In dreams of play, or hope, or loving,
When plans of happiness you draw,
Underneath _your_ nose may wiggle
Life's most aggravating straw

THE LIGHT IN THE CASTLE.

On a high hill, in a lonely part of Europe, there stood a ruined
castle. No one lived there, for the windows were destitute of glass;
there were but few planks left of the floors; the roof was gone; and
the doors had long ago rotted off their hinges. So that any persons
who should take up their residence in this castle would be exposed to
the rain, when there was a storm; to the wind, when it blew; and to
robbers, if they should come; besides running the risk of breaking
their necks by falling between the rafters, every time they attempted
to walk about the house.

It was a very solemn, lonely, and desolate castle, and for many and
many a year no human being had been known to set foot inside of it.

It was about ten o'clock of a summer night that Hubert Flamry and his
sister Hulda were returning to their home from an errand to a distant
village, where they had been belated. Their path led them quite near
to the ruined castle, but they did not trouble themselves at all on
this account, for they had often passed it, both by night and day. But
to-night they had scarcely caught sight of the venerable structure
when Hubert started back, and, seizing his sister's arm, exclaimed:

"Look, Hulda! look! A light in the castle!"

Little Hulda looked quickly in the direction in which her brother was
pointing, and, sure enough, there was a light moving about the castle
as if some one was inside, carrying a lantern from room to room. The
children stopped and stood almost motionless.

"What can it be, Hubert?" whispered Hulda.

"I don't know," said he. "It may be a man, but he could not walk where
there are no floors. I'm afraid it's a ghost."

"Would a ghost have to carry a light to see by?" asked Hulda.

"I don't know," said Hubert, trembling in both his knees, "but I think
he is coming out."

It did seem as if the individual with the light was about to leave the
castle. At one moment he would be seen near one of the lower windows,
and then he would pass along on the outside of the walls, and directly
Hubert and Hulda both made up their minds that he was coming down the
hill.

"Had we better run?" said Hulda.

"No," replied her brother. "Let's hide in the bushes."

So they hid.

In a few minutes Hubert grasped his sister by the s