"And somebody must have rung it," John said.

"Some one for a trick, I suppose," Bessie said, "although I don't know
how he disappeared so fast."

Without further remark the game was resumed. Edwin had caught John,
and John had caught Bessie, and when he was putting the handkerchief
round her eyes Mr. Forrester said, "You are making it far too tight,
John: you are hurting your sister."

"No fear," said John: "none of us have soft heads here. Is it too
tight, Bessie?"

"Rather, but I can bear it: go on."

"I'll slacken it first," Edwin said.

"Thank you, that will do. Now move off or I'll catch you." She went
very vigorously to work, and sent them all flying round the kitchen,
when the bell rang, and rang loudly, again.

John darted to the door and flung it wide, sure that he would see the
person who rang it, whether running away or not; but there was no
one, and the whole party followed him out, and they surveyed round and
round, but all was still and quiet and vacant, the moonlight making it
impossible that any figure should be there without being seen.

Now, if you lived in an ordinary house in an ordinary street in an
ordinary town, an incident like this would create no surprise. It