"Peter," he had answered, regarding me with a terrible eye,
"Peter, I be disapp'inted in ye!" Hereupon rising, he had rapped
loudly upon his snuff-box and hobbled stiffly away. And that
ended the matter, so far as I was concerned, though, to be sure,
Simon had interceded in my behalf with no better success; and
thus I was still left wondering.
One day, however, as George and I were hard at work, I became
aware of some one standing in the doorway behind me, but at first
paid no heed (for it was become the custom for folk to come to
look at the man who lived all alone in the haunted cottage), so,
as I say, I worked on heedlessly.
"Peter?" said a voice at last and, turning, I beheld the old man
leaning upon his stick and regarding me beneath his lowered brows.
"Why, Ancient!" I exclaimed, and held out my hand. But he
checked me with a gesture, and fumblingly took out his snuff-box.
"Peter," said he, fixing me with his eye, "were it a Scotchman or
were it not?"
"Why, to be sure it was," I answered, "a Scotch piper, as I told
you, and--"
"Peter," said the Ancient, tapping his snuff-box, "it weren't no
ghost, then--ay or no."
"No," said I, "nothing but a--"
"Peter!" said the Ancient, nodding solemnly, "Peter, I 'ates ye!"
and, turning sharp about, he tottered away upon his stick.
"So--that's it!" said I, staring after the old man's retreating
figure.
"Why, ye see," said George, somewhat diffidently, "ye see, Peter,
Gaffer be so old!--and all 'is friends be dead, and he've come
to look on this 'ere ghost as belongin' to 'im a'most. Loves to
sit an' tell about it, 'e do; it be all 'e've got left to live
for, as ve might say, and now you've been and gone and said as
theer bean't no ghost arter all, d'ye see?"
"Ah, yes, I see," I nodded, "I see. But you don't still, believe
in this ghost, do you, George?"
"N-o-o-o--not 'xactly," answered George, hesitating upon the
word, "can't say as I believe 'xactly, and yet, Lord! 'ow should
I know?"
"Then you do still believe in the ghost?"
"Why, y' see, Peter, we do know as a man 'ung 'isself theer,
'cause Gaffer found un--likewise I've heerd it scream--but as for
believin' in it, since you say contrarywise--why, 'ow should I
know?"