Cruel as the grave
supernatural than the nineteenth, with all its mysterious spiritual
manifestations, can be. He was a scientific and practical man. Yet he
shuddered with awe as he listened to the description given by his
unconscious wife of this strange visitant. And he could not forbear to
question her.
"'Did you speak to the girl when you found her in your room at
midnight?' he inquired.
"'Yes, certainly; I asked her how she came to be there so late. But
instead of answering my question, she glided silently away.'
"'Have you spoken to any of the servants of this girl's intrusion into
parts of the house where she has no business to come?'
"'No, not until this morning; for I never really felt interest enough in
the little creature that I only casually met in the passages of the
house, until I found her in my bedroom at midnight. So this morning I
described her to the housekeeper, and asked who she was, and who gave
her liberty to intrude into my bedroom so late. And what do you think
old Monica answered?'
"'I'm sure I don't know.'
"'She crossed herself, and cried out, 'Lord have mercy on all our souls!
You have seen her!' I inquired, 'Seen who?' But she answered, 'Nothing.
Nobody. I don't know what I'm talking about. My head's wool-gathering,
I believe.' Nor could any further questioning of mine draw from her any
more satisfactory answer. And so I came to you for an explanation. And
you tell me that she is Milly Jones, the child of poor parents, living
on the mountain, and that she comes here for broken victuals and old
clothes. Very well. In future I shall pension the poor family on the
mountain, for I would not have any fellow-creature in my reach to suffer
want; but I shall do it on condition that Miss Milly Jones stays home,
and helps her mother with the family cooking and washing, instead of
losing her time by day and her sleep by night in wandering through all
the rooms of a gentleman's house, and taking possession of a lady's
bed-chamber.'
"You see this bride never imagined a ghost, but strongly suspected a
sweetheart, and so she was a little surprised when her husband answered:
"'Do so, my dear; and may Heaven grant that you may get rid of this
unpleasant visitor at once and forever.'
"And as he said this, Philip Dubarry arose and went into his library and
rung the bell, and to the servant who answered it, he said:
"'Send Monica the housekeeper here.'
"In a few minutes Monica entered the room.
"'Did I not order you, on pain of my heaviest displeasure, never to
annoy Mrs. Dubarry by so much as the mention of the gipsy girl's name to
her?' sternly demanded Philip Dubarry.
"The old woman fell down upon her knees, and lifted up both her hands,
and exclaimed:
"'And no more I haven't, master, not once! But that don't do no good,
for _she walks_!'
"'Who walks, you old fool?'
"'_She_, the gipsy girl, master. _She walks_, and the missis sees her as
well as we do!'
"'We? Whom do you call "we," you insupportable idiot?'
"'Me and Ben the man-servant, and Betty the chambermaid, and Peggy the
parlormaid. All sees her, master. We never, none of us, see her before
the missis was brought home; but ever since that, we sees her every day;
we sees just as much of her as we used to see when she was alive!'
answered the woman, grovelling and weeping.
"'_Where_ do you see her, or fancy you see her, lunatic?' fiercely
demanded Philip Dubarry.
"'Everywhere, master! We meets her on the stairs; we sees her sitting at
the head of the table, as soon as the meal is ready, and before the
mistress comes to take the place; and we sees her lying in the unmade
beds of a morning; but always, as soon as we screams, as scream we must,
at such an object, master, she vanishes away!' answered the housekeeper.
"Philip Dubarry was awed and almost silenced,--_almost_, but not quite,
for he was the very sort of hero to browbeat others the most fiercely
when he was himself the most frightened. He rallied himself.
"'Look you here!' he furiously exclaimed; 'all this that you have just
told me is the most wicked and abominable falsehood and absurdity! And
now take notice! IF EVER I hear of one more word being uttered on this
subject in this house, or out of it, by any one of you, under any
circumstances whatever, by my blood, I will make you all wish that you
had never been born! Repeat this to your fellow-servants', and order
them from me to govern their tongues accordingly. Now go!' he thundered
at the poor old woman, who hastily picked herself up, and hurried out of
the room."
CHAPTER XXVI.
THE SPECTRE.
It was about to speak
And then it started like a guilty thing.
Upon a fearful summons.--SHAKESPEARE.
"Philip Dubarry remained walking up and down the door, foaming with
impotent rage, as well as trembling with a vague and awful terror. He
had a practical and scientific mind, and could understand everything
that might be governed by known laws. But he could not understand this
unwelcome visitant, that had appeared to every one else in the house but
himself. He was an arbitrary and despotic man who enforced his will upon
all connected with him, and ruled all flesh with a rod of iron. But he
could not rule the spirit, and he knew it. He could not lay this ghost
of his guilt.
"There was one grain of truth in the ton of falsehood that he had told
to his unconscious wife, to account for the apparition seen by her.
There really was a Milly Jones, the daughter of a poor family on the
mountains, and she really did come occasionally to the house to ask for
broken victuals and old clothes; but instead of being a beautiful
black-eyed and black-haired little gipsy, in the picturesque red cloak,
she was a pale-faced, light-haired, poor-spirited looking creature, in a
faded calico frock, and an old plaid shawl; and instead of being the
family pet, with the run of the house, she was the family nuisance,
strictly prohibited from passing the bounds of the servants' hall.
"So when that day, being a rainy day, and therefore highly favorable for
attention to domestic matters, Mistress Alicia Dubarry called the
house-steward to her presence, and ordered him to send a small pension
of two dollars a week to the Jones family, with an intimation that Miss
Milly need not come to collect it, the order was promptly executed, to
the satisfaction of all the domestics; and poor Milly, glad to be
relieved from her fatiguing journey and degrading mendicity, was seen no
more at Shut-up Dubarry.
"But Mrs. Dubarry did not therefore get rid of her visitor. Not more
than three days had elapsed since the issuing of her order, when, one
evening between the lights, she entered her own bedroom, and saw the
girl in the red cloak sitting quietly in the easy-chair beside the fire.
"'How dare you come here, after the message I sent you? Get up and
begone, and let me never catch you here again,' angrily demanded the
lady.
"The apparition melted into air; but as it disappeared, the words came,
like a sigh borne upon the breeze:
"'_I wait._'
"The lady was about to dress for an evening party, and so she paid no
attention to any chance sound.
"But the next morning she met the girl in the hall, and the next evening
in the parlor; again she passed the figure on the stairs, or encountered
it in the drawing-room. The lady lost patience, and sent for the
house-steward in her presence.
"'Did I not command that that girl should not come here again?' she
sternly demanded.
"'Yes, my lady,' respectfully answered the man.
"'Then how is it that she comes here as much as ever?'
"'My dear lady, she have never entered the house since your ladyship
gave the order that she was not so to do.'
"'But she has. I have seen her here at least a half a dozen times.'
"'Dear lady, I dare not contradict you; but poor Milly Jones has been
down with the pleurisy for these two weeks past, and could not have got
out of her bed, even if your ladyship had ordered her to come.'
"'Isaac, is this true?'
"'True as truth, your ladyship, which you can find it out for yourself
by riding up to the hut and seeing the poor girl, which it would be a
charity so to do.'
"'And you say she has not been here for a fortnight?'
"'No, madam.'
"'Then, in the name of Heaven, _who_ is it that I meet so often?' slowly
and sternly demanded Mrs. Dubarry.
"Old Isaac solemnly shook his gray head, and answered never a word.
"'What do you mean by that? Speak! I will have an answer. Who is this
silent girl in the red cloak, I ask?' repeated the lady.
"'Madam, I don't know. And that is what I meant when I shook my head,'
replied the old man, trembling.
"'You don't know! do you dare to mock me?'
"'Far from it, my lady; but goodness knows I don't know.'
"'But you have seen her?'
"'Dear, my lady, I don't know who she is, nor dare I speak of her; the
master has forbidden us so to do. Dear madam, ask the master; but oh,
for pity sake, do not ask me further,' pleaded the old man, very humbly.
"The lady turned white with jealousy. There was but one interpretation
she could put upon this mystery.
"'Go and say to your master that I would feel much obliged if he would
come to me here,' she said, grimly seating herself.
"The trembling old man went to the kennels, where Mr. Dubarry was busy
doctoring a favorite setter, and delivered his message. Dubarry was
still enough in love with his three months wife to come quickly at her
call.
"'Philip!' exclaimed the lady, as soon as she saw him enter the room,
'once for all, I wish to know who is this girl in the red cloak; and why
I am daily insulted with her presence in this house?'
"Dubarry went pale, as usual at the mention of the apparition; but he
faltered out with what composure he could command:
"'I--I told you who she is--Milly Jones.'
"'No; begging your pardon, she is _not_ Milly Jones. Milly Jones has
been ill with pleurisy, at home on the mountain, for the last two weeks;
and I have sent her a pension of two dollars a week. No; this is no
Milly Jones, and I insist on knowing who she is!'
"'Then, if she is not Milly Jones, she is a creature of your own
imagination, for no other living girl comes to the house,' answered
Dubarry doggedly.
"'You will not tell me who she is? Very well. When next I see her, _she_
shall tell me, silent as she is,' said the lady grimly setting her
teeth.
"Dubarry arose with a sigh, and went back to his ailing setter; but his
thoughts brooded over the subject of the apparition.
"The lady kept her word at a fearful cost. For the remainder of the day,
her conduct towards her husband was so cold and repelling as to wound
and offend him. So it happened that when the hour for retiring came that
night, she went up to her chamber alone. She had but time to reach the
room, when all the household was startled by a piercing shriek and a
heavy fall.
"Mr. Dubarry, soon followed by all the servants, rushed up stairs to
Mrs. Dubarry's bedroom. They found the lady extended on the floor, in a
deep swoon. She was raised and laid upon the bed, and proper means taken
to revive her. When at length she opened her eyes, and recognized her
husband, she signed for every one else to leave the room; and when they
had done so, she turned and took his hand and kissed it, and fixed her
wild and frightened eyes upon him and whispered in an awe-struck tone:
"'Phil, dear, I wronged you. I took that creature in the red cloak to be
a sweetheart of yours, Phil, but it was not; it was--_a spectre_!'
"There was silence between them for a minute, during which she never
took her scared eyes from his pale face. He was the first to speak.