Project Gutenberg's From Out the Vasty Deep, by Mrs. Belloc Lowndes

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Title: From Out the Vasty Deep

Author: Mrs. Belloc Lowndes

Release Date: March 15, 2004 [EBook #11581]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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FROM OUT THE VASTY DEEP

BY

MRS. BELLOC LOWNDES

1921

TO

A.H. FASS

The owner of the real "Wyndfell Hall"

in memory of
many happy hours spent there
by his friend the writer

Glendower:

"_I can call spirits from the vasty deep_."

Hotspur:

"_Why, so can I; or so can any man: But will they come, when you
do call for them_?"

Henry IV.

FROM OUT THE VASTY DEEP

CHAPTER I

"I always thought that you, Pegler, were such a very sensible woman."

The words were said in a good-natured, though slightly vexed tone; and a
curious kind of smile flitted over the rather grim face of the person to
whom they were addressed.

"I've never troubled you before in this exact way, have I, ma'am?"

"No, Pegler. That you certainly have not."

Miss Farrow looked up from the very comfortable armchair where she was
sitting--leaning back, with her neatly shod, beautifully shaped feet
stretched out to the log fire. Her maid was standing a little to the
right, her spare figure and sallow face lit up by the flickering,
shooting flames, for the reading-lamp at Miss Farrow's elbow was heavily
shaded.

"D'you really mean that you won't sleep next door to-night, Pegler?"

"I wouldn't be fit to do my work to-morrow if I did, ma'am." And Miss
Farrow quite understood that that was Pegler's polite way of saying
that she most definitely did refuse to sleep in the room next door.

"I wish the ghost had come in here, instead of worrying you!" As the
maid made no answer to this observation, her mistress went on, turning
round so that she could look up into the woman's face: "What was it
exactly you _did_ see, Pegler?" And as the other still remained silent,
Miss Farrow added: "I really do wan