"Thanks, but I like to walk." The man hesitated, then closed the beetle door. "Good night." When the beetle was gone over the hill, Lantry retreated into a nearby forest. A world full of bungling helping people. By God, you couldn't even _walk_ without being accused of sickness. That meant only one thing. He must not walk any longer, he had to ride. He should have accepted that fellow's offer. The rest of the night he walked far enough off the highway so that if a beetle rushed by he had time to vanish in the underbrush. At dawn he crept into an empty dry water-drain and closed his eyes. * * * * * _The dream was as perfect as a rimed snowflake._ _He saw the graveyard where he had lain deep and ripe over the centuries. He heard the early morning footsteps of the laborers returning to finish their work._ _"Would you mind passing me the shovel, Jim?"_ _"Here you go."_ _"Wait a minute, wait a minute!"_ _"What's up?"_ _"Look here. We didn't finish last night, did we?"_ _"No."_ _"There was one more coffin, wasn't there?"_ _"Yes."_ _"Well, here it is, and open!"_ _"You've got the wrong hole."_ _"What's the name say on the gravestone?"_ _"Lantry. William Lantry."_ _"That's him, that's the one! Gone!"_ _"What could have happened to it?"_ _"How do I know. The body was here last night."_ _"We can't be sure, we didn't look."_ _"God, man, people don't bury empty coffins. He was in his box. Now he isn't."_ _"Maybe this box was empty."_ _"Nonsense. Smell that smell? He was here all right."_ _A pause._ _"Nobody would have taken the body, would they?"_ _"What for?"_ _"A curiosity, perhaps."_ _"Don't be ridiculous. People just don't steal. Nobody steals."_ _"Well, then, there's only one solution."_ _"And?"_ _"He got up and walked away."_ _A pause. In the dark dream, Lantry expected to hear laughter. There was none. Instead, the voice of the gravedigger, after a thoughtful pause, said, "Yes. That's it, indeed. He got up and walked away."_ _"That's interesting to think about," said the other._ _"Isn't it, though?"_ _Silence._ * * * * *