But the contagion spread; and indistinct terrors were no longer confined to the upper portions of the family.  The bruit revived, which had broken out a year before —­ that the house was haunted.  It was whispered that, the very night after these occurrences, the Ghost’s Walk had been in use as the name signified:  a figure in death-garments had been seen gliding along the deserted avenue, by one of the maid-servants; the truth of whose story was corroborated by the fact that, to support it, she did not hesitate to confess that she had escaped from the house, nearly at midnight, to meet one of the grooms in a part of the wood contiguous to the avenue in question.  Mr. Arnold instantly dismissed her —­ not on the ground of the intrigue, he took care to let her know, although that was bad enough, but because she was a fool, and spread absurd and annoying reports about the house.  Mr. Arnold’s usual hatred of what he called superstition, was rendered yet more spiteful by the fact, that the occurrences of the week had had such an effect on his own mind, that he was mortally afraid lest he should himself sink into the same limbo of vanity.  The girl, however, was, or pretended to be, quite satisfied with her discharge, protesting she would not have staid for the world; and as the groom, whose wages happened to have been paid the day before, took himself off the same evening, it may be hoped her satisfaction was not altogether counterfeit.

“If all tales be true,” said Mrs. Elton, “Lady Euphrasia is where she can’t get out.”

“But if she repented before she died?” said Euphra, with a muffled scorn in her tone.

“My dear Miss Cameron, do you call becoming a nun —­ repentance?  We Protestants know very well what that means.  Besides, your uncle does not believe it.”

“Haven’t you found out yet, dear Mrs. Elton, what my uncle’s favourite phrase is?”

“No.  What is it?”

“I don’t believe it.”

“You naughty girl!”

“I’m not naughty,” answered Euphra, affecting to imitate the simplicity of a chidden child.  “My uncle is so fond of casting doubt upon everything!  If salvation goes by quantity, his faith won’t save him.”

Euphra knew well enough that Mrs. Elton was no tell-tale.  The good lady had hopes of her from this moment, because she all but quoted Scripture to condemn her uncle; the verdict corresponding with her own judgment of Mr. Arnold, founded on the clearest assertions of Scripture; strengthened somewhat, it must be confessed, by the fact that the spirits, on the preceding evening but one, had rapped out the sentence:  “Without faith it is impossible to please him.”