allerbestmost usage. Consider, mine
honoured sir, that de spirits"--

Here Edie, who began to enter into the humour of the scene, uttered an
extraordinary howl, being an exaltation and a prolongation of the most
deplorable whine in which he was accustomed to solicit charity.

Dousterswivel flung himself on his knees--"Dear Sir Arthurs, let us go,
or let me go!"

"No, you cheating scoundrel!" said the knight, unsheathing the sword
which he had brought for the purposes of the exorcism, "that shift shall
not serve you--Monkbarns warned me long since of your juggling pranks--I
will see this treasure before you leave this place, or I will have you
confess yourself an impostor, or, by Heaven, I'll run this sword through
you, though all the spirits of the dead should rise around us!"

"For de lofe of Heaven be patient, mine honoured patron, and you shall
hafe all de treasure as I knows of--yes, you shall indeed--But do not
speak about de spirits--it makes dem angry."

Edie Ochiltree here prepared himself to throw in another groan, but was
restrained by Lovel, who began to take a more serious interest, as
he observed the earnest and almost desperate demeanour of Sir Arthur.
Dousterswivel, having at once before his eyes the fear of the foul
fiend, and the violence of Sir Arthur, played his part of a conjuror
extremely ill, hesitating to assume the degree of confidence necessary
to deceive the latter, lest it should give offence to the invisible
cause of his alarm. However, after rolling his eyes, muttering and
sputtering German exorcisms, with contortions of his face and person,
rather flowing from the impulse of terror than of meditated fraud, he at
length proceeded to a corner of the building where a flat stone lay upon
the ground, bearing upon its surface the effigy of an armed warrior in a
recumbent posture carved in bas-relief. He muttered to Sir Arthur, "Mine
patrons, it is here--Got save us all!"

Sir Arthur, who, after the first moment of his superstitious fear
was over, seemed to have bent up all his faculties to the pitch of
resolution necessary to carry on the adventure, lent the adept his
assistance to turn over the stone, which, by means of a lever that
the adept had provided, their joint force with difficulty effected. No
supernatural light burst forth from below to indicate the subterranean
treasury, nor was there any apparition of spirits, earthly or infernal.
But when Dousterswivel had, with great trepidat