"Well, of all the things I ever did hear tell of!" he said. "How might you account for it, now, sir?"
The solicitor spread out his hands.
"Account for it!" he exclaimed. "My good sir, ask me to account for all or any of the mysteries which baffle human knowledge! Nobody can account for it. All I know is what happened to these men. I tell you they were frightened—frightened in the worst way."
"I expect everybody hereabouts knows this story?" asked Isaac.
"You may be sure they do, or the farm would have been taken long since at this reduced rental," answered the solicitor. "There's nobody hereabouts would take it—not they!"
Isaac looked at Simpson. They regarded each other for a full moment in silence; then Isaac turned to the solicitor.
"You're asking ten shillings an acre?" he said.
"I should be glad to get a tenant at that," answered the man of law wearily.
"Make it eight, and we'll take it," said Isaac. "And we'll start on to clearing things up at once. Ghosts, sir, don't bother me and Simpson much—we'll take our chance. But——" and there Isaac branched off into technical details about the conditions of tenancy, which showed the solicitor that he had a shrewd man to deal with.
On Lady Day the twin-brothers brought their live stock to High Elms Farm, and by nightfall everything was in place. The house had already received their furniture, and had been made spick and span by their housekeeper and a strapping maid. There was nothing cold and cheerless about it now.