“My plan of procedure was a very simple one, and I had purposely made it so in order that it might be more easily remembered.  I was well acquainted with the position of the opening by which I had entered.  For several days I had studied carefully its relation to other points in the surrounding country.  Starting from this opening, my plan was to proceed inward through the long corridor until I came to a transverse passage; to pass this until I reached another; to pass this also, and to go on until I came to a third; then I would turn to my left and proceed until I had passed two other transverse passages and reached a third; then I would again turn to my left and count the open tombs on my left hand.  When I reached the third tomb I would stop.  Thus there would be a series of three threes, and it was scarcely possible that I could forget that.

“At this period a great many of the tombs were open, having been despoiled even of the few bones they contained.  The opening at which I stopped was quite a large one, and when I put my light inside I found it was entirely empty.

“Lighting another rush-candle, I stuck it in the bottom of the tomb, which was about four feet above the floor of the passage, and drawing my large dagger, I proceeded to dig a hole in the left-hand corner nearest the front.  The earth was dry and free from stones, and I soon made a hole two feet deep, at the bottom of which I placed my box.  Then I covered it up, pressing the earth firmly down into the hole.  When this was entirely filled, I smoothed away the rest of the earth I had taken out, and after I finished my work, the floor of the tomb did not look as if it had been disturbed.  Then I went away, reached the passage three tombs from me, turned to the right, went on until I reached the third transverse passage, then went on until I came to the entrance.  It was raining heavily, but I was glad to get out into the storm.”

[Illustration:  “‘I proceeded to dig A hole.’”]

“Now, please hurry on,” said Mrs. Crowder.  “When did thee get them again?”

“A great many things happened in Egypt,” said Mr. Crowder, “some pleasant and some unpleasant, and they kept me there a long time.  After that I went to Constantinople, and subsequently resided in Greece and in Venice.  I lived very comfortably during the greater part of this period, and therefore there was no particular reason why I should go after my jewels.  So it happened that, for one cause or another, I did not go back to Rome until early in the nineteenth century, and I need not assure you that almost the first place I visited was the catacombs.