p, listening to the shrill treble of Frau
Ilsy, and the guttural croaking of Dr. Knipperhausen; and the word
went from window to window, "Ah! here's Dolph Heyliger come back, and
at his old pranks again." In short, poor Dolph found he was likely to
get nothing from the doctor but good advice--a commodity so abundant
as even to be thrown out of the window; so he was fain to beat a
retreat, and take up his quarters for the night under the lowly roof
of honest Peter de Groodt.

The next morning, bright and early, Dolph was at the haunted house.
Every thing looked just as he had left it. The fields were grass-grown
and matted, and it appeared as if nobody had traversed them since his
departure. With palpitating heart, he hastened to the well. He looked
down into it, and saw that it was of great depth, with water at the
bottom. He had provided himself with a strong line, such as the
fishermen use on the banks of Newfoundland. At the end was a heavy
plummet and a large fish-hook. With this he began to sound the bottom
of the well, and to angle about in the water. He found that the water
was of some depth; there appeared also to be much rubbish, stones from
the top having fallen in. Several times his hook got entangled, and he
came near breaking his line. Now and then, too, he hauled up mere
trash, such as the skull of a horse, an iron hoop, and a shattered
iron-bound bucket. He had now been several hours employed without
finding any thing to repay his trouble, or to encourage him to
proceed. He began to think himself a great fool, to be thus decoyed
into a wild-goose-chase by mere dreams, and was on the point of
throwing line and all into the well, and giving up all further
angling.

"One more cast of the line," said he, "and that shall be the last." As
he sounded, he felt the plummet slip, as it were, through the
interstices of loose stones; and as he drew back the line, he felt
that the hook had taken hold of something heavy. He had to manage his
line with great caution, lest it should be broken by the strain upon
it. By degrees, the rubbish that lay upon the article which he had
hooked gave way; he drew it to the surface of the water, and what was
his rapture at seeing something like silver glittering at the end of
his line! Almost breathless with anxiety, he drew it up to the mouth
of the well, surprised at its great weight, and fearing every instant
that his hook would slip from its hold, and his prize tumble again to