u," went on Roy,
as if any meeting with the butler had been as far from his thoughts as
an encounter with somebody at the North Pole. "Things does turn out
lucky sometimes."

"I must be getting home," interposed Tynn. "If you have anything to say
to me, Roy, you had better say it. I may be wanted."

Roy--who was standing now, his elbow leaning on the gate--brought his
face nearer to Tynn's. Tynn was also leaning on the gate.

"Have you heered of this ghost that's said to be walking about Deerham?"
he asked, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Have you heered whose they
say it is?"

Now, Tynn had heard. All the retainers, male and female, at Verner's
Pride had heard. And Tynn, though not much inclined to give credence to
ghosts in a general way, had felt somewhat uneasy at the ale. More on
his mistress's account than on any other score; for Tynn had the sense
to know that such a report could not be pleasing to Mrs. Verner, should
it reach her ears.

"I can't think why they do say it," replied Tynn, answering the man's
concluding question. "For my own part, I don't believe there's anything
in it. I don't believe in ghosts."

"Neither didn't a good many more, till now that they have got orakelar
demonstration of it," returned Roy. "Dan Duff see it, and a'most lost
his senses; that girl of Hook's see it, and you know, I suppose, what it
did for _her_; Broom see it; the parson see it; old Frost see it; and
lots more. Not one on 'em but 'ud take their Bible oath, if put to it,
that it is Fred Massingbird's ghost."

"But it is not," said Tynn. "It can't be. Leastways I'll never believe
it till I see it with my own eyes. There'd be no reason in its coming
now. If it wanted to come at all, why didn't it come when it was first
buried, and not wait till over two years had gone by?"

"That's the point that I stuck at," was Roy's answer. "When my wife came
home with the tales, day after day, that Fred Massingbird's spirit was
walking--that this person had seen it, and that person had seen
it--'Yah! Rubbish!' I says to her. 'If his ghost had been a-coming, it
'ud have come afore now.' And so it would."

"Of course," answered Tynn. "_If_ it had been coming. But I have not
lived to these years to believe in ghosts at last."

"Then, what do you think of the parson, Mr. Tynn?" continued Roy, in a
strangely significant tone. "And Broom--he have got his senses about
him? How d'ye account for their believing it?"

"I have not he