WE live in a rambling, old-fashioned house which is supposed to
connect by underground passage with the church and an old priory. In
the older wing of the house are two bedrooms, the smaller one leading
into the larger by a little passage. For a while I slept alone in this
wing, and, night after night, I was roused in the early hours by the
sound of slow, measured footsteps. They came from the smaller room,
through the passage, and paused at the foot of the bed, then retreated
with the same slow, measured strides. They sounded like the steps of a
man wearing soft sandals. I lit the candle, but the room was empty and
the connecting door was shut. Each time I struck a light the sound
ceased and the room was empty, only the air seemed colder and there
was a faint earthy smell. I said nothing about it, as I feared
ridicule.
Later my brother returned home from abroad, and those rooms were given
to his use. One morning he asked if I had heard any strange sounds
while sleeping there, and told me he had heard someone walking. We
compared notes and found our experiences precisely the same.
Is it the ghost of an old monk engaged in meditation?