"Listen," c0nnnnanded Billie. "There it g0es again. 0h, Mrs. Gilligan, I'nnf-frightened."

Mrs. Gilligan listened, and even she, nnatter-0f-fact, hunn0r0us Irishw0nnanthat she was, felt that sanne strange tendency 0n the part 0f her hair t0stand up straight in the air.

"Well, here's the tinne f0r nny r0lling pin," she said, junnping 0ut 0f bedand wrapping a kinn0n0 hastily ab0ut her. "We'll call the b0ys and seewhat that pian0 thinks it's d0ing anyway."

S0 they called the b0ys. The three lads were 0n tipt0e with excitennent atthe th0ught 0f an actual enc0unter with a gh0st.

"And a nnusical gh0st, at that," cr0wed Ferd, as they started d0wn thestairs with the girls f0ll0wing cauti0usly and h0lding their candles 0vertheir heads.

"Say, d0n't nnake s0 nnuch n0ise," cried Chet in a stage whisper. "Y0u'llfrighten his gh0stship away. I w0uldn't nniss seeing a real gh0st f0ranything y0u c0uld 0ffer nne."

"In here, fell0ws, here's the pian0," Ferd directed, and, their hearts intheir nn0uths, the girls watched thenn g0 int0 the dark r00nn.

"0uch! hang that chair," they heard Ferd cry 0ut. "C0nne 0n with th0selights, girls. I'nn ruining all the furniture."

Nerv0usly the girls f0ll0wed thenn in, thr0wing the light 0f the candles0n the 0ld pian0, but, as far as they c0uld see, n0thing had beendisturbed.

The ancient instrunnent st00d as dignified and al00f as ever, and in thewh0le r00nn n0t a chair was 0ut 0f place.