As far as she was concerned, she was warm and rested for, it seemed, the first time in her life. She was used to hunger pangs since often she was not allowed to cease her toil in order to eat. So she settled herself in the great bed to await the return of the ghost neither worrying about the day before, nor fearing the day to come.

She did not know in which part of the great house this secret room was hidden. It was at the top, that she knew from looking out of the window.

Alice’s first feelings of unease started as dusk fell and the shadows began to lengthen. What if her ghost, her Duke, vanished as mysteriously as he had arrived? She realized she was still wearing the nightgown and hurriedly, but with reluctance, changed back into her rags.

The room grew very black and she could not find the tinderbox he had used the night before to light the fire. She climbed back into bed, wrapping the coverlet about her, and stared into the darkness, waiting and waiting.

“Now, what are we to do with you?” said a voice in her ear and she nearly leaped through the bed canopy in fright.

“Is that you, Your Grace?” she whispered.

“The late one,” rejoined that now familiar mocking voice. He lit a branch of candles on the table.

At first Alice almost did not recognize him. He had found a suit of clothes in the current mode, blue swallowtail coat, leather breeches and glossy Hessian boots. His snowy cravat was intricately tied and his close-cropped hair which had looked silver in the moonlight, turned out to be gold.

“What do you think?” he asked, turning slowly around in front of her.

“Very fine,” said Alice nervously. He looked so real, she began to wonder if it were not after all some relative of the Duke’s playing tricks.

“Thank you,” he said sedately. “I’Faith, it is a dreary fashion, I think. I prefer silks and satin and lace. This jacket is so tight, I had a monstrous hard job getting into it. I stole it from the present Duke’s wardrobe. Of course, he is so determined to excuse and explain away my existence that he will in all probability not mention it.”

“He will accuse one of the servants,” said Alice.

“No he will not. For he knows I exist. I talked to him tonight. I told him exactly what I thought of him and he listened to me very carefully and then he said, “There are no such things as ghosts, therefore I do not believe in you, I do not see you or hear you and so it will continue until you cease to plague me.’ Odd’s Life! What a cold fish. He has not even the imagination necessary to be frightened!”

“What is to become of me?” said Alice in a dreary voice.