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 apparently as well as ever, his face cleared, and the frown of anxiety passed gradually away from it as he heard from his daughter’s own lips that she had nothing the matter with her, and moreover was so delighted to see him that she was quite glad about the ghost, as it was the cause of bringing him home again.

“And how is the ghost getting on?” he asked, turning to Fräulein Rottenmeier, with a twinkle of amusement in his eye.

“It is no joke, I assure you,” replied that lady. “You will not laugh yourself to-morrow morning, Herr Sesemann; what is going on in the house points to some terrible thing that has taken place in the past and been concealed.”

“Well, I know nothing about that,” said the master of the house, “but I must beg you not to bring suspicion on my worthy ancestors. And now will you kindly call Sebastian into the dining-room, as I wish to speak to him alone.”

Herr Sesemann had been quite aware that Sebastian and Fräulein Rottenmeier were not on the best of terms, and he had his ideas about this scare.

“Come here, lad,” he said as Sebastian appeared, “and tell me frankly—have you been playing at ghosts to amuse yourself at Fräulein Rottenmeier’s expense?”

“No, on my honor, sir; pray, do not think it; I am very uncomfortable about the matter myself,” answered Sebastian with unmistakable truthfulness.

“Well, if that is so, I will show you and John to-morrow morning how ghosts look in the daylight. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Sebastian, a great strong lad like you, to run away from a ghost! But now go and take a message to my