e, always a
source of inspiration for her.

"Of course I'm not asking you to give up your time and go to a lot of
trouble for nothing," resumed Mr. Lagg, quickly. "I am willing to pay
you well. So I make you this offer. If you can discover what makes those
ghostly sounds and manifestations, and can show me a way to get rid of
them, if they are natural, which I am sure they are, why, I'll pay you a
good sum. I can afford to, for I can then sell the mansion to the
sanitarium doctors. Will you try it?"

"But if those doctors are interested in depreciating the value of the
property, by making it appear haunted, they would have a good object in
preventing us from finding out what causes the queer noises and lights,"
said Mollie.

"Exactly," agreed Mr. Lagg, "but you girls were smart enough to solve
that five hundred dollar mystery, and the mystery on Elm Island, so I
have hopes that you can help me out in this. That is why I called. Will
you help me?"

"Shall we, girls?" asked Mollie.

CHAPTER VII

IN THE MUD

Mr. Lagg looked hopefully from one to the other of the Outdoor Girls.
Clearly he was very much in earnest over his strange offer, and he saw
nothing out of the ordinary in it. But it must be admitted that it is
not every day four girls are asked to take a motor tour and solve the
mystery of a ghost-haunted house. Betty and her chums evidently realized
that.

Betty finally spoke.

"Well," she said, slowly, "we would like to do you a favor, Mr. Lagg,
and we wouldn't want you to pay us----"

"I won't have you undertake it on any other basis," he interrupted. "If
you solve that mystery for me it will be a big favor, and worth paying
for. I might make up a verse about that part of it, but I won't take
your time. But please consider it."

"If we did it at all," spoke Mollie, "we would do it as a favor to you,
for you have been very kind to us. But I don't like to promise to
undertake it. I'm sure mamma would object."

"I wouldn't want to stay all night in a haunted house," declared Amy,
with a shudder, whereat Grace cried:

"Don't do that! You'll have us all nervous before we know it."

"You might not have to stay there all night," said Mr. Lagg, "though of
course I know that is customary in solving mysteries of this kind. You
might be able to tell what it was without staying there long. I wouldn't
want you to run any risks, you know."

"Why don't you undertake it yourself?" asked Betty.

"I ca