Part 55 (1/2)

”Why do you not sit by me?” asked the girl.

”I can't,” replied Benjamin. ”Perhaps you may not see, but I do, my deceased wife is in the cab, and occupies the place on your left.”

”Sit on her,” urged Philippa.

”I haven't the effrontery to do it,” gasped Ben.

”Will you believe me,” whispered the young lady, leaning over to speak to Mr. Woolfield, ”I have seen Jehu Post hovering about the theatre door, wringing his white hands and turning up his eyes. I suspect he is running after the cab.”

As soon as Mr. Woolfield had deposited his bride-elect at her residence he ordered the cabman to drive him home. Then he was alone in the conveyance with the ghost. As each gaslight was pa.s.sed the flash came over the cadaverous face opposite him, and sparks of fire kindled momentarily in the stony eyes.

”Benjamin!” she said, ”Benjamin! Oh, Benjamin! Do not suppose that I shall permit it. You may writhe and twist, you may plot and contrive how you will, I will stand between you and her as a wall of ice.”

Next day, in the afternoon, Philippa Weston arrived at the house. The late Mrs. Woolfield had, however, apparently obtained an inkling of what was intended, for she was already there, in the drawing-room, seated in an armchair with her hands raised and clasped, looking stonily before her. She had a white face, no lips that showed, and her dark hair was dressed in two black slabs, one on each side of the temples. It was done in a knot behind. She wore no ornaments of any kind.

In came Miss Weston, a pretty girl, coquettishly dressed in colours, with sparkling eyes and laughing lips. As she had predicted, she was followed by her attendant spectre, a tall, gaunt young man in a black frock-coat, with a melancholy face and large ox-eyes. He shambled in shyly, looking from side to side. He had white hands and long, lean fingers. Every now and then he put his hands behind him, up his back, under the tails of his coat, and rubbed his spine where he had received his mortal injury in cycling. Almost as soon as he entered he noticed the ghost of Mrs. Woolfield that was, and made an awkward bow. Her eyebrows rose, and a faint wintry smile of recognition lighted up her cheeks.

”I believe I have the honour of saluting Sister Kesiah,” said the ghost of Jehu Post, and he a.s.sumed a posture of ecstasy.

”It is even so, Brother Jehu.”

”And how do you find yourself, sister--out of the flesh?”

The late Mrs. Woolfield looked disconcerted, hesitated a moment, as if she found some difficulty in answering, and then, after a while, said: ”I suppose, much as do you, brother.”

”It is a melancholy duty that detains me here below,” said Jehu Post's ghost.

”The same may be said of me,” observed the spirit of the deceased Mrs.

Woolfield. ”Pray take a chair.”

”I am greatly obliged, sister. My back----”

Philippa nudged Benjamin, and un.o.bserved by the ghosts, both slipped into the adjoining room by a doorway over which hung velvet curtains.

In this room, on the table, Mr. Woolfield had collected patterns of chintzes and books of wall-papers.

There the engaged pair remained, discussing what curtains would go with the chintz coverings of the sofa and chairs, and what papers would harmonise with both.

”I see,” said Philippa, ”that you have plates hung on the walls. I don't like them: it is no longer in good form. If they be worth anything you must have a cabinet with gla.s.s doors for the china. How about the carpets?”

”There is the drawing-room,” said Benjamin.

”No, we won't go in there and disturb the ghosts,” said Philippa. ”We'll take the drawing-room for granted.”

”Well--come with me to the dining-room. We can reach it by another door.”

In the room they now entered the carpet was in fairly good condition, except at the head and bottom of the table, where it was worn. This was especially the case at the bottom, where Mr. Woolfield had usually sat.

There, when his wife had lectured, moralised, and harangued, he had rubbed his feet up and down and had fretted the nap off the Brussels carpet.