l these young people are talking about ghost
stories, and they want you to tell them your own strange experience.
You must not be vexed with them."

"Vexed!" said Mr. Marischal, "not in the least." But for a moment or two
he said no more, and even pretty, spoilt Mrs. Snowdon looked a little
uneasy.

"You shouldn't have persisted, Nina," she whispered.

Mr. Marischal must have had unusually quick ears. He looked up and
smiled.

"I really don't mind telling you all there is to hear," he said. "At one
time I had a sort of dislike to mentioning the story, for the sake of
others. The details would have led to its being recognised--and it might
have been painful. But there is no one now living to whom it would
matter--you know," he added, turning to his sister; "her husband is
dead too."

Lady Denholme shook her head.

"No," she said, "I did not hear."

"Yes," said her brother, "I saw his death in the papers last year. He
had married again, I believe. There is not now, therefore, any reason
why I should not tell the story, if it will interest you," he went on,
turning to the others. "And there is not very much to tell. Not worth
making such a preamble about. It was--let me see--yes, it must be nearly
fifteen years ago."

"Wait a moment, Uncle Paul," said Nina. "Yes, that's all right, Gladys.
You and I will hold each other's hands, and pinch hard if we get very
frightened."

"Thank you," Miss Lloyd replied. "On the whole I should prefer for you
not to hold my hand."

"But I won't pinch you so as to hurt," said Nina reassuringly; "and it
isn't as if we were in the dark."

"Shall I turn down the lamps?" asked Mr. Snowdon.

"No, no," exclaimed his wife.

"There really is nothing frightening--scarcely even 'creepy,' in my
story at all," said Mr. Marischal, half apologetically. "You make me
feel like an impostor."

"Oh no, Uncle Paul, don't say that. It is all my fault for interrupting,"
said Nina. "Now go on, please. I have Gladys's hand all the same," she
added _sotto voce_, "it's just as well to be prepared."

"Well, then," began Mr. Marischal once more, "it must be nearly fifteen
years ago; and I had not seen her for fully ten years before that
again! I was not thinking of her in the least; in a sense I had really
forgotten her: she had quite gone out of my life; that has always struck
me as a very curious point in the story," he added parenthetically.

"Won't you tell us who 'she' was, Uncle Paul?" asked