The Canterville Ghost

"The Canterville Ghost""I"When Mr. Hiram B. Otis, the American Minister, bought Canterville Chase, every one told him he was doing a very foolish thing, as there was no doubt at all that the place was haunted. Indeed, Lord Canterville himself, who was a man of the most punctilious honour, had felt it his duty to mention the fact to Mr. Otis when they came to discuss terms."We have not cared to live in the place ourselves," said Lord Canterville, "since my grandaunt, the Dowager Duchess of Bolton, was frightened into a fit, from which she never really recovered, by two skeleton hands being placed on her shoulders as she was dressing for dinner, and I feel bound to tell you, Mr. Otis, that the ghost has been seen by several living members of my family, as well as by the rector of the parish, the Rev. Augustus Dampier, who is a Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. After the unfortunate accident to the Duchess, none of our younger servants wouldstay with us, and Lady Cantervilleoften got very little sleep at night, inconsequence of the mysteriousnoises that came from the corridorand the library.""My Lord," answered the Minister,"I will take the furniture and theghost at a valuation. I have comefrom a modern country, where wehave everything that money canbuy; and with all our spry youngfellows painting the Old World red,and carrying off your best actorsand prima-donnas, I reckon that ifthere were such a thing as a ghost inEurope, we'd have it at home in avery short time in one of our publicmuseums, or on the road as a show.""I fear that the ghost exists," saidLord Canterville, smiling, "though itmay have resisted the overtures of your enterprising impresarios. Ithas been well known for threecenturies, since 1584 in fact, andalways makes its appearance beforethe death of any member of ourfamily.""Well, so does the family doctorfor that matter, Lord Canterville. Butthere is no such thing, sir, as a ghost,and I guess the laws of Nature arenot going to be suspended for theBritish aristocracy.""You are certainly very natural in America," answered Lord Canterville, who did not quite understand Mr. Otis's last observation, "and if you don't mind a ghost in the house, it is all right. Only you must remember I warned you."MISS VIRGINIA E. OTISA few weeks after this, thepurchase was concluded, and at theclose of the season the Minister andhis family went down to CantervilleChase. Mrs. Otis, who, as MissLucretia R. Tappan, of West 53dStreet, had been a celebrated NewYork belle, was now a veryhandsome, middle-aged woman,with fine eyes, and a superb profile.Many American ladies on leavingtheir native land adopt anappearance of chronic ill-health,under the impression that it is aform of European refinement, butMrs. Otis had never fallen into thiserror. She had a magnificentconstitution, and a really wonderfulamount of animal spirits. Indeed, inmany respects, she was quiteEnglish, and was an excellent English, and was an excellent example of the fact that we have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language. Her eldest son, christened Washington by his parents in a moment of patriotism, which he never ceased to regret, was a fair-haired, rather good-looking young man, who had qualified himself for American diplomacy by leading the German at the Newport Casino for three successive seasons, and even in London was well known as an excellent dancer. Gardenias and the peerage were his only weaknesses. Otherwise he was extremely sensible. Miss Virginia E. Otis was a little girl of fifteen, lithe and lovely as a fawn, and with a fine freedom in her large blue eyes. She was a wonderful sss, and had once raced old Lord Bilton on her pony twice round the park, winning by a length and a half, just in front of the Achilles statue, to the huge delight of the young Duke of Cheshire, who proposed for her on the spot, and was sent back to Eton that very night by his guardians, in floods of tears. After Virginia came the twins, who were usually called "The Star and Stripes," as they were always getting swished. They were delightful boys, and, with the exception of the worthy Minister, the only true republicans of the family. "HAD ONCE RACED OLD LORD BILTON ON HER PONY""HAD ONCE RACED OLD LORD BILTON ON HER PONY"As Canterville Chase is seven miles from Ascot, the nearest railway station, Mr. Otis had telegraphed for a waggonette to meet them, and they started on their drive in high spirits. It was a lovely July evening, and the air was delicate with the scent of the pinewoods. Now and then they heard a wood-pigeon brooding over its own sweet voice, or saw, deep in the rustling fern, the burnished breast of the pheasant. Little squirrels peered at them from the beech-trees as they went by, and the rabbits scudded away through the brushwood and over the mossy knolls, with their white tails in the air. As they entered the avenue of Cantervi