"Odly just cobe up," said Tom, addressing the doctor, "odly cobe. Such a gabe."
"What is amiss?" inquired Mrs. Delolme.
"Odly cobe idto by study. I've caught hib."
"You have?" cried the doctor.
"Just cobe add look."
The doctor followed him and Sylvester on the instant, and Mrs. Delolme took the arm of Aunt Eleanor and hastily followed the doctor.
Having reached the room door, Tom unlocked it at once, and having thrown the door open, exclaimed, "There dow, what do you thidk of that?"
The doctor looked at the skeleton and smiled.
"What is all this?" said he; "what is the meaning of it, Tom?"
"The beadidg," replied Tom, "is this. Beidg adxious to catch that idsade swell who was cuttidg about the other dight od the parapet, I bought this bachide, add havidg set it last dight, this is all I, at presedt, have got for by buddy."
"Oh! Thomas—Thomas!" cried Mrs. Delolme, raising her hands in a state of mind bordering on despair.
"What's the batter?" said Tom.
"Oh!" replied Mrs. Delolme, with a sigh. "Oh! Thomas—Thomas."
"Why, what do you bead?"
"That ever I should have such a son!"
"Very good," said Tom; "but what is it you bead?"
"Do you mean to say," replied Mrs. Delolme, "Thomas! Do you mean to say that you did not yourself place that figure there, in order that we might believe that it caused that unhallowed disturbance the night before last?"
"Well," exclaimed Tom, "that beats all. I'd better go to bed add sleep, add keep there. I'b victibised every way. What! Do you bead to say that you believe that I could bake byself such a codsubbate dodkey as to cobe up here id the biddle of the dight to place by bad id such a positiod as that, to idspire the belief that it was he who was cuttidg about od the parapet?"
Of all people on earth religious enthusiasts are at once the most credulous and the most sceptical: they readily believe everything ascribable to human nature that is vile, and as readily disbelieve everything connected with human nature that is good. Mrs. Delolme, therefore, did believe that Tom had placed the skeleton there with a view to deceive them, and when she had told him that she believed this, Tom said that he was done.
"I'll dot say adother word," he added; "dot adother syllable. If you'll believe that, there's dothidg bad you'll dot believe."
"Of course," said the doctor, "you found this skeleton in that position?"
"Of course I did," replied Tom. "Do you thidk that I should be such ad idiot as to throw away by buddy upod this bachide for the purpose of stickidg by bad id it thus? I call it hard to be suspected id this badder: very hard; it isd't the thidg—it's dothidg like the thidg; I wod't have it!"
