But as yet no treasure . By this time , Peter , being as determined as fate and as diligent as time , had made an end with the uppermost regions and got down to the second story , where he was busy in one of the front chambers . It had formerly been the state-bedchamber , and was honored by tradition as the sleeping-apartment of Governor Dudley and many other eminent guests . The furniture was gone . There were remnants of faded and tattered paper-hangings , but larger spaces of bare wall ornamented with charcoal sketches , chiefly of people 's heads in profile . These being specimens of Peter 's youthful genius , it went more to his heart to obliterate them than if they had been pictures on a church wall by Michael Angelo . One sketch , however , and that the best one , affected him differently . It represented a ragged man partly supporting himself on a spade and bending his lean body over a hole in the earth , with one hand extended to grasp something that he had found . But close behind him , with a fiendish laugh on his features , appeared a figure with horns , a tufted tail and a cloven hoof . `` Avaunt , Satan ! '' cried Peter . `` The man shall have his gold . '' Uplifting his axe , he hit the horned gentleman such a blow on the head as not only demolished him , but the treasure-seeker also , and caused the whole scene to vanish like magic . Moreover , his axe broke quite through the plaster and laths and discovered a cavity . `` Mercy on us , Mr. Peter ! Are you quarrelling with the Old Scratch ? '' said Tabitha , who was seeking some fuel to put under the dinner-pot . Without answering the old woman , Peter broke down a further space of the wall , and laid open a small closet or cupboard on one side of the fireplace , about breast-high from the ground . It contained nothing but a brass lamp covered with verdigris , and a dusty piece of parchment . While Peter inspected the latter , Tabitha seized the lamp and began to rub it with her apron .
`` There is no use in rubbing it , Tabitha , '' said XXXXX .
Angelo Avaunt Peter Scratch Tabitha breast-high dinner-pot laths paper-hangings state-bedchamber