"Thank God," he said with genuine fervour, on hearing that all was
arranged. "On _your_ account I am delighted. As to myself, I assure you
that no earthly consideration could have induced me ever again to pass a
night in this disastrous old house."

"Confound the house!" I ejaculated, with a genuine mixture of fear and
detestation, "we have not had a pleasant hour since we came to live
here"; and so I went on, and related incidentally my adventure with the
plethoric old rat.

"Well, if that were _all_," said my cousin, affecting to make light of
the matter, "I don't think I should have minded it very much."

"Ay, but its eye--its countenance, my dear Tom," urged I; "if you had
seen _that_, you would have felt it might be _anything_ but what it
seemed."

"I inclined to think the best conjurer in such a case would be an
able-bodied cat," he said, with a provoking chuckle.

"But let us hear your own adventure," I said tartly.

At this challenge he looked uneasily round him. I had poked up a very
unpleasant recollection.

"You shall hear it, Dick; I'll tell it to you," he said. "Begad, sir, I
should feel quite queer, though, telling it _here_, though we are too
strong a body for ghosts to meddle with just now."