“‘She, the gipsy girl, master. She walks, and the missis sees her as well as we do!’
“‘We? Whom do you call “we,” you insupportable idiot?’
“‘Me and Ben the man-servant, and Betty the chambermaid, and Peggy the parlormaid. All sees her, master. We never, none of us, see her before the missis was brought home; but ever since that, we sees her every day; we sees just as much of her as we used to see when she was alive!’ answered the woman, grovelling and weeping.
“‘Where do you see her, or fancy you see her, lunatic?’ fiercely demanded Philip Dubarry.
“‘Everywhere, master! We meets her on the stairs; we sees her sitting at the head of the table, as soon as the meal is ready, and before the mistress comes to take the place; and we sees her lying in the unmade beds of a morning; but always, as soon as we screams, as scream we must, at such an object, master, she vanishes away!’ answered the housekeeper.
“Philip Dubarry was awed and almost silenced,—almost, but not quite, for he was the very sort of hero to browbeat others the most fiercely when he was himself the most frightened. He rallied himself.
“‘Look you here!’ he furiously exclaimed; ‘all this that you have just told me is the most wicked and abominable falsehood and absurdity! And now take notice! If ever I hear of one more word being uttered on this subject in this house, or out of it, by any one of you, under any circumstances whatever, by my blood, I will make you all wish that you had never been born! Repeat this to your fellow-servants’, and order them from me to govern their tongues accordingly. Now go!’ he thundered at the poor old woman, who hastily picked herself up, and hurried out of the room.”