Ghosts and Family Legends: A Volume for ChristmasCrowe, Catherine
General
Ghosts and Family Legends: A Volume for Christmas
Crowe, Catherine
Folklore -- Great Britain; Ghosts -- Great Britain; Legends -- Great Britain
"The Bellfry is a common place square house, just such as the doctor or
lawyer would inhabit in a provincial town; a little white swing gate, a
round grass plot, with a few straggling dahlias, a gravel road leading
to the small portico, and a terrible loud bell to ring, when you want to
be admitted. So much for the exterior. The interior is not at all more
suggestive to the fancy. On the ground floor, there is the usual parlour
on one side, and drawing-room on the other, with a long passage leading
to the offices at the back; upstairs, a sort of corridor, with dingy
bedrooms opening into it. Decidedly not lively, but perfectly prosaic,
it was by no means calculated to inspire ghostly terrors; and, indeed, I
must confess the supernatural, as it is called, was a subject that, at
that time, had never engaged my attention. I mention all this to show
you that what happened was not 'the offspring of my excited
imagination,' as the learned always tell you these things are. Moreover,
I was young; and, to the best of my belief, in very good health.
"The room they gave me was the best. It was plainly but comfortably
furnished, with a large four-post bed, and it looked into the
churchyard; but this is not an uncommon prospect in country towns, and I
thought nothing about it. Now that we understand these things better, I
should think it not ghostly, but unhealthy.
"The first two or three nights I slept there, nothing particular
occurred; but on the fourth or fifth night, soon after I had fallen
asleep, I was awoke by a noise which appeared very near me, and on
listening attentively, I heard a rustling sound, and footsteps on the
floor. I forgot for the moment that I had locked my door, and
concluding it was the housekeeper, who sometimes looked in when I was
going to bed, to ask if I was comfortable, I said, 'Is that you, Mrs.
H?' But there was no answer, upon which I sat up and looked around; and
seeing nobody, though I heard the sound still, I jumped out of bed. Then
I observed, for if was a bright moonlight night, that there was a large
tree in the churchyard, which grew very close to the window, and I
concluded that a breeze had arisen, and caused the branches to touch the
glass; so I got into bed again quite satisfied, and settled myself to
sleep. But scarcely had I closed my eyes, when the footsteps began
again, much too distinct this time to be mistaken for anything else; and
whilst I was listening in amazement, I heard a heavy, heavy sigh. I had
raised myself on my elbow, in order to have my ears freer to listen, and
presently I saw the curtains at the foot of the bed, which were closed,
slowly and gently opened. I saw no figure, but they were held apart,
apparently by the two hands of some one standing there. I bounded out of
bed, and rushed out of the room into the corridor, screaming for help.
All who heard me, got up and came out of their rooms, to enquire what
had happened; but I had not courage to tell the truth, I was afraid of
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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