"Maybe there ain't no lady in the house now," the chauffeur said dryly, "because she's just got in the taxi. But she was there a second or two ago. You do like your bit of fun, don't yer?" Pelamon, in a great state of bewilderment, was about to say something, when from the direction of the taxi came the cough, hack, hack, hack. He knew it too well. "There you are," the chauffeur said, with a leer. "You must admit she's in there right enough, and waiting till you're ready to join her." Possessed with the feeling that he must see the thing through, Pelamon hesitated no longer. He got into the taxi. The coughing went on, but he could see no lady. They drove right through the town, and at last stopped outside a small villa facing a church or chapel. Concluding this must be their destination, Pelamon got out and, bidding the chauffeur wait, rang the front-door bell. There was no response. He looked at the windows; there was not a vestige of light anywhere and the blinds were all tightly drawn. He rang again, and rapped as well, and was about to do so a third time, when a window in the next house was raised and a voice called out: "There's no one there. There's been a funeral to-day and the house is empty." "Whose funeral was it?" Pelamon asked eagerly. "Mr. Nimkin's," was the reply; "he died last Tuesday." "Why, what are you a-talking about?" the chauffeur called out, descending from his perch and joining Pelamon on the doorstep. "Nimkin! Why, that was the name of the bloke as was here less than an hour ago and told me to fetch this gentleman. No one in the house indeed, why, he's in it, and the lady that came along with this gentleman here, she's in it too. Listen to her coughing," and, as he spoke, from the other side of the closed door came the familiar sounds, hack, hack, hack. CHAPTER X THE SYDERSTONE HAUNTINGS Some years ago I published in a work entitled _Ghostly Phenomena_ (Werner Laurie & Co.) an account, sent me by the late Rev. Henry Hacon, M.A., of Searly Vicarage, North Kelsey Moor, of hauntings that once occurred in the Old Syderstone Parsonage (the present Rectory has never, so I understand, been in any way disturbed). Thanks to the kindness and courtesy of Mr. E. A. Spurgin of Temple Balsall, Warwickshire (grandson of the Rev. John Spurgin), I am now able to reproduce further correspondence relative to the same case, written at the time of the occurrence--over eighty years ago. The following paragraphs appeared in the _Norfolk Chronicle_, June 1, 1833:-- "A REAL GHOST "The following circumstance has been creating some agitation in the neighbourhood of Fakenham for the last few weeks.