’Have ’ee heard this about the Hussars?  They are haunted!  Yes—­a ghost troubles ’em; he has followed ’em about the world for years.’

A haunted regiment:  that was a new idea for either invalid or stalwart.  The listener in the oriel came to the conclusion that there were some lively characters among the —–­th Hussars.

He made Captain Maumbry’s acquaintance in an informal manner at an afternoon tea to which he went in a wheeled chair—­one of the very rare outings that the state of his health permitted.  Maumbry showed himself to be a handsome man of twenty-eight or thirty, with an attractive hint of wickedness in his manner that was sure to make him adorable with good young women.  The large dark eyes that lit his pale face expressed this wickedness strongly, though such was the adaptability of their rays that one could think they might have expressed sadness or seriousness just as readily, if he had had a mind for such.

An old and deaf lady who was present asked Captain Maumbry bluntly:  ‘What’s this we hear about you?  They say your regiment is haunted.’

The Captain’s face assumed an aspect of grave, even sad, concern.  ‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘it is too true.’

Some younger ladies smiled till they saw how serious he looked, when they looked serious likewise.

‘Really?’ said the old lady.

‘Yes.  We naturally don’t wish to say much about it.’

‘No, no; of course not.  But—­how haunted?’

’Well; the—­thing, as I’ll call it, follows us.  In country quarters or town, abroad or at home, it’s just the same.’

‘How do you account for it?’

‘H’m.’  Maumbry lowered his voice.  ’Some crime committed by certain of our regiment in past years, we suppose.’

‘Dear me . . .  How very horrid, and singular!’

‘But, as I said, we don’t speak of it much.’

‘No . . . no.’

When the Hussar was gone, a young lady, disclosing a long-suppressed interest, asked if the ghost had been seen by any of the town.

The lawyer’s son, who always had the latest borough news, said that, though it was seldom seen by any one but the Hussars themselves, more than one townsman and woman had already set eyes on it, to his or her terror.  The phantom mostly appeared very late at night, under the dense trees of the town-avenue nearest the barracks.  It was about ten feet high; its teeth chattered with a dry naked sound, as if they were those of a skeleton; and its hip-bones could be heard grating in their sockets.

During the darkest weeks of winter several timid persons were seriously frightened by the object answering to this cheerful description, and the police began to look into the matter.  Whereupon the appearances grew less frequent, and some of the Boys of the regiment thankfully stated that they had not been so free from ghostly visitation for years as they had become since their arrival in Casterbridge.