asked to sleep in this room. Promise us now, that while
we live you will never reveal what you know?"

They then related to him, that this house and chamber had never been
haunted by any other than this dog, which had been trained to play the
part. That, for generations, their family had lived on this farm; but
some years ago, their landlord having suddenly raised their rent to an
amount that they felt they could not give, they were compelled to think
of quitting the farm. This was to them an insuperable source of grief.
It was the place that all their lives and memories were bound up with.
They were extremely cast down. Suddenly it occurred to them to give an
ill name to the house. They hit on this scheme, and, having practiced it
well, did not long want an opportunity of trying it. It had succeeded
beyond their expectations. The fears of their guests were found to be of
a force which completely blinded them to any discovery of the truth.
There had been occasions where they thought some clumsy accident must
have stripped away the delusion; but no! there seemed a thick vail of
blindness, a fascination of terror cast over the strongest minds, which
nothing could pierce through. Case after case occurred; and the house
and farm acquired such a character, that no money or consideration of
any kind would have induced a fresh tenant to live there. The old
tenants continued at their old rent; and the comfortable ghost stretched
himself every night in a capacious kennel, without any need of
disturbing his slumbers by calls to disturb those of the guests of the
haunted chamber.

Having made this revelation, the farmer and his wife again implored
their guest to preserve their secret.

He hesitated.

"Nay," said he, "I think it would not be right to do that. That would be
to make myself a party to a public deception. It would be a kind of
fraud on the world and the landlord. It would serve to keep up those
superstitious terrors which should be as speedily as possible
dissipated."

The farmer was in agony. He rose and strode to and fro in the room. His
countenance grew red and wrathful. He cast dark glances at his guest,
whom his wife continued to implore, and who sate silent, and, as it
were, lost in reflection.

"And do you think it a right thing, sir," said the farmer, "thus to
force yourself into a stranger's house and family, and, in spite of the
strongest wishes expressed to the contrary, into his very chambers, and
t