A few days after this, Virginia and her curly-haired cavalier went outriding on Brockley meadows, where she tore her habit so badly in gettingthrough a hedge that, on their return home, she made up her mind to goup by the back staircase so as not to be seen. As she was running pastthe Tapestry Chamber, the door of which happened to be open, she fanciedshe saw some one inside, and thinking it was her mother's maid, whosometimes used to bring her work there, looked in to ask her to mendher habit. To her immense surprise, however, it was the CantervilleGhost himself! He was sitting by the window, watching the ruined gold ofthe yellowing trees fly through the air, and the red leaves dancingmadly down the long avenue. His head was leaning on his hand, and hiswhole attitude was one of extreme depression. Indeed, so forlorn, and somuch out of repair did he look, that little Virginia, whose first ideahad been to run away and lock herself in her room, was filled with pity,and determined to try and comfort him. So light was her footfall, and sodeep his melancholy, that he was not aware of her presence till shespoke to him.

"I am so sorry for you," she said, "but my brothers are going back toEton to-morrow, and then, if you behave yourself, no one will annoyyou."

"It is absurd asking me to behave myself," he answered, looking round inastonishment at the pretty little girl who had ventured to address him,"quite absurd. I must rattle my chains, and groan through keyholes, andwalk about at night, if that is what you mean. It is my only reason forexisting."

"It is no reason at all for existing, and you know you have been verywicked. Mrs. Umney told us, the first day we arrived here, that you hadkilled your wife."

"Well, I quite admit it," said the Ghost, petulantly, "but it was apurely family matter, and concerned no one else."

"It is very wrong to kill any one," said Virginia, who at times had asweet puritan gravity, caught from some old New England ancestor.

"Oh, I hate the cheap severity of abstract ethics! My wife was veryplain, never had my ruffs properly starched, and knew nothing aboutcookery. Why, there was a buck I had shot in Hogley Woods, a magnificentpricket, and do you know how she had it sent to table? However, it isno matter now, for it is all over, and I don't think it was very nice ofher brothers to starve me to death, though I did kill her."

"Starve you to death? Oh, Mr. Ghost--I mean Sir Simon, are you hungry? Ihave a sandwich in my case. Would you like it?"

"No, thank you, I never eat anything now; but it is very kind of you,all the same, and you are much nicer than the rest of your horrid, rude,vulgar, dishonest family."

"Stop!" cried Virginia, stamping her foot, "it is you who are rude, andhorrid, and vulgar, and as for dishonesty, you know you stole thepaints out of my box to try and furbish up that ridiculous blood-stainin the library. First you took all my reds, including the vermilion, andI couldn't do any more sunsets, then you took the emerald-green and thechrome-yellow, and finally I had nothing left but indigo and Chinesewhite, and could only do moonlight scenes, which are always depressingto look at, and not at all easy to paint. I never told on you, though Iwas very much annoyed, and it was most ridiculous, the whole thing; forwho ever heard of emerald-green blood?"

"Well, really," said the Ghost, rather meekly, "what was I to do? It isa very difficult thing to get real blood nowadays, and, as your brotherbegan it all with his Paragon Detergent, I certainly saw no reason why Ishould not have your paints. As for colour, that is always a matter oftaste: the Cantervilles have blue blood, for instance, the very bluestin England; but I know you Americans don't care for things of thiskind."

"You know nothing about it, and the best thing you can do is to emigrateand improve your mind. My father will be only too happy to give you afree passage, and though there is a heavy duty on spirits of every kind,there will be no difficulty about the Custom House, as the officers areall Democrats. Once in New York, you are sure to be a great success. Iknow lots of people there who would give a hundred thousand dollars tohave a grandfather, and much more than that to have a family ghost."

"I don't think I should like America."

"I suppose because we have no ruins and no curiosities," said Virginia,satirically.

"No ruins! no curiosities!" answered the Ghost; "you have your navy andyour manners."

"Good evening; I will go and ask papa to get the twins an extra week'sholiday."

"Please don't go, Miss Virginia," he cried; "I am so lonely and sounhappy, and I really don't know what to do. I want to go to sleep and Icannot."

"That's quite absurd! You have merely to go to bed and blow out thecandle. It is very difficult sometimes to keep awake, especially atchurch, but there is no difficulty at all about sleeping. Why, evenbabies know how to do that, and they are not very clever."

"I have not slept for three hundred years," he said sadly, andVirginia's beautiful blue eyes opened in wonder; "for three hundredyears I have not slept, and I am so tired."

Virginia grew quite grave, and her little lips trembled likerose-leaves. She came towards him, and kneeling down at his side, lookedup into his old withered face.

"Poor, poor Ghost," she murmured; "have you no place where you cansleep?"

[Illustration: "'POOR, POOR GHOST,' SHE MURMURED; 'HAVE YOU NO PLACEWHERE YOU CAN SLEEP?'"]

"Far away beyond the pine-woods," he answered, in a low, dreamy voice,"there is a little garden. There the grass grows long and deep, thereare the great white stars of the hemlock flower, there the nightingalesings all night long. All night long he sings, and the cold crystalmoon looks down, and the yew-tree spreads out its giant arms over thesleepers."

Virginia's eyes grew dim with tears, and she hid her face in her hands.

"You mean the Garden of Death," she whispered.

"Yes, death. Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth,with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To haveno yesterday, and no to-morrow. To forget time, to forget life, to be atpeace. You can help me. You can open for me the portals of death'shouse, for love is always with you, and love is stronger than deathis."

Virginia trembled, a cold shudder ran through her, and for a few momentsthere was silence. She felt as if she was in a terrible dream.

Then the ghost spoke again, and his voice sounded like the sighing ofthe wind.

"Have you ever read the old prophecy on the library window?"

"Oh, often," cried the little girl, looking up; "I know it quite well.It is painted in curious black letters, and is difficult to read. Thereare only six lines:

"'When a golden girl can win Prayer from out the lips of sin, When the barren almond bears, And a little child gives away its tears, Then shall all the house be still And peace come to Canterville.'

"But I don't know what they mean."

"They mean," he said, sadly, "that you must weep with me for my sins,because I have no tears, and pray with me for my soul, because I have nofaith, and then, if you have always been sweet, and good, and gentle,the angel of death will have mercy on me. You will see fearful shapes indarkness, and wicked voices will whisper in your ear, but they will notharm you, for against the purity of a little child the powers of Hellcannot prevail."

Virginia made no answer, and the ghost wrung his hands in wild despairas he looked down at her bowed golden head. Suddenly she stood up, verypale, and with a strange light in her eyes. "I am not afraid," she saidfirmly, "and I will ask the angel to have mercy on you."

He rose from his seat with a faint cry of joy, and taking her hand bentover it with old-fashioned grace and kissed it. His fingers were as coldas ice, and his lips burned like fire, but Virginia did not falter, ashe led her across the dusky room. On the faded green tapestry werebroidered little huntsmen. They blew their tasselled horns and withtheir tiny hands waved to her to go back. "Go back! little Virginia,"they cried, "go back!" but the ghost clutched her hand more tightly,and she shut her eyes against them. Horrible animals with lizard tailsand goggle eyes blinked at her from the carven chimneypiece, andmurmured, "Beware! little Virginia, beware! we may never see you again,"but the Ghost glided on more swiftly, and Virginia did not listen. Whenthey reached the end of the room he stopped, and muttered some words shecould not understand. She opened her eyes, and saw the wall slowlyfading away like a mist, and a great black cavern in front of her. Abitter cold wind swept round them, and she felt something pulling at herdress. "Quick, quick," cried the Ghost, "or it will be too late," andin a moment the wainscoting had closed behind them, and the TapestryChamber was empty.

[Illustration: "THE GHOST GLIDED ON MORE SWIFTLY"]