“Run in there undt untie her, Otto! Do you hear?”
“But the ghost, fader!” gasped the fat boy, who had followed his parent to the house, and seemed much the more cowardly of the two.
“Bah! Ghost indeed! There iss no ghost here——”
“But we know de house iss haunted. Are you sure dat iss not old Sarah?” demanded Otto, in much fear.
“It is a girl—a madchen—I tell you! A mere child—yes!” cried the father. “Go in there and unloose her hands—dolt!” and he boxed his son’s ear soundly.
“Oh! I can come out myself!” Laura tried to say.
She darted away from the window, found the open door, and so staggered out of the house to meet the farmer and his half-grown boy, with the lantern, on the porch of the haunted dwelling.
“Ah-ha!” exclaimed the man. “We heardt de oder girls screeching—yah? Undt dey tie you undt leave you here?”
He was fumbling with the knotted veil as he spoke, having passed the lantern to Otto, and now unfastened it so that Laura could reply.
“No, no!” she said. “Something frightened us all. First your lantern coming along the road. We thought it was the ghost light.”