, 1891-05-20

after her, but the door at the foot of tn
kitchen staircase was shut. She Ger
tainly could not nave had time to oper
it, and 1 don't know where she can hay,
gone to-
This was Charlotte's explanation Of
her mad scurry downstairs. Her down
right sensible face was puzzled and an
cry.
$50 you see the little ones must have
been tormented by that old wretch, who.
ever she is. They didn't dream it, father,
as you thought. Wouldn't 1 like to pun
ish herr"
What a brave girlr' cried Mrs. March,
mont
"Brave7 Oh, Charlotte's as bold as a
hon! She went back to bed; and when
we followed her, in a couple of hours,
she was sleeping soundly. But 1 can't
say either Of us slept 50 well. If a trick
was being played upon US it was carried
u in so clever a manner as to battle me
completely. Ineed not say that l made
careful search of every Granny about the
handsome house and offices; and if there
was a secret passage or a door in the wall
anywhere it escaped me. We had peace
for a fortnight, and then the ANNOYANCE
recommended.
"Angela's nerve was shaken at last
and she began to whisper, There are
more things in heaven and earth .~Ho-
ratio
John, you are making a story" in
terrupted Mrs. Henniker.
1T Is every word true. 1 am coming
to an end. Angela, in spite of her dis,
clAimer, did believe in a ghost in a black
bonnet, Charlotte believed in her. but
did not care about her ghostship. The
nurse and cook and housemaid declared
they were meeting the horrible appear
ance constantly, and they were all three
In a mortal funk. As to the children,
they woul not leave of chnging to
their mother, and fretting and tremb-
ling when evening came. The milkman,
the baker and the butcher all told the
servant that we would not be long Mt
the hall, for nobody ever remained more
than a month or two. This was cheer
full and encouraging for me-"
But you had never seen the charming
old woman all this timer
mo- but saw her in the broad day-
light. had agood long look at her, and
a more diabolical face l never aw-no.
not even in the dock. was writing let
tiers in the study about 10 o'clock one
morning, when L suddenly looked up, to
see the appearance that had excited such
a turmoil in my family standing near the
table. A frightful face-a short set wo-
man dressed in black-gown, shawl, bon
net-this was the impression l received.
But h looked quite human-quite ey-
eryday-there was nothing ghostly in her
air-only the evilface curdled ones blood.
l stared at her, and then l took up a fold
ed newspaper and threw it at her. MY
motive in 30 doing was to brighten her
who had frightened my wife so much.
Courtesy such a creature need not expect
from me, being, as her ~villainous counte-
nance proved, n of the criminal class.
The newspaper fell upon the floor. after
apparently going through the figure, and
there was a acuum where it had been.
l was not much shaken, however. al
though my theory of a human trick
ster dressed like a woman seemed over
turned"
Ibid you tell Mrs. Henniker what YOU
had seen?'
talked of nothing else. She saw the an
partition twice herself. Once she entered
our dressing room and saw the figure
bending over a sleeping child Ut faded as
h looked); another time she was with
me in the drawing room, when she laid
down her book and whispered, See, see.
near the doori' There, sure enough, was
the appearance that had visited me in
the study in clear daylight. / did not
make her out quite as distinctly now be-
cause u candles did not light up that
end of the long room, or my older eyes
were mo as good as Angela's."
What did Mrs. Henniker dor
"She started up and ran to catch the
old woman in the black bonnet"
"And did she catch herr
"She caught a shiver-nothing morel
After this l resolved to give up the
hall at once, sacrificing -four months
rent for h a X of my wife and chill
dren, whose nerves would lave o be-
come shattered had we remained. l
went to Mr.. Harold and told him how
d~lsagreeable the place was to us. He
was grave n very guarded in manner.
confessing that no tenant stayed more
than a couple of months at the hall
that his client certainly made consider
able in consequence-that he had lone
his utmost to find out what was wrong
with the house, but all in vain. Mr..
j would not speak about it, and
when strenuously urged to explain re-
piled emphatically, 4 shall never tell
you the story of that house.
1--WE dismissed the servants with hand
some presents at once on our return to
Dublin, so DESTROYS were we that the
children should never be reminded of
their terror. l think they have not heard
the old woman in the black bonnet
spoken of since we left the hall, and the
younger mes nave probably forgotten
her. As to us, we can only say that the
mystery is unexplained. "-Argosy.