The Argosy — page 163: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

151 WAS IT A GHOST ? “/\H, don’t let us talk of ghosts any more,” said our hostess “YT have no patience with them. Idiotic beings! Wander- ing about at unseasonable hours, frightening inoffensive people out of their wits. I never yet heard of a ghost who was of use to anyone, or who had any good reason to show for its appearance.” Everyone laughed except one person, and she, like Viola in “ Twelfth Night,” said: “Ah! but I know—” and then, like Viola, paused. No one heard her except myself. Mrs. Lester’s remark seemed suddenly to have put to flight the eerie ” mood which a succession of ghost stories had encouraged in us, The circle round the tea-table broke up, and one after another sauntered from the drawing-room, till at last there remained only myself and another. The lights had not yet been brought in, and I could only see her face by the glow of the fire. ‘‘ Now, Mrs. Mantell,” I said, carrying a chair up to take my place beside her. ‘ Tell me what you know.” *¢ About what ?” ** About ghosts.” | © Oh,” said Mrs. Mantell, remembering her words, and recognising my meaning with a slight start and a blush. “I don’t know that it would interest you.” ‘It would interest me intensely.” ‘‘ And besides,” she continued, “I am not sure that it was a ghost.” ‘“‘Never mind; let me judge for myself.” For, indeed, I was less concerned about the ghost than about Mrs. Mantell herself. Most old maids have their hobbies; mine is an affection for romances—romances in real life, I mean. I love them, and I look for them as other people do for bric-a-brac, antique coins or foreign postage stamps, and in the course of the last twenty years, I have amassed a very pretty collection. Already, I divined one in the presence of Mrs. Mantell, not merely from the mingled sweetness and sensitiveness of her expression, but from a few words which, on the day of her arrival, had fallen from our hostess. ‘‘Mr. Mantell is our friend,” Mrs. Lester had explained. ‘I have not yet seen fer, She was his mother’s governess or companion, I forget which, and she had rather a romantic story. She was brought up in a most extravagant style, and then her father died bankrupt, and left her without a penny.” COnmicloooel —_— SS (CO