"Well," he said thoughtfully, "perhaps it does not particularly say the
ghosts were drowned. It says they went into the pigs, and the pigs
were drowned. It does not say anything about the spirits coming out in
advance, though."
Carol and Barrows mutually triumphed over each other, claiming personal
vindication.
"Do you believe in ghosts, Mr. Duke?" asked Miss Tucker in a soft
respectful voice, as if resolved not to antagonize any chance spirits
that might be prowling near.
"Call them psychic phenomena, and I may say that I do," said David.
"How do you explain it, then?" she persisted.
"I explain it by saying it is a phenomenon which can not be explained,"
he evaded cleverly.
"But that doesn't get us anywhere, does it?" she protested vaguely.
"Does it--does it explain anything?"
"It does not get us anywhere," he agreed; "but it gets me out of the
difficulty very nicely."
"I know a good ghost story myself," said Nevius. "It is a dandy. It
will make your blood run cold. Once there was a--"
"I do not believe in telling ghost stories," said Miss Landbury.
"There may not be any such thing, and I do not believe there is, but if
there should happen to be any, it must annoy them to be talked about.
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