"Did you say it used to belong to Mr. Forster, the lawyer?" asked Gerda. "The one who had business at St. Gonstan?" "I don't know where he had business, but it was certainly Mr. Forster, the lawyer. I don't suppose there'd be more than one." "When did he die?" "About five years ago, I fancy. Why do you want to know?" "Oh, nothing! It doesn't matter in the least," returned Gerda, shrinking into her shell again. "It's the weirdest, queerest place I've ever seen," said Deirdre. "Do let's go a little nearer. Ugh! What would you take to spend a night here alone?" "Nothing in the wide world you could offer me," protested Betty. "I'd go stark, staring mad!" affirmed Annie. "Hallo!" squealed Dulcie suddenly. "What's become of Gerda? She's sneaked off!" "Why, there she is, peeping through one of the broken windows!" "Oh, I say! I must have a squint too, to see if there's really a ghost!" fluttered Annie. "You goose! You wouldn't see ghosts by daylight!" "Well, I don't care anyhow. I'm going to peep. Cuckoo, Gerda! What can you see inside?" When Annie Pridwell led the way, it followed of necessity that the others went after her, so they scurried to catch her up, and all ran in a body over the bridge and into the nettle-grown garden. Gerda was still perched on the window-sill of one of the lower rooms, and she turned to her schoolfellows with a strange light in her eyes and a look of unwonted excitement on her face. "I put my hand through the broken pane and pulled back the catch," she volunteered. "We've only to push the window up and we could go inside." "Oh! Dare we?" "Suppose the ghost caught us?" "Oh, I say! Do let us go!" "It would be such gorgeous sport!" "I'm game, if you all are." As usual it was Annie Pridwell who led the adventure. Pushing up the window, she climbed over the sill and dropped inside, then turning round offered a hand to Gerda, who sprang eagerly after her. It was imperative for Deirdre, Dulcie, Betty, and Barbara to follow; they were not going to be outdone in courage, and they felt that at any rate there was safety in numbers. There was nothing very terrible about the dining-room, in which they found themselves, it only looked miserable and forlorn, with the damp paper hanging in strips from the walls, and heaps of straw left by the remover's men strewn about the floor. "We'll go and explore the rest of the house," said Annie, with a half-nervous chuckle. "Come along, anybody who's game!" Nobody wished to remain behind alone, so they went all together, holding each other's arms, squealing, or gasping, or giggling, as occasion prompted. They peeped into the empty drawing-room and the silent kitchen, where the grate was red with rust; hurried past a dark hall cupboard, and found themselves at the foot of the staircase. "Oh, I daren't go up; I simply daren't!" bleated Barbara piteously. "Suppose the ghost lives up there?" suggested Betty.