the story had held us, round the fire, sufficiently breathless, but except the obvious remark that it was gruesome, as, on christmas eve in an old house, a strange tale should essentially be, i remember no comment uttered till somebody happened to say that it was the only case he had met in which such a visitation had fallen on a child. the case, i may mention, was that of an apparition in just such an old house as had gathered us for the occasion--an appearance. of a dreadful kind....