"'She crossed herself, and cried out, 'Lord have mercy on all our souls! You have seen her!' I inquired, 'Seen who?' But she answered, 'Nothing. Nobody. I don't know what I'm talking about. My head's wool-gathering, I believe.' Nor could any further questioning of mine draw from her any more satisfactory answer. And so I came to you for an explanation. And you tell me that she is Milly Jones, the child of poor parents, living on the mountain, and that she comes here for broken victuals and old clothes. Very well. In future I shall pension the poor family on the mountain, for I would not have any fellow-creature in my reach to suffer want; but I shall do it on condition that Miss Milly Jones stays home, and helps her mother with the family cooking and washing, instead of losing her time by day and her sleep by night in wandering through all the rooms of a gentleman's house, and taking possession of a lady's bed-chamber.' "You see this bride never imagined a ghost, but strongly suspected a sweetheart, and so she was a little surprised when her husband answered: "'Do so, my dear; and may Heaven grant that you may get rid of this unpleasant visitor at once and forever.' "And as he said this, Philip Dubarry arose and went into his library and rung the bell, and to the servant who answered it, he said: "'Send Monica the housekeeper here.' "In a few minutes Monica entered the room. "'Did I not order you, on pain of my heaviest displeasure, never to annoy Mrs. Dubarry by so much as the mention of the gipsy girl's name to her?' sternly demanded Philip Dubarry. "The old woman fell down upon her knees, and lifted up both her hands, and exclaimed: "'And no more I haven't, master, not once! But that don't do no good, for _she walks_!' "'Who walks, you old fool?' "'_She_, the gipsy girl, master. _She walks_, and the missis sees her as well as we do!' "'We? Whom do you call "we," you insupportable idiot?' "'Me and Ben the man-servant, and Betty the chambermaid, and Peggy the parlormaid. All sees her, master. We never, none of us, see her before the missis was brought home; but ever since that, we sees her every day; we sees just as much of her as we used to see when she was alive!' answered the woman, grovelling and weeping. "'_Where_ do you see her, or fancy you see her, lunatic?' fiercely demanded Philip Dubarry. "'Everywhere, master! We meets her on the stairs; we sees her sitting at the head of the table, as soon as the meal is ready, and before the mistress comes to take the place; and we sees her lying in the unmade beds of a morning; but always, as soon as we screams, as scream we must, at such an object, master, she vanishes away!' answered the housekeeper. "Philip Dubarry was awed and almost silenced,--_almost_, but not quite, for he was the very sort of hero to browbeat others the most fiercely when he was himself the most frightened. He rallied himself.