By the time we got back to the inn, Mrs. Davis, our landlady, had learnt the purport of our visit, and we, consequently, found her in great consternation.  We had hardly entered, than she exclaimed:—­

“Why surely, Sir, you are not going to buy Castle Hill?  Why it is haunted, as sure as my name is Peggy Davis!”

“Well, my dear madam,” said Papa, “haunted or not, such is my present intention.”

“Why, sir, nobody can live there.  Don’t you know there’s a ghost seen there every night.”

“Oh,” replied papa, “we shall soon, I think, send the ghost off packing.”

“Send a ghost off packing! really, sir, you must pardon me, but you are a strange gentleman.  Dear! dear! why do you know that four or five have tried to live there and couldn’t, for the ghost wouldn’t let ’em.  You may laugh, but it’s a real truth, that it drove every mother’s son away; yes not one of them could stay.”

“Well, my good Mrs. Davis, we shall soon see whether I can or not; at any rate I shall try.”

“Well you certainly are a stout-hearted gentleman, and you must please remember, whatever comes of it, I warned you.  Why, there was James Reece, a bold reckless fellow and a very wicked one into the bargain, who feared nothing nor nobody, agreed, for five pounds to stay the night, and was never heard of any more, and some go so far as to say, his ghost has been seen alongside the others once or twice.”

“The others,” repeated papa, “why you don’t mean to say there is more than one?”

“Yes, sure sir, two or three; but ’tis no use telling you, for I really think you are unbelieving as a Jew,” and away trotted the old dame, talking to herself as fast as she chatted to papa.

The next morning, after another ineffectual effort from Mrs. Davis, to persuade him to give it up, papa went and concluded, what appeared to him, an excellent bargain, with the lawyer, who was too anxious to serve his employer, not to try and make light of the reports, and not only this, but to fix papa so, that he could not possibly retract.

He came to the Inn and dined with us.  Poor Mrs. Davis appeared rather in awe of him; as she never spoke a word, but as she came in and out with different things, she gave papa some very significant looks; but always behind Mr. Crawford’s back.  No sooner had that gentleman left us, than papa told me, he had made up his mind to take possession of his new purchase, by passing the night in the haunted house.

Charles you are my most intimate friend; and therefore, I may open my heart to you, and tell you honestly, (but mind, not a word to the other boys, when we get back to school) that my heart began to fail me; I know it ought not, for I had been taught better things, and should not have suffered myself to have been influenced, by an ignorant old woman.