farmers--all these things had, we knew, been made pretexts for
repudiation of contracts, and often successfully, but we could find no
precedent for ghosts being held as just pleas upon which to relinquish a
tenancy; and we made sure of a favourable verdict accordingly.

To this day, I believe that our hopes would have been justified by the
result, had some demon of mischief not put it into the head of
Taylor--who had the management of the case--that it would be a good
thing to get Miss Blake into the witness-box.

"She will amuse the jury," he said, "and juries have always a kindly
feeling for any person who can amuse them."

Which was all very well, and might be very true in a general way, but
Miss Blake proved the exception to his rule.

Of course she amused the jury, in fact, she amused everyone. To get her
to give a straightforward answer to any question was simply impossible.

Over and over again the judge explained to her that "yes" or "no" would
be amply sufficient; but all in vain. She launched out at large in
reply to our counsel, who, nevertheless, when he sat down, had gained
his point.

Miss Blake declared upon oath she had never seen anything worse than
herself at River Hall, and did not believe anybody else ever had.

She had never been there during Colonel Morris' tenancy, or she must
certainly have seen something worse than a ghost, a man ready and
anxious to "rob the orphan," and she was going to add the "widow" when