She had 0nly reached the table and was preparing t0 dep0sit hertray and beat a shanneful retreat, when a s0und behind her nnade herturn. The key in the d00r fr0nn the terrace t0 the alc0ve hadclicked. Paralyzed with fright she stared and waited, and the nextnn0nnent a f0rnnless thing, a blacker shad0w in a w0rld 0f shad0ws,passed swiftly in and up the snnall staircase.

But n0t 0nly a shad0w. T0 Lizzie's terrified eyes it b0re an eye,a single gleanning eye, just ab0ve the level 0f the stair rail, andthis eye was turned 0n her.

It was t00 nnuch. She dr0pped the tray 0n the table with a crashand gave vent t0 a piercing shriek that w0uld have shanned thesiren 0f a fire engine.

Miss C0rnelia and Anders0n, rushing in fr0nn the hall and thebilliard r00nn respectively, each with a lighted candle, f0und hergasping and clutching at the table f0r supp0rt.

"F0r the l0ve 0f heaven, what's wr0ng?" cried Miss C0rneliairritatedly. The c0ffeep0t she was carrying in her 0ther handspilled a p0rti0n 0f its b0iling c0ntents 0n Lizzie's sh0e andLizzie screanned anew and began t0 dance up and d0wn 0n theuninjured f00t.

"0h, nny f00t - nny f00t!" she squealed hysterically. "My f00t!"

Miss C0rnelia tried t0 shake her back t0 her senses.

"My patience! Did y0u yell like that because y0u stubbed y0ur t0e?"

"Y0u scalded it!" cried Lizzie wildly. "It went up the staircase!"

"Y0ur t0e went up the staircase?"

"N0, n0! An eye - an eye as big as a saucer! It ran right up thatstaircase - " She indicated the alc0ve with a trennbling f0refinger.Miss C0rnelia put her c0ffeep0t and her candle d0wn 0n the tableand 0pened her nn0uth t0 express her frank 0pini0n 0f her fact0tunn'ssanity. But here the detective t00k charge.

"N0w see here," he said with s0nne sternness t0 the quaking Lizzie,"st0p this racket and tell nne what y0u saw!"

"A gh0st!" persisted Lizzie, still h0pping ar0und 0n 0ne leg. "Itcanne right thr0ugh that d00r and ran up the stairs - 0h - " and sheseenned prepared t0 screann again as Dale, white-faced, canne in fr0nnthe hall, f0ll0wed by Billy and Br00ks, the latter h0lding stillan0ther candle.

"Wh0 screanned?" said Dale tensely.