s enough
to drive devils away any time. Great God, what an awful Christmas this
is!"

Charley wanted to begin to talk on the spot, but when he found that
poor "Baron Bertram" could neither see him nor hear a word he spoke, he
had a fearful sense of being a disembodied spirit. The ghost looked
wistfully at him, and said, "God and Huckleberry Street want _you_,
Charley."

Charley was very loath to leave Perdue and his wife in this condition;
he would have loved dearly to while away the dreary night for them, but
he could not speak to them, and the eyes of the ghost bade him follow,
and the two went swiftly back to Charley's rooms again.

Then the apparition sat down by the table and fastened its sad and
wistful eyes upon the soul of Charley Vanderhuyn. Not a word did it
speak. But the look, the old tender, earnest look of Henry Vail, drew
Charley's heart into his eyes and made him weep. There Vail sat, still
and wistful, until Charley, roused by all that he had seen, resolved to
do what he could for Huckleberry Street. He made no communication of
his purpose to the ghost. He meant to keep it close in his own breast.
But no sooner had he formed the purpose than a smile--the old familiar
smile--came across the face of Vail, the hideous scars of his loathsome
disease disappeared, and the face began to shine, while a faint aureole
appeared about his head. And Vanderhuyn became conscious that the room
was full of other mysterious beings. And to his regret Vail ceased now
to regard his friend any more, but looked about him at the Huckleberry
Street angels, who seemed to be pulling him away. He and they vanished
slowly, and on the wall there shone some faint luminous letters, which
Vanderhuyn tried to read, but the light of the Christmas dawn disturbed
his vision, and he was able to see only the latter part, and even that
was not clear to his eyes, but he partly read and partly remembered the
words, "When ye fail on earth they may receive you into everlasting
habitations."

He rang for his servant, had the fire replenished, opened his desk and
began to write letters. First he resigned the presidency of the
Hasheesh Club. Next he begged that Mrs. Rear-Admiral Albatross would
excuse him from her Christmas dinner. Unforeseen circumstances, and the
death of an intimate friend, were his apologies. Then he sent his
regrets, and declined all the invitations to holiday parties. He
canceled his engagements to make New-Year's calls[4