24 Hell-fire Dick, [Jan. 
expense he might incur in the prosecution of his scheme, he swung over 
his brawny shoulders a basket, which stood by the fire, with dry billets, 
ready split for use, and sallied forth for the Prior’s Gallery, followed 
close by Frank and the rest of his guests, each carrying a candle; for 
your ghosts have ever been known for ill friends to light, be it of what 
kind it would—torch-light, or day-light. On the present occasion more 
particularly, the precaution came not amiss, in more senses than one ; 
for the haunted room lay at the very extremity of the building, and the 
way toit was precisely such as might be expected to lead to the dwelling 
of a ghost, being much less convenient than picturesque. You had to 
go up stairs, and then down stairs, and then again up stairs, over floors 
not always safe, through dreary corridores that led to no less dreary 
rooms, and through rooms that appeared to have been built for no other ~ 
earthly purpose than as a way to passages. The wind, too, howled 
through the rents in the walls and the broken windows, that it was as 
much as they could do, with all their care, to keep the candles a-light ; 
and, by the time they reached the door of the gallery, I warrant you 
there was many a pale face amongst them. Here the landlord made a 
dead halt. 
«« Well,’ said Frank, ‘ why don’t you open the door ?’ 
«Why don’t I open the door?’ repeated mine host ;—‘ humph! 
there are two words go to that bargain. Since you are not afraid to sleep 
in the room all night, I don’t see why you should be afraid to be the 
first to enter it.’ 
«« And who told you I was?’ said Frank ;—‘ give me the key, 
blockhead! and we’ll soon see if your ghosts dare to shake their beards 
at Frank Watson.’ 
«« There it is, Mr. Watson—since it seems your name is Watson,’ 
replied the landlord; ‘but I wish you would not talk after that fashion— 
at least while we are with you. I have no mind whatever to quarrel with 
the good folks within.’ 
“The door, as I have already observed, was double-locked. At the 
first turn of the key, the bolt shot half back with an ominous, grating | 
sound, not very pleasant to the ears of the guests. who instantly, as if 
they had been one man, made a sort of demivolte to the right ; and there 
they stood, ready to fly on the first alarm, yet still too curious to retreat 
without some more immediate and tangible cause of terror. It was an 
awful moment !—the bolt again grated, and Frank was forcing open the 
door, which was too much swollen by the damps to give way readily, 
when atrembling hand was laid upon his arm ; and mine host muttered, 
in a voice scarcely intelligible from fear— 
«< « Stop a moment !’ 
«< « Why ?—wherefore ?’ cried Frank, turning round hastily. 
“ «TJ thought I heard something stirring within,’ replied Mr. Bar- 
naby, in a yet lower key. 
«© « So did I,’ whispered one of the guests. 
«< « Listen-!’ 
« « Nonsense !’ said Frank ; ‘ the surest and the shortest way to learn 
if any one is within, is to go in ourselves,—And he threw the door 
wide open. 
At this moment had an owl hooted, a bat flapped his heavy wings 
across them, or even a beetle dropped from the ceiling on any of their 
lights, the whole party had infallibly been put to flight ; but as, luckily, 
