"So," said Reginald, giving it a rub with some of the sand by his
side, under which the dim coppery hue turned to a more golden yellow,
"this is Number Three. If the other box is full of such gold
ornaments the find will be worth having."
In this box itself there were no more gold beakers, only, instead, it
was full of silver plate of all kinds, and all enveloped in skins.
There were also two more beakers, but in silver, many cups and
chalices, some with covers to them and some without, several silver
ewers, a long vase all neck and spout, some extremely ancient
candelabras, and a woman's silver dagger, known in old days as a
wedding knife.
"Oh!" said Barbara, appalled at the sight of objects so unfamiliar to
her, who had never drunk out of aught but calabashes, gourds, and
cheap earthenware--"Oh! it seems a sin to dig all these beautiful
things up."
"A greater one to let them lie in the earth," said Reginald with a
laugh. "Come, let's go on to Number Four and see what he has got
inside him."
"Now, Barbara," Reginald said next, as they began on Number Four.
"Shut your eyes until I tell you to open them."
The girl obeyed--indeed, all through this treasure hunt, or, as it had
now become, treasure inspection, they were more like a boy and girl
playing with new toys than a grown man and a young woman just about to
leave her teens behind her--and, when he told her to open them, she
saw that he had come upon a number of little plump bags tied at the
neck. These bags were made of a coarse kind of linen cloth, or Russia
duck, and were much discoloured; yet, rough as they were, they did not
prevent the impression of coins being seen inside.
"Here we come to the money--let's hope it's not copper!" exclaimed
Reginald.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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