He shook out its folds, breathing hard but acquiring confidence.

In fact, he was able to look up in his father's face and say, with bright ingenuousness: "It was just laying there.

Do you know what I think?
Well, it couldn't have acted that way itself.

I think there must have been sumpthing kind of inside of it!" Mr.Schofield shook his head slowly, in marvelling admiration.
"Brilliant--oh, brilliant!" he murmured, while Mrs.Schofield ran to support the enfeebled form of Margaret at the top of the stairs.
...

In the library, after Margaret's departure to her dance, Mr.and Mrs.Schofield were still discussing the visitation, Penrod having accompanied his homeward-bound guest as far as the front gate.
"No; you're wrong," Mrs.Schofield said, upholding a theory, earlier developed by Margaret, that the animated behaviour of the cape could be satisfactorily explained on no other ground than the supernatural.