ye-witnesses.

She came into the girls' bedroom arrayed in a red flannel dressing-gown,
which had shrunk considerably under the stress of many washings, and
her night-cap with its long strings, white as driven snow, enveloped her
head like a miniature sun-bonnet. She came with an excuse upon her
lips, and seated herself in a rigid rush-bottomed chair. Prudence was
brushing her hair and Alice was already in bed.

"My dears," she said, as she plumped herself down; she was addressing
them both, but her round eyes were turned upon Alice, who was
sitting up in bed with her hands clasped about her knees, "I've been
thinking that maybe we might ask young Mr. Chillingwood out here.
It's quite a time since I've seen him. He used to come frequent-like
before--before--" with a sharp glance over at her daughter, "a few
months back. He's a good lad, and I thought as he'd make quite a
companion for Hervey. An' it 'ud do 'em a deal of good to air them
spare rooms. I'm sure they're smelling quite musty. What say?"

Alice blushed and Hephzibah's old eyes twinkled with pleasure.
Prudence answered at once--

"That's a good idea, mother, I'll write to him at once for you." Then
she turned her smiling face upon the old lady and shook a forefinger
at her. "You're an arch-plotter, lady mother. Look at Alice's face.
That's not sunburn, I know."

"Maybe it isn't--maybe it isn't," replied Mrs. Malling, with a
comfortable chuckle, whilst her fat face was turned up towards a
gorgeous wool-worked text which hung directly over the head of the
bed, "though I'll not say but what a day in the sun like she's just
had mightn't have redded the skin some."

"I am very sun-burnt," said Alice consciously.

"Why, we've been in the forest, where there's no sun, nearly all day,"
exclaimed Prudence quickly.

"Ah, them forests--them forests," observed Hephzibah, in a pensive
tone of reflection. "Folks says strange things about them forests."

"Yes," put in Alice, glad to turn attention from herself, "usually
folks talk a lot of nonsense when they attribute supernatural things
to certain places. But for once they're right, mother Hephzy; I shall
never disbelieve in ghosts again. Oh, the horror of it--it was awful,"
and the girl gave a shudder of genuine horror.

"And could you see through 'em?" asked the old lady, in a tone of
suppressed excitement.

"No, mother," chimed in Prudence, leaving the dressing-table and
seating herself on the patchwork cov