"I tells yer dar's been somethin' agoing on in dis house," pursued Clorinda. "Dat ar bracelet losing was all of a piece wid what went afore. Missus was awful mad at me for saying so, but I don't care. She's queer--stuck up like. There's Miss Elsie, sweet allers as a young kitten!" "Yes, yes," Dolf said, ready to agree with anything in order to get at the heart of Clorinda's mystery. "Afore ever dat ring was lost I seed a man in de house in de dead ob de night--a man and a woman!" "Good gracious!" cried Dolf. "I'd had de toothache, and ben down to de kitchen fire a smokin' pennyryal, and awful sick it made me. I was gwine up de back stairs, when I heard steps in de hall. I looked in and I seed a man and woman plain. I had de candle in my hand. I screeched right out, and shut my eyes, and let de candle fall. When I opened 'em again missus had come out of her room, wid a shawl over her and a lamp in her hand. "'What yer doin' dar?' says she. "I up and telled her 'bout de man and woman, and she larfed in my face. "'Whar be dey?' says she. 'Dar's nobody here but us.' "'Twarn't no use to say nothin', she flew off into one o' her tantrums, and scolded me like all possessed. I don't like her, anyhow, and dat's all 'bout it!" "But is dat all?" questioned Dolf, in a disappointed tone. "No, it ain't all; jis' wait and don't go off de handle afore you knows which end you've got hold on." "But de tree, Clorindy," said Dolf; "tell me 'bout de tree." "I'se comin' to dat," replied Clo, growing eager again. "I'd ben down to see Dinah Jameson, at de cross roads; it was real late; we'd had a prayer meetin' and I kinder forgot myself in de refreshin' season----" "Yes," said Dolf, fearing she would go off in a long digression and lose sight of the all-important topic, "dey is refreshin'; as preserves is to de taste so is meetin's to de spirit--soothin', yer know." "Jis' so," said Clorinda. "Wal, yer was comin' home," suggested Dolf. "Yes; two or tree on 'em came with me to de gate and dar dey left me. I heeled it up de avenue jis' as hard as I could, but when I got near de house I thort, suppose missus should see me, she's a pokin up at all hours, she'd scold me like smoke. I jis' cut out ob de road to take de path trough de thicket, and came in sight ob de ole cypress tree." Clorinda broke off abruptly to recover her breath and to allow her narrative to have its full effect upon her listener. "Go on; oh, do go on!" cried Dolf. Could the pair have seen the face leaning over the balcony, straining to catch every word, they might almost have thought that one of the ghosts they so dreaded had started up before them. "I came in sight ob de cypress tree," recommenced Clo, working up her story to a climax with great art. "Yes, yes," said Dolf again. "In sight ob de tree----"