"Well, you dropped my father's crowbar. It was you that scared me, dropping it, so you ought to go back for it."
Finally they concluded that all three should go, for company's sake.
They approached the spot very cautiously, the tailor, who had no further reason for frightening them, encouraging them to proceed, but himself keeping a little back, as he was secretly much afraid of ghosts. Luckily for their fears, the candle in the lantern had not gone out, but had burned as it fell, guttering the tallow, and running it over the glass of the lantern. Billy picked it up, and the light flashed out more brightly. Ned also picked up his crowbar, and they turned to leave, when Billy cast a glance at the hole whence the stone he had been working at had fallen.
"Stop," he cried, suddenly; "what's this?"
"What's what?" said Ned.
"There's something in there."
"Dere? where?" said the tailor, pressing forward.
They all three looked in the hole; then Billy thrust in his hand, and drew out a small wooden box. It was crumbling with dry-rot, and without much effort he broke off the lid with his fingers. The boys could scarcely believe their eyes. Ned sprang from the ground and gave a shout. The box was full of money. They were chiefly copper coins and small silver pieces; still, it was a treasure to the boys.
All this time Tailor Vertz had been standing with staring eyes and open mouth. He was amazed, thunder-struck, dumfounded, that he, who had been deceiving the boys with juggling tricks, should have actually showed them a real treasure. All of a sudden it came over him with a rush that he had deliberately led the boys to this spot, and placed their very hands, as it were, upon all this money. He felt as though it had been taken from his own pocket, and burst out in a sudden torrent of words, scolding and stamping his feet in such a way that the boys stood amazed.
"What's the matter?" they cried.