the whole night with something walking backwards and forwards in their bed-chamber. This I had from the best authority."

To this account may be added that a housekeeper, called Betty Norrie, who, in more recent times, lived many years at Allanbank, positively averred that she, and many other persons, had frequently seen Pearlin Jean; and, moreover, stated that they were so used to her as to be no longer alarmed at the noises she made.

BAIR HALL.

THE Communicator of the story hereafter detailed was described in Notes and Queries as a well-informed young lady, and as one who firmly believed what she stated. Moreover, it was further remarked that, previous to her seeing the apparition she tells of, she had heard nothing whatever of any story or legend that could have put it into her mind or have caused her to dream of it; whilst the corroborative evidence of her hostess and her household, would put all idea of a dream or hallucination out of the question. In consequence of the correspondence this story called forth, a contributor to Notes and Queries made it fairly evident that the "Bair Hall" visited by the narrator was identical with Torisholme Hall, the property of J. Lodge of Bare, in the county of Lancashire, Esquire.

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A short time ago," states the relater of this story, "I went with a friend to pay a visit to a family in the neighbourhood of Lancaster. We were very cordially received at Bair Hall by the hostess, who assigned to our use a spacious bed-room with old-fashioned furniture, and we noticed particularly an old press. My companion and myself retired to bed, and enjoyed a good night's rest. I happened to awaken at about five o'clock, it being a bright summer's morning, broad daylight, and, to my great surprise, saw distinctly within a few feet of the old-fashioned bed, an old gentleman seated in an arm-chair, earnestly gazing at me with a pleasant expression of countenance. I was not alarmed, but surprised, as I had locked the door when I went to bed, and, considering it a mental delusion, I closed my eyes for a moment and looked again; in the interval the old gentleman had moved his chair, and placed its back against the chamber door; he was seated in it as before, and gazed at me with rather an amused expression. I turned round to look at my companion; she was fast asleep. I immediately awoke her, and requested her to look across the room at the door. She could see nothing, neither could I; the old gentleman had gone. When I told her what I had seen, she got out of bed in haste; we both quitted the room in great alarm, and went to the bed-room of our hostess, who admitted us, and there we remained until it was time to dress.

"The lady asked us if we had opened the old press wardrobe; it appeared we had. 'Oh!' said she, 'it

is only James Bair, my uncle (or great-uncle); he does not like anyone but myself to examine his ancient clothes, or interfere with his press. He frequently joins me in the house, and some of the other members of the family also, but they don't like him. With me he often converses.'

"I found," concludes the narrator, who does not appear to have had any further encounter with James Bair's apparition, "if any of the rooms or closets were locked at night they were found open in the morning, and our hostess thought nothing of it."

BARBY.

DR. LEE, in his work on Glimpses of the Supernatural, furnishes a curious account of the discovery of hidden treasure by the agency of an apparition. He does not appear to entertain the slightest doubts as to the correctness of his information in this case, and indeed declares, as will be seen later on by the reader, that the circumstances recorded were completely verified.

The events to which Dr. Lee refers are stated to have occurred at Barby, a village of between six and seven hundred inhabitants, in the county of Northampton, situated about eight miles from Rugby, and a little more than five miles from Daventry. A house in this small village was, until recently, reputed to be haunted,

and this in the following manner, according to the authority above referred to.

"An old woman of the name of Webb, a native of the place, and above the usual height, died on March 3rd, 1851, at 2 A.M., aged sixty-seven. Late in life she had married a man of some means, who having predeceased her, left her his property, so that she was in good circumstances. Her chief and notorious characteristic, however, was excessive penuriousness, she being remarkably miserly in her habits; and it is believed by many in the village that she thus shortened her days. Two of her neighbours, women of the names of Griffin and Holding, nursed her during her last illness, and her nephew, Mr. Hart, a farmer in the village, supplied her temporal needs; in whose favour she had made a will, by which she bequeathed to him all her possessions.

"About a month after the funeral, Mrs. Holding, who with her uncle lived next door to the house of the deceased (which had been entirely shut up since the funeral), was alarmed and astonished at hearing loud and heavy thumps against the partition wall, and especially against the door of a cupboard in the room wall, while other strange noises, like the dragging of furniture about the rooms, though all the furniture had been removed, and the house was empty. These were chiefly heard about two o'clock in the morning.

"Early in the month of April a family of the name of Accleton, much needing a residence, took the deceased woman's house-the only one in the village vacant—

and bringing their goods and chattels, proceeded to inhabit it. The husband was often absent, but he and his wife occupied the room in which Mrs. Webb had died, while their daughter, a girl of about ten years of age, slept in a small bed in the corner. Violent noises

in the night were heard about two o'clock-thumps, tramps, and tremendous crashes, as if all the furniture had been collected together and then violently banged on to the floor. One night at 2 A.M. the parents were suddenly awakened by the violent screams of the child. Mother! mother! there's a tall woman standing by my bed, a shaking her head at me!' The parents could see nothing, so did their best to quiet and compose the child. At four o'clock they were awakened by the child's screams, for she had seen the woman again; in fact, she appeared to her no less than seven times on seven subsequent nights.

"Mrs. Accleton, during her husband's absence, having engaged her mother to sleep with her one night, was suddenly aroused at the same hour of two by a strange and unusual light in her room. Looking up, she saw quite plainly the spirit of Mrs. Webb, which moved towards her with a gentle appealing manner, as though it would have said 'Speak! speak!'

"This spectre appeared likewise to a Mrs. Radbourne, a Mrs. Griffiths, and a Mrs. Holding. They assert that luminous balls of light seemed to go up and towards a trap-door in the ceiling which led to the roof of the cottage. Each person who saw it testified likewse to hearing a low, unearthly moaning noise, 'strange

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