Nelly Travers won her game amid congratulations, and Tom May challenged another woman, a Diana, who lived for sport and had joined the house party with her uncle, Mr.Felix Fayre-Michell.But Millicent Fayre - Michell refused.
"I've shot six partridges, a hare, and two pheasants to-day," said the girl, "and I'm half asleep."Other men were present also of a type not dissimilar.It was a conventional gathering of rich nobodies, each a big frog in his own little puddle, none known far beyond it and none with sufficient intellect or ability to create for himself any position in the world save that won by the accident of money made by their progenitors.
Had it been necessary for any of them to earn his living, only in some very modest capacity and on a very modest plane might they have done so.Of the entire company only one - the youngest - could claim even the celebrity that attached to his little volume of war verses.
And now upon the lives of these every-day folk was destined to break an event unique and extraordinary.Existence, that had meandered without personal incident save of a description common to them all, was, within twelve hours, to confront men and women alike with reality.They were destined to endure at close quarters an occurrence so astounding and unparalleled that, for once in their lives, they would find themselves interesting to the wider world beyond their own limited circuit, and, for their friends and acquaintance, the centre of a nine days' wonder.
Most of them, indeed, merely touched the hem of the mystery and were not involved therein, but even for them a reflected glory shone.They were at least objects of attraction elsewhere, and for many months furnished conversation of a more interesting and exciting character than any could ever claim to have provided before.
The attitude to such an event, and the opinions concerning it, of such people might have been pretty accurately predicted; nor would it be fair to laugh at their terror and bewilderment, their confusion of tongues and the fatuous theories they adventured by way of explanation.For wiser than they - men experienced in the problems of humanity and trained to solve its enigmas - were presently in no better case.
A very trivial and innocent remark was prelude to the disaster; and had the speaker guessed what his jest must presently mean in terms of human misery, grief, and horror, it is certain enough that he would not have spoken.
The women were gone to bed and the men sat around the fire smoking and admiring Sir Walter's ancient blend of whisky.He himself had just flung away the stump of his cigar and was admonishing his son-in-law.
"Church to - morrow, Tom.None of your larks.When first you came to see me, remember, you went to church twice on Sunday like a lamb.I'll have no backsliding.""Mary will see to that, governor." "And you, Henry."Sir Walter, disappointed of his hopes respecting his nephew and daughter, had none the less treated the young man with tact and tenderness.He felt for Henry; he was also fond of him and doubted not that the youth would prove a worthy successor.Thomas May was one with whom none could quarrel, and he and his wife's old flame were now, after the acquaintance of a week, on friendly terms.
"I shan't fail, uncle."
"Will anybody have another whisky?" asked Sir Walter, rising.
It was the signal for departure and invariably followed the stroke of a deep-mouthed, grandfather clock in the hail.When eleven sounded, the master rose; but to-night he was delayed.Tom May spoke.
"Fayre-Micheil has never heard the ghost story, governor," he said, "and Mr.Travers badly wants another drink.If he doesn't have one, he won't sleep all night.He's done ten men's work to-day."Mr.Fayre-Michell spoke.
"I didn't know you had a ghost, Sir Walter.I'm tremendouslyinterested in psychical research and so on.If it's not bothering you and keeping you up -.""A ghost at Chadlands, Walter?" asked Ernest Travers."You never told me.""Ghosts are all humbug," declared another speaker - a youthful "colonel" of the war.
"I deprecate that attitude, Vane.It may certainly be that our ghost is a humbug, or, rather, that we have no such thing as a ghost at all.And that is my own impression.But an idle generality is always futile - indeed, any generality usually is.You have, at least, no right to say, 'Ghosts are all humbug.' Because you cannot prove they are.The weight of evidence is very much on the other side.""Sorry," said Colonel Vane, a man without pride."I didn't know you believed in 'em, Sir Walter.""Most emphatically I believe in them."
"So do I," declared Ernest Travers."Nay, so does my wife - for the best possible reason.A friend of hers actually saw one."Mr.Fayre-Michell spoke.
"Spiritualism and spirits are two quite different things," he said."One may discredit the whole business of spiritualism and yet firmly believe in spirits."He was a narrow-headed, clean-shaven man with grey hair and moustache.He had a small body on very long legs, and though a veteran now, was still one of the best game shots in the West of England.
Ernest Travers agreed with him.Indeed, they all agreed.Sir Walter himself summed up.
"If you're a Christian, you must believe in the spirits of the dead," he declared; "but to go out of your way to summon these spirits, to call them from the next world back to ours, and to consult people who profess to be able to do so - extremely doubtful characters, as a rule - that I think is much to be condemned.I deny that there are any living mediums of communication between the spirit world and this one, and I should always judge the man or woman who claimed such power to be a charlatan.But that spirits of the departed have appeared and been recognized by theliving, who shall deny?
