“I’ll draw the blind down,” said his wife.
She crossed over to the window, and was about to lower the blind when she suddenly drew back with an involuntary exclamation.
“Can you see it?” cried her husband.
“No,” said Mrs. Pinner, recovering herself. “Shut your eyes.”
The fireman sprang to his feet. “Keep back,” said his wife, “don’t look.”
“I must,” said her husband.
His wife threw herself upon him, but he pushed her out of the way and rushed to the window. Then his jaw dropped and he murmured incoherently, for the ghost of the red policeman was plainly visible. Its lofty carriage of the head and pendulum-like swing of the arms were gone, and it was struggling in a most fleshly manner to lead a recalcitrant costermonger to the station.
In the intervals of the wrestling bout it blew loudly upon a whistle.
“Wonderful,” said Mrs. Pinner, nervously. “Lifelike, I call it.”
The fireman watched the crowd pass up the road, and then he turned and regarded her.