l, here, says--that he's joint guardian--"

"Yes: it's serious, if he finds out. Mr. Finch--I may say I've a
large respect for that attorney--Mr. Finch suggests that it may have
been his ghost. I think, Jack, we must take that explanation."

"Rubbish!"

"Ghosts have some useful properties."

"Name one or two."

"Well, to start with, they can be disbelieved in until seen."

"I begin to see."

"Then, again, should one appear, he can be believed in and walked
through. This is a rule without exceptions. If you have reason to
believe that a ghost stands before you, your first step would be to
make a hole in him to convince yourself."

"But if one should be mistaken?"

"If the apparition gives up the ghost, so to speak, and you find
yourself mistaken, I see no harm in owning it. As co-trustee of
aggrieved man, I will at any time listen to your apologies. By the
by, I have asked Mr. Finch to call upon you to-morrow and explain his
theory, among other matters of business. You will understand that I
bear no affection towards this boy of yours: on the contrary, I
sincerely desire my Sophia to shame him with her attainments.
It is a mere matter of my duty towards him; and I'll be obliged if
you keep him, as far as possible, out of my sight. Now about those
dials--"

Captain Barker understood, but replied only by tightening for a
moment the hand that rested on his comrade's sleeve. The old friends
moved on beside the flower-borders and fell into trivial converse to
hide a joy as deep as that of sweethearts who have quarrelled and now
are reconciled.

CHAPTER V.

A SWARM OF BEES.

The green volumes in which, for the next thirteen years, Captain
Barker kept accurate chronicle of Tristram's progress, and of every
fact, however trivial, that seemed to illustrate it, have since been
lost to the world, as our story will show. There were thirty-seven
of these volumes; and as soon as one was filled Dr. Beckerleg
presented another. It is our duty to take up the tale on the 1st of
May, 1691--the very day upon which misfortune stopped Captain
Barker's pen and (as it turned out) closed his _magnum opus_ for
ever.

Let us record only that during these thirteen years Tristram added so
much to his stature as to astonish his friends whenever they looked
at him; and that he took little interest in the affairs of the world
beyond the privet hedge--affairs which just then were extremely
unsettled and disturbed th