LITMIR.BIZ

      1. The terrible _______________ of the last four weeks was beginning to have its effect.

      2. He was most ____________ in all things connected with the supernatural.

      3. Strings were continually being _______ _____________ across the corridor.

      4. He had not appeared in this __________ __________ for more than seventy years.

      5. She suddenly broke off her _________ ___________ with the present Lord Canterville’s grandfather.

      6. At the same moment he heard ____________ of laughter proceeding from the bed.

      7. It was quite evident that his feelings were so __________ that he would not appear.

      8. Mr. Otis consequently _________________ his great work on the history of the Democratic Party.

      9. He made ____________________ for appearing to Virginia’s little lover in his celebrated impersonation of “The Vampire Monk, or the Bloodless Benedictine.”

      10. The little Duke slept in peace under the great ____________________ canopy in the Royal Bedchamber.

      V

      A few days after this, Virginia and her curly-haired cavalier went out riding on Brockley meadows, where she tore her habit[87] so badly in getting through a hedge that, on their return home, she made up her mind to go up by the back staircase so as not to be seen. As she was running past the Tapestry Chamber, the door of which happened to be open, she fancied she saw some one inside, and thinking it was her mother’s maid, who sometimes used to bring her work there, looked in to ask her to mend her habit. To her immense surprise, however, it was the Canterville Ghost himself! He was sitting by the window, watching the ruined gold of the yellowing trees fly through the air,[88] and the red leaves dancing madly down the long avenue. His head was leaning on his hand, and his whole attitude was one of extreme depression. Indeed, so lonely, and so much out of repair did he look,[89] that little Virginia, whose first idea had been to run away and lock herself in her room, was filled with pity, and determined to try and comfort him. So light was her footfall, and so deep his melancholy, that he was not aware of her presence till she spoke to him.

      “I am so sorry for you,” she said, “but my brothers are going back to Eton to-morrow, and then, if you behave yourself,[90] no one will annoy you.”

      “It is absurd asking me to behave myself,” he answered, looking round in astonishment at the pretty little girl who had ventured to address him, “quite absurd. I must rattle my chains, and groan through keyholes, and walk about at night, if that is what you mean. It is my only reason for existing.”

      “It is no reason at all for existing, and you know you have been very wicked. Mrs. Umney told us, the first day we arrived here, that you had killed your wife.”

      “Well, I quite admit it,” said the Ghost “but it was a purely family matter, and concerned no one else.”

      “It is very wrong to kill anyone,” said Virginia.

      “Oh, I hate the cheap severity of abstract ethics! My wife was very plain and knew nothing about cookery. Why, there was a buck I had shot in Hogley Woods, and do you know how she had it sent to table? However, it is no matter now, for it is all over, and I don’t think it was very nice of her brothers to starve me to death,[91] though I did kill her.”

      “Starve you to death? Oh, Mr. Ghost – I mean Sir Simon, are you hungry? I have a sandwich in my bag. Would you like it?”

      “No, thank you, I never eat anything now; but it is very kind of you, all the same, and you are much nicer than the rest of your horrid, rude, vulgar, dishonest family.”

      “Stop!” cried Virginia, stamping her foot, “it is you who are rude, and horrid, and vulgar, and as for dishonesty, you know you stole the paints out of my box to try and furbish up that ridiculous blood-stain in the library. First you took all my reds, including the vermilion, and I couldn’t do any more sunsets, then you took the emerald-green and the chrome-yellow,

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