ill lingered as he had done the last time, and went out with the
"grown-ups." It had been raining, and the ground was wet and sludgy,
though it was fair overhead. The wind was cold, too, and Mr. Lindsay
began to cough so violently, that Bill felt rather ashamed of taking
him so far out of his way, through the damp chilly lane, and began to
wonder whether he could not summon up courage to go alone. The result
was, that with some effort he said--

"Please, Mr. Lindsay, Sir, I think you won't like to come so far this
cold night. I'll try and manage, if you like."

Mr. Lindsay laid one hand on Bill's shoulder, and said quietly--

"No, thank you, my boy, we'll come with you, Thank you, all the same."

"Nevertheless, Bartram," said Master Arthur, "I wish you could keep
that cough of yours quiet--it will spoil everything. A boy was eating
peppermints in the shade of his copy-book this very night. I did box
his ears; but I wish I had seized the goodies, they might have kept
you quiet."

"Thank you," was the reply, "I abhor peppermint; but I have got some
lozenges, if that will satisfy you. And when I smell ghosts, I can
smother myself in my pocket-handkerchief."

Master Arthur laughed boisterously.

"We shall smell one if brimstone will do it. I hope he won't set
himself on fire, or the scenic effect will be stronger than we
bargained for."

This was the beginning of a desultory conversation carried on at
intervals between the two young gentlemen, of which, though Bill heard
every sentence, he couldn't understand one. He made one effort to
discover what Master Arthur was alluding to, but with no satisfactory
result, as we shall see.

"Please, Master Arthur," he said desperately, "you don't think
there'll be two ghosts, do you, Sir?"

"I should say," said Master Arthur, so slowly and with such gravity
that Bill felt sure he was making fun of him, "I should say, Bill,
that if a place is haunted at all there is no limit to the number of
ghosts--fifty quite as likely as one. What do you say, Bartram?"

"Quite so," said Bartram.

Bill made no further attempts to understand the mystery. He listened,
but only grew more and more bewildered at the dark hints he heard, and
never understood what it all meant until the end came; when (as is not
uncommon) he wondered how he could have been so stupid, and why he had
not seen it all from the very first.

They had now reached the turning-point, and as they passed into the
dark