"We do not expect him."
"I am glad of that," said he, sinking into the chair by which he
stood. "During the two years and a half that I have inhabited this
house, that man has never before been away for a single night. You
can't imagine the relief it gives me."
And as he spoke he stretched out his legs and leaned back in the
chair. His form became less vague, and the colors of his garments
more distinct and evident, while an expression of gratified relief
succeeded to the anxiety of his countenance.
"Two years and a half!" I exclaimed. "I don't understand you."
"It is fully that length of time," said the ghost, "since I first
came here. Mine is not an ordinary case. But before I say anything
more about it, let me ask you again if you are sure Mr. Hinckman
will not return to-night?"
"I am as sure of it as I can be of anything," I answered. "He left
to-day for Bristol, two hundred miles away."
"Then I will go on," said the ghost, "for I am glad to have the
opportunity of talking to some one who will listen to me; but if
John Hinckman should come in and catch me here I should be
frightened out of my wits."
"This is all very strange," I said, greatly puzzled by what I had
heard. "Are you the ghost of Mr. Hinckman?"
This was a bold question, but my mind was so full of other emotions
that there seemed to be no room for that of fear.
"Yes, I am his ghost," my companion replied, "and yet I have no
right to be. And this is what makes me so uneasy, and so much afraid
of him. It is a strange story, and, I truly believe, without
precedent. Two years and a half ago John Hinckman was dangerously
ill in this very room. At one time he was so far gone that he was
really believed to be dead. It was in consequence of too precipitate
a report in regard to this matter that I was, at that time,
appointed to be his ghost. Imagine my surprise and horror, sir,
when, after I had accepted the position and assumed its
responsibilities, that old man revived, became convalescent, and
eventually regained his usual health. My situation was now one of
extreme delicacy and embarrassment. I had no power to return to my
original unembodiment, and I had no right to be the ghost of a man
who was not dead. I was advised by my friends to quietly maintain my
position, and was assured that, as John Hinckman was an elderly man,
it could not be long before I could rightfully assume the position
for which I had been selected. But I tell you, sir," he continued,
with animation, "the old fellow seems as vigorous as ever, and I
have no idea how much longer this annoying state of things will
continue. I spend my time trying to get out of that old man's way. I
must not leave this house, and he seems to follow me everywhere. I
tell you, sir, he haunts me."
"That is truly a queer state of things," I remarked. "But why are
you afraid of him? He couldn't hurt you."
"Of course he couldn't," said the ghost. "But his very presence is a
shock and terror to me. Imagine, sir, how you would feel if my case
were yours."