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 "To-night, if you like; and you, sir," added the Captain, turning to me, "will you keep us company?"

"No," said I; "I do not wish to trouble the solitude of this phantom; besides, I would rather think that our Doctor is joking."

"I am not joking," replied the obstinate Pitferge.

"Come, Doctor," said I. "Do you really believe in the dead coming back to the decks of ships?"

"I believe in the dead who come to life again," replied the Doctor, and this is the more astonishing as I am a physician."

"A physician!" cried the Captain, drawing back as if the word had made him uneasy.

"Don't be alarmed, Captain," said the Doctor, smiling, good-humouredly; "I don't practise while travelling."