or
ghosts were the last things he wished his children to hear anything
about.

"Yes," said the youngest boy Hugh, "he says he's going to be rather a
grand gentleman when he's grown up, but he wishes he hadn't got a
ghost."

"Then why doesn't he sell it, Huey?" asked the guest with perfect
gravity.

The little fellow opened his blue eyes wider. "I don't think you know
what ghosts are," he remarked.

"Oh yes, I do," answered Brandon. "I've often read about them. Some
people think a good deal of them, but I never could see the fun of
having them myself, and," he continued, "I never noticed any about your
premises, John."

"No," answered John Mortimer, following his lead; "they would be no use
for the children to play with."

"Do they scratch, then?" inquired the little Anastasia.

"No, my beauty bright, but I'm told they only wake up when it's too dark
for children to play."

"Peter's ghost doesn't," observed Master Bertram. "He came in the
morning."

"Did he steal anything?" inquired Brandon, still desirous, it seemed, to
throw dirt at the great idea.

"Oh no, he didn't steal," said the other little boy, "that's not what
they're for."

"What did he say then?"

"He gave a deep sigh, but he didn't say _nothink_."

"Ghosts," said Bertie, following up his brother's speech as one who had
full information--"ghosts are not birds, they don't come to lay eggs for
you, or to be of any use at all. They come for you to be afraid of.
Didn't you know that, father?"

John was too much vexed to answer, and Peter's chance from that moment
of ever entering those doors again was not worth a rush.

"But you needn't mind, father dear," said Janie, the eldest child
present, "Peter's ghost won't come here. It doesn't belong to 'grand,'
or to any of us. Its name was Melcombe, and it came from the sea, that
they might know it was dead." John and Brandon looked at one another.
The information was far too circumstantial to be forgotten by the
children, who continued their confidences now without any more
irreverent interruptions. "Mrs. Melcombe gave Peter four half-crowns to
give to nurse, and he had to say 'Thank you, nurse, for your kindness to
me;' but nurse wasn't kind, she didn't like Peter, and she slapped him
several times."

"And Mrs. Melcombe gave some more shillings to Maria," said Bertie.

"Like the garden slug," observed Brandon, "leaving a trail of silver
behind her."

The said Maria, who was their little nur