The Canterville Ghost

`Take money from her pay every time she does it,' answered the Ambassador; `she won't faint after that'. Almost at once, Mrs Umney came to. There was no doubt, however, that she was extremely upset, and she strongly warned Mr. Otis to beware of some trouble coming to the house.

`I have seen things with my own eyes, sir,' she said, `that would make any woman's hair stand on end. There have been very many nights when I have not been able to sleep because of all the awful things that happen here.' Mr. Otis and his wife were not worried. They told Mrs Umney not to be upset, and they said that they would not worry about the ghost. 'God bless you' said the old servant to her new master and mistress, and after she had agreed with the family that she should have a pay increase, the old housekeeper tottered off to her own room.

The storm raged fiercely all that night, but nothing very surprising happened. The next morning, however, when the family came down to breakfast, they found the terrible stain of blood was on the floor once again. `I don't think it can be the fault of the Paragon Detergent,' said Washington, `because it works with everything. It must be the ghost.' He rubbed out the stain a second time, but the second morning it appeared again. The third morning it was there again, though the library had been locked up at night by Mr. Otis himself, and he had taken the key upstairs with him.

Vocabulary:

Breakages: Something you must pay for if you break.
Come to: Recover from unconsciousness.
Upset: Disturbed and unhappy.
Beware: Look out for something bad.
Stand on end: Stand up straight from the head.
Bless: To make something good happen to someone.
Pay increase: To get more money for your work.
Totter: To walk as if you are afraid you will fall.