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Updated: May 18, 2025
I remember this great dark hill of ashes like Death's kingdom, full of all sorts of strange things, and put to many uses." "Where do you live?" asked old Doubleyear. "Shall we try and take you home, sir?" The stranger shook his head mournfully.
"I'm sure I saw it!" cried he, and again made a dash with both hands into a fresh place, and began to distribute the ashes and dust and rubbish on every side, to the great merriment of all the rest. "What did you see, Jemmy?" asked old Doubleyear, in a compassionate tone. "Oh, I don't know," said the boy, "only it was like a bit of something made of real gold!"
Toward this dusky mountain old Peg Dotting was now making her way. Advancing toward the Dust-heap by an opposite path, very narrow, and just reclaimed from the mud by a thick layer of freshly-broken flints, there came at the same time Gaffer Doubleyear, with his bone-bag slung over his shoulder.
Old Doubleyear spoke first: "I had a bad night of it with the rats some years ago they runn'd all over the floor, and over the bed, and one on 'em come'd and guv a squeak close into my ear so I couldn't sleep comfortable. I wouldn't ha' minded a trifle of it, but this was too much of a good thing.
Accordingly, the three, without a moment's hesitation, dragged the body along to the Dust-heap, where they made a deep trench, in which they placed it, covering it all over up to the neck. "There now," ejaculated Peggy, sitting down with a long puff to recover her breath, "he'll lie very comfortable, whether or no." "Couldn't lie better," said old Doubleyear, "even if he knew it."
"When I was quite a young thing," continued she, addressing old John Doubleyear, who threw up the dust into her sieve, "it was the fashion to wear pink roses in the shoes, as bright as that morsel of ribbon Sally has just picked out of the dust; yes, and sometimes in the hair, too, on one side of the head, to set off the white powder and salve-stuff.
"Why, if there isn't a man's head in the canal!" suddenly cried little Jem. "Looky there! isn't that a man's head? Yes; it's a drownded man!" "A drownded man, as I live!" ejaculated old Doubleyear. "Let's get him out, and see!" cried Peggy. "Perhaps the poor soul's not quite gone." Little Jem scuttled off to the edge of the canal, followed by the two old people.
In all probability some of the men would have taken it from him, "to try and find the owner," but for the presence and interference of his friends Peg Dotting and old Doubleyear, whose great age, even among the present company, gave them a certain position of respect and consideration. So all the rest now went their way, leaving the three to examine and speculate on the prize.
The three now seated themselves close by, to await the result. "I thought I'd a lost him," said Jem, "and myself too; and when I pulled Daddy in arter me, I guv us all three up for this world." "Yes," said Doubleyear, "it must have gone queer with us if Peggy had not come in with the rake. How d'yee feel, old girl? for you've had a narrow escape too.
A loud cry burst from both of them, which was yet more loudly echoed by Peggy on the bank. Doubleyear and the boy were now struggling almost in the middle of the canal, with the body of the man twirling about between them.
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