"
"Ha! ha! ha! he could brave an army or march into a cannon's mouth
easier than meet a supposed denizen of another world! Well, Doctor
Johnson believed in ghosts," laughed Traverse.
"It remained for me to retreat as fast as possible to my room to
avoid the Le Noirs, who were hurrying with head-long speed to the
guest-chamber. They knew of course, that I was the ghost, although
they affected to treat their visitor's story as a dream. After that
my confinement was so strict that for years I had no opportunity of
leaving my attic. At last the strict espionage was relaxed.
Sometimes my door would be left unlocked. Upon one such occasion, in
creeping about in the dark, I learned, by overhearing a conversation
between Le Noir and his housekeeper, that my long lost daughter,
Capitola, had been found and was living at Hurricane Hall! This was
enough to comfort me for years. About three years ago the
surveillance over me was so modified that I was left again to roam
about the upper rooms of the house at will, until I learned that
they had a new inmate, young Clara Day, a ward of Le Noir! Oh, how I
longed to warn that child to fly! But I could not; alas, again I was
restricted to my own room, lest I should be seen by her. But again,
upon one occasion, old Dorcas forgot to lock my door at night. I
stole forth from my room and learned that a young girl, caught out
in the storm, was to stay all night at the Hidden House.
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