xi LADY MAUD'S WALK 193 



is considered to be haunted much. The 

 haunted room is the one which I have the 

 honour to occupy. It looks harmless enough 

 in the daytime too, a little long room with 

 cheerful wall-paper and a tiny window, a 

 real casement, half covered with a creeper. 

 But at night the open half of the casement 

 looks like an empty frame, and I lie awake 

 waiting in some apprehension for a white 

 face to come and fill it, and by way of pass- 

 ing the time of expectation my too active 

 memory brings up every horrible old story 

 that ever I heard. 



What slaves we are to our nerves ! In 

 theory I do not believe in ghosts, but in 

 practice I am only too ready to be convinced. 

 I sincerely hope that the homicidal ghost 

 will not be the agent chosen for my con- 

 version. If his identity is guessed correctly 

 he is not a person to be encouraged, for he 

 is supposed to be the last of the mad monks 

 of Medmenham. I don't suppose he cares 

 greatly whether he is encouraged or not. 

 Oderint dum metuant probably serves him for a 

 motto, if he still retains any of his Latinity. 

 Talking of Latinity, I wonder whether the 

 Roman has any idea how important his 



o 



