parlour, where I found everything in the utmost confusion; chairs, tables, walking-sticks, and logs of wood lay all over the floor, and everything upset, or in a wrong position. I then proceeded to the outer door, which I opened; but started back in horror, on perceiving a human skull, lying on a sheet at my right hand. Recovering from my fright, I went and gathered it up. I could not restrain my laughter when I discovered it to be nothing more than a mask, representing a death's head. It seems while we were all wrangling the night before, my uncle had stepped out of bed, dressed himself, piled all the furniture-logs of wood-and timber, he could, in the apartment, in a heap, crowning the pyramid with a dozen or more walkingsticks, which had lain, time out of mind, on the top of an old cupboard. Then he had gone upstairs, and put on the horrid mask, brought down a pistol, and enveloped himself, nis chin, in a clean white sheet. After alarming us, just as the clock struck the awful hour of twelve, by striking three heavy blows against the wall with a huge log of wood, he contrived to tumble down the whole mass of furniture at once, fired his pistol at the same moment, and then burst in upon us in the manner above described; and I really think that had old Hornie himself been there, he would have yelled with dismay. I attributed the flapping of the doors up-stairs, and the jarring of those below, to nothing but a boisterous gust of wind, that happened to blow just at the critical moment; and in the repercussion of the air, when the pistol was fired, I accounted for the shaking of the windows. The whimsical orders and requests of my uncle were absolutely necessary to the design. By having his will read in the room where he was, he heard our undisguised sentiments; and his next request saved him from the alternative of being either laid with a slignt covering, near some chilling window, or of developing the plot before a proper time. The other requests were, I suppose, made for the purpose of consistency, and to make it impossible that we could suspect anything. I now went out. As I was crossing the yard, I discovered several drops of blood upon a stone, which I could no way account for, but by supposing some of my good cousins had received, in their hasty retreat, a severe fall; and a little further, I discovered a pair of shoes. Indeed, the adventures of the flying heroes nad been various and woful. One of them, he at whom the spectre made such a bound, as I afterwards ascertained, actually ran seven miles without stopping; and with his shrieks, supposing the grim monster at his heels, almost raised the whole country. I now proceeded onwards over the fields, listening to the warbling lark, "springing blithely up to greet the purple east." The air was fresh and pure; and, in the beauties of nature, I awhile forgot the events of the preceding evening. With hasty steps I roved over the faintly-recollected scenes, where I had in childhood spent some of my happiest hours, until, weary with my rambles, I returned to breakfast. This is the end of my tale. In the course of some years, my uncle really died, and I inherited his estate; but I have ever since been very incredulous and sceptical with regard to ghosts. |