Consequently  his  answers  were  so  irrelevant  that  the  medium  was
very  much  embarrassed,  and  was  finally  obliged  to  explain  to  her
audience  that  the  spirit  was  playing  them  a  malicious  joke,  being
very  angry  that  his  high  and  mighty  shade  should  be  called  back
to  earth  again.
Now,  the  accomplished  Heinrich  Muller,  who  always  had  an
ambiguous  answer  at  hand  for  every  puzzling  question,  under-
took this  evening's  task  with  the  greater  alacrity  for  the  reason
that  he  had  seen  his  rival  go  into  the  Councillor's  house,  and  he
was  dying  to  play  a  trick  on  him.
An  opportunity  soon  presented  itself,  for  he  had  hardly  slipped
under  the  table  and  made  known  his  presence  by  a  gentle  kick  of
his  foot,  when  Fraulein  Rosa  asked  whether  it  knew  that  a
stranger  had  joined  the  circle.
"Yes,"  answered  the  table,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the
believers.
If  it  knew  his  name  ?

"  Philip,"  rapped  the  table.
If  it  knew  where  this  Philip  had  been  staying  since  he  came
to  town  ?

"  Spukgasse,"  spelled  out  the  table.
Rosa  noticed  a  slight  flush  on  Philip's  face,  and  continued
her  questioning.
What  had  taken  him  there  ?


124  The  Ghost's  Revenge

The  answer  came  quick  and  sharp :  "  Lovei^aking."

The  effect  of  these  words  was  so  overwhelming  that  the  chain
was  broken,  and  all  eyes  were  turned  on  the  young  man,  who
endeavored  to  cover  his  embarrassment  with  a  forced  laugh  and
a  remark  to  the  effect  that  such  slanderous  jesting  showed  him
plainly  that  it  was  a  put-up  job,  to  which  the  table  was  an  uncon-
scious accomplice.
