d girl?" inquired
Mrs. Grey, in a very low tone.

"No; but I gather from the wild talk of the boy that she is supposed to
be dead. It was her spirit that he thinks he saw."

"Whatever became of her father and mother?" questioned Mary Grey in the
same low tone and still keeping her face in the deep shadow.

"I do not know. I heard that they went to California. I have not heard
anything of them since. But, my dear, you are talking beyond your
strength. Your voice is quite faint--scarcely audible indeed. Now I
advise you to lie down and be quiet," said Miss Cavendish, with some
solicitude.

And then she kissed Mary Grey, begged her to ring for anything she might
require, and then she left the room.

And Mary Grey heard no more of the ghost. That cloud passed harmlessly
over her head.

CHAPTER V.

A VISIT TO LYTTON LODGE.

Early the next morning Miss Cavendish's snug little pony-carriage, with
a pretty pair of grays, stood before the front door waiting for Laura
Lytton.

Old Jerome sat on the front seat to drive.

Taters, with his own horse and the now useless led horse, was in
attendance.

Laura Lytton, dressed for her journey and with traveling-bag in hand,
stood with Emma Cavendish in the hall waiting for Mrs. Grey, to whom
they had sent a message inviting her to come down and see the traveler
off.

But presently the messenger returned with Miss Grey's love and good
wishes, and requested that they would excuse her from coming down, as
her cold was so severe that she did not dare to leave her room.

"I must go up and bid her good-bye then," said Laura, as she dropped her
traveling-bag and ran upstairs.

She found Mary Grey in a fine white merino dressing-gown playing the
interesting invalid.

She hastily kissed her, expressed a hope that she might find her better
on returning to Blue Cliffs, and then ran out of the room and
down-stairs as fast as she could go.

She had already taken leave of every member of the family except Emma
Cavendish, who went out with her to the carriage, saw her comfortably
seated in it, and kissed her good-bye.

The little cavalcade then set forward.

It was a lovely spring morning. The woods and fields were clothed with
the freshest green; the mountain tops beamed in the most beautiful opal
tints, and the blue sky was without a cloud.

Laura enjoyed her drive very much.

At Wendover they stopped to rest and water the horses, and then they
resumed their journe