st chamber. The young
girl Flora assisted her, though much against her will.

"Now I want you to carry Mrs. Simmons' dresses into the closet in that
room and hang them up nicely, and see that she has everything she
wants," said Sophia Gill. "And you can change the bed and put on fresh
sheets. What are you looking at me that way for?"

"Oh, Aunt Sophia, can't I do something else?"

"What do you want to do something else for?"

"I am afraid."

"Afraid of what? I should think you'd hang your head. No; you go
right in there and do what I tell you."

Pretty soon Flora came running into the sitting-room where Sophia was,
as pale as death, and in her hand she held a queer, old-fashioned
frilled nightcap.

"What's that?" demanded Sophia.

"I found it under the pillow."

"What pillow?"

"In the southwest room."

Sophia took it and looked at it sternly.

"It's Great-aunt Harriet's," said Flora faintly.

"You run down street and do that errand at the grocer's for me and I'll
see that room," said Sophia with dignity. She carried the nightcap
away and put it in the trunk in the garret where she had supposed it
stored with the rest of the dead woman's belongings. Then she went into
the southwest chamber and made the bed and assisted Mrs. Simmons to
move, and there was no further incident.

The widow was openly triumphant over her new room. She talked a deal
about it at the dinner-table.

"It is the best room in the house, and I expect you all to be envious
of me," said she.

"And you are sure you don't feel afraid of ghosts?" said the librarian.

"Ghosts!" repeated the widow with scorn. "If a ghost comes I'll send
her over to you. You are just across the hall from the southwest room."

"You needn't," returned Eliza Lippincott with a shudder. "I wouldn't
sleep in that room, after--" she checked herself with an eye on the
minister.

"After what?" asked the widow.

"Nothing," replied Eliza Lippincott in an embarrassed fashion.

"I trust Miss Lippincott has too good sense and too great faith to
believe in anything of that sort," said the minister.

"I trust so, too," replied Eliza hurriedly.

"You did see or hear something--now what was it, I want to know?" said
the widow that evening when they were alone in the parlour. The
minister had gone to make a call.

Eliza hesitated.

"What was it?" insisted the widow.

"Well," said Eliza hesitatingly, "if you'll promise not to tell."

"Yes, I promi