you, too, had left the place," suggested Mr.
Blackford. "We must make further search. But suppose you tell me all
that happened. I am interested in this--ghost."

The girls told all that had occurred--told it in gasps--by
exclamations--by "fits and starts," as Betty expressed it. At first Mr.
Blackford was amused--then he was more interested--finally he was
impressed.

"I don't like this," he said, when he had been informed of the failure
of Mr. Lagg to dispose of the property because of the "ghostly"
manifestations. "It looks to me as though some trick was being
perpetrated here. Possibly something more than a trick. There may be
crimes contemplated. The authorities should be notified.

"Of course I don't believe in ghosts--neither do you--and, from what you
say, it must have been a very human one who caught Miss Billette. But
she is our most important consideration now. We must find her! We must
search outside, for clearly she is not in the house, though it will do
no harm to take another look."

"Go back there!" cried Grace, aghast.

"Why not?" asked Betty, coolly. "You forget we have a man with us now."

"Certainly we'll go back there and look," spoke Mrs. Mackson, in
business-like tones. "Though I don't believe Mollie would go back,
unless it was to look for us. And how can she have gone in without us
seeing her?"

"There may be many entrances to an old, rambling place like this," said
Mr. Blackford. "It will do no harm to look about in it again, and then
we can search up and down the road."

Rather gingerly the girls entered the old house again. The light was
flashed in all the rooms downstairs, but the girls balked at going to
the upper floors, though Mr. Blackford proposed it.

"Mollie would not go up there," said Betty, positively.

"Perhaps not," admitted Mr. Blackford.

"I think we ought to go back to where we left the auto," said Mrs.
Mackson. "That would be the most likely place for Mollie to go."

"I agree with you!" exclaimed the young man, quickly. "We'll go to the
stalled auto."

As they were leaving the place there burst upon them a shrill, weird
cry, like that of some animal, and it was followed by that deep groan
that vibrated through the vacant rooms.

"The ghost! The ghost!" cried Grace, clutching Mr. Blackford's arm.

CHAPTER XX

SEEKING THE GHOST

They all stood still for a moment. The eerie noises gradually died away,
and then they all became conscious of a strong s