ir conversation.
The good woman, being informed of the captain's design to remain alone
all night in the church, began to oppose it with all her rhetoric. She
said it was setting his Maker at defiance, and a wilful running into
temptation. She assured him that all the country knew that the church
was haunted by spirits and hobgoblins; that lights had been seen in every
corner of it, and a tall woman in white had one night appeared upon the
top of the tower; that dreadful shrieks were often heard to come from the
south aisle, where a murdered man had been buried; that she herself had
seen the cross on the steeple all a-fire; and one evening as she passed
a-horseback close by the stile at the entrance into the churchyard, the
horse stood still, sweating and trembling, and had no power to proceed,
until she had repeated the Lord's Prayer.

These remarks made a strong impression on the imagination of Crowe, who
asked in some confusion, if she had got that same prayer in print? She
made no answer, but reaching the Prayer-Book from a shelf, and turning up
the leaf, put it into his hand; then the captain having adjusted his
spectacles, began to read, or rather spell aloud, with equal eagerness
and solemnity. He had refreshed his memory so well as to remember the
whole, when the doctor, returning with his companions, gave him to
understand that he had procured the key of the chancel, where he might
watch his armour as well as in the body of the church; and that he was
ready to conduct him to the spot. Crowe was not now quite so forward as
he had appeared before, to achieve this adventure. He began to start
objections with respect to the borrowed armour; he wanted to stipulate
the comforts of a can of flip, and a candle's end, during his vigil; and
hinted something of the damage he might sustain from your malicious imps
of darkness.

The doctor told him, the constitutions of chivalry absolutely required
that he should be left in the dark alone, and fasting, to spend the night
in pious meditations; but if he had any fears which disturbed his
conscience, he had much better desist, and give up all thoughts of
knight-errantry, which could not consist with the least shadow of
apprehension. The captain, stung by this remark, replied not a word, but
gathering up the armour into a bundle, threw it on his back, and set out
for the place of probation, preceded by Clarke with the lantern. When
they arrived at the church, Fillet, w