Mr Elder laughed, and turning to me, asked with his usual good-humour,
‘How long will your story take, Cumbermede?’
‘As long as you please, sir,’ I answered.
‘I can’t let you keep them awake all night, you know.’
‘There’s no fear of that, sir,’ I replied. ‘Moberly would have been asleep long ago if it hadn’t been a ghost. Nothing keeps him awake but ghosts.’
‘Well, is the ghost nearly done with?’
‘Not quite, sir. The worst is to come yet.’
‘Please, sir,’ interposed Moberly, ‘if you’ll let me stay where I am, I’ll turn round on my deaf ear, and won’t listen to a word more of it. It’s awful, I do assure you, sir.’ Mr Elder laughed again.
‘No, no,’ he said. ‘Make haste and finish your story, Cumbermede, and let them go to sleep. You, Moberly, may stay where you are for the night, but I can’t have this made a practice of.’
‘No, no, sir,’ said several at once.