“It was late—between eleven and twelve o’clock—I had stolen out of the house by way of the conservatory on purpose to have a smoke.” Here Lady Pell shook a monitory finger at him. “The fact is, I’ve never been used to the early hours of the Chase, and I can’t sleep if I go to bed before midnight. Well, having let myself out, I made my way to the little wood, or spinny, which reaches from the back premises of the Chase nearly as far as the old tower where Martin Rigg, the former keeper, and his daughter have their quarters. It was not the first time I had gone there for a smoke after dark. In the middle of it is a tiny glade, or open space, and there I seated myself on the twisted root of a tree. A young moon was half way up the sky, and the stars were very bright. I had smoked one pipe out and thought I would have another before turning in, but on feeling for my tobacco-pouch, which I had laid down beside me, I could not find it. Slipping off my seat, I stooped to search for it among the grass, found it and stood up again. On turning to resume my seat I found myself confronted by a tall robed and cowled figure, which might have sprung out of the ground for anything I could have told to the contrary. Certainly I had heard no faintest sound of footsteps. That I was considerably flabbergasted, your ladyship will readily believe.” “Such an apparition would be enough to flabbergast anybody, as you term it. But what was it like as regards its features?” “Its face was nearly hidden by its cowl, and all I can call to mind is that it had a long grizzled beard and two eyes that seemed to look through me.” “Well, and what did you do next?” “I simply bolted—and I’m not ashamed to confess it.” “Oh!” was her ladyship’s sole comment, but to herself she said: “You coward!” “You won’t catch me going there again after dark.” “I suppose not after such a startling experience. But tell me this: did the apparition, if such I may term it, project any shadow of itself in the moonlight?” Luigi opened his eyes. “Upon my word, I don’t know, Lady Pell. I was too confused to notice. But why do you ask?” “Because I believe it is an understood thing that ghosts have no shadows—what, indeed, are they themselves but shadows? You evidently missed an interesting point there. But why have you chosen to make me your confidant, Lewis?” “Because after what you said to me the other night when that girl made such a bobbery on the terrace, I thought I would ask your advice before saying a word to anybody else.” “That was very sensible on your part. My advice is, that you keep your singular experience strictly to yourself. The whole affair is inexplicable, and no good can come of talking about it. Your grandfather would be greatly annoyed were he to discover that any such report had emanated from you.”