Free Aunt Sophie's Diamonds by Joan Smith

Jonathon.
    "It's my turn now, Gabriel. I wish you had brought two shovels. We shall be here half the night."
    "I'm winded,” Gab replied and handed the shovel to Miss Milmont, the possessor of the soft voice. She began digging away like any man. She tired pretty soon, and Gabriel took over again. For half an hour they dug away, while Hillary watched in silence from his place of concealment. He disliked that a third party had been brought in. During his vigil, it occurred to him that Gab's questions about Miss Milmont had been because she was to join the dig. Oh, yes, and that's why he hadn't seen his nephew go up to Swallowcourt, too.
    The lid of the coffin was finally unearthed. He could hear the harder slap of the shovel against the wood when this happened. There was some excited discussion among the group, and Miss Milmont handed a crowbar to Gabriel.
    "I told you the lid would be nailed down. Now aren't you glad you asked me? Just think if you got this far and had to turn back for lack of a crowbar.” The squawk was clearly audible when Gab succeeded in prizing off the lid. Some other sound seemed to occur as well—some half-human preternatural sound, as of a banshee howling.
    "Good God!” Gabriel shouted loudly.
    "You cannot mean someone's beaten us to it!” Miss Milmont answered.
    "No, there's a steel box welded shut under the wooden coffin. No wonder she seemed to weigh a ton."
    "Oh, the wretch!” Loo complained, but Miss Milmont went into a very girlish fit of giggles, and Hillary too found himself stifling a laugh into his fist.
    Getting herself under control, Miss Milmont said in a matter-of-fact voice, “What a bother! We shall have to return tomorrow night with a welding torch. I expect we should fill back in the earth, in case someone happens to come by tomorrow."
    "Damnation!” Gabriel exploded, and began to shovel. “Whoever heard of such a stunt. Burying yourself in a steel box, sealed shut, I think she was crazy."
    "It was to protect the diamonds very likely,” Miss Milmont told him.
    "I don't see how we are to get a welding torch here,” Gabriel complained on. “What we ought to do is take the coffin along home, and open it there in the stables, then bring it back tomorrow night."
    "That odious Sir Hillary would not let us use his stable for Aunt Sophie,” Miss Milmont answered unhesitatingly, and Thoreau's eyebrows rose in the darkness. Odious, am I? “But a steel coffin would be too heavy in any case,” the soft voice went on. “And we didn't think to bring a carriage—only our mounts. As I may very likely have to carry Casper home on my back, I don't see how it can be contrived.” Lord, had she pulled that sluggard of a Casper all the way from Swallowcourt?
    "It can't, of course,” Gabriel agreed. “The six of us men today could hardly lift it. Well, what a waste of time!"
    "I was never so gammoned in my life,” Miss Milmont agreed mildly.
    "It is exactly like Aunt Sophie,” Loo told then both in an angry tone.
    "She sounds a positive beast,” Claudia said, “I am becoming quite happy I never met her till she was at death's door. And the one look she cast on me was very disapproving, too, now I consider it. She would have liked to light into me for not coming sooner, I bet."
    "You're lucky she was dying,” Loo replied.
    "It will serve her well to have the diamonds ripped from her rotting corpse,” Claudia continued.
    "Will it be decomposing already?” Gabriel asked, in a voice trying to conceal the horror he felt.
    "I daresay it will have reached an advanced state of putrefaction before we get the steel box open,” Claudia answered readily and with satisfaction. “Though it is quite cold, and that preserves flesh. In fact, Loo, I don't know about you, but I'm freezing in this ventilated suit you found for me. Shall we all help replace the earth and go on home?"
    "We might as well,” Loo answered, “but I'll never forgive her for this. Never."
    "No more you should,” Claudia