IT has always seemed to me that authentic psychic happenings are
singularly inconsequent and bear no relation to their witnesses—except
in the case of appearances of dead relatives. Two such irrelevant
occurrences stand out in my memory.
Many years ago, when I was a young girl, I stayed in a large country
house. This house was rented by my friends, and they knew no legends
connected with it. It was symmetrical in design, but one of the
windows on one side was blocked up, nor could any door be found by
which one could enter the room corresponding to the blocked window.
My bedroom was underneath this mysterious chamber. For some nights
nothing happened, but one evening just after the clock had struck
twelve, a most extraordinary noise took place above my head. I can
only compare it to the noise of sacks of coals being emptied. I sat
up in bed terrified, too frightened to roam the large house by myself
so late, and too terrified even to scream. The noise continued. Every
minute I expected the ceiling to open and some spectre to alight on
me. After what appeared to me an interminable time, the noise ceased
and the clock struck one, so it had really lasted only an hour. Though
I stayed on for some time longer, I never heard the sound again.
My other experience has a tinge of romance.
In the village where I lived there was a picturesque old farmhouse
that legend said was a gift to Nell Gwynne by her royal lover. Whether
there was any truth in this I cannot say, but it was said that on wet
nights Nell haunted the lane passing her old dwelling place, and one
could hear her high heels tapping behind one as one passed that way.
One evening I was dining with friends, and the son of the house walked
home with me. He was a prosaic youth and believed in nothing he could
not see. The night was wet and foggy. As we passed the haunted spot we
both plainly heard the tap tap of the high heels belonging to the fair
and frail lady.
He stopped and lit matches but nothing was to be seen and the
footsteps stopped. As we went on the pursuing steps began again and
continued till the road turned into another lane.