even four or five--whiskies, so I was as solid as rocks and no more

frightened than if I'd been assailed by a frog. 'Boo!' I said.

'Nonsense. You don't belong to THIS place. What are you doing here?'



"I could see him wince. 'Boo-oo,' he said.



"'Boo--be hanged! Are you a member?' I said; and just to show

I didn't care a pin for him I stepped through a corner of him and

made to light my candle. 'Are you a member?' I repeated, looking

at him sideways.



"He moved a little so as to stand clear of me, and his bearing

became crestfallen. 'No,' he said, in answer to the persistent

interrogation of my eye; 'I'm not a member--I'm a ghost.'



"'Well, that doesn't give you the run of the Mermaid Club. Is there

any one you want to see, or anything of that sort?' and doing it as

steadily as possible for fear that he should mistake the carelessness

of whisky for the distraction of fear, I got my candle alight.

I turned on him, holding it. 'What are you doing here?' I said.



"He had dropped his hands and stopped his booing, and there he stood,

abashed and awkward, the ghost of a weak, silly, aimless young man.

'I'm haunting,' he said.



"'You haven't any business to,' I said in a quiet voice.



"'I'm a ghost,' he said, as if in defence.



"'That may be, but you haven't any business to haunt here. This is

a respectable private club; people often stop here with nursemaids

and children, and, going about in the careless way you do, some poor

little mite could easily come upon you and be scared out of her wits.

I suppose you didn't think of that?'



"'No, sir,' he said, 'I didn't.'



"'You should have done. You haven't any claim on the place, have you?

Weren't murdered here, or anything of that sort?'



"'None, sir; but I thought as it was old and oak-panelled--'



"'That's NO excuse.' I regarded him firmly. 'Your coming here is

a mistake,' I said, in a tone of friendly superiority. I feigned

to see if I had my matches, and then looked up at him frankly.

'If I were you I wouldn't wait for cock-crow--I'd vanish right away.'



"He looked embarrassed. 'The fact IS, sir--' he began.



"'I'd vanish,' I said, driving it home.



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