-at least, here."

"But, Madam, Madam, you forget that the spirits have positively
commanded us to hold sittings in your parlor three times a day till
further notice!" gasped Miss Turligood, in extreme astonishment.

"I do not recognize the authority of the spirits. They have no right to
dictate the uses of my parlor."

Here was a confession indeed on the part of Miss Prowley. _Not recognize
the authority of the spirits!_ Miss Turligood fairly staggered, when she
heard the impious announcement. The smooth sciolist Stellato rallied his
weak wits and uttered a cry of wonder at such flagitious heresy. The
future Lady Byron, taking as a deliberate insult any doubts of the
identity and authority of her posthumous spouse, threw up her arms in
horror, and trotted out of the house.

Finally, we got rid of them all,--_how_, I don't exactly remember, and
if I did, it would not concern the reader to know. We delivered Miss
Turligood over to her Irishman, (who had brought a carryall with him
this time,) and charged him never to drive her back; Betty and the cook
were restored to the kitchen; Stellato and Miss Branly disappeared, no
one could say where.

"And now," exclaimed Colonel Prowley, with a sigh of relief, "let us
forget this nonsense, and go to dinner,--for the spirits have given me
an appetite, if nothing else."

"Then you intend to follow what I understand to be the teaching of your
invisible visitors," remarked Dr. Burge, pleasantly.

"How so?"

"You do not recognize Fast-Day."

"Ha! ha!" laughed the Colonel; "I doubt if the ghosts were quite
unreasonable about that."

"Nay, brother, you should tell our good minister that we have but a cold
collation, and that prepared on the previous day, as is our custom on
the Sabbath," urged Miss Prowley, with the dignity of an exact and
consistent housekeeper.

"It is as well we have," was the reply; "for those precious Indians,
although wise in medicine, knew little enough about cookery. They would
have made sorry work, had it been necessary to give a culinary direction
to the inspirations of our damsels below-stairs."

"And yet, after all," resumed our host, meditatively, and after a
moment's pause, "it seems scarcely right to make a jest of this matter;
for, although the manifestations of to-day have been ridiculous
enough,--yet--really--when I think of some of those instructive
observations of poor Sir Joseph Barley"----

The remark was never concluded, for a su