e lady in dishabille vanishing as often
as she remembered it, and reappearing whenever some strong point of
argument or denunciation occurred to her.

The clerk, who was the Benjamin of his wicked tribe, threw himself upon
their mercy and confessed everything: the house was so crowded, and he
had been so crazed by the demands upon him, that he had understood
Colonel Ellison's application to be for a bed for the young lady in his
party, and he had done the very best he could. If the lady there--she
vanished again--would give up the room to the two gentlemen, he would
find her a place with the housekeeper. To this the lady consented without
difficulty, and the rest dispersing, she kissed one of the sick man's
watchers with "Isn't it a shame, Bella?" and flitted down the darkness of
the corridor. The rooms upon it seemed all, save the two assigned our
travellers, to be occupied by ladies of the troupe; their doors
successively opened, and she was heard explaining to each as she passed.
The momentary displeasure which she had shown at her banishment was over.
She detailed the facts with perfect good-nature, and though the others
appeared no more than herself to find any humorous cast in the affair,
they received her narration with the same amiability. They uttered their
sympathy seriously, and each parted from her with some friendly word.
Then all was still.

"Richard," said Mrs. Ellison, when in Isabel's room the travellers had
briefly celebrated these events, "I should think you'd hate to leave us
alone up here."

"I do; but you can't think how I hate to go off alone. I wish you'd come
part of the way with us, Ladies; I do indeed. Leave your door unlocked,
at any rate."

This prayer, uttered at parting outside the room, was answered from
within by a sound of turning keys and sliding bolts, and a low thunder as
of bureaus and washstands rolled against the door. "The ladies are
fortifying their position," said the Colonel to Basil, and the two
returned to their own chamber. "I don't wish any intrusions," he said,
instantly shutting himself in; "my nerves are too much shaken now. What
an awfully mysterious old place this Quebec is, Mr. March! I'll tell you
what: it's my opinion that this is an enchanted castle, and if my ribs
are not walked over by a muleteer in the course of the night, it's all I
ask."

In this and other discourse recalling the famous adventure of Don
Quixote, the Colonel beguiled the labor of disrobi