watched last night," he said.

"Oh, father, thanks, ten thousand thanks! Your mere presence has been
sufficient to banish the evil spirits which have haunted the castle
for so long. Last night all was peace; not a sound did I hear."

"Not a sound!" cried the pastor, rising from his chair in his
astonishment at such a statement. "Countess, is it possible that you
did not hear the noise?"

"Profound repose, Arcadian peace, reigned in the house, both up-stairs
and below."

"But I was there, and awake. I did not dream it. And, moreover, I can
show you the bruises and abrasions on my elbow; they witness to the
fall we had, to say nothing of Michael, the sacristan, who is this
moment in a high fever in consequence. No, never did any one hear so
demoniacal, so terrible a noise as echoed through the vault last
night. I was there myself, countess, in my own person. I was ready to
encounter the wicked spirits; I would have met them armed with all the
terrors of Mother Church, but the courage of my weak-kneed sacristan
failed. I have now come to tell you that my knowledge is at an end.
This castle is bewitched, and, countess, my advice to you is to leave
it without delay, and to take up your residence in a city, where your
family ghost cannot follow you."

The countess placed the middle finger of her left hand upon her
breast, and spoke with haughty dignity:

"I leave this castle because the spirits of my ancestors dwell here!
Your advice, reverend father, shows how little you know me. To my
mind, it is a powerful reason for remaining. Here the spirits of my
forefathers, the ghosts of ancestors, surround me. They know me, they
claim me as theirs; they honor me with their visits, with their
invitations, and you counsel me to abandon them. Never! Bondavara is
dearer to me than ever; the presence of my ancestors has doubled its
value a hundredfold."

It was on the tip of Herr Mahok's tongue to answer, "Well, then,
remain here by all means, but for my part I give my resignation;
provide yourself with another confessor." He restrained himself,
however, and said, quietly:

"Will you tell me, countess, how it happens that, if you have these
close relations with your ancestors' spirits, you heard nothing of
the witch's Sabbath they kept last night?"

At this bold question the countess's pale cheeks were suddenly
decorated by two carnation spots; her eyes fell before the sharp look
of her father confessor, and, striking her bre