He convinced her that these apparitions corresponded to nothing in reality.
She believed him, and worried herself no longer.

One fine day, after a long period of retirement, she reappeared in society, and on entering a drawing-room she saw the lady of the house who, pointing to an arm-chair, begged her to be seated.

She also saw, seated in this chair, a crafty-looking old gentleman.

She argued to herself that one of the two persons was necessarily a creature of the imagination, and, deciding that the gentleman had no real existence, she sat down on the arm-chair.
On touching the bottom, she drew a long breath.

From that day onward, she never again set eyes on any further phantoms, either of man or of beast.