The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-08-14

4
one sitting there" she said. "He must be
very short-sighted, poor boy. It's very
strange.
"He must be as blind as bat,' an
swered, or else have been playing a practi-
cal joke on us. 1 never saw anything SC
absurd in my life"
But in the next few days was destined
to see stranger things. asked Sydney if
he were short-sighted, but he denied the
charge with warmth. And yet the more
watched him the more obvious was it that
he was always meeting invisible people.
Once, as 1 CHANGED to see him coming down
stairs, l distinctly saw him draw back,
pressing himself against the wall as if to
allow an invisible person pass. Another
time saw him walk to the front door, open
it, and hold it as if for an invisible visitor
to pass out. After that could stand it no
longer. l am the worst possible hand at
fault-fnding with servants, but l was de-
termined to have an explanation of this.
So that afternoon l spoke to Sydney
Sydney" said bluntly, "are you given
to seeing ghosts p
II, Sirl' he answered, with a smile of
astonishment. "No, Sir, / never saw a
ahost in my life. =
sThen, what the devil do you mean," |
broke out, "by behaving in the way you
have been doing? p
The boy stared Evidently he thought
me off my head. determined to speak
more gently.
"Then," 1 said, ''who was that person
you showed out of the house this morning."
I knew had him there, for 1 was sure no
body had called.
''Oh, you mean the old gentleman in
gray, Sir? He left no name | Thought,
Sir, he seemed to be at home in the house.
| had seen him here so often, Sir"
Now it was my turn to stare. was
dumbfounded. | literally stammered for
want of words Then / showed what l
have always thought was remarkable pres
ence of mind l turned round and walked
into the dining room, telling the boy to fol-
low There [ poured out glass of whisky
and gave it to him.
'Drink that" I said, "and you had bet
ter sit down.
Obviously he thought me as eccentric as
l thought him. But he merely said
''thank you, Sir" and drank the whisky.
"Do you feel quite well p [ asked frig-
idly.
''Quite well, thank you, Sir.
"Are you subject to delusions or hallu-
cinations?"
"No, Sir; never, Sir, he answered prompt
ly, with lurking smile which he vainly
tried to conceal,
That smile annoyed me. [ broke out
again:
aThen, what on earth do you mean," l
cried, "by telling me this nonsense about a
gentleman in grayg"
Sydney rose. There was some dignity
in his manner. Hespoke respectfully, but
in an injured tone.
81 beg your pardon, Sir-but 1 only told
you about the gentleman who called, and l
thought, Sir, you might have seen him, for
he passed by you, and fancied he nodded
to you as he passed.
Really things had come to pretty pass!
Here was my own servant accusing me of
seeing invisible phantoms which only ex-
isted in his own disordered brain
But there-I will not repeat all the con-
yersatioR that followed | must say Sgd
ney kept his temper wonderfully, for I lost
mine. However, we had long explana-
ton, which ended in this way. The boy
asserted positively that he had three or
four times seen an elderly gentleman in
gray walking about the house. He had
seen him sitting in the drawing room with
my mother. He had seen him in the pas
sages up stairs and in the grounds outside.
He had, he admitted, wondered who he
could be, and had fancied that he must be
some very intimate friend, or some one
connected with the establishment. He had
never heard him speak, certainly. He
had not as yet questioned any of the
other servants about him. But then he
had himself only been few days in the
house, aud as yet did not know all the peo=
pie about the place, When ! told him
that no one else in the house had ever
heard of such person, Sydney was CON-
pletely staggered, In fact, the only result
Of our conversation was to leave on the
mind of each of us grave doubts as to the
others sanity, if not as to his own. But
before we parted l made the boy promise
me solemnly that the very next time he
saw this mysterious figure he would sum-
mon me al once.
Next day nothing happened, and med
itated dismissing Sydney. The day after
an event occurred which changed the cur
rent of my thoughts, which, thank God,
altered my whole life since, and which has
made Sydney Loch the most faithful friend
] have,
1t was late In the afternoon-a Winter
dusk I was up stairs in my bedroom,
writing letter to Nellie, vowing that 1
would never give her up, and yet seeing
no prospect of ever being able to claim her
for my wife. It was that hour when the
day begins to pass Into the night, and sha-
dows have grown gigantic, and men S
thoughts are turning toward dinner Sud
denly l was reused by quick step and a
knock at my door. l called out "Come
in and Sydney appeared on the thres-
hold. He looked very pale and excited,
as far as could see him by the dim light
Of my candles, and he spoke in a strange
voice.
aHe is here, Sir, the old gentleman in
gray-in the passage"
Jumped up, and was following him in
a moment 1t must have been well past
six o'clock, and yet the lights in the corri
dor were still unlighted. l looked all
round, but could see no one.
"Where ?" 1 said, in a whisper; for l
think the gloom and the boy s strange looks
had frightened my common sense out of
me.
Sydney took me by the arm and pointed.
l felt he he was trembling all over. And
for my own part, an uncomfortable chill
seemed to be creeping through my limbs.
"There, Sir, there-don't you see him
at the top of the stairs. He's beckon-
ing us to follow-come"
strained my eyes in the direction where
he pointed, but could discern nothing.
However, l caught hold of Sydney's arm