“It’s the wicked Duke come back from the grave!” cried one, and the Duke let out a great horrible laugh which rang round and round the walls.

“That was really rather good,” he said in a pleased way, listening to the echoes. “I was quite good at amateur theatricals, you know.”

Alice found that her teeth were beginning to chatter. She was all of a sudden filled with superstitious terror of the Duke and at the same time, she knew she had to follow where he led.

He led her through a maze of corridors, then up to the fourth floor and along another series of passages until he finally opened the door of a small empty room. He crossed to the fireplace and pressed something under the mantel. A section of the wall swung open revealing a dark passage.

“Don’t be frightened,” he said, “It’s not witchcraft. I had to hide my mistresses somewhere in the old days. Ah, memories, memories!”

He lit a candle and led the way, Alice creeping after him, trembling with shock.

The passage did not lead straight down to hell as she had feared, but to a pleasant, paneled bedroom with a large four-poster bed.

“Wonder of wonders,” said the ghost, jerking back the bedclothes, “It’s dusty but not damp. Go to bed, my girl, while I try to light a fire. You’re shaking like a jelly.”

As Alice began to climb into bed, he said, “Stop! You are surely not going to bed in those dirty clothes. I see you have cleaned yourself somewhat, but those rags are filthy and very probably are full of livestock.”

“I allus sleep in my clothes,” said Alice weakly.

“Wait there. I shall find you something. I can float, did you know? Very quickly. It is quite exhilarating.”

He disappeared from the room and Alice waited, shivering and numb. He returned very quickly, carrying a frothy confection of lace and satin over his arm.

“I borrowed this. Put it on,” he said, tossing it to her.

“It’s still warm,” said Alice, “and perfumed.”

“Oh, I had great fun collecting it. Do put it on and stop fussing. Ah, here we have wood and a tinderbox. We shall be as cozy as can be.” He bent over the fire and Alice crept around the far side of the bed and pulled the hangings closed to act as a screen. The nightgown fell like a whisper around her poor, emaciated body. She pulled at the string that held her hair and let it tumble down about her shoulders.

She shyly walked around and stood next to the Duke who was warming his hands at a crackling blaze.

He looked up at her in surprise and then stood up and put his hands on her shoulders, looking down at her with a wicked smile on his face.