ved the news of your loss, your
grandmother went downstairs, and declares that she saw you or your
ghost in the little back parlour. At all events, I found her
insensible on the floor, so that she must have seen something. She
might have been frightened at nothing; and yet I know not what to
think, for there are circumstances which almost make _me_ believe that
somebody was in the house. I presume you can prove an _alibi_."

That my mother had been suspicious, perhaps more than suspicious, from
the disappearance of the letter, I was convinced. When I replied to
her, I said:--

"My _alibi_ is easily proved by applying to the master and seamen of
the vessel on board of which I was. Old granny must have been
frightened at her own shadow: the idea of my coming to your house, and
having left it without seeing you is rather too absurd; granny must
have invented the story, because she hates me, and thought to make you
do the same."

Whatever my mother may have thought, she did not again mention the
subject. I had, however, a few days afterwards, a letter from my aunt
Milly, in which she laughingly told the same story of granny swearing
that she had seen me or my ghost. "At first we thought it was your
ghost, but since a letter from Captain Delmar to your mother has been
missing, it is now imagined that you have been here, and have taken
possession of it. You will tell me, my dearest Percival, I'm sure, if
you did play this trick to granny, or not; you know you may trust me
with any of your tricks."

But I was not in this instance to be wheedled by my aunt. I wrote in
return, saying how much I was amazed at my grandmother telling such
fibs, and proved to her most satisfactorily that I was in London at the
time they supposed I might have been at Chatham.

That my aunt had been requested by my mother to try to find out the
truth, I was well convinced: but I felt my secret of too much importance
to trust either of them and from that time the subject was never
mentioned; and I believe it was at last surmised that the letter might
have been destroyed accidentally or purposely by the maid-servant, and
that my grandmother had been frightened at nothing at all--an opinion
more supported, as the maid, who had taken advantage of my mother's
retiring to her room, and had been out gossiping, declared that she had
not left the premises three minutes, and not a soul could have come in.
Moreover, it was