ion was a mixture of satisfaction and alarm. In answer she
pointed to the new cook's trunk--that necessary adjunct of the
migratory domestic. The top was covered with fine white plaster, as
was the floor. But there were no large pieces of mortar lying
around--no bits of lathing. When I mentioned this to Liddy she merely
raised her eyebrows. Being quite confident that the gap was of unholy
origin, she did not concern herself with such trifles as a bit of
mortar and lath. No doubt they were even then heaped neatly on a
gravestone in the Casanova churchyard!

I brought Mr. Jamieson up to see the hole in the wall, directly after
breakfast. His expression was very odd when he looked at it, and the
first thing he did was to try to discover what object, if any, such a
hole could have. He got a piece of candle, and by enlarging the
aperture a little was able to examine what lay beyond. The result was
nil. The trunk-room, although heated by steam heat, like the rest of
the house, boasted of a fireplace and mantel as well. The opening had
been made between the flue and the outer wall of the house. There was
revealed, however, on inspection, only the brick of the chimney on one
side and the outer wall of the house on the other; in depth the space
extended only to the flooring. The breach had been made about four
feet from the floor, and inside were all the missing bits of plaster.
It had been a methodical ghost.

It was very much of a disappointment. I had expected a secret room, at
the very least, and I think even Mr. Jamieson had fancied he might at
last have a clue to the mystery. There was evidently nothing more to
be discovered: Liddy reported that everything was serene among the
servants, and that none of them had been disturbed by the noise. The
maddening thing, however, was that the nightly visitor had evidently
more than one way of gaining access to the house, and we made
arrangements to redouble our vigilance as to windows and doors that
night.

Halsey was inclined to pooh-pooh the whole affair. He said a break in
the plaster might have occurred months ago and gone unnoticed, and that
the dust had probably been stirred up the day before. After all, we
had to let it go at that, but we put in an uncomfortable Sunday.
Gertrude went to church, and Halsey took a long walk in the morning.
Louise was able to sit up, and she allowed Halsey and Liddy to assist
her down-stairs late in the afternoon. The east