cident, sir, yer see he aren't a
haccidental sort o' chap."

"Well, about his disappearance."

"Disappearance, sir?" said Smith. "I aren't no scholard, but I don't
see as how a man can disappear in the dark. That aren't nat'ral, is
it?"

"No: of course not, a blunder of mine, Smith. Do you feel cold?"

"No, sir, on'y just comf'able. Watcher think o' doing?"

"I did mean to go right to where we stood looking down over the water
toward the falls, so as to be near poor Wriggs, but our voices would be
quite drowned."

"Might take a walk there, sir, all the same," said Smith, "an' then come
back, you know. But I say, sir, you don't think there's no underground
sort o' wild beasties here, do you?"

"No, Smith, nothing of the kind."

"No big sort of worms as might twissen round yer and pull yer into their
holes?"

"No, Smith, I think we shall have the place all to ourselves."

"And no t'other sort o' things, sir?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, sir, I don't quite azakly know, but it comes natral like to be
feared o' being in the dark, and one has heard o' bogies and ghosties
and that sort o' thing."

"Did you ever see anything of the kind?"

"Well, no, sir, I never did, but I've heerd chaps say as they've seen
some rum things in their time from sea sarpents downwards."

"As to sea-serpents or some kind of monstrous creature similar to the
old saurians--"

"Sawrians, sir,--do you mean sea sawrians?"

"Sea and river; the crocodiles whose remains we find as fossils. There
is plenty of room in the sea, Smith, and, as a naturalist, I am quite
ready to believe in something fresh being discovered. We have seen
small sea-serpents, and there is no reason why there might not be big
ones, but as to what you call bogies and ghosts, for goodness sake throw
over all those silly superstitious notions."

"What, don't you believe people ever comes back arter they're dead?"

"On purpose to frighten the living? No, Smith, I do not. It is an
insult to the greatness of nature and the whole scheme of creation."

"Well, sir, speakin' as a man as couldn't help feelin' a bit
uncomfortable here in the dark with on'y one looficer in his pocket, it
does me good to hear you say that, though it is a bit higher up than I
can quite reach with my head. You've made me feel a deal better, for it
aren't nice to think as there's anything o' that sort to upset you when
the place is quite bad enough without."

"Of course it is,"