ch he found, somewhat to his
surprise, was only laid to, and, after listening for a few moments,
resolved to examine the premises closely. In deference to the reader,
whose nerves may not be so strong as those of Henry Woodward, and who
consequently may entertain a very decided objection to enter a haunted
house, especially one in such a lonely and remote situation, we will
only say that he remained in it for at least an hour and a half; at
the expiration of which time he left it, walked home in a silent and
meditative mood, spoke little to his family, who were a good deal
surprised at his abstracted manner, and, after sipping a tumbler of
punch with his step-father, went rather gloomily to bed.

The next morning at breakfast he looked a good deal paler than they had
yet seen him, and for some time his contribution to the family dialogue
was rather scanty.

"Harry," said his mother, "what is the matter with you? You are silent,
and look pale. Are you unwell?"

"No, ma'am," he replied, "I cannot say that I am. But, by the way,
have you not a haunted house in the neighborhood, and is there not an
apparition called the Black Man, or the Black Spectre, seen occasionally
about the premises?"

"So it is said," replied Lindsay, "but none of this family has ever seen
it, although I believe it has undoubtedly been seen by many persons in
the neighborhood."

"What is supposed to have been the cause of its appearance?" asked
Harry.

"Faith, Harry," replied his brother, "I fear there is nobody here
can give you that information. To speak for myself, I never heard its
appearance accounted for at all. Perhaps Barney Casey knows. Do you,
father?"

"Not I," replied his father; "but as you say, Charley, we had better try
Barney. Call him up."

"Perhaps," said Mrs. Lindsay, sharply and disdainfully, "it was the
Black Spectre who produced the shower of blood last night?"

"Faith, it's not unlikely," replied her husband, "if he be, as the
people think, connected with the devil."

In a couple of minutes Barney entered to know what was wanted.

"Barney," said his master, "can you inform us who or what the
_Shan-dhinne-dhuv_ is, or why he appears in this neighborhood? Damn the
fellow; he has that house of mine on my hands this many a long year, for
I cannot get it set. I've had priests and parsons to lay him, and for
some time we thought the country was free of him; but it was all to no
purpose; he was still sure to return, and