, if we were both to die and
the things were forgotten."

"Shocking? Be a good job," he cried. "A man who has a lot of gold in
his care is always miserable.--Taken out of your desk, you say. When?"

"Ah, that I can't tell, Sir John. It might have been done years ago,
for aught I know."

"And the old gold plate all stolen and melted down, and spent. Here
have I been thinking you a trustworthy man. There; we must see to it at
once. I shan't rest till I know it is safe."

It seemed to me then that he snatched at the chance of finding something
to do to take his attention off his trouble, for when I asked him if I
should get a bricklayer to come in, he turned upon me like a lion.
"Burdon," he said, "we'll get this job done, and then I shall have to
make arrangements for you to go into an imbecile ward."

"Very good, Sir John," I said patiently.

"Very good!" he cried, laughing now. "There; be off, and get together
what tools you have, and as soon as the servants have gone to bed, we'll
go and open the old cellar ourselves."

STORY TWO, CHAPTER EIGHT.

THE SIGNET RING.

It was exactly twelve o'clock by the chiming timepiece in the hall.
Just the hour for such a task, I felt with a sort of shiver, as Sir John
came down to the pantry, where I had candles ready, and a small crowbar
used for opening packing-cases, and a screw-driver.

"Everybody seems quiet up-stairs, Burdon," says Sir John, "so let's get
to work at once.--But, hillo! just put out a lamp?"

"No, Sir John," I said. "I often smell that now; but I've never been
able to make out what it is."

"Humph! Strange," he says; and then we went straight to the cellar, the
great baize door at the top of the kitchen steps being shut; and
directly after we were standing on the damp sawdust with the bins of
wine all round.

"It hasn't been touched, apparently, and there seems to be no need; but
I should like to see if it is all right. But we shall never get through
there, Burdon," he says, looking at the bricked-up wall, across the way
to the inner cellar.

"I don't know," I said, taking off my coat and rolling up my sleeves, to
find that though the highest price had been paid for that bricklaying,
the cheat of a fellow who had the job had used hardly a bit of sand and
bad lime, so that, after I had loosened one brick and levered it out,
all the others came away one at a time quite clear of the mortar.

"Never mind," says Sir John. "Out of evil