28 Helli-fire Dick, [Jan.. 
made wry faces at this unpleasant jog to his memory. As, however, the 
rest of his guests united with one voice in maintaining the justice of the 
claim, he saw no way of escaping from it, and was preparing, with a very 
bad grace, to pay the money, when he was relieved from at least one half 
of his pain by Frank’s protesting that, ‘ as the crowns were gained in 
the tavern, in the tavern they should be spent ;’—a declaration that was 
received with universal applause. The genial band of topers agreed, 
one and all, that he was a hearty fellow, though he did carry a Lon- 
doner’s tongue in his head, and swore loudly that they would spend 
another day and night there for the pleasure of his company. Such an 
agreeable notice, which carried with it the promise of a golden harvest, 
at once reconciled mine host to Frank and his story; he no longer 
doubted that things were in the Prior’s Gallery as he had stated, and, with 
this conviction, he resolved to follow his advice, and try whether the 
ghosts would not be as liberal to himself as they had been toa stranger.— 
‘If, thought he, ‘they did so much for one they know nothing of, it 
would be hard, indeed, should they send me away sleeveless, who am 
their landlord, and, what’s more, don’t charge a sixpence for their lodg~ 
ing from year’s-end to year’s-end.’ 
“«« T don’t know how the guests contrived to pass the day at this lone 
inn upon a common, nor is it much to our purpose; perhaps they smoked 
away the time; or they might fish, for there were two or three large 
ponds on the heath, where, if they found nothing else, it was like enough 
there would be eels in plenty ; or, it may be, they stole a sly shot at the 
venison in the forest, which I have before mentioned as skirting the 
heath to the left. Be this as it might, they did contrive to get through 
the twelve hours—in what way does not matter—and night found them, 
as before, seated round the punch-bowl. Mine host, who had been 
drawing from it frequent reinforcements to his courage, was in high 
order by the time the clock struck eleven, which, by the advice of his 
counsellor, was the fittest season for his visit to the gallery. Accord- 
ingly, forth he set, escorted, as Frank had been on the preceding even- 
ing, but under much more favourable auspices. Though the night was 
dark, it was calm ; there was no beating of the rain against the win- 
dows—no furious wind, to sound at one moment like the moans of the 
dying, and, at the next, like the trampling of feet through the long, 
crazy corridores—and, what was perhaps still more cordial, every body 
around him was in better spirits. The adventure, too, had been tried— 
the danger proved to be imaginary—and, though it was scarcely possible 
for any of them to avoid a slight palpitation of the heart on entering the 
haunted chamber, yet still there was a wide difference between this 
feeling and the dread they had experienced on the first occasion. Some 
of the boldest even ventured to jest upon the starch, staring portraits, 
that frowned upon them from their oak panels ; and amongst these, not 
the least in daring, was the lord of the Red Lion, who, elevated by the 
spirit of brandy above all sublunary considerations, gallantly snap- 
ped his fingers at the inanimate groupe, protesting that he should like — 
nothing better than half an hour’s gossip with the dead originals. It 
would seem that the portraits heard and accepted the challenge ; for 
scarcely were the words out of his mouth, than every eye amongst them 
was in motion, rolling backwards and forwards as if for a wager. This 
was quite enough for the guests ; one and all rushed out of the gallery, 
leaving the landlord to settle with his ghostly tenants as best he might ; 
