For a long time he held out. I could see that he would willingly have let me enter the church at daylight, and would himself have gone with me; but at night he was afraid to do so, and was also afraid to let me have the keys.
"I ca'ant 'ford to lose my place," he said; "not that the burryin' es wuth much. I ain't a berried a livin' soul for a long time, so times es bad in that way; but I git a goodish bit for clainin' the church."
"How much do you get a year?"
"I make so much as ten shillen a week oal the year round," he said. "I do'ant knaw how much that es a year."
I took fifteen guineas from my pocket, and put them before him.
"There is more money than you would get in a whole year," I said. "If I don't bring back the keys in safety, you'll have that money to take you where you like to go, and if I bring back the keys you shall have five of them for your trouble in lending them to me."
"You'm sure you won't do no harm."
"Perfectly."
"Then take 'em," and going to a little recess in the room he took the keys from a nail and gave them to me.
"I expect you to be waiting for me here when I come back," I said.