Produced by eagkw, Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) [Illustration: EMMIE'S NEW HOME. _Page 215._] THE HAUNTED ROOM. A Tale BY _A. L. O. E._, AUTHOR OF "THE SPANISH CAVALIER," "RESCUED FROM EGYPT," "THE LADY OF PROVENCE," ETC. London: T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW. EDINBURGH; AND NEW YORK. 1900 Preface. It is under peculiar circumstances that A. L. O. E. sends forth this little volume. As it is passing through the press its author is preparing to enter on a new field of labour in the East, as an honorary member of the Zenana Mission in India. Of the fact that the missionary cause has been dear to A. L. O. E. her readers may be aware from her former writings. She now hopes to be permitted to devote an evening hour of her life to that cause. India is endeared to her from family associations; for there a revered father, and subsequently his sons, lived and laboured, and in that land rests the dust of dear ones who sleep in Jesus. If there be, as she fain would hope, something of a tie between a writer and those familiar with her works, may not A. L. O. E. venture to claim an interest in the prayers of her readers? May she not hope that they will ask for her, wisdom, humility, zeal, and success? It would be sweet to one struggling with the difficulty of learning a new language to know that many joined in the supplication, "O Lord! open Thou her lips, that her mouth may shew forth Thy praise!" and that many besought Him whose strength is made perfect in weakness, to enable His servant to win Indian gems to lay at His feet. A. L. O. E. Contents. I. A PLEASANT HOME, 9 II. COMING TO A DECISION, 20 III. GOSSIP DOWNSTAIRS, 29 IV. PREPARING TO START, 40 V. HAUNTED ROOMS, 47 VI. THREE WARNINGS, 62 VII. MISTRUST, 70 VIII. THE JOURNEY, 78 IX. NEW ACQUAINTANCE, 88 X. A FAINT HEART, 98 XI. EVENING AND MORNING, 114 XII. THE STRANGER, 124 XIII. WORK, 140 XIV. EARLY IMPRESSIONS, 151 XV. THE FIRST VISIT, 162 XVI. TRY AGAIN, 178 XVII. CARES AND MISTAKES, 186 XVIII. YES OR NO, 194 XIX. THE ECLIPSE, 207 XX. AN ALARM, 219 XXI. INDECISION, 230 XXII. THE HAUNTED CHAMBER, 238