s wife that she'd seen in
plain daylight a woman a settin' at the chamber winder atween four and
five o'clock in the mornin',--jist a settin' a lookin' out and a doin'
nothin', like anybody else. She was very white and pale, and had black
eyes.

"Some said that it was a nun the cap'n had brought away from a Roman
Catholic convent in Spain, and some said he'd got her out o' the
Inquisition.

"Aunt Sally said she thought the minister ought to call and inquire why
she didn't come to meetin', and who she was, and all about her: 'cause,
you see, she said it might be all right enough ef folks only know'd jest
how things was; but ef they didn't, why, folks will talk."

"Well, did the minister do it?"

"What, Parson Lothrop? Wal, no, he didn't. He made a call on the cap'n
in a regular way, and asked arter his health and all his family. But the
cap'n he seemed jest as jolly and chipper as a spring robin, and he gin
the minister some o' his old Jamaiky; and the minister he come away
and said he didn't see nothin'; and no he didn't. Folks never does see
nothin' when they aint' lookin' where 'tis. Fact is, Parson Lothrop
wa'n't fond o' inter-ferin'; he was a master hand to slick things over.
Your grandma she used to mourn about it, 'cause she said he never gin no
p'int to the doctrines; but 'twas all of a piece, he kind o' took every
thing the smooth way.

"But your grandma she believed in the ghost, and so did Lady Lothrop. I
was up to her house t'other day fixin' a door-knob, and says she, 'Sam,
your wife told me a strange story about the Cap'n Brown house.'

"'Yes, ma'am, she did,' says I.

"'Well, what do you think of it?' says she.

"'Wal, sometimes I think, and then agin I don't know,' says I. 'There's
Cinthy she's a member o' the church and a good pious gal,' says I.

"'Yes, Sam,' says Lady Lothrop, says she; 'and Sam,' says she, 'it is
jest like something that happened once to my grandmother when she was
livin' in the old Province House in Bostin.' Says she, 'These 'ere
things is the mysteries of Providence, and it's jest as well not to have
'em too much talked about.'

"'Jest so,' says I,--'jest so. That 'are's what every woman I've talked
with says; and I guess, fust and last, I've talked with twenty,--good,
safe church-members,--and they's every one o' opinion that this 'ere
oughtn't to be talked about. Why, over to the deakin's t'other night we
went it all over as much as two or three hours, and we concluded