DEAR MISS MANNERS: Both of my husband’s brothers came to visit us at the same time. The older brother arrived a few days earlier and chose a guest bedroom to sleep in.

The younger brother, arriving later, didn’t like the remaining available bedroom, saying he thought it was haunted. He asked to sleep on the couch, which I refused, assuring him that the room wasn’t haunted.

He’s no longer speaking to me or my husband. As a good host, should I have let him sleep on the couch?

GENTLE READER: Had your brother-in-law given you a reasonable excuse — perhaps back pain or another physical issue — or even made one up, Miss Manners might have been inclined to let him take the couch. The one given seems insultingly ridiculous, although Miss Manners does not know enough about ghosts to say.

In any case, giving you the silent treatment seems extreme — and will probably come back to haunt him.

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