"'An ancestor of mine, rather a back number, considering he died somewhere about two hundred and fifty years ago--but a restless old gentleman, for he is still said to have a trick of haunting the house, and, according to popular tradition, hoping to be able to point out the hiding-place of a treasure he stowed away.' "'Was it genuine treasure?' "'I believe so. He went off to fight in the Civil Wars, and hid the family plate and jewels in a secure place which nobody knew of but himself. He had not the sense to leave any record of the spot, and when he was killed at Naseby his secret died with him, and the valuables--unless, as I sometimes suspect, the old chap had previously pledged them--were not forthcoming, nor have they ever been heard of since.' "'Has he ever appeared to you?' "'Not he; I only wish he would. The hoard would be a jolly windfall to me if I could manage to light upon it. But I'm not the kind who goes about seeing ghosts. I'm too plain and matter-of-fact by half, and, though I often hear mysterious taps on the panels of my bedroom, I prosaically set it down to rats and mice. Now, you're a psychic sort of a fellow, the seventh son of a seventh son; if he wants to make himself visible, perhaps you may get a sight of him; I'm afraid it's more than ever I shall.' "'Is there no clew at all left as to the hiding-place of the treasure?' I inquired. "'Only an old rhyme so obscure as to be quite unintelligible: He who plucks a rose at Yule Will bring back luck to Dacrepool. Even you, with your fondness for antiquities and rummaging strange things out of old books, can scarcely make anything of that, I should say.' "I shook my head, for the riddle seemed quite unreadable, and as we had already sat up until long past midnight I begged for my candle, and proposed to defer our conversation until the morning. Jack, declaring that none of the beds in the damp old house was fit to sleep in without a week of previous airing, insisted upon giving up his room to me, and passing the night himself on the dining-room sofa, and, in spite of my protestations, I was forced to acquiesce in his plans for my comfort.