o were old-time friends. The elder of the two women was
emaciated to a degree, and her face was pale to the point of
ghastliness; but in spite of her apparent weakness, there was an ease
and a refinement in her manner, a repose and a self-possession that
reminded Gabriel of his grandmother, when she was receiving the fine
ladies from a distance who sometimes called on her. The younger of the
two women, on the other hand, was the picture of health. The buoyancy of
youth possessed her. She had an eager, impatient way of handling her fan
and handkerchief, and there was a twinkle in her eye that spoke of
humour; but her glance never fell directly on the men in the waggon; all
her attention was for the invalid.

Mr. Goodlett, his greeting over, was for pushing on, but the voice of
the invalid detained him. "Can you tell me," she said, turning to Mr.
Sanders, "whether the Gaither Place is occupied? Oh, but I forgot; you
are just returning from that horrible, horrible war." She had lifted
herself from a reclining position, but fell back hopelessly.

"Why, Ab thar ought to be able to tell you that," responded Mr. Sanders,
his voice full of sympathy.

"Well, I jest ain't," declared Mr. Goodlett, with some show of
impatience. "I tell you, William, I been so worried an' flurried, an' so
disqualified an' mortified, an' so het up wi' fust one thing an' then
another, that I ain't skacely had time for to scratch myself on the
eatchin' places, much less gittin' up all times er night for to see ef
the Gaither Place is got folks or ha'nts in it. When you've been through
what I have, William, you won't come a-axin' me ef the Gaither house is
whar it mought be, or whar it oughter be, or ef it's popylated or
dispopylated."

The young lady stroked the invalid's hand and smiled. Something in the
frowning face and fractious tone of the old man evidently appealed to
her sense of humour. "Don't you think it is absurd," said the pale lady,
again appealing to Mr. Sanders, "that a person should live in so small a
town, and not know whether one of the largest houses in the place is
occupied--a house that belongs to a family that used to be one of the
most prominent of the county? Why, of course it is absurd. There is
something uncanny about it. I haven't had such a shock in many a day."

"But, mother," protested the young lady, "why worry about it? A great
many strange things have happened to us, and this is the least important
of all."

"Why