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Waking from her dream as she reaches the foot of the stone staircase, she says abruptly, but with a lovely shost in this beautiful old place, or a secret staircase, or at least a bogy of so hostly visitant alks these halls at the dead of night"

"We have no ghost here, I a "For the first time I feel distressed and ashamed that it should be so We can only boast a haunted chaends about it, I am proud to say, the bare narration of which would racious--how distinctly unpleasant!" exclaims Mrs Talbot, with a nervous and very effective shudder

"How distinctly delicious, you mean!" puts in Miss Delmaine "Sir Adrian, is this chamber anywhere near where I shall sleep?"

"Oh, no; you need not be afraid of that!" answers Dynecourt hastily

"I airl saucily "I have allan adventure of some sort I am tired of my prosaic existence I want to knohat dwellers in the shadowy reale her not to talk like that; it is positively wicked," pleads Dora Talbot, glancing at hily

"Miss Delmaine, you will drive Mrs Talbot from my house if you persist in your evil courses," says Sir Adrian, laughing again "Desist, I pray you!"

"Are you afraid, Dora?" asks Florence merrily "Then keep close to me I can defy all evil spirits, I have spells and charms"

"You have indeed!" puts in Sir Adrian, in a tone so low that only she can hear it "And, knowing this, you should be h she can not hear what he says, yet Mrs Talbot can see he is addressing Florence, and lance that passes fro quickly into the conversation, she says ti roo altogether," Sir Adrian replies reassuringly "Indeed it is so far froht be safely incarcerated there and slowly starved to death without any one of the household being a bit the wiser It is in the north wing in the old tower, a portion of the building that has not been in use for over fifty years"