in the middle
of the floor, his face flushed, his brows drawn together and his lips
twitching. He was glaring about the room and the expression upon his
face was so fierce that Mr. Bangs said, "Oh, dear me!" again when he saw
it.

Lulie put her arm about the light keeper's shoulder. "Father, father,"
she pleaded, "please don't look that way. Come and sit down. Please do!"

But sitting down was far from the captain's thoughts just then. He
impatiently tossed his daughter's arm aside.

"So he's here, is he," he growled, between his teeth. "He's in my house,
is he? By the everlastin', I'll show him!"

Martha Phipps pushed her way toward the pair.

"There, there, Jethro," she said, quietly, "don't act this way. Don't
you see you're frightenin' Lulie half out of her wits? There's nothin'
for you to look so savage about. Come over and sit down and rest. You're
tired."

"No, I ain't tired, either. Be quiet, woman. By the Lord, if he's in
this house I'll find him. And WHEN I find him--"

"Sshh, sshh! What in the world are you talkin' about? Marietta didn't
say--"

"Julia--my spirit wife--told me that that skulkin' swab of a Nelse
Howard was here in this house. You heard her. Let go of me, both of you!
Now where is he?"

He was turning directly toward the door leading to the front hall. Lulie
was very white and seemed on the point of collapse. Even Miss Phipps,
usually so calm and equal to the emergency, appeared to find this one
a trifle too much for her, for she glanced desperately about as if
in search of help. Zach Bloomer repeated "Godfreys" several times and
looked, for him, almost excited. As for Primmie, she was so frightened
as to be speechless, a miracle far more amazing than any other which the
seance had thus far produced. The remaining members of the circle were
whispering in agitation and staring wide-eyed at the captain and those
about him.

Then a masculine voice, a very soft, gentle masculine voice, said, "I
beg your pardon, Captain Hallett, but may I--ah--ask a question?"

The very gentleness of the voice and the calmness of its tone had more
effect in securing the light keeper's attention than any shout could
possibly have done. Captain Jethro stopped in his stride.

"Eh?" he grunted. "Eh? What's that?"

Galusha Bangs moved forward, quietly elbowing his way from the back
row of the circle to the open space before the inner line of chairs and
their excited occupants.

"It is--ah--I, Captain