He laughed again, as he thought of the sensations his cheerful talk must produce in the mind of the man below.

“Yes,” said Malipieri.  “We may as well do it at once and go to bed.  It is of no use to sit up all night talking about the fellow’s body.  Go and get the rope and the boards.”

Masin was now on his feet and his heavy shoes made a grinding noise on the stones.  At that moment a sound was heard from below, and Malipieri held up a finger and listened.  Somebody was moving in the vault.

“You had better stay where you are,” said Malipieri, speaking down.  “If you show yourself I will drop a stone on your head.”

A hollow voice answered him from the depths.

“Are you Christians,” it asked, “to wall a man up alive?”

“That is what we are going to do,” Malipieri answered coolly.  “Have you anything to say?  It will not take us long to do the job, so you had better speak at once.  How did you get in?”

“If I am to die without getting out, why should I tell you?” enquired the voice.

Malipieri looked at Masin.

“There is a certain sense in what the man says, sir,” Masin said thoughtfully.

“My good man,” said Malipieri, speaking down, “we do not want anybody to know the way to this place for a few days, and as you evidently know it better than we do, we intend to keep you quiet.”

“If you will let me out, I can serve you,” answered the man below.  “There is nobody in Rome who can serve you as I can.”

“Who are you?” asked Malipieri.

“Are you going to let me out, Signor Malipieri?” enquired the man.  “If you are, I will tell you.”

“Oh, you know my name, do you?”

“Perfectly.  You are the engineer engaged by the Senator Volterra to find the treasure.”

“Yes.  Quite right.  What of that?”

“You have found it,” answered the other.  “Of what use will it be to kill me?  I cannot take that statue away in my waistcoat pocket, if you let me out, can I?”

“You had better not make too many jokes, my man, or we will put the boards over this hole in five minutes.  If you can really be of use to me, I will let you out.  What is your name?”

“Toto,” answered the voice sullenly.

“Yes.  That means Theodore, I suppose.  Now make haste, for I am tired of waiting.  What are you, and how did you get in?”

“I was the mason of the palace, until the devil flew away with the people who lived in it.  I know all the secrets of the house.  I can be very useful to you.”

“That changes matters, my friend.  I have no doubt you can be useful if you like, though we have managed to find one of the secrets without you.  It happens to be the only one we wanted to know.”

“No,” answered Toto.  “There are two others.  You do not know how I got in, and you do not know how to manage the ‘lost water.’”

“That is true,” said Malipieri.  “But if I let you out you may do me harm, by talking before it is time.  The government is not to know of this discovery until I am ready.”