of "ten miles there and ten back again"; and three or four
evenings of such doings without intermission tell even on the young and
vigorous.

To-night various less energetic ways of passing the evening had been
proposed,--music, games, reading aloud, recitation,--none had found
favour in everybody's sight, and now Gladys Lloyd's proposal that they
should "tell ghost stories" seemed likely to fall flat also.

For a moment or two no one answered Mrs. Snowdon's last remarks. Then,
somewhat to everybody's surprise, the young daughter of the house
turned to her mother.

"Mamma," she said, "don't be vexed with me--I know you warned me once to
be careful how I spoke of it; but _wouldn't_ it be nice if Uncle Paul
would tell us his ghost story? And then, Mrs. Snowdon," she went on,
"you could always say you had heard _one_ ghost story at or from--which
should I say?--headquarters."

Lady Denholme glanced round half nervously before she replied.

"Locally speaking, it would not be _at_ headquarters, Nina," she said.
"The Quarries was not the scene of your uncle's ghost story. But I
almost think it is better not to speak about it--I am not sure that he
would like it mentioned, and he will be coming in a moment. He had only
a note to write."

"I do wish he would tell it to us," said Nina regretfully. "Don't you
think, mamma, I might just run to the study and ask him, and if he did
not like the idea he might say so to me, and no one would seem to know
anything about it? Uncle Paul is so kind--I'm never afraid of asking him
any favour."

"Thank you, Nina, for your good opinion of me; you see there is no rule
without exceptions; listeners do sometimes hear pleasant things of
themselves," said Mr. Marischal, as he at that moment came round the
screen which half concealed the doorway. "What is the special favour you
were thinking of asking me?"

Nina looked rather taken aback.

"How softly you opened the door, Uncle Paul," she said. "I would not
have spoken of you if I had known you were there."

"But after all you were saying no harm," observed her brother Michael.
"And for my part I don't believe Uncle Paul would mind our asking him
what we were speaking of."

"What was it?" asked Mr. Marischal. "I think, as I have heard so much,
you may as well tell me the whole."

"It was only----" began Nina, but her mother interrupted her.

"I have told Nina not to speak of it, Paul," she said anxiously;
"but--it was only that al