I forget what he said or did next; but by-and-by there was a colloquy in a whisper between him and some person unseen, and they say that this unseen whisper was very sweet, and something like the chords of a harp, only low and very articulate.

The parson whispered, 'God gives a sinner time.' The sweet voice answered, 'He can afford to; he is the stronger.' Then the parson adjured the unseen one to wait a year and a day.

But he refused, still in the gentlest voice.

Then the parson said these words: 'By all we love and fear, by all you fear and hate, I adjure you to loose her, or wait till next Christmas Eve.' "I suppose the Evil Spirit saw some trap in that proposal, for he is said to have laughed most musically.

He answered, 'By all I fear and hate, I'll loose her never; but, but I'll wait for her--till the candle's burnt out;' and he chuckled most musically again.
"'Then wait to all eternity,' the parson roared; and blew the candle out directly, and held it, with his hands crossed over it." Grace Carden's eyes sparkled in the firelight.