The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-04 00:00:00

An Old-Fashioned Ghost Story,

(Extracted from Thom s Wright's Autobiography.)
Mr. Wright states that the Earl referred to in
this ghost narrative was the last of the Earls of
Powis of the family of Herbert. The narrator of
the story said she was a poor woman who got her
living by spinning hemp and line; that it was cus-
tomary for the farmers and gentlemen of that neigh-
bourhood to grow a little hemp or line in the corner
of their fields, for their own home consumption, and
as she had a good hand at spinning tile materials,
she used to go from house to house to inquire for
work; that her method was, where they employed
her, during her stay to have meat, and drink, and
lodging (if she had occasion to sleep with them), for
her work, and what they pleased to give her
besides. That, among other pieces, she happened
to call in one day at the Welsh Earl Powis's
country-seat, called Redcastle, to inquire for work,
as she usually had done before. Tne quality were
at this time in London, and had left the steward
and his wife, with other servants, as usual, to take
care of their country residence in their absence.
The steward's wife set her to work, and in the
evening told her that she must stay all night with
them, as they had more work for her to do next
day. When bedtime arrived, two or three of the
servants in company, with each a lighted candle in
her hand, conducted her to her lodging. They led
her to a ground room, with a boarded floor and two
sash windows. The room was grandly furnished,
and had a genteel bed in the corner of it. They had
made her a good fire, and had placed her a chair
and a table before it, and a large lighted candle
upon the table. They told her that was her bed-
room, and she might go to sleep when she pleased ;
they then wished her a good night, and withdrew
altogether, pulling the door quickly after them, EO
as to hasp the spring-speck in the brass lock that
was upon it. Wlien they were gone, she gazed
awhile at the fine furniture, under no small Liston•
ishment that they should put such a poor person
as she in so grand a room and bed, with all the
apparatus of fire, chair, table, and candle. Sho was
also surprised at the circumstance of the servants
coming so many together, with each of them a
candle; however, after gazing about her some little
time, she sat down and took a small Welsh Bible
out of her pocket, which she always carried about
with her, and in which she usually read a chapter
—chiefly in the New Testament—before she said
her prayers and went to bed. While she was read-
ing, she heard the room door open, and, turning
her head, saw a gentleman enter in a gold-laced
hat and waistcoat, and the rest of his dress corres-
ponding therewith, . . lie walked down by the
sash window to the corner of the room, and then
returned. When he came at the first window
his return (the bottom of which was nearly breast
high) he rested his elbow on the bottom of the
window, and the side of his face upon the palm of
his hand, and stood in that leaning posture for some
time, with his side partly towards her. She looked
at him earnestly to see if she knew him, but though,
from her frequent intercourse with them, she had a
personal knowledge of all the present family, heap.
peered a stranger to her. She supposed, afterwards,
that he stood in this manner to encourage her to
speak ; but as she did not, after some little time he
walked off, pulling the door after him as the ser-
vants had done before. She now began to be much
alarmed, concluding it to be an apparition, and that
they hed put her there on purpose. This was really
the case. The room, it seems, had been disturbed for
a long time, so that nobody could sleep peaceably iu
it, and as she passed for a very serious woman, the
servants took it into their heads to put the Metho-
dist and spirit together, to see what they would
make of it. Startled at this thought, she rose from
her chair, and kneeled down by the bedside to say
her prayers. While she was praying he came in
again, walked round the room, and came close
behind her. She had it on her mind to speak,
but when she attempted it she was so very much
agitated, that she could not utter a word.
lie walked cut of the room again, pulling the
door after him as before. She begged that God
would strengthen her, and not suffer her
to be tried beyond what she was able to bear ;
she recovered her spirits, and thought she felt
more confidence and resolution, and determined
if ho came again she would speak to him
if possible. He presently came is again, walked
round, and came behind her as before; she turned
her head and said, Pray, sir, who are you, and what
do you want P" He put up his finger, and said,
"Take up the candle and follow me, and I will tell
you." She got up, took up the candle, and followed
him out of the room. lie led her through a long I
boarded passage, till they came to the door of
another room, which he opened and went in ; it
was a small room, or what might be called a large
closet. "As the room was small, and I believed
him to be a spirit," said she, " I stopped at the
door; he turned and said, " Walk in ; I will not
hurt you ;" so I walked in. He said, " Observe
what I do ;" I said, " I will." He stopped, and tore
up one of the boards of the floor, and there appeared
under it a box with an iron handle in the lid. He
said, "Do you see that box ?" I said, " Yes, I do."
He then stepped to one side of the room and
showed me a crevice in the wall, where, ho said, a
key was hid that would open it. lie said, "This
box and key must be taken out, and sent to the
earl in London" (naming the earl and his place of
residence in the city). He said, " Will you see it
done ?" I said, " I will do my best to get it done ;"
he said, " Do,. and I will trouble the house no
more." He then walked out of the room and left me.
. I stepped to the room door, and set up a shout.
The steward and his wife, with the other servants,
came to me immediately ; all clung together, with
a number of lights in their hands. It seems they
had all been waiting to see the issue of the inter-
view betwixt mo and the apparition. They asked
me what was the matter ? I told them the fore-
going circumstances, and showed them the box.
The steward durst not meddle with it, but his wife
had more courage, and, with the help of the other
servants, tugged it out, and found the key. Sho
said by their lifting it appeared to be pretty heavy,
but that she did not see it opened, and therefore
did not know what it contained:—perhaps money,
or writings of consequence to the family, or both.'
They took it away with them, and she then went to
bed and slept peaceably till the morning."
As the narrator of this spiritual incident was
well known to have been (and then to be) a reci-
pient of the E art's bounty in consequence of the
discovery of this box, the ghost element in the tale
was widely credited. The story is at least as cir-
cumstantial, says the Athenceton, as any legend of
the outer world with which we are acquainted.

SECOND EDITION.