I've been thinking I must be
an unconscious medium."
"Well," said John, "I, for one, don't believe in that kind of thing:
if the spirits ever told anything worth hearing, or did anything worth
doing, it might be different; but would Darnley or Bothwell or the
abbot, or even any of the smaller fry of monks, come back here to ring
a bell? I know in their place it's what I wouldn't do myself."
"It would depend on where they are and how employed," said Edwin:
"like some other people, they may be dull at home."
"Ah, that's what Bessie said that's sticking in your throat. Man, it's
no use minding what girls say: I never do.
"The spirits must be deplorably dull if ringing a bell is a diversion
to them."
"They may enjoy mystifying us," said Edwin. "Who knows but they are
listening just now, and laughing in whatever they may have instead of
sleeves?"
"I'm not frightened," said Will, "but I don't like subjects of this
kind at bedtime, so I wish you wouldn't say any more about it."
"It seems, however, that the bell was rung by invisible agency," said
John.
"Come, come, we'll stop talking and go to bed," Edwin said.
"But, Edwin," said Will with big eyes, out of which he could not keep
a frightened look, "do you think a spirit did it?"
"No: it is a trick, and you'll find out who did it before long."
"Well," said John, "it was a stupid trick, but cleverly done--very
cleverly done, or whoever did it would not have escaped me.
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