e won't be WANTED there, either."

CHAPTER XVIII

The walk was a long one. It took them a good way from the more populous
section of East Wellmouth, over the hills and, at last, along the beach
at the foot of the bluff. It was an odd season of the year for a stroll
by the seaside, but neither Thankful nor the captain cared for that. In
fact it is doubtful if either could have told afterward just where
they had been. There were so many and such wonderful things to tell, to
speculate upon, and to discuss.

Thankful told of her brother's return, of Mr. Cobb's miraculous
generosity, and, for the first time, of the ghostly haunting of the
little back bedroom. In the latter story Captain Obed seemed to find
much amusement. He was skeptical.

"I've heard of a good many ghosts in my time," he said, "but I never
heard of one that could stand daylight or common-sense. The idea of your
bein' troubled all this time by that snorin' business or whatever 'tis.
Why didn't you tell me about it? I'd have had that spook out of that
bedroom afore this, I bet you."

"It seemed so silly," confessed Thankful, "that I was ashamed to tell
anybody. But there's SOMETHIN' there. I heard it the first night I came,
and Rebecca Timpson heard it later on, and then Emily and I and Solomon
heard it all together."

"Yes. Well, then, let's see WHEN you heard it. Every time 'twas when
there was a storm; rain and wind and the like of that, eh?"

"Yes. I've slept in that room myself a good many times, but never when
there was a gale of wind or rain. That's so; 'twas always in a storm
that it came."

"Um-hum. And it always snored. Ho! ho! that IS funny! A ghost with a
snore. Must have a cold in its head, I cal'late."

"You wouldn't laugh if you'd heard it last night. And it didn't snore
the first time. It said 'Oh, Lord,' then."

"Humph! so you said. Well, that does complicate things, I will give in.
The wind in a water-pipe might snore, but it couldn't say 'Oh, Lord!'
not very plain. You heard that the first night, afore Kenelm and I got
there."

"Yes. And there wasn't another person in that house except Emily and me;
I know that."

"I wonder if you do know it. . . . Well, I'll have a whack at that room
myself and if a spook starts snorin when I'm there I'll--I'll put a
clothespin on its nose, after I've thanked it for scarin' old Sol into
repentance and decency. It took a spirit to do that. No livin' human
could have worked THAT mira