“And what happened?” demanded Lily, her eyes bright with excitement.
The old man fingered his spoon for a moment before replying. He had not intended to frighten the girls.
“It was dead in the morning!”
“Oh, it must have been sick when it came,” said Marjorie, lightly; but she noticed that in spite of herself Lily had been impressed.
The sun was setting, and after the old man left, with a promise to come back often, the girls began to get ready to leave. A little after seven they heard the welcome rattle of John’s Ford in the drive.
“What shall we do with the dog?” asked Lily, as she bent to lock the door.
“Let him sleep in the stable if he wants to,” replied Marjorie. “He will be a sort of protection.”
“And we can test out the ghost theory!” added Lily. “If he’s alive tomorrow morning, I’ll promise never to mention it again!”
“Good!” cried Marjorie, with satisfaction.