“Upon my word—Scotch, English, and foreign coins, of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and some of them rari—et rariores—etiam rarissimi! Here is the bonnet-piece of James V., the unicorn of James II.,—ay, and the gold festoon of Queen Mary, with her head and the Dauphin’s. And these were really found in the ruins of St. Ruth?”
“Most assuredly—my own eyes witnessed it.”
“Well,” replied Oldbuck; “but you must tell me the when—the where-the how.”
“The when,” answered Sir Arthur, “was at midnight the last full moon—the where, as I have told you, in the ruins of St. Ruth’s priory—the how, was by a nocturnal experiment of Dousterswivel, accompanied only by myself.”
“Indeed!” said Oldbuck; “and what means of discovery did you employ?”
“Only a simple suffumigation,” said the Baronet, “accompanied by availing ourselves of the suitable planetary hour.”
“Simple suffumigation? simple nonsensification—planetary hour? planetary fiddlestick! Sapiens dominabitur astris. My dear Sir Arthur, that fellow has made a gull of you above ground and under ground, and he would have made a gull of you in the air too, if he had been by when you was craned up the devil’s turnpike yonder at Halket-head—to be sure the transformation would have been then peculiarly apropos.”
“Well, Mr. Oldbuck, I am obliged to you for your indifferent opinion of my discernment; but I think you will give me credit for having seen what I say I saw.”
“Certainly, Sir Arthur,” said the Antiquary,—“to this extent at least, that I know Sir Arthur Wardour will not say he saw anything but what he thought he saw.”
“Well, then,” replied the Baronet, “as there is a heaven above us, Mr. Oldbuck, I saw, with my own eyes, these coins dug out of the chancel of St. Ruth at midnight. And as to Dousterswivel, although the discovery be owing to his science, yet, to tell the truth, I do not think he would have had firmness of mind to have gone through with it if I had not been beside him.”