id the abigail, 'I have obeyed all your orders; I have
locked all the doors, and fastened all the shutters, so that if the
ghost _should_ pay us a visit, it will have to get in through the
keyhole. But oh! my gracious! how terrible it is for you and I, ma'am,
two poor weak women, as a body might say, to be all alone together in a
house that is haunted!'

'Sit down, Susan,' said Mrs. Belmont, who was herself not altogether
devoid of superstitious fears. 'Are you so foolish as to believe in
_ghosts_? Do you think that the spirits of dead people are allowed to
re-visit the earth, to frighten us out of our wits? No, no--we have
reason to fear the _living_, but not those who are dead and buried.'

'But, if you please, ma'am,' rejoined Susan, in a solemn tone, 'I once
seed a ghost with my own eyes, and not only seed it, but _felt_ it,
too.'

'Indeed--and pray how did that happen?' inquired her mistress.

'I'll tell you all about it, ma'am,' replied Susan, who, by the way, was
rather a pretty young woman, though she was, like all ladies' maids, a
prodigious talker. 'You see, ma'am, I once went to live in the family of
a minister, and a very excellent man he was, as prayed night and
morning, and said grace afore meals. Oh, he was a dreadful clever
gentleman, 'cause he always used to kiss me when he catch'd me alone,
and chuck me under the chin, and tell me I was handsome. Well, Saturday
the minister's wife and family went to pay a visit to some relations in
New Jersey, and was to stay for two or three days; but the minister
himself didn't go with them, 'cause he was obliged to stay and preach on
Sunday.--Now comes the dreadful part of my story, ma'am, and it is true
as gospel.--That Saturday night, about twelve o'clock, I was awoke by
hearing the door of my little attic bed-room softly open; and by the
light of the moon I seed a human figger, all dressed in white, come into
the room, shut the door, and then walk towards my bed. Oh, I was
dreadfully frightened, to be sure; and just as I was going to scream
out, the ghost puts his hand upon me and says--'_hush!_' which skeer'd
me so that I almost fainted away. Well, ma'am, what does the ghost do
next but take ondecent liberties with me, and I was too much frightened
to say, 'have done, now!' And then the awful critter did what no ghost
ever did before to me, nor man neither.--Oh, I actually fainted away two
or three times; I did indeed. After a while it went away, but I was in