Hortense thought, "If I'm nice to Esmerelda just to get cookies, I'll be no better than the cat and the teakettle; so I hope I can like her for herself." Nevertheless, it would be nice to have cookies, too. "Isn't this an awfully big house?" said Hortense to Mary as they went down a long dark passage. "Much too big," said Mary. "I spend my days cleaning rooms that are never used. There's the whole third floor of bedrooms, not one of which has been slept in for years. Then there are the parlors, and many closets full of things that have to be aired, and sunned, and kept from moths." "May I go with you, Mary, when you clean?" Hortense asked. "I'll help if I can." "Sure you may," said Mary kindly. "I'll be glad to have you. You'll be company. Some of those dark closets, and the bedrooms with sheeted chairs and things give me the creeps. An old house and old unused rooms are eerie-like. Sometimes I can almost hear whispers, and sighs, and things talking." "I know," said Hortense. "Everything talks--chairs, and tables, and bureaus, and everything. Only I can never hear just what it is they say. Do you think they move sometimes at night?" "I'll never look to see," said Mary piously. "At night I stay in my own little house, where everything is quiet and homelike and there are no queer things about." Hortense shivered delightfully. Perhaps she would see and hear the queer things, and even see the "ha'nt" of which Grandfather had spoken. The kitchen was a large comfortable place. A bright fire was burning in the range. Shining pans hung on the wall, and Aunt Esmerelda, large, fat, and friendly, with a white handkerchief tied over her head, moved slowly among them. Aunt Esmerelda put her hands on her hips and looked down at Hortense. "Yo's the spittin' image of yo' ma, honey," said Aunt Esmerelda. "Does yo' like ginger cookies?" [Illustration: "Yo's the spittin' image of yo' ma, honey," said Aunt Esmerelda.] Hortense doted on ginger cookies. "De's de jar," said Aunt Esmerelda, pointing to a big crock on the pantry shelf. "Whenevah yo's hongry, jes' yo' he'p yo'se'f." Hortense sat on a chair in the corner, out of the way, and watched Aunt Esmerelda cook. "What was the thing you and Uncle Jonah heard?" she asked at last abruptly. "Wha's dat?" Aunt Esmerelda said, dropping a saucepan with a clatter. "Who tole you 'bout dat?" "I heard Grandpa talking to Grandma about it," said Hortense. "It wan't nothin'?" said Esmerelda uneasily. "Don' yo' go 'citin' yo'se'f 'bout dat. Jes' foolishness." "But if there is a 'ha'nt' in the house, I want to see it," Hortense persisted. Aunt Esmerelda stared at her with big eyes. "Who all said anythin' 'bout dis yere ha'nt? I ain't never heard of no ha'nt." "When you hear it again, please wake me up if I'm asleep," said Hortense.