But Mr. Irons, the clerk, knew that it was a coronet; and when he heard
the other theories thrown out, being a man of few words he let them have
it their own way, and with his thin lips closed, with their changeless
and unpleasant character of an imperfect smile, he coldly kept this
little bit of knowledge to himself.

Earth to earth (rumble), dust to dust (tumble), ashes to ashes (rattle).

And now the coffin must go out again, and down to its final abode.

The flag that closed the entrance of the vault had been removed. But
the descent of Avernus was not facile, the steps being steep and broken,
and the roof so low. Young Mervyn had gone down the steps to see it duly
placed; a murky, fiery light; came up, against which the descending
figures looked black and cyclopean.

Dr. Walsingham offered his brother-clergyman his hospitalities; but
somehow that cleric preferred returning to town for his supper and his
bed. Mervyn also excused himself. It was late, and he meant to stay that
night at the Phoenix, and to-morrow designed to make his compliments
in person to Dr. Walsingham. So the bilious clergyman from town climbed
into the vehicle in which he had come, and the undertaker and his troop
got into the hearse and the mourning coach and drove off demurely
through the town; but once a hundred yards or so beyond the turnpike, at
such a pace that they overtook the rollicking _cortège_ of the Alderman
of Skinner's Alley upon the Dublin road, all singing and hallooing, and
crowing and shouting scraps of banter at one another, in which
recreations these professional mourners forthwith joined them; and they
cracked screaming jokes, and drove wild chariot races the whole way into
town, to the terror of the divine, whose presence they forgot, and whom,