"Is the Manor far from here? Of course I have heard of the place, but I have never been near it."
"It's about four miles, sir, and a lonely place it is, and dismal it must be in winter, with miles of wood about it. In summer it is not so bad, but it is awfully wild and solitary. I went over the grounds once, years ago. I became acquainted with one of the housemaids, you see, sir--quite a nice young person--and she invited me to tea. I remember it was getting dusk when I left, and she took me through the woods. Dear me, what a fright I got! I happened to look up, and there was a man, quite a giant, standing among the trees. I screamed, and would have run had not Jane--that was the maid, sir--laughed, and said it was only a statue. And so it was, for we went right up to it. All the woods are full of statues--quite improper and rude, and rather frightening to meet in the dusk. But now he is converted, Mrs. Haldane will have them all taken away, I should think. I don't believe the place is haunted, though there are some strange stories told about it; but I do know that the chapel--there is an old chapel close by the house--is shut up, and no one goes near it but Mr. Haldane and his valet--a dark foreign person, with such eyes! Queer tales are told about lights being seen in it at all hours of the night, and some of the old folk believe that if any one could look in they would see that the foreign valet had horns and a cloven foot, and that his master was worshipping him. I think that's all nonsense myself; but there's no doubt Mr. Haldane used to be dreadfully wicked, and an atheist."
"If he was so very bad," said the vicar, smiling, "surely it was strange that Mr. Hart used to associate with him so much."
"Well, you see, sir, he was always liberal, and kept a good table, and Mr. Hart was a cheerful liver. Then Mr. Haldane was always ready with his purse when there was a hard winter, or the crops were bad, or any poor person was ill."
"But his charity could not do him any good, people said, when he didn't believe there was a God, or that he had a soul."
"So they didn't consider it worth while to be thankful?"
"And was Mrs. Haldane staying at the Manor the first year of their marriage?"