"What!--a treasure--dug up?"



"Yes--buried wealth--treasure trove. Come out of the ground. What

I kept on saying--regular treasure. . . ." He looked at me with

unusual disrespect.



"It wasn't more than a foot deep, not the top of it," he said.

"I'd 'ardly got thirsty like, before I come on the corner."



"Go on," I said. "I didn't understand."



"Why! Directly I 'it the box I knew it was treasure. A sort of instinct

told me. Something seemed to shout inside of me--'Now's your chance--

lie low.' It's lucky I knew the laws of treasure trove or I'd 'ave been

shoutin' there and then. I daresay you know--"



"Crown bags it," I said, "all but one per cent. Go on. It's a shame.

What did you do?"



"Uncovered the top of the box. There wasn't anybody in the garden

or about like. Jane was 'elping 'er mother do the 'ouse. I WAS

excited--I tell you. I tried the lock and then gave a whack at

the hinges. Open it came. Silver coins--full! Shining. It made me

tremble to see 'em. And jest then--I'm blessed if the dustman didn't

come round the back of the 'ouse. It pretty nearly gave me 'eart

disease to think what a fool I was to 'ave that money showing. And

directly after I 'eard the chap next door--'e was 'olidaying, too--

I 'eard him watering 'is beans. If only 'e'd looked over the fence!"



"What did you do?"



"Kicked the lid on again and covered it up like a shot, and went

on digging about a yard away from it--like mad. And my face, so

to speak, was laughing on its own account till I had it hid. I tell

you I was regular scared like at my luck. I jest thought that it

'ad to be kep' close and that was all. 'Treasure,' I kep' whisperin'

to myself, 'Treasure' and ''undreds of pounds, 'undreds, 'undreds

of pounds.' Whispering to myself like, and digging like blazes. It

seemed to me the box was regular sticking out and showing, like your

legs do under the sheets in bed, and I went and put all the earth

I'd got out of my 'ole for the rockery slap on top of it. I WAS

in a sweat. And in the midst of it all out toddles 'er father.

He didn't say anything to me, jest stood behind me and stared,

but Jane tole me afterwards when he went indoors, 'e says, 'That

there jackanapes of yours, Jane'--he always called me a jackanapes

some'ow--'knows 'ow to put 'is back into it after all.' Seemed quite

impressed by it, 'e did."



"How long was the box?" I asked, suddenly.



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