and they said, that is, the
judges, or the senators, or somebody of that sort, said, he could not
take possession of it till so many years were gone by, and then, if,
after all, the lady could not be found, why she would be as good as
dead, and the castle would be his own; and so it is his own. But the
story went round, and many strange reports were spread, so very strange,
ma'amselle, that I shall not tell them.'

'That is stranger still, Annette,' said Emily, smiling, and rousing
herself from her reverie. 'But, when Signora Laurentini was afterwards
seen in the castle, did nobody speak to her?'

'Speak--speak to her!' cried Annette, with a look of terror; 'no, to be
sure.'

'And why not?' rejoined Emily, willing to hear further.

'Holy Mother! speak to a spirit!'

'But what reason had they to conclude it was a spirit, unless they had
approached, and spoken to it?' 'O ma'amselle, I cannot tell. How can you
ask such shocking questions? But nobody ever saw it come in, or go out
of the castle; and it was in one place now, and then the next minute in
quite another part of the castle; and then it never spoke, and, if it
was alive, what should it do in the castle if it never spoke? Several
parts of the castle have never been gone into since, they say, for that
very reason.'

'What, because it never spoke?' said Emily, trying to laugh away the
fears that began to steal upon her.--'No, ma'amselle, no;' replied
Annette, rather angrily 'but because something has been seen there. They
say, too, there is an old chapel adjoining the west side of the castle,
where, any time at midnight, you may hear such groans!--it makes one
shudder to think of them!--and strange sights have been seen there--'

'Pr'ythee, Annette, no more of these silly tales,' said Emily.

'Silly tales, ma'amselle! O, but I will tell you one story about this,
if you please, that Caterina told me. It was one cold winter's night
that Caterina (she often came to the castle then, she says, to keep old
Carlo and his wife company, and so he recommended her afterwards to the
Signor, and she has lived here ever since) Caterina was sitting with
them in the little hall, says Carlo, "I wish we had some of those figs
to roast, that lie in the store-closet, but it is a long way off, and I
am loath to fetch them; do, Caterina," says he, "for you are young and
nimble, do bring us some, the fire is in nice trim for roasting them;
they lie," says he, "in such a corner of