"You may go, if you like," said Click, "but you don't catch me ghost-hunting again. I'll have no more of it. I shall go in and smoke a pipe, and so I tell you."
"Well go—what's the odds?" cried Pokey, who had become extremely valiant! "I'll be bound to say we shall find our way without you. Come along, my Britons. Here we goes. Let them as is afeared stop behind, that's all."
They then boldly left the churchyard, led on by the courageous Pokey, and as they passed the Crumpet and Crown, Click and Legge turned in, but the rest went on to the cottage.
Here all was still. Not a sound was heard. The lights were out and the blinds were down. But as they stood before the gate they fancied they saw the curtains move.
"It's in there, now," said Pokey to Quocks; "depend upon it, it's in there, now."
"I cert'ney see something," said Quocks. And the friends around him saw something; but what that something was, they wouldn't undertake to say, although, at any other time, they would have sworn—and safely too—that it was really a white curtain, and nothing else. But then, fancy converted that curtain into all sorts of shapes, and as ghosts are white by prescription, it so far resembled a ghost, while the difficulty experienced in conceiving a head, was, under the circumstances, small.
"Do you see it?" "Yes: what?" "There it is, you fool!' "Oh!" "There's the head." "That the head?" "To be sure." "Where's the tail?" "What tail?" " What tail?" "Oh!" Ah!" "No doubt."
This is a very fair epitome of the sentiments expressed, when Aunt Eleanor, hearing a most extraordinary buzz about the premises, slipped out of bed with the view of ascertaining whence it proceeded; but the moment she drew the white curtain aside, and appeared in her nightdress before them, the effect was electric! Her appearance alone inspired them with terror! But when she proceeded to open the window, for the purpose of asking them what it all meant, even as affrighted sheep follow their leader, so did they follow the valiant Pokey, who did instantaneously take to his heels.
In vain she called upon them to stop. They didn't like to do it! "What do you want my good people?" she cried. "What on earth do you all want?"
They heard her; but, conceiving the voice to be that of some fiend, they went right on: nor did they stop until they arrived at the Crumpet and Crown.
"Have you seen it?" cried Legge, as they rushed in wildly.
"Yes!" replied Pokey, panting for breath. "At the cottage!—it's there!"
"I don't believe a word of it," said Click; "it's all stuff."
"Well, go and look yourself," cried Pokey, "that's all. There it is at the window!"
"Is it there now?"
"If it isn't, I'll forfeit a couple of gallons."
