were as rich now as ever.

Before night the lower story of the old house looked quite comfortable,
and almost homelike; and when the family sat down to dinner, it was
with the keen appetites resulting from hard work. The dinner was a
bountiful meal, largely composed of Mr. Bevil's game and fish; and
before they ate it Mr. Elmer offered up a heart-felt thanksgiving for
the mercies that had been granted them thus far, and prayed for a
blessing on their new home.

That evening he arranged with Captain Johnson to start at daylight and
go with his lighter to the nearest saw-mill, sixty miles away, for a
load of lumber and shingles. He also commissioned him to buy and bring
back a large skiff, such as were used on the river.

The tired household went early to bed that first night in their new
home, and though their beds were made down on the floor, they all slept
soundly.

All but Mark, who, after sleeping for some hours, woke suddenly to find
himself sitting bolt-upright in bed, and staring at the broken window
in front of him, through which a flood of moonlight was pouring. He was
as certain as he could be of anything that he had seen a face at that
window as he started up--a wild, haggard face, framed by long unkempt
hair. He sprang from his bed and looked out, but could see nobody, and
heard no unusual sound except the distant "who-who-whoo" of an owl.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL, AND MORE MYSTERIES.

It must be confessed that, before getting to sleep again, Mark thought
of what Aunt Chloe had said about the "ghoses"; but having been taught
to disbelieve in such things, and always to seek for some natural
explanation of whatever appeared supernatural or unreal, he made up his
mind to wait and make the attempt to unravel this mystery by himself
before saying anything about it.

The four days that remained of the week were very busy days for the
Elmers and those whom they had employed to help them. During this time
the interior of the old house was thoroughly cleansed and sweetened by
the energetic use of soap and water, and straw matting was laid on the
floors of the rooms down-stairs. The broken windows were all repaired
by Mark, who found several boxes of glass and a bladder of putty among
the building material they had brought from Bangor, and who, after a
few trials, became quite a skilful glazier. The cistern was emptied of
its stagnant water and thoroughly cleansed, and the gutters were
repai