All are cheerful, sagacious people, and all, though they absolutely agreed as to the facts in their experience, professed an utter disbelief in "ghosts," which the occurrence has not affected in any way.

They usually reside in a foreign city, where there is a good deal of English society.

One day they left the town to lunch with a young fellow-countryman who lived in a villa in the neighbourhood.

There he was attempting to farm a small estate, with what measure of success the story does not say.

His house was kept by his sister, who was present, of course, at the little luncheon party.
During the meal some question was asked, or some remark was made, to which the clerical guest replied in English by a reference to "the maid-servant in pink".
"There is no maid in pink," said the host, and he asked both his other guests to corroborate him.
Both ladies, mother and daughter, were obliged to say that unless their eyes deceived them, they certainly _had_ seen a girl in pink attending on them, or, at least, moving about in the room.