"What, the armour? Oh, it belonged to an ancestor of mine. Of course there is a stone figure underneath to match the horse."
"The vizor of his helmet is down. Why don't you raise it? It would be far more effective."
He laughed again more uneasily than ever.
"My dear Bazarac, 'let sleeping men lie' is an excellent transposition of the old proverb. This gentleman is supposed to 'walk'—or rather ride. In other words, he is the family apparition. He is supposed to ride about the castle at night."
"What a very unpleasant idea!"
"Do you think so? Well, it is sufficiently ghastly, I admit."
"Have you ever seen him?"
"No, but I have often fancied I heard a horse snorting and trampling about the passages. At this time of year he is often heard. The servants tell odd stories about him, but I have never encountered him myself."
"It would be an interesting encounter."
Siebach shuddered visibly.