A DISAPPOINTMENT building that had an ancient look, though perhaps not exactly one's ideal of a haunted house—still it would do. Having introduced ourselves to the rector, and having explained the purport of our visit, just when our expectations were raised to the utmost pitch, we received a dire disappointment, for the rector, with a smile, informed us that he had only recently come there and, so far, he had never seen the ghost, or been troubled by it in any way. He had a dim sort of a recollection that he had heard something about it from some one, and he would be glad to learn further particulars. He did not even know which the haunted room was, or whether it was the whole house that was supposed to be haunted and not a particular chamber. "I am afraid," he said, "your introduction must have been intended for my predecessor, who possibly was well posted up in the matter." Certainly our introduction was of a very informal nature, our antiquarian friend had simply written on the back of his card, "Call on the rector of Wrangle, make use of my card, and he will tell you all about the ghost." Truly we felt just a trifle disappointed. We had been on the trail of a ghost so often, yet had never been able to run one to earth, and again it had eluded us! Possibly the rector divined our feelings, for he cheerily exclaimed, "Well, I am sorry I cannot show you what you want, but I can show you a very interesting church." Now we had not come to Wrangle to see a church, but a haunted house, and a material ring left by an immaterial spirit, and we felt somehow, if unreasonably, aggrieved at not finding these.
