A case of Banshee haunting that is somewhat unusually pathetic was once related to me in connection with a Dublin branch of the once powerful clan of McGrath. It took place in the fifties, and the family, consisting of a young widow and two children, Isa and David, at that time occupied an old, rambling house, not five minutes' walk from Stephen's Green. Isa seems to have been the mother's favourite--she was undoubtedly a very pretty and attractive child--and David, possibly on account of his pronounced likeness to his father, with whom it was an open secret that Mrs McGrath had never got on at all well, to have received rather more than his fair share of scolding. This, of course, may or may not have been true. It is certain that he was left very much to himself, and, all alone, in a big, empty room at the top of the house, was forced to amuse himself as he best could. Occasionally one of the servants, inspired by a fellow-feeling--for the lot of servants in those days, especially when serving under such severe and exacting mistresses as Mrs McGrath, was none too rosy--used to look in to see how he was getting on and bring him a toy, bought out of her own meagre savings; and, once now and again, Isa, clad in some costly new frock, just popped her head in at the door, either to bring him some message from her mother, or merely to call out "Hullo!" Otherwise he saw no one; at least no one belonging to this earth; he only saw, he affirmed, at times, strange-looking people who simply stood and stared at him without speaking, people who the servants--girls from Limerick and the west country--assured him were either fairies or ghosts. One day Isa, who had been sent upstairs to tell David to go to his bedroom to tidy himself, as he was wanted immediately in the drawing-room, found him in a great state of excitement. "I've seen such a beautiful lady,"[6] he exclaimed, "and she wasn't a bit cross. She came and stood by the window and looked as if she wanted to play with me, only I daren't ask her. Do you think she will come again?" "How can I tell? I expect you've been dreaming as usual," Isa laughed. "What was she like?" "Oh, tall, much taller than mother," David replied, "with very, very blue eyes and kind of reddish-gold hair that wasn't all screwed up on her head, but was hanging in curls on her shoulders. She had very white hands which were clasped in front of her, and a bright green dress. I didn't see her come or go, but she was here for a long time, quite ten minutes." "It's another of your fancies, David," Isa laughed again. "But come along, make haste, or mother will be angry." A few minutes later, David, looking very shy and awkward, was in the drawing-room being introduced to a gentleman who, he was informed, was his future papa.