Impetuous Mr. Stackpole moved his substantial family into an old Gothic house of pre-Civil War vintage, over the protests of indispensable Angela Gittens, who was the family's housekeeper. Angela's only son had been lost -- or so she thought -- in World War II. The children- Elsie, 12, and Tom, 11,- probed into the mysteries of their historical home in Massachusetts, which had once served as a station of the underground railway. But when Tom's friendship with the stranger who lived on their property was brought to light, Angela had cause for rejoicing. This is an ebullient family story with a mystery element in an atmospheric setting. The members of the family are recognizable individuals, sometimes spunky, sometimes erratic, with their actions and reactions crystallized into some of the everyday comedy children know and enjoy.