The Alleged Haunting of B---- House by - (novels to improve english txt) 📖
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(N.B.—We afterwards found that, as the roof is flat, the snow is cleared away daily.)
Mr. W——, an utter sceptic, he declares, left early; then we all went for a walk. We spent the whole afternoon making experiments. Miss Moore or my maid or I, as having heard the noises, shut ourselves up in the room whence they were heard, or stood in the right places on hall or staircase.
The experimental noises made were as follows:—
1. Banging with poker or shovel as hard as possible on every part of the big iron stove in the hall; kicking it, hitting it with sticks (as Miss Moore and I persisted that the first noise was as of metal on wood, or vice versâ).
2. Trampling and banging in every part of the house, obvious and obscure, in cupboards and cistern holes.
3. (On the hypothesis of tricks from outside.) Beating on outside doors with shovels and pokers and wooden things, on the walls and windows accessible; banging and clattering in outside coal-cellars and in the sunk area round the house. (N.B.—Beating on the front door handle with a wooden racket, was right in kind, but not nearly enough in degree.)
Miss Moore, who was familiar with the noise, did it rather well by going into a coal-cellar (always locked at night, however) outside and throwing big lumps of coal, from a distance, into a big pail, but it wasn't nearly loud enough.
4. Finally the men climbed on to the roof, outside, while Miss Moore and I shut ourselves into the proper places. They clattered and walked and stamped and kicked and struck the slates, but they couldn't make noise enough.
Then we had in the gardener they saw yesterday, and put him in the butler's room, and the four men made hideous rows as before. He was grateful and respectful, but contemptuous. They couldn't make noise enough.
We went out at dusk, having sent Mr. MacP—— and Mr. C—— to pay a visit (as they had not been told of the brook scene), intending that the same trio as before should go to the copse. Mr. L—— F—— couldn't come, and as Mr. F—— and I went on alone, we met Mr. MacP—— and Mr. C—— returning before they were expected. On the spur of the moment I asked Mr. C—— to come with me, leaving Mr. F—— and Mr. MacP—— in the avenue. The snow had gone, and I saw less distinctly; but I saw the nun again, and an older woman in grey, who talked earnestly with her, she answering at intervals. I could hear no words; the ice was giving, and the burn had begun to murmur. (I tried to persuade myself that the murmur accounted for the voices, but the sounds were entirely distinct, and different in quality and amount.)
This older woman in grey afterwards became familiar. The name "Marget" was given to her at first half in fun and simply because this was one of the two names given by Ouija (cf. p. 98). She is apparently the grey woman referred to in the paper published by Mrs. G—— (cf. p. 64).
The fact of voices being heard by two persons, while one alone saw the figures, seems a clear proof that the figures were hallucinatory. It seems probable that the sounds also were hallucinatory, but were what is called in the vocabulary of the S.P.R. the "collective" hallucination of two persons. This seems to render it highly probable that in the case of each the hallucination had a cause external to both, although common to both; moreover, hallucinations are often contagious. The Times correspondent states, that "the lady admitted that the apparition was purely subjective, but in regard to other matters was not willing to suppose that she might be the victim of hallucinations of hearing as well as of sight." On the contrary, as all readers of Miss Freer's published works are aware, she is entirely of opinion that such sights and sounds are pure sense-hallucinations, whatever may be their ultimate origin.
We rejoined the others in silence. Then Mr. MacP—— said to Mr. C——, "Did you see anything?" "Nothing; I only heard voices." "What sort of voices?" "Two women. The older voice talked most, almost continuously. I heard a younger voice, a higher one, now and then."
Note by Mr. MacP——.
"I knew previously, though Mr. C—— did not, that Miss Freer had seen something up the burn; and when waiting for her and Mr. C——, Mr. F—— told me the whole story."
February 9th, Tuesday.—Last night we—Miss Moore and I—heard the "explosive" noises about 11.30 p.m., and speculated as to the possibility of their being caused by the wind in the chimney. There was a little wind last night—very little. It is worth mentioning, that ever since we have been here the air has been phenomenally still. One can go outside, as we do frequently, to feed the birds and squirrels without hats and not feel a hair stirred. Even when the snow was on the ground we never felt the cold, owing to the absence of wind, and the thaw has been imperceptible. Snow is still on the hills. I have several times thrown open my bedroom window about dawn for an hour to familiarise myself with the outside noises. There is nothing human within a quarter of a mile. (N.B.—The others, who are much more likely to be accurate as to distance than I, say the lodges are farther off.) The servants' houses are in a group of buildings on the hill above the house, but are, I believe, all empty. We found, and adopted, a deserted cat, whose condition certainly testified to the nakedness of the land. There are two inhabited lodges far out of hearing. A gardener comes round to the houses about 10 or 10.30 p.m., but we have watched him, and know exactly what sounds he creates.
February 10th, Wednesday.—Mrs. W—— arrived this morning from London; also Miss Langton, who is "sensitive," but wholly inexperienced. In the evening, at 6 p.m., Colonel Taylor arrived. He is in No. 8.
Miss Moore and I moved back into No. 1, and moved Mr. F—— into No. 3, the room reported (by the H——s) as specially haunted, where Colonel A—— and Major B—— had slept, and in our time Mr. L—— F——, who left last night.
The wing is now ready for habitation, except that the pipes are out of order, and the "set-basins" useless, also the bath. (N.B.—The fact that the pipes are all out of working order, and not a drop of hot water is to be had except in the kitchen, does away with a theory, which has been rather emphatically put forward, that "it is all the hot-water pipes.")
We are anxious to test the wing. Only one story, Miss "B——'s," is connected with it, and if there has been any practical joking anywhere, I personally incline to think that was the occasion. The wing is new, built, they say, in 1883, and the "ghost" showed human intelligence in selection of doors and victims. (After my return to London I had a conversation with Mrs. G——, which convinced me that I was mistaken in supposing that tricks had been played upon Miss "B——." See p. 71.)
An old woman in the village asked Miss Moore to-day with interest, "Hoo'll ye be liking B——?" She spoke of the hauntings, and her husband insisted (the Highlander always begins that way) that there were not any, and so on, and the old woman explained that it was just the young gentlemen last year that was having a lark. Later she admitted, "There's nae ghaists at B——, but the old Major" (who died about twenty years ago); "he'd just be saying to Gracie if she didn't do as she was told, that he'd be coming back and belay the decks" (cf. p. 136).
P.S.—Monday 15th.—In the kirkyard to-day at L—— we were shown the Major's grave. It is one of three, inclosed by a rough stone wall. They have no headstones, and seem quite uncared for. One is, we are informed, that of his housekeeper, Sarah N——. The other is said to be that of a black man-servant.
Last night we slept as follows:—
Miss Moore lay awake nearly the whole night. She heard, though in less degree, the old noises; and in the early morning (compare our first night) heard the sound of women's voices talking. When I awoke, about 6 a.m., she told me she had been disturbed, and said she feared that the others had also, as she had heard Mrs. W—— talking in Miss Langton's room.
At breakfast Mrs. W—— reported that she had been awakened by knockings, but had never moved. Miss Langton had heard nothing.
The Colonel reported that about, or just before, six he had heard footsteps over his head. There is no room over No. 8, which is mostly a built-out bow, and the servants had not moved before 6.30. (If they moved then, it was contrary to their habits!) We heard later that Hannah had gone, about 6.30, "in her stocking-feet, only without her stockings," to ask the time at the cook's door.
The Colonel (before our inquiries) had imitated the noise by stamping heavily with striding steps across the library.
February 11th, Thursday.—The Colonel moved down into "Miss B——'s room" in the wing, and Mr. F—— into the room next to him.
February 12th, Friday.—No phenomena. The great business to-day, which we had specially reserved for the Colonel's arrival, was the making of sketches and measurements for the plan of the house. We found no mysteries. The walls are immensely thick, but all the space is accounted for.
February 13th, Saturday.—Miss Moore slept very badly again last night. She heard the noises at intervals between three and five; she was awake before and after. They were loudest and most frequent after four. At 5.30 I was awakened by a loud crash as of something falling very heavily on the floor above. The maids sleep there, but can give no account of any fall. Miss Moore, of course, heard it as, and when, I did.
Mrs. W—— reports having heard loud raps. She thinks the noise may have wakened her, but after she was awake enough to get a light and look at her watch (3.40) she heard what she describes as "a double knock."
February 14th, Sunday.—Our first wet day. The weather so far has been perfect. We all got very wet coming from church.
In the evening we did various experiments—thought-transference, crystal gazing, &c.—but nothing came of it in regard to the house.
February 15th, Monday.—Mr. F—— left early.
We all walked to the Parish Church, and had some talk with the sexton, and I had to listen to long yarns about the Major (see under date February 9th). I was tired, and could not go to the copse.
In the evening we played games, and were very lively. Miss Langton came into my room for a few minutes, and was certainly not
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