After her husband had gone to work. Mrs. Richards sent her children to school and went upstairs to
her bedroom. She was too excited to do any housework that morning, for in the evening she would be
going to a fancy-dress part with her husband. She intended to dress up as a ghost and as she had
made her costume the night before, she was impatient to try it on. Though the costume consisted
only of a sheet, it was very effective. After putting it on, Mrs. Richards went downstairs. She
wanted to find out whether it would be comfortable to wear.
Just as Mrs. Richards was entering the dinning room, there was a knock on the front door. She knew
that it must be the baker. She had told him to come straight in if ever she failed to open the door
and to leave the bread on the kitchen table. Not wanting to frighten the poor man, Mrs. Richards
quickly hid in the small storeroom under the stairs. She heard the front door open and heavy
footsteps in the hall. Suddenly the door of the storeroom was opened and a man entered. Mrs.
Richards realized that it must be the man from the Electricity Board who had come to read the metre.
She tried to explain the situation, saying 'It's only me', but it was too late. The man let out cry
and jumped back several paces. When Mrs. Richards walked towards him, he fled, slamming the door
behind him.