The ghost now gave up all hope of ever frightening this rude American family, and contented himself, as a rule, with creeping about the passages in slippers, with a thick red muffler round his throat for fear of draughts, and an old-fashioned pistol, in case he should be attacked by the twins.

The final blow he received occurred on the 19th of September.

He had gone downstairs to the great entrance-hall, feeling sure that there, at any rate, he would be quite unmolested, and was amusing himself by making satirical remarks on the large photographs of the United States Ambassador and his wife, which had now taken the place of the Canterville family pictures.

He was simply but neatly clad in a long shroud, spotted with churchyard dirt, had tied up his jaw with a strip of yellow linen, and carried a small lantern and a sexton's spade.

In fact, he was dressed as a Corpse-Snatcher, one of his most remarkable impersonations, and one which the Cantervilles had every reason to remember, as it had been the real cause of their quarrel with their neighbour, Lord Rufford. It was about a quarter past two o'clock in the morning, and, as far as he could ascertain, no one was awake.

As he was strolling towards the library, however, to see if there was anything left of the blood-stain, suddenly there leaped out on him from a dark corner two figures, who waved their arms wildly above their heads, and shrieked out `BOO!' in his ear.