“This, then, being the case, you have only to square the number of seconds, and then multiply that product by 16, being the space described by the falling body in the first second, and you will have the required answer: apply this rule to the present case; the stone fell to the bottom in four seconds; square this number, 4×4=16; multiply this by 16, and we obtain 256.” “That,” said Tom, “is certainly much more simple than my method.” “And it has the advantage,” continued Mr. Seymour, “of being more portable for the memory.” “Should any of the villagers observe us,” said Mrs. Seymour, “they will take us for a party of fortune-tellers.” “Of fortune-tellers!” repeated Louisa, with surprise. “Yes, my dear,” replied Mrs. Seymour, “there is a foolish superstition attached to this, and I believe to many other wells in the neighbourhood of remote villages, that by dropping pebbles into it, and observing whether they produce a loud, or only a slight sound, and noticing the number of times they rebound from the sides before they reach the bottom, and other absurd distinctions, a person can predict whether good or evil awaits them.” (5) Mrs. Seymour now proposed the party’s return to the Lodge; but Mr. Twaddleton expressed a hope that they would first favour him with a visit at the vicarage; to which proposition they readily assented. His antiquated residence, mantled in ivy, and shaded by cypress, stood on the confines of the church-yard, from which his grounds were merely separated by a dwarf hedge of sweet-brier and roses; so that the vicar might be said to reside amidst the graves of his departed parishioners, and the turf-clad heap evinced the influence of his fostering care by a grateful return of primroses and violets. Around the house the reverend antiquary had arranged several precious relics, which were too cumbrous for admission within its walls; amongst these was an ancient cross, raised upon a platform on four steps, which from the worn appearance of the stones had evidently been impressed with the foot of many a wandering pilgrim. These mouldering monuments of ancient days cast a shade of solemnity around the dwelling, and announced its inmate as a person of no ordinary stamp.