f, in a solemn voice, "ghostesses is a subject
'taint proper to talk on, and the queernesses ob our marsters and
misseses is not tropics for us."

"A body must wonder, I s'pose, black or white," said Clo, angrily.

"But dat's all you've seen?"

"Dat's all, and it's 'nuff and more too."

Grantley Mellen stepped back into the library and closed the window. He
had need to be alone. Every day, every hour, the mystery which had
intruded into his home deepened and took more appalling shapes.

CHAPTER LIV.

THE SABLE FORTUNE HUNTER.

The pair of sable retainers went on with their conversation, totally
unconscious of a listener, and when the interest connected with that
subject had culminated, diverged to themes more intimately connected
with their own affairs.

One of the chief desires of Dolf's soul was to find out exactly how much
money Clorinda had in the bank, but he had never been able, with all his
arts, to bring her to that degree of confidence necessary to make him a
partner in that dearest secret of her life.

The other servants and her friends in the neighborhood gave very
contradictory accounts concerning the amount, and Victoria openly avowed
her belief that--

"De whole ting was just gammon--didn't b'lieve she had no money no
whar--she know'd she was so old dat it was her only chance of ketchin' a
beau, so she tried it on; dat was 'bout all it 'mounted to."

But Dolf was too wise to be influenced by Victoria's sneers, and had
lately convinced himself that the sum was larger than he at first
supposed. In that case Dolf felt the extreme folly of allowing a fancy
for Victoria to stand in the way of his interest. Already he had
incurred Clorinda's serious displeasure; it had required a vast amount
of eloquence to reconcile matters after his indiscretion with the
strange young woman at old Mother Hopkin's, besides, his flirtations
with Victoria were a constant bone of contention between them.

Dolf felt certain that if he only came directly to the point and made
Clorinda a bona fide offer of his hand with his heart in it, she would
forgive him; but it required a good deal of resolution to make up his
mind to that step.

Clorinda was not prepossessing in her appearance,--that her most partial
friends would have been forced to admit; probably in her youth she might
have had her attractions, but now that years, avarice, and a not very
patient temper had worn their furrows in her face, it really req