veins: so Malcolm was compelled to turn a monk, and he died soon
after in the priory, of pure despite and vexation. Naebody ever kenn'd
whare his uncle the prior earded him, or what he did wi' his gowd and
silver, for he stood on the right o' halie kirk, and wad gie nae account
to onybody. But the prophecy gat abroad in the country, that whenever
Misticot's grave was fund out, the estate of Knockwinnock should be lost
and won."

"Ach! mine goot old friend, Maister Edie, and dat is not so very
unlikely, if Sir Arthurs will quarrel wit his goot friends to please Mr.
Oldenbuck.--And so you do tink dat dis golds and silvers belonged to goot
Mr. Malcolm Mishdigoat?"

"Troth do I, Mr. Dousterdeevil."

"And you do believe dat dere is more of dat sorts behind?"

"By my certie do I--How can it be otherwise?--Search--No. I--that is as
muckle as to say, search and ye'll find number twa. Besides, yon kist
is only silver, and I aye heard that' Misticot's pose had muckle yellow
gowd in't."

"Den, mine goot friends," said the adept, jumping up hastily, "why do we
not set about our little job directly?"

"For twa gude reasons," answered the beggar, who quietly kept his
sitting posture;--"first, because, as I said before, we have naething
to dig wi', for they hae taen awa the picks and shules; and, secondly,
because there will be a wheen idle gowks coming to glower at the hole as
lang as it is daylight, and maybe the laird may send somebody to fill it
up--and ony way we wad be catched. But if you will meet me on this place
at twal o'clock wi' a dark lantern, I'll hae tools ready, and we'll gang
quietly about our job our twa sells, and naebody the wiser for't."

"Be--be--but, mine goot friend," said Dousterswivel, from whose
recollection his former nocturnal adventure was not to be altogether
erased, even by the splendid hopes which Edie's narrative held forth,
"it is not so goot or so safe, to be about goot Maister Mishdigoat's
grabe at dat time of night--you have forgot how I told you de spirits did
hone and mone dere. I do assure you, dere is disturbance dere."

"If ye're afraid of ghaists," answered the mendicant, coolly, "I'll do
the job mysell, and bring your share o' the siller to ony place you like
to appoint."

"No--no--mine excellent old Mr. Edie,--too much trouble for you--I will not
have dat--I will come myself--and it will be bettermost; for, mine old
friend, it was I, Herman Dousterswivel, discovered Maister Mish