In which the discovery of a hidden treasure stirs a curious assembly, where learned and lowly alike debate the merits of secrecy and share, while old tales of ancient feuds and secret fortunes are recounted beneath the shelter of the Prior’s Oak. The shrewd mendicant, Edie Ochiltree, and the German adept, Dousterswivel, agree to a nocturnal meeting to pursue fuller knowledge and claim of the mysterious hoard, undeterred by ghostly warnings.