As they walked about the precincts of the house, Funkelstein asked many questions of Hugh, which his entire ignorance of domestic architecture made it impossible for him to answer. This seemed only to excite the questioner’s desire for information to a higher pitch; and as if the very stones could reply to his demands, he examined the whole range of the various buildings constituting the house of Arnstead “as he would draw it.” “Certainly,” said he, “there is at least variety enough in the style of this mass of material. There is enough for one pyramid.” “That would be rather at the expense of the variety, would it not?” said Hugh, in spiteful response to the inconsequence of the second member of Funkelstein’s remark. But the latter was apparently too much absorbed in his continued inspection of the house, from every attainable point of near view, to heed the comment. “This they call the Ghost’s Walk,” said Hugh. “Ah! about these old houses there are always such tales.” “What sort of tales do you mean?” “I mean of particular spots and their ghosts. You must have heard many such?” “No, not I.” “I think Germany is more prolific of such stories. I could tell you plenty.” “But you don’t mean you believe such things?” “To me it is equal. I look at them entirely as objects of art.” “That is a new view of a ghost to me. An object of art? I should have thought them considerably more suitable objects previous to their disembodiment.” “Ah! you do not understand. You call art painting, don’t you—or sculpture at most? I give up sculpture certainly—and painting too. But don’t you think a ghost a very effective object in literature now? Confess: do you not like a ghost-story very much?” “Yes, if it is a very good one.” “Hamlet now?” “Ah! we don’t speak of Shakspere’s plays as stories. His characters are so real to us, that, in thinking of their development, we go back even to their fathers and mothers—and sometimes even speculate about their future.” “You islanders are always in earliest somehow. So are we Germans. We are all one.” “I hope you can be in earnest about dinner, then, for I hear the bell.” “We must render ourselves in the drawing-room, then? Yes.”