along with you,' I says, 'for stay here by myself I would not,' I says,
'not if any one was to pay me hundreds.' So we went down our stairs and
along our passage to the door which you go into the gallery, Hann
a-clutching hold of me and starting, which when we come into the
gallery I was all of a tremble, and she shook so I said, 'La! Hann, for
goodness' sake do carry that candle straight, or you will grease the
carpet shameful;' and come to the pink room I says, 'Open the door.'
'La!' says she, 'what if we was to see the ghost?' 'Hold your silly
nonsense this minute,' I says, 'and open the door,' which she do, but
stand right back for to let me go first, when, true as ever I am
standing here, my lady, I see something white go by like a flash, and
struck me cold in the face, and blew the candle out, and then come the
fearfullest noise, which thunderclaps is nothing to it. Hann began
a-screaming, and we ran as fast as ever we could till we come to the
pantry, where Mr. Castleman and the footman was. I thought I should ha'
died: died I thought I should. My face was as white as that
antimacassar."

"How could you see your face, Mrs. Mallet?" somewhat peevishly objected
Lady Atherley.

But Mrs. Mallet with great dignity retorted--

"Which I looked down my nose, and it were like a corpse's."

"Very alarming," said Atherley, "but easily explained. Directly you
opened the door there was, of course, a draught from the open window.
That draught blew the candle out and knocked something over, probably a
screen."