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Rh it's locked. Will you come and help us try to batter it down?"

"I certainly will. But what are you doing here? Are you camping?"

"Camping in a haunted house? I guess not!" exclaimed Grace. "The idea! Oh, but it's to good have—a man!"

"Thank you!" laughed Mr. Blackford, who, it will be remembered, was so fortunate as to recover his lost money through the efforts of our heroines, as told in the first volume of this series.

"You—you aren't afraid; are you?" asked Amy.

"Afraid of what?"

"The ghost!"

"Ghost!" and he laughed heartily.

"Well, there really have been some strange goings-on here," said Betty, standing in the doorway with her chums. She looked out at the weather. It was not raining much now, and the thunder and lightning had about ceased.

"Suppose you explain," proposed Mr. Blackford. "I happened to be in this part of the country looking after some of my business interests. I was delayed longer at one place than I expected to be, and got caught in the storm. When I came past this house I thought I would