at has she been eating?" inquired Jan.

"Some late mushrooms out of the fields."

"Ah, that's just it," said Jan. And he knew the woman had been poisoned.
He took a leaf from his pocket-book, wrote a rapid word on it, and
ordered the boy to carry it to the house, and give it to Mr. Cheese.

"Now, look you, Jack," said he, "if you want your mother to get well,
you'll go there and back as fast as your legs can carry you. I can do
little till you bring me what I have sent for. Go past the Willow Pool,
and straight across to my house."

The boy looked aghast at the injunction. "Past the Willow Pool!" echoed
he. "I'd not go past there, sir, at night, for all the world."

"Why not?" questioned Jan.

"I'd see Rachel Frost's ghost, may be," returned Jack, his round eyes
open with perplexity.

The conceit of seeing a ghost amused Jan beyond everything. He sat down
on a high press that was in the kitchen, and grinned at the boy. "What
would the ghost do to you?" cried he.

Jack Broom could not say. All he knew was that neither he, nor a good
many more, had gone near that pond at night since the report had arisen
(which, of course, it had, simultaneously with the death) that Rachel's
ghost was to be seen there.

"Wouldn't you go to save your mother?" cried Jan.

"I'd--I'd not go to be made winner of the leg of mutton atop of a
greased pole," responded the boy, in a mortal fright lest Jan should
send him.

"You are a nice son, Mr. Jack! A brave young man, truly!"

"Jim Hook, he was a-going by the pond one night, and he see'd it," cried
the boy earnestly. "It don't take two minutes longer to cut down Clay
Lane, please, sir."

"Be off, then," said Jan, "and see how quick you can be. What has put
such a thing into his head?" he presently asked of the gamekeeper, who
was hard at work preparing hot water.

"Little fools!" ejaculated the man. "I think the report first took its
rise, sir, through Robin Frost's going to the pond of a moonlight
night, and walking about on its brink."

"Robert Frost did!" cried Jan. "What did he do that for?"

"What indeed, sir! It did no good, as I told him more than once, when I
came upon him there. He has not been lately, I think. Folks get up a
talk that Robin went there to meet his sister's spirit, and it put the
youngsters into a fright."

Back came Mr. Jack in an incredibly short time. He could not have come
much quicker, had he dashed right through the pool. Jan set himself to
h