hing?"

"Nothin' whatever," said Robert, decidedly; "it be as dark as pitch."

I stood silent, gazing at the apparition, which, having reached the
gate, was slowly re-advancing. If it were fancy, why did it not vanish?
I rubbed my eyes, but it was there still. Robert interrupted me,
solemnly--

"Miss Dorothy, do _you_ see anything?"

"Robert," I said, "you are a faithful friend. Listen! I see before me
the lost hand of your dead master. I know it by the sapphire ring. It is
surrounded by a pale light, and moves slowly. My sister has seen it
three times in her sleep; and I see it now with my waking eyes. You may
laugh, Robert; but it is too true."

I was not prepared for the indignant reply:

"Laugh, Miss Dorothy! The Lord forbid! If so be you do see anything, and
it should be the Lord's will to reveal anything about poor dear Master
Edmund to you as loved him, and is his sister, who am I that I should
laugh? My mother had a cousin (many a time has she told me the story) as
married a sailor (he was mate on board a vessel bound for the West
Indies), and one night, about three weeks after her husband had--"

"Robert!" I said, "you shall tell me that story another day with
pleasure; but no time is to be lost now. I mean to follow the hand: will
you come with me and take care of me?"

"Go in, ma'am," he said; "wrap up warm, and put on thick shoes, and come
quietly down to this door. I'll just slip in and quiet the servants, and
meet you."

"And bring a lantern," I said; "this light does not light you."

In five minutes we were there again; and the hand was vivid as ever.

"Do you see it now?" whispered the butler, anxiously.

"Yes," I said; "it is moving."

"Go on," he said; "I will keep close behind you."

It was pitch dark, and, except for the gleaming hand, and the erratic
circles of light cast by the lantern, we could see nothing. The hand
gradually moved faster, increasing to a good walking pace, passing over
the garden-gate and leading us on till I completely lost knowledge of
our position; but still we went steadily forward. At last we got into a
road, and went along by a wall; and, after a few steps, the hand, which
was before me, moved sharply aside.

"Robert," I said, "it has gone over a gate--we must go too! Where are
we?"

He answered, in a tone of the deepest horror--

"Miss Dorothy! for the Lord's sake, think what you are doing, and let us
turn back while we can! You've had sore affliction;