“But how can you give it any quarter at all, uncle?”
“It does me no harm. There it is—between the boards of an old German book. There let it remain.”
“Well, you will never persuade me to believe such things,” said Janet.
“Wait till I ask you, Janet,” returned her uncle, gravely. “I have not the slightest desire to convince you. How did we get into this unprofitable current of talk? We will change it at once. How are consols, Harry?”
“Oh, uncle!” said Kate, “we were longing for a story, and just as I thought you were coming to one, off you go to consols!”
“I thought a ghost story at least was coming,” said Janet.
“You did your best to stop it, Janet,” said Harry.
Janet began an angry retort, but Cornelius interrupted her. “You never heard me tell a ghost story, Janet.”
“You have just told one about a drinking ghost, uncle,” said Janet—in such a tone that Cornelius replied—
“Well, take that for your story, and let us talk of something else.”