only somebody said once
that the house is haunted, and Kennedy and Jacobs say the ghost must be
in the big attic next their room. They hear such queer noises sometimes
that they both go under the bed-clothes."

"Do they always do that?"

"Yes, so they say, whenever there is a row."

"Well, then," said Diggory, "I'll tell you what we'll do: we'll go very
quietly up into that attic, and groan and knock on the wall until you
think they've both got their heads well under the clothes, and then
we'll rush in and bag their pillows, or drag them out of bed, or
something of that sort. You aren't afraid to go into the attic, are
you?" he continued, seeing that the others hesitated. "Why, of course
there are no such things as ghosts. Or, look here, I'll go in, and
you can wait outside."

"N--no, I don't mind," answered Vance; "and it'll be an awful lark
catching them with their heads under the clothes."

"All right, then, let's do it; though I suppose we'd better wait till
every one's in bed."

The last suggestion was agreed upon, and the three friends lay talking
in an undertone until the sound of footsteps and the gleam of a candle
above the door announced the fact that Mr. Blake was retiring to rest.

"He's always last," said Vance; "we must give him time to undress, and
then we'll start."

A quarter of an hour later the three boys, in semi-undress, were
creeping in single file up the narrow staircase.

"Be careful," whispered Vance; "there are several loose boards, and they
crack like anything."

The small landing was reached in safety, and the moon, shining faintly
through a little skylight formed of a single pane of glass, enabled them
to distinguish the outline of two doors.

Now it was a very different matter, when lying warm and snug in bed, to
talk about acting the ghost, from what it was, when standing shivering
in the cold and darkness, to put the project into execution. During the
period of waiting the conversation had turned on haunted houses, and no
one seemed particularly anxious to claim as it were the post of honour,
and be the first to enter the big attic.

"Go on!" whispered Mugford, nudging Vance.

"Go on!" repeated the latter, giving Diggory's arm a gentle push.

The new boy had certainly undertaken to play the part of the ghost, and
there was no excuse for his backing out of it at the last moment.

"All right," he muttered, "I'll go."

Just then a terrible thing happened. Diggory cl