"Now, tell the truth. What do they do on Halloween?"
"They put apples into deep tubs full of water, and bob for them with their heads, marm; and they puts 'em also on sticks like a wheel, and hangs the wheel from the ceiling, with a burning tallow candle on one side of the wheel, and you catch an apple in your mouth as the wheel turns, marm, or else get smutched with the candle, marm, which is more likely, and then you gets laughed at, marm. And you pare apples, and throw the paring over your right shoulder, and it makes the first letter of the name of the man that you are to marry, marm."
Mrs. Miller lifted her hands.
"And you eat an apple before a looking-glass, holding a candle in your left hand, and the one you are to marry comes and looks over your shoulder into the glass, marm. And they tell you to find fern-seed, and you will become rich, marm. But there ain't any fern-seed to be found, marm. And they do lots of things."
"'Liza, what do the saints have to do with such doin's as these?"
"They like to see young folks enjoy themselves, I expects, marm."
"It is the ghost of the living that seem to come, 'Liza."
"All the more interesting, marm."
"Oh,'Liza! 'Liza! such things bode no good! Mercy! what was that?'"
There came a succession of loud raps on the door.