Cruel As The Grave

"'Did I not order you, on pain of my heaviest displeasure, never to

annoy Mrs. Dubarry by so much as the mention of the gipsy girl's name to

her?' sternly demanded Philip Dubarry.

"The old woman fell down upon her knees, and lifted up both her hands,

and exclaimed: "'And no more I haven't, master, not once! But that don't do no good,

for she walks!' "'Who walks, you old fool?' "'She, the gipsy girl, master. She walks, and the missis sees her as

well as we do!' "'We? Whom do you call "we," you insupportable idiot?' "'Me and Ben the man-servant, and Betty the chambermaid, and Peggy the

parlormaid. All sees her, master. We never, none of us, see her before

the missis was brought home; but ever since that, we sees her every day;

we sees just as much of her as we used to see when she was alive!'

answered the woman, grovelling and weeping.

"'Where do you see her, or fancy you see her, lunatic?' fiercely

demanded Philip Dubarry.

"'Everywhere, master! We meets her on the stairs; we sees her sitting at

the head of the table, as soon as the meal is ready, and before the

mistress comes to take the place; and we sees her lying in the unmade

beds of a morning; but always, as soon as we screams, as scream we must,

at such an object, master, she vanishes away!' answered the housekeeper.

"Philip Dubarry was awed and almost silenced,--almost, but not quite,

for he was the very sort of hero to browbeat others the most fiercely

when he was himself the most frightened. He rallied himself.

"'Look you here!' he furiously exclaimed; 'all this that you have just

told me is the most wicked and abominable falsehood and absurdity! And

now take notice! IF EVER I hear of one more word being uttered on this

subject in this house, or out of it, by any one of you, under any

circumstances whatever, by my blood, I will make you all wish that you

had never been born! Repeat this to your fellow-servants', and order

them from me to govern their tongues accordingly. Now go!' he thundered

at the poor old woman, who hastily picked herself up, and hurried out of

the room."