"Of course not, sir," said Bob genially.
And then he and Dorothy just glanced at each other and laughed with a strange kind of joyousness that mystified the Dixons; but Eustace looked hard at Nesta and nodded meaningly.
Bob's face was no longer haggard and drawn; it wore its old, habitual expression of steadfast happiness.
The party did not break up till "disgracefully late," as Mr. Chase put it. Peter was carried by his mother asleep to bed. The twins and the Dixons felt so wide awake they fancied they would not close an eye all night.
Mr. Chase laughed when he heard the story of the Sèvres ornament.
"I'm not surprised you were startled," he said kindly; "but please try to have something a little less valuable in your hands next ghost you meet."
"Nesta," said Eustace, following his twin to her door, "what are you going to do now? Shall you tell mother?"
"Tell mother what?" asked Nesta, with well-feigned astonishment.
"Why, that you are miserable, and won't stay, and all that stuff," was the reply.
"Of course not, silly," Nesta retorted. "Any one can see everything is going to be quite different now Aunt Dorothy has come."