The large and commodious apartments in the upper part of the oldApplejoy mansion were occupied exclusively, at the time of our story,by the ghost of the grandfather of the present owner of the estate.For many years old Applejoy's ghost had wandered freely about thegrand old house and the fine estate of which he had once been the lordand master. But early in that spring a change had come over thehousehold of his grandson, John Applejoy, an elderly man, a bachelor,and--for the later portion of his life--almost a recluse. His youngniece, Bertha, had come to live with him, and it was since her arrivalthat old Applejoy's ghost had confined himself to the upper portionsof the house.This secluded existence, so different from his ordinary habits, wasadopted entirely on account of the kindness of his heart. During thelives of two generations of his descendants he knew that he hadfrequently been seen by members of the family, but this did notdisturb him, for in life he had been a man who had liked to assert hisposition, and the disposition to do so had not left him now. Hisskeptical grandson John had seen him and spoken with him, but declaredthat these ghostly interviews were only dreams or hallucinations. Asto other people, it might be a very good thing if they believed thatthe house was haunted. People with uneasy consciences would not careto live in such a place.