"Why did she
not come back to us?"
"Probably she thought you, too, had left the place," suggested Mr.
Blackford. "We must make further search. But suppose you tell me all
that happened. I am interested in this--ghost."
The girls told all that had occurred--told it in gasps--by
exclamations--by "fits and starts," as Betty expressed it. At first Mr.
Blackford was amused--then he was more interested--finally he was
impressed.
"I don't like this," he said, when he had been informed of the failure
of Mr. Lagg to dispose of the property because of the "ghostly"
manifestations. "It looks to me as though some trick was being
perpetrated here. Possibly something more than a trick. There may be
crimes contemplated. The authorities should be notified.
"Of course I don't believe in ghosts--neither do you--and, from what you
say, it must have been a very human one who caught Miss Billette. But
she is our most important consideration now. We must find her! We must
search outside, for clearly she is not in the house, though it will do
no harm to take another look."
"Go back there!" cried Grace, aghast.
"Why not?" asked Betty, coolly. "You forget we have a man with us now."
"Certainly we'll go back there and look," spoke Mrs. Mackson, in
business-like tones. "Though I don't believe Mollie would go back,
unless it was to look for us. And how can she have gone in without us
seeing her?"
"There may be many entrances to an old, rambling place like this," said
Mr.
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