Page:A book of folk-lore (1913).djvu/138

Rh Cold are my lips in death, sweetheart,
 * My breath is earthy strong;

If you do touch my clay-cold lips,
 * Your time will not be long.’

It is, by the way, a mistake to say that ‘the ghost began to speak,’ for it is obvious from what follows that it is the dead man and not the ghost at all. The ballad is not complete; there are verses lost. But the gist of it seems to be that the damsel seeks release from her dead lover, and desires to return him the betrothal kiss; but when she finds that there is death in this, she seeks another solution, and is set tasks.

There used to be played in farm-houses in Cornwall a dialogue game of this kind. The dead lover goes outside the door, comes in and threatens to carry off the damsel who is