The Ghost of Guir House

The breakfast room was a charming little corner reclaimed from a

dingy cell, where in by-gone days guns and ammunition had been

stored, but the peace-loving inhabitants of later times had rendered

these no longer necessary. It was now the most modern room Paul had

seen since his arrival at this great unconventional homestead,

looking quite as if it had been tacked on by mistake to the dismal

old mansion.

Upon entering, he found Miss Guir sitting alone at the table. She was

attired in a charming costume, and looked as fresh as the flowers

before her. She greeted him with a smile, and asked how he had slept.

"Perfectly!" he answered, seating himself by her side, where he

looked out of a low French window opening upon a garden with boxwood

borders and a few belated blossoms.

"But do you know," he continued, "the most extraordinary thing

happened."

He went on to tell of his experience in the closet, thinking it best

to take the bull by the horns and see if anything in Dorothy's

expression would lead him to suspect foul play. She listened to his

story with interest, and, as Paul thought, a slight display of

anxiety, but nothing more. When he had finished, she simply advised

him not to go down those stairs any more, as they were rotten and

dangerous. This was all. Nevertheless Henley felt sure that the girl

knew what lay upon the other side of the door at the bottom. They

chatted along quite pleasantly, Paul endeavoring to lead the

conversation into some instructive channel, but without success.

"I thought perhaps I should have met some of your people at

breakfast," he said, while sipping his coffee.

Dorothy stopped with a piece of toast half way to her lips.

"My people!" she exclaimed.

"Yes," said Paul, unmindful of the impression he had made.

"Really, Mr. Henley, what are you talking about?"

"The Guirs!" said Paul, still unheedful.

Suddenly he looked up, and the expression on the girl's face startled

him.

"Are you ill?" he cried. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No, no," she gasped. "It is nothing. I am nervous. I am always

nervous in the morning, and you gave me quite a turn. There now, I

shall feel better directly."

If Paul was astonished before, he was dumfounded now. He could not

imagine how anything he had said could produce such an effect, but he

watched the return of color to the girl's face with satisfaction.

Presently she looked up at him with a smile and said: "It is all right now, but you must excuse me for a minute. I shall be

back immediately."