"I shan't be alone. Peter's staying too."
Celia clasped his arm. "NO, don't, Charles. You don't know what might happen, and how on earth could I go away like that, and leave you here?"
Margaret's clear voice made itself heard. "Why are you so keen to stay?" she asked.
"Pride, my dear," Charles said. "Of course, with me it's natural heroism. Peter's trying to live up to me."
She shook her head. "You've got something up your sleeve. Neither of you would be so silly as to stay on here, mucking up your holiday, just to prove you weren't afraid of ghosts."
"But it's getting worse!" Celia cried. "What have you got up your sleeve? I insist on knowing! Chas! Peter!"
Peter hesitated. "To tell you the truth, Sis, I don't quite know. As far as I can make out, Chas has got an idea someone's at the root of all this ghost business."
With great deliberation Mrs. Bosanquet put down her Patience pack. "I may be stupid," she said, "but I don't understand what you're talking about. Who is at the back of what you call this "ghost business," and why?"
"Dear Aunt," said Charles, "that is precisely the problem we hope to solve by staying here."
"All those noises? The picture falling down?" Margaret said eagerly. "You think someone did it all? Someone real?"