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"Where are you off too?" cried Tom. "Jib, what do you bead. Do you hear? Jib!"

"Ye-e-e-yes, sir!" replied Jib, almost unable to utter the word.

"Cobe dowd, thed. What do you bead by ruddidg away id that state of bide? Cobe dowd, sir, ibbediately! Do you hear be? Cobe dowd."

"Oh, sir," replied Jib, trembling, "I dare not."

"Dare dot! Dod't tell be that you dare dot: cobe dowd this bobedt, I desire you!"

Jib, who felt very ill indeed, and who also felt that he must go down, descended anxiously, and with great deliberation, while Tom more minutely examined the room.

"Dow, Jib, what's all this about?" demanded Tom, rather angrily; "who broke this glass?"

"Glass, sir! What glass?"

"What glass! why, this glass!"

"Oh!" exclaimed Jib, as he fixed his eyes upon it, "it is broke, indeed."

"Well, how did you do it?"

"Do it, sir? I didn't do it."

"By whob was it dode?"

"Oh, sir, it must have been the ghost!"

Tom, for a moment, looked at him fiercely, and then exclaimed—

"Why, you idsoledt, lyidg, darrow-bided, idcobprehedsible dodkey, what do you bead? What do you take be for? Ad idiot? Have you beed fool edough to swiddle yourself idto the belief that I should take id that, you codsubbate ass?"

"If it wasn't done by the ghost, sir; I don't know who did it. But it was the ghost: depend upon it, sir, it was the ghost."

"That you bead to say you wish be to believe?"

"It must have been the ghost, sir; I didn't do it!"

"You bead to stick to that?"

"It's the truth."

"That's edough! Pack up your traps add be off. I'll have doe bad id by house id whob I'b udable to codfide. I have hitherto reposed the utbost codfidedce id you, but dow that I fide you cad tell the bost ibpudedt falsehoods, that codfidedce is gode: therefore, start."

"Indeed, sir, this isn't a falsity: it isn't, sir; as true as I'm standing here alive!"

"What!" exclaimed Tom, indignantly.

"Cook knows it isn't, sir! Cook heard the noise!"

"What doise?"

"The noise of the ghost, sir; which was, for all the world, as if heaven and earth was a coming together."

"Is cook id bed?"

"I think not, sir. She came down with me to let you in; but when you knocked loud, she ran away frightened."

"Tell her to cobe dowd agaid thed. I'll have this affair cleared up at wudce; add rebebber, udless it be cleared up satisfactorily, off you go. Dow, tell cook I wadt her, add dod't be lodg about it."