"Last night (Sunday, March 21st) we retired to bed early, as
Miss Moore was leaving by an early train next morning, and I was
going to get up in order to see her off. It was certainly not
later than 10.45, when I went to my room, having gone to No. 1
to say good-night to Miss Freer and Miss Moore, who were
sleeping that night in that room. Miss 'Duff' was in No. 3, and
I was occupying No. 2. I am not at all nervous, and certainly I
was not expecting to see anything, as No. 2 is always supposed
to be a 'quiet' room. I was some time getting to bed, but I put
out my candle at twelve o'clock, and, after noticing that the
moon was shining brightly, I got into bed. Contrary to my usual
custom I did not fall asleep for some time, and I felt that the
room was, in some inexplicable way, not as usual. At last I fell
asleep, but not comfortably. I kept waking, and for some time
after each awakening I could not get to sleep again. I put this
down, however, to the fact that I wanted to waken early the next
morning, and was restless in consequence. At last I really fell
asleep, but at 4.30 I suddenly awakened with the feeling that I
was not alone in the room. I looked round; the room was quite
dark; the moon was not shining, but between the bed and the
wardrobe there was a figure standing. At first it was very
indistinct and misty, but gradually it formed itself into the
figure of a woman--a slight, tall woman, with a pale face. She
was dressed in long robes, but the upper part was the only part
I could see clearly. Round her face and head was a white band,
like that worn by a nun, and over her head was what might have
been a black hood or small shawl, but in the darkness it was
very difficult to distinguish. I could not see what her features
were like, but she looked as if she were in trouble, and
entreating some one to help her. She stood for some few moments
at the foot of my bed looking towards me, and then she made a
movement towards the door, but before she reached it she had
vanished. I was not at all frightened, as there was nothing at
all alarming in her appearance. I cannot write a better
description of her, as the vision was so short. The figure was
the same as that I had seen at the burn, only very much
clearer."
Miss "Duff" writes under this date March 21st:--"On my arrival
yesterday I was shown to my room (No. 3), which I had selected,
with Miss Freer's permission, as one said to have an evil
reputation. Perhaps it was natural that a feeling 'as if I were
not alone' should come over me, and needless to say there was no
_apparent_ cause for this!
"As a rule I am a very sound sleeper, nothing ever disturbs me;
but last night I was suddenly wide awake, as if roused by
something unusual. I sat up quickly in bed, but suddenly
remembering where I was, I waited expectantly. Nothing occurred,
although I did not get to sleep again for about two hours."
_March 22nd, Monday._--Mr. MacP---- was awakened between four
and five by heavy footsteps overhead. We made many experiments
to account for it, and of course made inquiries among the
servants, but could find no cause. We are the more interested
that hitherto nothing has been heard by our party in his room,
No. 4, though there is a tradition of earlier disturbances
there.