d--he did not know at what hour--by the clanging of a bell.
He sat up in bed, and the ghost-story came in a rush to his mind. His
fire was dead, and the room was consequently dark; yet by and by he knew,
though he heard no sound, that his door had opened. He cried out, "Who
is that?" but got no answer. By an effort he jumped up and went to the
door, which was ajar. His bedroom was on the first floor, and looking up
the stairs he could see nothing. He felt a cold sensation at his heart,
however, when he looked the other way. Going slowly and without a
sound down the stairs, was an old man in a dressing-gown. He carried
a candle. From the top of the stairs only part of the hall is visible,
but as the apparition disappeared the watcher had the courage to go
down a few steps after him. At first nothing was to be seen, for the
candle-light had vanished. A dim light, however, entered by the long,
narrow windows which flank the hall door, and after a moment the
on-looker could see that the hall was empty. He was marvelling at this
sudden disappearance of the steward, when, to his horror, he saw a body
fall upon the hall floor within a few feet of the door. The watcher
cannot say whether he cried out, nor how long he stood there trembling.
He came to himself with a start as he realized that something was coming
up the stairs. Fear prevented his taking flight, and in a moment the
thing was at his side. Then he saw indistinctly that it was not the
figure he had seen descend. He saw a younger man, in a heavy overcoat,
but with no hat on his head. He wore on his face a look of extravagant
triumph. The guest boldly put out his hand toward the figure. To his
amazement his arm went through it. The ghost paused for a moment and
looked behind it. It was then the watcher realized that it carried
a pistol in its right hand. He was by this time in a highly strung
condition, and he stood trembling lest the pistol should be pointed at
him. The apparition, however, rapidly glided up the stairs and was soon
lost to sight. Such are the main facts of the story, none of which I
contradicted at the time.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

I cannot say absolutely that I can clear up this mystery, but my
suspicions are confirmed by a good deal of circumstantial evidence. This
will not be understood unless I explain my strange infirmity. Wherever
I went I used to be troubled with a presentiment that I had left my pipe
behind. Often, even at the dinn