Mr. Dunbar rose quickly, handed a glass of water to the old man, and then placed a chair for him.

“Tell me at once what you saw.”

“Ole Marster standin’ in the flo’ close to the vault, with his arm up so—­and the handi’on in his own hand—­”

“How dare you come here, with this cock-and-bull story?  You are either drunk or in your dotage.  Your master has been in his grave for eighteen months, and—­”

“Oh! to be shore I know’d what you’d say.  Cuss me for an idjut; but I swar, Mars Lennox, I am that scared I dasn’t to tell you no lie.  The proof of the pudden is jest chawin’ the bag, an’ I want you both to git a carridge quick, and take me up home; and if you don’t see what I tell you is thar, you may kick me from the front door clean down to the big gate.  The grave is busted wide open, and the dead walks, for I seen him; and I’ll sho’ him to you.  Come on, I want you to see for yourself.”

“You imbecile old nincompoop!  Go home, and tell Dyce to give you some catnip tea, and tie you to a chair,” laughed Mr. Churchill.

“You’ll laugh t’other side of your mouth, Mars Alfred, when you see that awful sight up yonder.  Ole Marster has come back, to clare the name of his grandchile, for he and his murderer is a wrastling, and it ain’t no ’oman, it’s a man!  A tall, pretty man, with beard on his face.”

Mr. Dunbar struck a bell at his side, and a clerk came promptly from the rear room.

“Nesbitt, step over to the livery stable, and order a carriage sent up at once.”  Turning to Bedney he continued: 

“I suppose the gist of all your yarn-spinning is, that you have found a stranger prowling about the place.  How did you discover him?”

“Lem’me tell you, as fur as I can, how I cum to see ole Marster.  Mr. Prince gin orders that the house should be opened and arred reglar, and he pintedly enjined us to have that room well cleaned and put in order.  We had all pintedly gin it a wide berth, and kep’ ourselves on t’other side of the house, ’cause all such places is harryfying; but this morning, I thought I would open the outside blind door on the west gallery, and look in through the glass door.  I know’d Mr. Prince had stirred round considerable in there, the day before he left, but I didn’t know he had drapped the curting what was looped back the last time I was inside.  So I went up the steps and clared away a rose vine what was hanging low down from the i’on pillar of the piazzar, and almost screening the door, and I walked up, I did, and looked in.  Lord Gawd Amighty!  The red curting was down on the inside, and I seen through it, I swar to Gawd I did, sir!  I seen clar spang through into that room, and thar stood Marster in his night clothes, jest so—­and thar stood that murdering vil’yan close to him, holding the tin box so—­and Marster with the handi’on jest daring him to cum on—­and—­and oh!  I am glad to know my Marster was game to the last, died