ear the conversation of
the girls. One was trying to convince the other two that ghosts did not
exist and if they did exist they never came into contact with human
beings.

Then we fell asleep.

How long we had slept we did not know, but a sudden cry from, one of
the girls awoke us and within three seconds we were across the low
partition wall, and with her. She was sitting up in bed pointing with
her fingers. Following the direction we saw in the clear moonlight the
figure of a short woman standing in the corner of the court-yard about
20 yards from us pointing her finger at something (not towards us).

We looked in that direction bub could see nothing peculiar there.

Our first idea was that it was one of the maid-servants, who had heard
our after-dinner conversation, playing the ghost. But this particular
ghostly lady was very short, much shorter than any servant in the
establishment. After some, hesitation all (four) of us advanced towards
the ghost. I remember how my heart throbbed as I advanced with the other
three boys.

Then we laughed loud and long.

What do you think it was?

It was only the Lawn Tennis net wrapped round the pole standing against
the wall. The handle of the ratchet arrangement looked like an extending
finger.

But from a distance in the moon-light it looked exactly like a short
woman draped in white.

This story again shows what trick our imagination plays with us at
times.

* * * * *

Talking of ghosts reminds me of a very funny story told by a friend of
my grand-father--a famous medical man of Calcutta.

This famous doctor was once sent for to treat a gentleman at Agra. This
gentleman was a rich Marwari who was suffering from indigestion. When
the doctor reached Agra he was lodged in very comfortable quarters and a
number of horses and carriages was placed at his disposal.

He was informed that the patient had been treated by all the local and
provincial practitioners but without any result.

The doctor who was as clever a man of the world as of medicine, at once
saw that there was really nothing the matter with the patient. He was
really suffering from a curious malady which could in a phrase be
called--"want of physical exercise."

Agra, the city after which the Province is named, abounds in old
magnificent buildings which it takes the tourist a considerable time to
see, and the Doctor, of course, was enjoying all the sights in the
meanti