"I've been told," remarked the fourth daughter, "that a horse-shoe nailed to the door of a room will prevent evil spirits from passing the threshold."
"Or sleep with a Bible under your pillow," said the fifth Miss Bustard.
"That's all very well, gals," observed the parent of this most interesting family; "but ghostesses won't be kept away by such means as them. Where there's evil spirits, there evil spirits will be."
"Nothing can possibly be clearer, madam," exclaimed Lord Dunstable.
"And if they must walk, they will walk," continued Mrs. Bustard.
"Your arguments are really admirable, madam."
"And so it's of no use bothering oneself about it—beyond getting away as soon as possible from the place where ghostesses are," added the lady.
"Were you of the other sex, madam, I should say you had graduated at Oxford," remarked the nobleman; "for you reason with all the logic of Euclid."
"Is Mr. Euclid such a very clever man, my lord?" asked Mrs. Bustard.
Dunstable was suddenly seized with a violent fit of coughing:—at least so it appeared to the good-natured old lady; inasmuch as he was forced to keep his handkerchief to his mouth for a considerable time.