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GHOSTS AND FAMILY LEGENDS.
A Volume for Christmas.
by
MRS. CROWE,
Authoress of "Night Side of Nature," &c.
London:
Thomas Cautley Newby, Publisher,
Welbeck Street, Cavendish Square.
1859.
CONTENTS.
_page_
FIRST PART.
PREFACE v
ROUND THE FIRE.
FIRST EVENING 1
THE LOVER'S FAREWELL.
_The Appointment Kept_.
SECOND EVENING 19
THE WHITE CAT.
PASSING SPIRITS.
THE GARDE CHASSE.
THIRD EVENING 43
THE CARRIER.
FOURTH EVENING 63
REHEARSALS, &C.
PROPHETIC DREAMS.
FIFTH EVENING 81
THE VIGIL.
THE STRANGE DOG.
THE SCOTCH MINISTER.
SIXTH EVENING 93
THE RADIANT BOY.
THE PREDICTION.
HAUNTED HOUSES.
THE JUSTIFICATION.
SEVENTH EVENING 111
THE GERMAN INN.
THE BENIGHTED TRAVELLER.
EIGHTH EVENING 135
MY OWN VISIT TO A HAUNTED HOUSE.
MR. G.'S ADVENTURE.
CONCLUSION TO FIRST PART.
APPENDIX 149
AUTOGRAPH LETTERS COMMUNICATING
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES ADDRESSED TO THE AUTHOR.
SECOND PART.
LEGENDS OF THE EARTHBOUND.
THE ITALIAN'S STORY 173
THE DUTCH OFFICER'S STORY 209
THE OLD FRENCHMAN'S STORY 229
THE SWISS LADY'S STORY 259
THE SHEEP FARMER'S STORY 297
MY FRIEND'S STORY 327
PREFACE.
It happened that I spent the last winter in a large country mansion, in
the north of England, where we had a succession of visitors, and all
manner of amusements--dancing, music, cards, billiards, and other games.
Towards the end of December, 1857, however, the gaiety of the house was
temporarily interrupted by a serious misfortune that occurred to one of
the party, which, in the evening, occasioned us to assemble with grave
faces round the drawing-room fire, where we fell to discussing the
slight tenure by which we hold whatever blessings we enjoy, and the sad
uncertainty of human life, as it affects us in its most mournful
aspect--the lives of those we love.
From this theme, the conversation branched out into various speculations
regarding the great mysteries of the here and hereafter; the reunion of
friends, and the possible interests of them that have past away in the
well-being of those they have left behind; till it fell, naturally, into
the relation of certain experiences which almost everybody has had, more
or less; and which were adduced to fortify the arguments of those who
regard the future as less disjoined from the present than it is
considered to be by Theologians generally.
In short, we began to tell ghost stories; and although some of the party
professed an utter disbelief in apparitions, they proved to be as
fertile as the believers in their contributions--relating something that
had happened to themselves or their friends, as having undoubtedly
occurred, or to all appearance, occurred--only, with the reservation,
that it must certainly have been a dream.
The substance of these conversations fills the following pages, and I
have told the stories as nearly as possible in the words of the original
narrators. Of course, I am not permitted to give their names; nobody
chooses to confess, in print, that he or anybody belonging to him, has
seen a ghost, or believes that he has seen one. There is a sort of
odium attached to the imputation, that scarcely anyone seems equal to
encounter; and no wonder, when _wise_ people listen to the avowal with
such strange incredulity, and pronounce you at the best a superstitious
fool, or a patient afflicted with spectral illusions.
Under these circumstances, whether I have ever seen a ghost, myself, I
must decline confiding to the public; but I take almost as courageous a
step in avowing my entire and continued belief in the fact that others
do occasionally see these things; and I assert, that most of those who
related the events contained in the ensuing pages of this work,
confessed to me their absolute conviction that they or their friends had
actually seen and heard what they said they did.
Some of the company related curious traditions and legends connected
with their family annals; and these form the second part of this little
book, which I hope may prove a not uninteresting companion for a
Christmas fireside.
CATHERINE CROWE.
15th _October_, 1858.
GHOST STORIES
AND
FAMILY LEGENDS.
ROUND THE FIRE.
FIRST EVENING.
"But there are no ghosts now," objected Mr. R.
"Quite the contrary," said I; "I have no doubt there is nobody in this
circle who has not either had some experience of the sort in his own
person, or been made a confidant of such experiences by friends whose
word on any other subject he would feel it impossible to doubt."
After some discussion on the existence of ghosts and cognate subjects,
it was agreed that each should relate a story, restricting himself to
circumstances that had either happened to himself or had been told him
by somebody fully entitled to confidence, who had undergone the
experience.
We followed the order in which we were sitting, and Miss P. began as
follows:--
"I was some years ago engaged to be married to an officer in the ----
regiment. Circumstances connected with our families prevented the union
taking place as early as we had expected; and in the mean while Captain
S., whose regiment was in the West Indies, was ordered to join. I need
not say that this separation distressed us a good deal, but we consoled
each other as well as we could by maintaining a constant correspondence;
though there were no steam packets in those days, and letters were much
longer on their way and less certain in their arrival than they are now.
Still I heard pretty regularly, and had no reason for the least
uneasiness.
"One day that I had been out shopping, and had returned rather tired, I
told my mother that I should go and lie down for an hour, for we were
going out in the evening, and I was afraid I might have a head-ache, to
which I am rather subject; so I went up to my room, took down a book and
threw myself on the bed to read or sleep as it might happen. I had read
a page or two, and feeling drowsy had laid down the volume in order to
compose myself to sleep, when I was aroused by a knock at my chamber
door.
"'Come in,' I said, without turning my head, for I thought it was the
maid come to fetch the dress I was going to wear in the evening.
"I heard the door open and a person enter, but the foot was not her's;
and then I looked round and saw that it was Captain S. What came over me
then I can't tell you. I knew little of mesmerism at that period, but I
have since thought that when a spirit appears, it must have some power
of mesmerising the spectator; for I have heard other people who had been
in similar situations describe very much what I experienced myself. I
was perfectly calm, not in the least frightened or surprised, but
transfixed. Of course, had I remained in my normal state, I should
either have been amazed at seeing Captain S. so unexpectedly, especially
in my chamber; or if I believed it an apparition, I should have been
dreadfully distressed and alarmed; but I was neither; and I can't say
whether I thought it himself or his ghost. I was passive, and my mind
accepted the phenomenon without question of how such at thing could be.
"Captain S. approached the bedside, and spoke to me exactly as he was
in the habit of doing, and I answered him in the same manner. After the
first greeting, he crossed the room to fetch a chair that stood by the
dressing table. He wore his uniform, and when his back was turned, I
remember distinctly seeing the seams of his coat behind. He brought the
chair, and having seated himself by the bed side, he conversed with me
for about half-an-hour; he then rose and looking at his watch, said his
time had expired and he must go; he bade me good bye and went out by the
same door he had entered at.
"The moment it closed on him, I knew what had happened; if my hypothesis
be correct, his power over me ceased when he disappeared and I returned
to my normal state. I screamed, and seized the bell rope which I rang
with such violence that I broke it. My mother, who was in the room
underneath, rushed up stairs, followed by the servants. They found me on
the floor in a fainting state, and for some time I was unable to
communicate the cause of my agitation. At length, being somewhat calmed,
I desired the servants might leave the room, and then I told my mother
what had happened. Of course, she thought it was a dream; in vain I
assured her it was not, and pointed to the chair which, wonderful to
say, had been actually brought to the bedside by the spirit--there it
stood exactly as it had been placed by him; luckily nobody had moved it.
I said, you know where that chair usually stands; when you were up here
a little while ago it was in its usual place--so it was when I lay
down--I never moved it; it was placed there by Captain S.
"My mother was greatly perplexed; she found me so confident and clear;
yet, the thing appeared to her impossible.
"From that time, I only thought of Captain S. as one departed from this
life; suspense and its agonies were spared me. I was certain.
Accordingly, about a month afterwards, when one morning Major B. of the
---- regiment sent in his card, I said to my mother, 'Now you'll see; he
comes to tell me of Henry's death.'
"It was so. Captain S. had died of fever on the day he paid me that
mysterious visit."
We asked Miss P. if any similar circumstance had ever occurred to her
before or since.
"Never," she answered; "I never saw anything of the sort but on that
occasion."
"I have no experience of my own to relate," said Dr. W., "but in the
course of my late tour in Scotland, I went amongst other places to Skye,
and I found the whole island talking of an event that had just happened
there, which may perhaps interest you. There was a tradesman in Portree
of the name of Robertson; I believe he was a sort of general dealer, as
shopkeepers frequently are in those remote localities. Whatever his
business was, however, it frequently took him to the other islands or
the mainland to make purchases. He had arranged to go on one of these
expeditious, I think to Raasa, when a friend called to inform him that a
meeting of the inhabitants was to be held on some public question in
which he, Robertson, was much interested."
"'You had better defer going till after Friday,' said Mr. Brown; 'we
can't do without you, and its very possible you may not get back in
time.'
"'Oh, yes, I can do all my business, and be back very well on Thursday,'
said Mr. Robertson; objecting that if he waited over Friday it would be
no use going till Monday. Brown tried to persuade him to alter his
plans, but in vain; 'however,' said he, 'you may rely on seeing me on
Thursday, if you'll look in, in the evening; as I would not miss the
meeting on any account.'
"This conversation took place at an early hour on Tuesday morning.
Immediately afterwards Mr. Robertson bade his wife and children
good-bye, and proceeded to the boat which left at eleven o'clock, having
on board, besides himself, two other passengers, and two boatmen.
"On Thursday evening, Mr. Brown, who had been busying himself in
fortifying and encouraging their adherents against the next day, and had
taken upon himself to answer for his friend Robertson's presence, as
soon as he had finished business, set off to keep his appointment with
the latter, anxious to ascertain that he was arrived.
"His anxiety was soon relieved, for on his way he met him.
"'Well, here you are,' said he, holding out his hand.
"'Yes,' answered Robertson, not appearing to notice the hand, 'I have
kept my promise.'
"Upon that Mr. Brown introduced the subject of the meeting, and
mentioned the hopes he had of carrying the question, with which
Robertson seemed satisfied; but as soon as possible turning the
conversation into another direction, he began talking to his friend
about his wife and children, and certain arrangements he had wished to
be made respecting his property.
"His mind seemed so much more engrossed with these matters than the
meeting, that little was said upon the latter subject, and Mr. Brown,
having parted with him in the street, rather wondered why he chose such
a moment to discuss his private affairs.
"The next morning, at the appointed hour, the principal inhabitants of
the place assembled in a public room at the Tun. Brown, who wanted to
say a word to Robertson, lingered at the door; but as he did not come,
he thought he must have arrived before himself, and went up stairs.
"'Is Robertson here?' said he, on entering the room.
"'No,' said one, 'I'm afraid he's not come back from Raasa.'
"'Oh, yes,' said Brown, 'he'll be here; I saw him yesterday evening.'
"They then discoursed about the matter in hand for some time, till
finding the chairman was about to proceed to business, Robertson's
absence was again reverted to.
"'I know he's come back,' said one, 'for I saw him standing at his own
door as I passed last night.'
"'He can't have forgotten it,' said another.
"'Certainly not, for we spoke of it last night,' said Brown.
"'Perhaps he's ill,' suggested somebody.
"'Just send your man to Mr. Robertson's, and say we are waiting for
him,' said Brown to the landlord.
"The landlord left the room to do so; and, in the meantime, they
proceeded to business.
"Presently, the landlord re-entered the room, saying, that Mrs.
Robertson answered that her husband had not returned from Raasa, and
that she did not much expect he would be back till night.
"'Nonsense,' cried Brown, 'Why, I saw the man yesterday according to
appointment, and had a long conversation with him.'
"'I am sure he's come back,' said one who had spoke before. 'I was
coming down the street on the other side of the way, and I saw him
standing at the door with his apron on. I should have crossed over to
speak to him, but I was in a hurry.'
"'It's extraordinary,' said the landlord: 'Mrs. Robertson declares he's
not come.'
"Some jokes were then passed about the apparent defection of Robertson
from his spouse, and the meeting concluded their business without him,
his party being exceedingly annoyed at his absence, which they thought
not fair to the cause.
"'He should have given us his support.'
"'I suppose he has altered his opinions.'
"'Then he had better have said so.'
"'It struck me, certainly, that he was rather lukewarm on the subject
when I talked to him last night; but on Tuesday I saw him just before he
started, and he said he would not miss the meeting on any account. I'll
go and look after him and know what he means.'
"Accordingly, Brown proceeded to his friend's house, and found Mrs.
Robertson and her children at dinner.
"'Weel," Mr. Brown,' she said, 'so your meeting's over.'
"'Aye,' said he, 'but where's Robertson? Why didn't he keep his word
with us?'
"'Why, you see, I dare say he meant to be back--indeed, I know he did:
but business won't be neglected, and I suppose he could not manage it.'
"'Do you mean to say he's not come back!' said Brown.
"'Sure, I do,' answered Mrs. R. 'Of course, he'd have been at the
meeting if he had.'
"'But people saw him last night, standing at his own door,' answered the
cautious Brown.
"'Na, na, Mr. Brown, don't you believe that,' said Mrs. R., laughing;
they that say that had too much whiskey in their een.'
"The children laughed at the idea of anybody seeing their father when he
was at Raasa, and on the whole it was evident, that if John Robertson
had returned, it was unknown to his family. But what could be his reason
for so strange a proceeding, and why, if he wanted to evade the meeting,
had he needlessly shown himself at all? Why not really stay away from
Portree?
"However, Robertson did not appear; and later in the day the landlord of
the Tun said to Brown, as he was passing the door, 'You must have been
mistaken about seeing Mr. Robertson; the boat from Raasa is not come
in.'
"'Then he must have come over by some other, for I not only saw him but
walked and talked with him. I can't think what he can mean by playing
at Hide and Seek in this way?'
"'It's very extraordinary,' said the landlord, 'for I am expecting a
hamper from Raasa; and so, hearing from you that Mr. Robertson was come,
I went down to inquire about it; but they declare no boat of any sort
has come in these two days; the wind's right against them.'
"'I know the boat from Raasa is not come back,' said the porter; 'for I
saw Jenny McGill just now, and she says her husband is not returned.'
"'Really you'll persuade me that I'm not in my right senses,' said the
perplexed Brown. 'If ever I saw Robertson in my life I saw him last
night; I was going to call upon him, as he had asked me to do so before
he went away; but I met him, not far from my own house; and what is
more, he told me of a thing I did not know before, regarding a purchase
he had made, and spoke of what he intended to do with it.'
"'It's most extraordinary,' said the landlord.
"'Eh, sirs,' said an old fishwife, who was standing by, 'I wish it may
not be John Robertson's ghaist that ye saw, for the wind's sair agin
them, and I'd a bad dream about Jamie McGill last night.'
"They all laughed; but this was the first suggestion of the sort that
had been made; and though he would not confess it, Brown began to feel
rather uncomfortable; the more so as several things were recalled to his
memory that had not struck him at the time. He remembered that Robertson
had avoided shaking hands with him, either on meeting or parting, as was
his wont; he had even then been struck with the grave tone of his
conversation, and with his choosing that particular moment for pressing
on his friend's attention what did not appear to have any urgent
interest at present. Then it occurred to him that he looked ill and
sad--he had attributed this to fatigue; but now, putting everything
together, he could not help feeling a considerable degree of uneasiness.
He kept hovering about Robertson's house, and from that to the shore all
day; went to bed at night quite nervous; and by the next afternoon the
alarm had spread and become universal. It was not without cause.
"John Robertson never came back; the boat had been lost--how, was not
known, as all on board had perished. However, Mr. Brown took upon
himself to be the friend and guardian of the bereaved family; and the
information he received in that melancholy interview he was enabled to
turn much to the advantage of their circumstances."
"A very remarkable story," said I.
"Yes," answered Dr. W. "very remarkable indeed, if true."
"And is it not true," I said, "remember, we are upon honour; I should
think it a very ill compliment if any one attempted to mystify us with
an invented story."
"I did not invent it, I assure you," replied Dr. W.; "I give it you as
it was given to me on the spot. If you ask me if I believe it, I can't
say I do."
"Do you think the people who told you believed it?"
"They certainly appeared to do so."
"And did it seem generally believed?"
"I can't say but it did; but of course, one must have wonderfully strong
evidence before one could believe such a thing as that."
"Granted; but unless you had seen the thing yourself, you cannot have
stronger evidence of a phenomenon of that description, than that it was
believed by those who had good reason to know the grounds of their
belief. They were able to judge how far Mr. Brown was worthy of credit;
and they had the advantage of having witnessed his demeanour at the
public meeting, when he asserted that he had walked and talked with
Robertson, at a time he could not possibly know if he was telling a lie,
that the man would not sooner or later return to confute him. Besides,
as far as we see, it would have been a useless and wicked lie, inasmuch
as it was calculated to make the man's family very uneasy. His
subsequent conduct does not at all countenance the persuasion that he
was capable of such a proceeding.'
"Certainly not; but you know the Scotch are very superstitious."
"I can't agree with you; the higher and lower classes of the towns are
exactly similar in that respect to the same classes of England. In all
countries the lower classes are more disposed to put faith in these
things, because they believe in their traditions and adhere to the axiom
that seeing is believing. The higher classes, on the other hand, are
carefully educated not to believe in such traditions and to reject the
axiom that seeing is believing, if the thing seen is a ghost. Now I
freely admit, that our senses often deceive us, and that we think we see
what we do not; every body with the slightest intelligence has, I
suppose, learnt to distrust his own senses to a certain extent; but why
on one particular point we should reject their evidence altogether, I
never could understand."
"You have heard, I suppose of spectral illusions?" said the Doctor.
"Of course I have, and admit their existence; but we have so many cases
on our side, that doctrine will not cover, and it is so impossible for
you to prove that any particular case of ghost seeing falls under that
head, that it is no use discussing the subject. It complicates the
difficulty I confess, but can never decide the question. I was going to
say, however, that the shopkeepers and middle classes of Scotland are
anything but what you mean by superstitious--the class to whom Brown and
Robertson belong, is the most hardheaded, argumentative, and matter of
fact in the kingdom; and their religion, which is eminently
unimaginative, so far from inducing a belief in ghosts, would have a
precisely opposite tendency, because ghosts do not form an article of
belief in either the longer or shorter catechism. In the remoter
districts of the Highlands, the people are said to have more of what you
would call superstition; but the same peculiarity is remarked in all
mountainous regions; and as it has never been satisfactorily accounted
for, we will not enter into the discussion now."
ROUND THE FIRE.
SECOND EVENING.
"After the doctor's story, I fear mine will appear too trifling," said
Mrs. M., "but as it is the only circumstance of the kind that ever
happened to myself, I prefer giving it you to any of the many stories I
have heard.
"About fifteen years ago, I was staying with some friends at a
magnificent old seat in Yorkshire, and our host being very much crippled
with the gout, was in the habit of driving about the park and
neighbourhood in a low pony phaeton, on which occasions, I often
accompanied him. One of our favourite excursions was to the ruins of an
old abbey just beyond the park, and we generally returned by a
remarkably pretty rural lane leading to the village, or rather, small
town of C.
"One fine summer's evening we had just entered this lane, when seeing
the hedges full of wild flowers, I asked my friend to let me alight and
gather some; I walked on before the carriage picking honeysuckles and
roses as I went along, till I came to a gate that led into a field. It
was a common country gate, with a post on each side, and on one of these
posts sat a large white cat, the finest animal of the kind I had ever
seen; and as I have a weakness for cats, I stopt to admire this sleek,
fat puss, looking so wonderfully comfortable in a very uncomfortable
position; the top of the post on which it was sitting, with its feet
doubled up under it, being out of all proportion to its body, for no
Angola ever rivalled it in size.
"'Come on, gently,' I called to my friend, 'here's such a magnificent
cat!' for I feared the approach of the phaeton would startle it away
before he had seen it.
"'Where?' said he, pulling up his horse opposite the gate.
"'There,' said I, pointing to the post, 'Isn't it a beauty; I wonder if
it would let me stroke it!'
"'I see no cat,' said he.
"'There on the post,' said I, but he declared he saw nothing, though
puss sat there in perfect composure during this colloquy.
"'Don't you see the cat, James,' said I, in great perplexity to the
groom.
"'Yes, ma'am; a large white cat on that post.'
"I thought my friend must be joking, or else losing his eye-sight, and I
approached the cat, intending to take it in my arms, and carry it to the
carriage; but as I drew near, she jumped off the post, which was natural
enough--but to my surprise she jumped into nothing--as she jumped she
disappeared! no cat in the field--none in the lane--none in the ditch!
"'Where did she go, James?'
"'I don't know, ma'am, I can't see her,' said the groom, standing up in
his seat, and looking all round.
"I was quite bewildered; but still I had no glimmering of the truth; and
when I got into the carriage again, my friend said he thought I and
James were dreaming, and I retorted that I thought he must be going
blind.
"I had a commission to execute as we passed through the town, and I
alighted for that purpose at the little haberdasher's; and while they
were serving me, I mentioned that I had seen a remarkably beautiful cat
sitting on a gate in the lane; and asked if they could tell me who it
belonged to, adding, it was the largest cat I ever saw.
"The owners of the shop, and two women who were making purchases,
suspended their proceedings, looked at each other, and then looked at
me, evidently very much surprised.
"'Was it a white cat, ma'am?' said the mistress.
"'Yes, a white cat; a beautiful creature and--'
"'Bless me!' cried two or three, 'the lady's seen the _White Cat of C._
It hasn't been seen these twenty years.'
"'Master wishes to know if you'll soon be done, ma'am? The pony is
getting restless,' said James.
"Of course, I hurried out, and got into the carriage, telling my friend
that the cat was well known to the people at C., and that it was twenty
years old.
"In those days, I believe, I never thought of ghosts, and least of all
should I have thought of the ghost of a cat; but two evenings
afterwards, as we were driving down the lane, I again saw the cat in the
same position, and again my companion could not see it, though the groom
did. I alighted immediately, and went up to it. As I approached, it
turned its head, and looked full towards me with its soft, mild eyes,
and a kindly expression, like that of a loving dog; and then, without
moving from the post, it began to fade gradually away, as if it were a
vapour, till it had quite disappeared. All this the groom saw as well as
myself; and now there could be no mistake as to what it was. A third
time, I saw it in broad daylight, and my curiosity greatly awakened, I
resolved to make further inquiries amongst the inhabitants of C., but
before I had an opportunity of doing so, I was summoned away by the
death of my eldest child, and I have never been in that part of the
world since. However, I once mentioned the circumstance to a lady who
was acquainted with that neighbourhood, and she said she had heard of
the White Cat of C., but had never seen it.
"But as you may not think this story very interesting since it only
relates to a cat, I will, if you please, tell you another, in which I
was concerned, although I saw nothing myself."
"We shall be very happy," I said, "but I am far from thinking your story
wanting in interest, in fact, to me it has a very peculiar interest.
There are few friends so sincere as the animals who have loved us, and
none that I, for my part, more earnestly desire to see again. I have had
two dogs, in my life, who contributed much to my happiness while they
lived, and never caused me a sorrow till they died. Besides, there is a
deep mystery in the being of these creatures, which proud man never
seeks to unravel, or condescends to speculate on. What is their relation
to the human race? Why are these spiritual germs embodied in those forms
and made subject to man, that hard and cruel master! who assumes to be
their superior, because he is endowed with some higher faculties, the
most of which he grossly misuses. How beautiful are their characters
when studied? how wonderful their intelligence when cultivated? how
willing they are to serve us when kindly treated? But man, by his
cruelty, ignorance, laziness, and want of judgment, spoils their temper,
blunts their intelligence, deteriorates their nature, and then punishes
them for being what he himself has made them. Well might Chalmers
exclaim, 'All nature groans beneath the cruelty of man.' Why are these
creatures, sinless, as far as we see, placed here as the subjects of
this barbarous, unthinking tyrant? That has always appeared to me a
solemn question."
After this little digression, Mrs. M. continued as follows:--
"I had been travelling on the continent, and was staying at Brussels on
my way home. The bedroom I occupied was within another, in which slept
my faithful maid, Rachel, and one of my children. I had been in bed
sometime, and had not been to sleep, when I heard Rachel's voice, saying
something which I did not distinctly hear, and before I could ask what
it was, she uttered a cry that immediately brought me to her bedside. I
found her in a state of violent agitation, and as soon as she was
composed enough to speak, she told me that she had not been long in bed
when she heard a voice call her, which she supposed to be mine, and
immediately afterwards, in the glass which was opposite the foot of the
bed, she saw a figure in white, enter and proceed to the other end of
the room. She concluded it was me in my night dress, and that I had only
mentioned her name to ascertain if she was awake, fearing to disturb the
child, who was restless, she lay still, and did not answer. The figure
went back through the door, but presently returned again, and seemed to
be looking about for something, whereupon she half sat up in bed; when
it approached, and laid its hand heavily on her knee, there was
something painful in the pressure, and she exclaimed, 'Oh, don't do that
ma'am!' but she had scarcely uttered the words when she discerned the
features, and saw it was her sister. The phantom looked sadly at her,
and then retreating to the opposite corner, disappeared. This
circumstance, in spite of my arguments and suggestions that it was a
dream, made a very painful impression on her; she felt sure some
misfortune had happened, and so it proved; her sister had died on that
night, leaving a family of young children, about whom, in her last
moments, she was very anxious."
"Cases of that sort are very numerous," said Lady A., "I know of two
which I can give upon perfectly good authority. A friend of mine was
sitting a few years since in the drawing room at her country seat; there
was a door at each end, leading to other rooms, both of which were open.
A slight rustle caused her to raise her eyes from her work, when she saw
her nephew enter at one door, walk straight through, and out at the
other. The young man was at college, and she had no reason to expect
him then, but concluding some unforeseen business had brought him, and
that he was in search of her, she called--'Arthur, here I am,' and
pursued him into the adjoining room, and then into the hall. Receiving
no answer, and not being able to find him in any direction, she rang for
the servants, and inquired where he was; but they did not know; they had
seen nothing of him. She insisted he had arrived, and he was sought for
all over the house and grounds in vain. The thing remained perfectly
incomprehensible, till the post brought a letter, announcing that the
young man had been drowned on that day.
"Another instance, equally well established, is that of Dr. C., of
Dublin. He resided with his family some few miles from the city, I
believe, at or near Howth, and when he returned in the evening after
visiting his patients, he frequently, to save time, took a short cut
across some sands, which in certain states of the tide were not always
safe. Mrs. C. had often entreated him to relinquish this practice, and
take the more circuitous way; but he thought he was too well acquainted
with the place to run any danger. One evening that they were expecting
him, as usual, to dinner, his brother, who was standing at the window,
saw him arrive; he rode a white horse, and was therefore a conspicuous
object. When the dinner hour came, as he had not appeared in the drawing
room, his brother and Mrs. C., to whom the latter had mentioned having
seen him, desired the servants to seek him in his dressing room, and ask
if he was ready. He was not in his room, nor was he any where to be
found; neither had any of the servants seen him, nor was his horse in
the stable. Mr. C., however, confident of his arrival, suggested that he
might be gone to visit some sick person in the neighbourhood; so they
waited. But in vain; news presently arrived that horse and man had been
drowned that evening in crossing the sands."
There was scarcely any one present unacquainted with examples of this
kind of appearance amongst their family or friends, but Captain L.
related to us a case still more curious and unaccountable that had
happened to himself in India when he was in the Himalaya.
"I was just finishing my breakfast one morning," said he, "when my
servant entered and announced a visitor. It was Captain P. B. of ours,
who came to invite me to a game of billiards. Our billiard-room was
situated about a mile beyond my quarter, and Captain B., who lived at
the other extremity, had to pass my residence to go to it.
"'Are you going up there now?' I said.
"'Yes,' said he; 'will you come?'
"'Why, I can't come directly,' I answered; 'for I have a letter to write
first; but if you'll go on, I'll join you presently.'
"He left me, and as soon as I had written my letter, I started for the
billiard-room. When I entered it, Captain P. B. was not there, nor,
indeed, anybody but the marker--which was not surprising, as it was
earlier than we usually went there.
"'Where's Captain B?' I said.
"'Don't know, sir; he has not been here yet.'
"'Not been here?'
"'No, sir, not to-day.'
"Thinking, that as I was not ready, he had filled up the interval by
going somewhere else, I began knocking about the balls; every now and
then looking out of the window, expecting to see him approach; but when
this had lasted upwards of two hours, I began to be rather impatient,
and was just thinking of going away, when I saw him approaching with his
wife in an open carriage from an opposite direction.
"'A pretty fellow you are, to keep me kicking my heels here waiting for
you,' said I, as he entered the room.
"'Keep you waiting!' he said; 'I have not kept you waiting.'
"'Why, I've been here these two hours and more.'
"'How was I to know that; I did not know you were coming up here.'
"'Why, I told you I'd come as soon as I had finished my letter.'
"'My dear fellow, what are you talking about?' exclaimed my friend, in
evident surprise; 'when did you tell me so? I don't recollect making any
appointment to meet you to-day.'
"'What! not this morning, as you were passing my quarter?' said I,
amazed in my turn. 'Didn't you ask me to come and play a game at
billiards; and didn't I tell you I'd come as soon as I had finished my
letter? and I did.'
"P. B. looked at me as if he thought I'd suddenly become insane; but as
I suppose my countenance did not confirm that impression, he said,
'Here's some mistake; when do you suppose I made this appointment with
you?'
"'Suppose!' I answered, rather indignant; 'what do you mean by
_suppose_? Didn't you come into my quarter about three hours ago, just
as I was finishing breakfast, and ask me to come up here and play a game
at billiards with you?'
"'No; it must have been somebody else. Who gave you the message?'
"'Message! there was no message,' I answered, quite bewildered. 'You
came in yourself--you know you did. What's the use of trying to hoax
one?'
"'I don't know whether you are trying to hoax _me_,' replied P. B.; 'but
upon my soul I have not been in your quarter to-day; nor have I seen you
at all, till I entered this room. Moreover, I went with my wife at an
early hour to breakfast with Captain D., and we are now returning
thence; and I told the coachman to set me down here as he passed.'
"This was most confounding; and as we were both equally positive in what
we asserted, we left the billiard-room together, and proceeded to take
the testimony of my servant. On being asked who he had introduced when I
was finishing breakfast, he unhesitatingly answered, Captain B. His
account, in short, coincided entirely with mine.
"'Now then,' said Captain B., 'as you have your witness, you must hear
mine,' and we went on to his quarter, where I received the most
satisfactory and unimpeachable evidence, that what he said was correct.
He had left home with Mrs. B. at six o'clock, and gone by appointment to
breakfast with Captain D., who lived quite in a different direction to
my quarter; and Captain D. afterwards testified to his never having left
his house till he stept into the carriage with his wife.
"This event created a great sensation at the time; and people
endeavoured by every means to explain it away, but nobody ever could.
Captain B. did not like it at all; and his wife and family were very
much alarmed, but nothing ensued, and I believe he is alive and well at
this moment."
We next turned to Madame Von B., who said she knew so many cases of
spiritual appearances, and occurrences of that nature, that she was
rather perplexed by the abundance of her recollections. Amongst these
she selected the following on account of its singularity:--
"We resided a great deal on the continent before I was married, and my
mother had a favourite maid, called Francoise, who lived with her many
years--a most trustworthy, excellent creature, in whom she had the
greatest confidence; insomuch, that when I married, being very young and
very inexperienced, as she was obliged to separate from me herself, she
transferred Francoise to my service, considering her better able to take
care of me than anybody else.
"I was living in Paris then, where Francoise, who was a native of Metz,
had some relations settled in business, whom she often used to visit.
She was generally very chatty when she returned from these people; for I
knew all her affairs, and through her, all their affairs; and I took an
interest in whatever concerned her or hers.
"One Sunday evening, after she had been spending the afternoon with this
family, observing that she was unusually silent, I said to her, while
she was undressing me, 'Well, Francoise, haven't you anything to tell
me? How are your friends? Has Madame Pelletier got rid of her
_grippe_?'
"Francoise started as if I had awakened her out of a reverie, and said,
'Oh! oui, Madame; oui, merce; elle se porte bien aujourd'hui.'
"'And Monsieur Pelletier and the children, are they well?'
"'Oui, Madame, merci; ils se portent bien.'
"These curt answers were so unlike those she generally gave me, that I
was sure her mind was pre-occupied, and that something had happened
since we parted in the morning; so I turned round to look her in the
face, saying '_Mais, qu'avez vous donc, Francoise? Qu'est ce qu'il y
a?_'
"Then I saw what I had not observed before, that she was very pale, and
that her cheeks had a glazed look, which showed that she had been
crying.
"'Mais, ma bonne Francoise,' I said; 'vous avez quelque chose--est il
arrive quelque malheur a Metz?'
"'C'est cela, Madame,' answered Francoise, who had a brother there whom
she had not seen for several years, but to whom she still continued
affectionately attached. His name was Benoit, and he was in a good
service as garde forestier to a nobleman who possessed very extensive
estates, _pres de chez nous_, as Francoise said. He had a wife and
children; and some time before the period I am referring to, Francoise
had told me, with great satisfaction, that in order to make him more
comfortable, the Prince de M---- had given Benoit the privilege of
gathering up all the dead wood in the forest to sell for firewood,
which, as the estate was very large, rendered his situation extremely
profitable. When she said 'c'est cela, Madame,' Francoise, who had just
encased me in my dressing gown, sunk into a chair, and having declared
that she was _bete, tres bete_, she gave way to a hearty good cry, after
which, being somewhat relieved, she told me the following strange
story:--
"'You remember,' she said, 'that the prince was so good as to give
Benoit all the dead wood of the forest--and a great thing it was for him
and his family, as you will think, when I tell you it was worth upwards
of two thousand francs a-year to him. In short, he was growing rich, and
perhaps he was getting to think too much of his money and too little of
the _bon Dieu_--at all events, this privilege which the prince gave him
to make him comfortable, and which made him a great man amongst the
foresters, has been the cause of a dreadful calamity.'
"'How?' said I.
"'We never heard anything of what had happened,' said she, till
yesterday, when Mons. Pelletier received a letter from Benoit's wife,
and another from a cousin of ours, relating what I am going to tell you,
and saying that both he and his family had wished to keep it secret; but
that was no longer possible.'
"'Well, and what has happened?'
"'La chose la plus incroyable! Eh bien, Madame; it appears that one day
last autumn, Benoit went out in the forest to gather the dead-wood. He
had his cart with him, and as he gathered it he bound it into faggots
and threw it in the cart. He had extended his search this day to a
remote part of the forest, and found himself in a spot he did not
remember to have visited before; indeed, it was evident to him that he
had not, or he could not have escaped seeing an old wooden cross which
was lying on the ground, and had apparently fallen into that recumbent
position from old age. It was such a cross as is usually set up where a
life has been lost, whether by murder or suicide; or sometimes when
poor wanderers are frozen to death or lost in the deep winter snows. He
looked about for the grave, but saw no indication of one; and he tried
to remember if any catastrophe had happened there in his time, but could
recall none. He took up the cross and examined it. He saw that the wood
was decayed, and it bore such marks of antiquity, that he had no doubt
the person whose grave it had marked had died before he was born--it
looked as if it might be a hundred years old.
"'Eh bien,' said Francoise, wiping her eyes, into which the tears kept
starting, 'of course you will think that Benoit, or anybody in the world
who had the fear of God before his eyes, as he could not find the grave
to replace it as it should be, would have laid it reverently down where
he had found it, saying a prayer for the soul of the deceased; but,
alas! the demon of avarice tempted him, and he had not the heart to
forego that poor cross, but bound it up into a faggot with the rest of
the dead wood he found there, and threw it into his cart!'
"'Well, Francoise,' said I, 'you know I am not a Catholic, but I respect
the custom of erecting these crosses, and I do think your brother was
very wrong; I suppose he has lost the prince's favour by such impious
greediness.'
"'Pire que ca! worse than that,' she replied. 'It appears that while he
was committing this wicked action, he felt an extraordinary chill come
over him, which made him think that, though it had been a mild day, the
evening must have suddenly turned very cold, and hastily throwing the
faggot into his cart, he directed his steps homeward. But walk as he
would, he still felt this chill down his back, so that he turned his
head to look where the wind blew from, when he saw, with some dismay, a
mysterious-looking figure following close upon his footsteps. It moved
noiselessly on, and was covered with a sort of black mantle that
prevented his discerning the features. Not liking its appearance, he
jumped into the cart and drove home as fast as he could, without looking
behind him; and when he got into his own farmyard he felt quite
relieved, particularly, as when he alighted he saw no more of this
unpleasant-looking stranger. So he began unloading his cart, taking out
the faggots, one by one, and throwing them upon the ground; but when he
threw down the one that contained the cross, he received a blow upon
his face, so sharp that made him stagger and involuntarily shout aloud.
His wife and children were close by, but there was no one else to be
seen; and they would have disbelieved him and fancied he had
accidentally hit himself with the faggot, but that they saw the distinct
mark on his cheek of a blow given with an open hand. However, he went
into supper perplexed and uncomfortable; but when he went to bed this
fearful phantom stood by his side, silent and terrible, visible to him,
but invisible to others. In short, madame, this awful figure haunted him
till, in spite of his shame, he resolved to consult our cousin Jerome
about it.'
"But Jerome laughed, and said it was all fancy and superstition. 'You
got frightened at having brought away this poor devil's cross, and then
you fancy he's haunting you,' said he.
"But Benoit declared that he had thought nothing about the cross, except
that it would make fire wood, and that he had no more believed in ghosts
than Jerome; 'but now,' said he, 'something must be done. I can get no
sleep and am losing my health; if you can't help me, I must go to the
priest and consult him.'
"'Why don't you take back the cross and put it where you found it,' said
Jerome.
"'Because I am afraid to touch it and dare not go to that part of the
forest.'
"'So Jerome who did not believe a word about the ghost, offered to go
with him and replace the cross. Benoit gladly accepted, more especially,
as he said he saw the apparition standing even then beside him,
apparently, listening to the conversation. Jerome laughed at the idea;
however, Benoit lifted the cross reverently into the cart and away they
went into the forest. When they reached the spot, Benoit pointed out the
tree under which he had found it; and as he was shaking and trembling,
Jerome took up the cross and laid it on the ground, but as he did so he
received a violent blow from an invisible hand, and at the same moment
saw Benoit fall to the ground. He thought he had been struck too, but it
afterwards appeared that he had fainted from having seen the phantom
with its upraised hand striking his cousin. However, they left the cross
and came away; but there was an end to Jerome's laughter, and he was
afraid the apparition would now haunt him. Nothing of the sort happened;
but poor Benoit's health has been so shaken by this frightful
occurrence that he cannot get the better of it; his friends have advised
change of scene, and he is coming to Paris next week.'
"This was the story Francoise told me, and in a few days I heard he had
arrived and was staying with Mons. Pelletier; but the shock had been too
great for his nerves, and he died shortly after. They assured me that
previous to that fatal expedition into the forest, he had been a hale,
hearty man, totally exempt from superstitious fancies of any sort; and
in short, wholly devoted to advancing his worldly prosperity and getting
money."
ROUND THE FIRE.
THIRD EVENING.
"I don't know that I could tell you anything interesting in the way of
Ghost Stories; I have never attended to them, though I have heard a
great many," said Colonel C.; "but I can tell you an extraordinary
circumstance which may, perhaps, be considered of a spiritual nature,
and which I can myself vouch for the truth of.