The Argosy, Vol. 6

Anne Hereford, serialized fiction by the author of East Lynne, Chapter XVII: "Lizzy Dene"

At the Chandos estate, Anne Hereford sings for Mr. Chandos, a gentleman recovering from recent illness. Mrs. Penn interrupts to report a theft: Honiton lace missing from her locked work-box, her keys mysteriously moved. Mr. Chandos reveals he too lost a memorandum-book from his desk, containing estate notes and private items in personal cipher. The thefts trouble them—not the valuables spared, but the breach of household security.

Anne harbors knowledge of an incident the household attributes to a ghost haunting the pine-walk. Mr. Chandos hints at his own sleepwalking; Mrs. Penn suspects his late father's spirit. When Chandos presents Anne with a white rose, she becomes emotionally enraptured. Later, Mrs. Penn requests Anne's cooperation in night-watching from her window to verify the apparition's nature, which Anne firmly refuses on grounds of loyalty to her hosts.