captive.
He watched patiently for some time, when all on a sudden he heard a rumbling subterraneous noise, and he plainly felt the ground tremble under his feet. A loud shriek was heard below, and presently footsteps approaching the entrance. He had scarcely time to draw aside ere the door was burst open, and some one rushed forth. The Doctor seized him by the throat, and, ere he had recovered from his consternation, dragged him out of the passage.