"I won't dispute with you, sir, but she'll be the death of me if she goes on as she's a-doing of now. You've been away a long time, sir."
"Not so very long; I had important business in the country to attend to. Nothing has happened, except your accident, during my absence, I suppose?"
"Nothink as I can think of, sir."
"No more visitors in disguise; no more false summonses to the police court?"
"No, sir--only I've got my fancies."
"What kind of fancies?"
Mrs. Middlemore looked timorously around, and Sophy answered for her. "There's a sperrit in the 'ouse, she ses. She 'ears it moving about, and she's ready to swear in the middle of the night that it's a-standing at the foot of the bed."
"Do you also hear and see it, Sophy?" I asked.
"Not me," replied Sophy, contemptuously. "It's a wide-awake sperrit, and makes itself scarce when I'm about."
"Ah, well," I said, "there's no accounting for fancies. Let us get to business, Mrs. Middlemore. I intend to rob you of Sophy for a little while."