Starry and I had arranged to meet in the kitchen on the ground floor at two a.m. and the grandfather clock in the great hall had just struck two when we arrived .
Starry had just finished a circuit of the outside area near the house and I was returning from a patrol of the second floor when we came together.
The cook had prepared a snack of cheese sandwiches for us and left them wrapped in a kitchen cupboard. We brought them out, sat down, unwrapped them and thoughtfully began to munch .
"It looks like our ghost will not perform tonight." I said quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping household.
"All well outside too, Constable." Starry replied, "But awfully dark and spooky!"
"Perfect haunting weather, Old Man." I smiled.
"Oh, yes. Quite good enough for THAT." Starry said, getting into the spirit of the conversation.
"Clarence the Butler was telling me that the ship "Lady Lorca" broke up in a storm and sank near here some years ago." Starry continued, " He said that there is some talk among the staff that perhaps the drowned sailors from that unfortunate ship are the ghosts haunting Heavenly Abode..."
I shrugged. "On a night like this it is almost possible to believe in ghosts."
At that moment we became aware of a peculiar noise. Very faint at first, but growing quickly in volume.
"What on earth is THAT, Constable?" Starry said in an alarmed voice.
"The GHOST, obviously". I replied. "And loud enough to wake everyone."
"But I mean what SOUND is that, Constable?"
"Why the traditional ghostly sounds of clanking chains and metal money-boxes being dragged on the floor, I believe." I said, "And coming from the traditional place! The cellars, of course! Hurry, man--the game is afoot!"
...
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