re was no doubt of it. He worked
away in great excitement, widening the hole as much as he could.

Yes, it was masonry, or if it was not masonry it was something
uncommonly like it. He drew the crow out of the hole, and, seizing the
shovel, commenced to dig again with renewed vigour. As he could no
longer conveniently throw the earth from the hole he took a "skep" or
leaf basket, which lay handy, and, placing it beside him, put as much
of the sandy soil as he could carry into it, and then lifting shot it
on the edge of the pit. For three-quarters of an hour he laboured thus
most manfully, till at last he came down on the stonework. He cleared
a patch of it and examined it attentively, by the light of the dark
lantern. It appeared to be rubble work built in the form of an arch.
He struck it with the iron crow and it gave back a hollow sound. There
was a cavity of some sort underneath.

His excitement and curiosity redoubled. By great efforts he widened
the spot of stonework already laid bare. Luckily the soil, or rather
sand, was so friable that there was very little exertion required to
loosen it. This done he took the iron crow, and inserting it beneath a
loose flat stone levered it up. Here was a beginning, and having got
rid of the large flat stone he struck down again and again with all
his strength, driving the sharp point of the heavy crow into the
rubble work beneath. It began to give, he could hear bits of it
falling into the cavity below. There! it went with a crash, more than
a square foot of it.

He leant over the hole at his feet, devoutly hoping that the ground on
which he was standing would not give way also, and tried to look down.
Next second he threw his head back coughing and gasping. The foul air
rushing up from the cavity or chamber, or whatever it was, had half
poisoned him. Then not without difficulty he climbed out of the grave
and sat down on the pile of sand he had thrown up. Clearly he must
allow the air in the place to sweeten a little. Clearly also he must
have assistance if he was to descend into the great hole. He could not
undertake this by himself.

He sat upon the edge of the pit wondering who there was that he might
trust. Not his own gardener. To begin with he would never come near
the place at night, and besides such people talk. The Squire? No, he
could not rouse him at this hour, and also, for obvious reasons, they
had not met lately. Ah, he had it. George was the man! To begin