he saw nothing;
but the third time, from the West came a sharp thunder-peal; and he
had hardly finished his work when the rain fell in a sheet, and
splashed in the trenches.

Then he turned to the treasure which lay beside him. He found that he
could not carry more than a few of the bars at a time; and he dared
not leave the rest uncovered. So he covered them with earth and went
stealthily down to the house; and there he got, with much precaution,
a barrow from the garden. But the fear of discovery came upon him; and
he determined to go into the house and sup as usual, and late at night
convey the treasure to the house. For the time, his trove gave him no
joy; he could not have believed it would have so weighed on him--he
felt more like one who had some guilty secret to conceal, than a man
to whom had befallen a great joy.

He went to the house, changed his wet clothes, and came to supper with
his mother. To her accustomed questions as to what they had found, he
took out the coins and showed them her, saying nothing of the gold,
but with a jesting word that these would hardly repay him for his
trouble. He could scarcely speak at supper for thinking of what he had
found; and every now and then there came upon him a dreadful fear that
he had been observed digging, and that even now some thief had stolen
back there and was uncovering his hoard. His mother looked at him
often, and at last said that he looked very weary; to which he replied
with some sharpness, so that she said no more.

Then all at once, near the end of the meal, he had the same dreadful
fear that he had felt by the pit. It seemed to him as though some one
came near him and stood close behind him, bending over his shoulder;
and a kind of icy coldness fell on him. He started and looked quickly
round. His mother looked anxiously at him, and said, "What is it, dear
Walter?" He made some excuse; but presently feeling that he must be
alone, he excused himself and went to his room, where he sate, making
pretence to read, till the house should be silent.

Then when all were abed, at an hour after midnight, he forced himself
to rise and put on his rough clothes, though a terror lay very sore
upon him, and go out to the garden, creeping like a thief. He had with
him a lantern; and he carried the barrow on his shoulders for fear
that the creaking of the wheel should awake some one; and then
stumbling and sweating, and in a great weariness, he went by woodpaths