But when they did go away they left the local constable on guard. He kept guard like a man till daylight began to creep over the hill, and then he crawled into the hayloft and fell asleep, small blame to him. But through those long hours I sat beside her and held her hand. At first she clung to me as a frightened child clings, and her tears were the prettiest, saddest things to see. As we grew calmer we talked. "I did it to frighten my cousin," I owned. "I meant to have told you to-day, I mean yesterday, only you went away. I am Lawrence Sefton, and the place is to go either to me or to my cousin Selwyn. And I wanted to frighten him off it. But you, why did you----?" Even then I couldn't see. She looked at me. "I don't know how I ever could have thought I was brave enough to do it, but I did want the house so, and I wanted to frighten you----" "To frighten _me_. Why?" "Because I am your cousin Selwyn," she said, hiding her face in her hands. "And you knew me?" I asked. "By your ring," she said. "I saw your father wear it when I was a little girl. Can't we get back to the inn now?" "Not unless you want every one to know how silly we have been." "I wish you'd forgive me," she said when we had talked awhile, and she had even laughed at the description of the pallid young man on whom I had bestowed, in my mind, her name. "The wrong is mutual," I said; "we will exchange forgivenesses." "Oh, but it isn't," she said eagerly. "Because I knew it was you, and you didn't know it was me: you wouldn't have tried to frighten _me_." "You know I wouldn't." My voice was tenderer than I meant it to be. She was silent. "And who is to have the house?" she said. "Why you, of course." "I never will." "Why?" "Oh, because!" "Can't we put off the decision?" I asked. "Impossible. We must decide to-morrow--to-day I mean." "Well, when we meet to-morrow--I mean to-day--with lawyers and chaperones and mothers and relations, give me one word alone with you." "Yes," she answered, with docility. * * * * * "Do you know," she said presently, "I can never respect myself again? To undertake a thing like that, and then be so horribly frightened. Oh! I thought you really _were_ the other ghost." "I will tell you a secret," said I. "I thought _you_ were, and I was much more frightened than you." "Oh well," she said, leaning against my shoulder as a tired child might have done, "if you were frightened too, Cousin Lawrence, I don't mind so very, very much." It was soon afterwards that, cautiously looking out of the parlour window for the twentieth time, I had the happiness of seeing the local policeman disappear into the stable rubbing his eyes. We got out of the window on the other side of the house, and went back to the inn across the dewy park. The French window of the sitting-room which had let her out let us both in. No one was stirring, so no one save she and I were any the wiser as to that night's work.