d to the kitchen just after that startling communication had
been made by Dan. The women were standing in consternation when the
vicar entered, one of them strongly recommending that the copper furnace
should be heated, and Dan plunged into it to "bring him round."

"How is he now?" began Mr. Bourne. "Oh! I see; he is sensible."

"Well, sir, I don't know," said Mrs Duff. "I'm afraid as his head's
a-going right off. He persists in saying now that it wasn't the ghost of
Rachel at all--but somebody else's."

"If he was put into a good hot furnace, sir, and kep' at a even heat up
to biling pint for half an hour--that is, as near biling as his skin
could bear it--I know it 'ud do wonders," spoke up Mrs. Chuff. "It's a
excellent remedy, where there's a furnace convenient, and water not
short."

"Suppose you allow me to be alone with him for a few minutes," suggested
Mr. Bourne. "We will try and find out what will cure him; won't we,
Dan?"

The women filed out one by one. Mr. Bourne sat down by the boy, and took
his hand. In a soothing manner he talked to him, and drew from him by
gentle degrees the whole tale, so far as Dan's memory and belief went.
The boy shook in every limb as he told it. He could not boast immunity
from ghostly fears as did old Matthew Frost.

"But, my boy, you should know that there are no such things as ghosts,"
urged Mr. Bourne. "When once the dead have left this world, they do not
come back to it again."

"I see'd it, sir," was Dan's only argument--an all sufficient one with
him. "It was stood over the pool, it was, and it turned round right upon
me as I went up. I see the porkypine on his cheek, sir, as plain as
anything."

The same account as old Matthew's!

"How was the person dressed?" asked Mr. Bourne. "Did you notice?"

"It had got on some'at long--a coat or a skirt, or some'at. It was as
thin as thin, sir."

"Dan, shall I tell you what it was--as I believe? It was somebody
dressed up to frighten you and other timid persons."

Dan shook his head. "No, sir, 'twasn't. 'Twas the ghost of Mr. Frederick
Massingbird."

CHAPTER LIII.

MASTER CHEESE'S FRIGHT--OTHER FRIGHTS.

Strange rumours began to be rife in Deerham. The extraordinary news told
by Dan Duff would have been ascribed to some peculiar hallucination of
that gentleman's brain, and there's no knowing but that the furnace
might have been tried as a cure, had not other testimony arisen to
corroborate it. Four or fiv