Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-12-10

sure enough, with double row of handsome
gilt nails all the way round handsome ini
tials over the spot where the face would come
a little inscription doubtless setting forth in d
handsome manner the virtues of the deceased
party. The five hours which interviewed be.
tween that discovery and daylight passed
in picturing to myself the features of the
murdered-I had not doubt of him or hei
having been murdered-and in estimating
the chances of the return of the murderer t.
the red room. No sick man ever longed for
the morning as | longed, and with the first
faint streaks of dawn, was standing, in my
scanty drapery, by the side of nv cousin {
pillow. Richard, Richard - cried |, "there
is murder in the house, and they've put the
coffin under my bed in the red room
"Pooh, pooh, you little fool, ," replied he ;
ego back again I'm the mayor this year,
and us only the Zig bor chich he mace is kept
IN
Notwithstanding this constitutional weak =
ness of mine, which has not much abatcd
with years, the supernatural has still WON
drous charm for me, and | snatch a fearful
joy from tale of ghosts and spectres. NV
happiest evenings-wth the most misprable
nights to follow-are spent weekly, at the
Society for the Investigation ofSpiritual Phe-
nomena, or as some Of the unbceving have
disrespcctfully termed it, the Cock-and- Ball
Club. We assemble every Friday, at seven
o'clock. If the police We're suddenly to
break in upon our speculations, as we sit,
thirteen in number, looking at one another,
around table with lighted candles. they
would, believe, proceed to collar and shake
us, with IL view of discovering who had swal-
lowed the dice No witness accounts of ap-
partitions are submitted, no published re-
cords Of any such may be referred to, and it
is essential that the narrators be in some sort
personally acquainted with the matter of
which they speak it is not Indispensable
that the individual should have seen ghost
himself-although more than one of our So
ciety have been highly favored in that way
50 that the norratio obfYud, SO popular with
the historians of dead language, is the
general form amongst us, too, in our conf
munications from without the world.
| rarely speak much myself, but listen-as
may be imag ined--with the most voracious
attention. The three members Of our society
who interest me most, are Haywood, Wilkm-
son and Arnold. The nature Of their relations
is commonly as different as their respective
characters, and for that rea son-rather than
because of any peculiar wonder belonging to
thcm-I will repeat in brief, the three with
which they favored us last night.
Haywood who is the son Of dean. pos
oVesco, Will luc cAccpllOn Vi llc elnOiuncnlS,
all the popular attributes of that dignitary
he is stout and rosy about the glls takes
several glasses of port during the little supper
which concludes our spiritual Investigations
and, by some means or other, it always hap
pens that he obtains possession of the only
armchair in the room. There is a mattcr-ot-
tact-ness, and absence OF any care for effect
about what he has to say, which love to
listen to--whie it makes my blood run cold
on account Of its obvious truth.
|. My father said he, last night, 'was
as most of you are aware, before he was made
dean, the vicar of Tredlington. The vi
carage-house was a small one; and to it and
to residences of the like humble kind l had
been exclusively accustomed up to the age of
fourteen years. l knew nothing of panelled
oak chambers, secret staircases, passages in
the thickness of a wall, and all the machine
ry OF romantic discomfort, except through
books. Tredlngton-where had the dream
which I am about to relate-was not IN the
least degree allied to Udolpho; and yet the
dream dreamed there was just such a one
as dear old Mrs Radcliffe might have had
herself after a pork-supper. | dreamed that
some half-an-h0 before dinner, and imne-
diately after the bell had rung for dressing,
my cousin-a lad of the same age, who was
then stopping with me-had mlschievously
locked me up alone in the drawing-room,
and there left me. Anxious not to displease
my father by being late, and not daring to
leap out OF either OF the windows, which We're
on the first floor, | stroye, in my dream, to
find some other mode of egress There were
several large pictures hanging upon the walls
quite striking to me, but which, as is
usual in such cases, produced no astonish-
ment-and pushing these aside, one after
another, found behind the last on the east
wall flight of little stairs, which led, to my
great joy, up into my own bedroom.
81 told this dream to the whole break last
party the next morning, when this and that
solution of it were given, but although the
impression still remained, doubtless in my
mind, no circumstance arose for several
years to cause me to refer to 1t. | was a
young man about one and twenty, and at
college, when my fathers elevation to the
deanery of bennington took place. This
same cousin of mine was my fellowstudent.
and accompanied me, at the vacation, on my
first visit TO the fine old cloistered place which
was proud to be able to call my future
home. A little banter upon this pardonable
vanity of mine, assisted by the high spirits
of youth, brought GU between us
mage and my father happening to be
out just at the particular time of
our arrival, although it was nearly the din
ner hour, my cousin playfully pushed me by
the Shoulders into the new drawing-room,
and locked the door behind me. At that
instant the dinner-bell rang: in the next,
recognized completely the room of my dream
which, in reality, of course, l had never
before set eyes on-and walked to the last
great picture which hung on the eastern
wall, for means of egress, as naturally as
should have walked to the door. Behind the
picture was secret stair leading into the
chamber which had been set apart for my
reception, and | very much astonished the
servant who brought up my trunks by ap-
pearing therein thro' sliding panel.
Neither he nor my father, nor any one else
in the house. had the least idea that such
mode of communication existed. They had
never dreamed of such thing, they said, in
all their lives. Why did So myself. have
not the least idea; have witnesses, however,
enough and to spare, to prove the facts. AS
for the secret staircase, if any of this COM
pany will do me the honor to come down to
bennington, they shall lock me into the
drawing room, even after the first dinner
bell has rung, as often as ever they please.
Arnold is the youngest and latest-Joned of
the Society, but notwithstanding-or perhaps
| should say, by reason of-that circumstance,
he is the most enthusiastic of us all. He told
us, after Haywood had finished, the following
story in quiet undertone, such as the brook
sings to the sleeping woods, all night in the
leaiy month of June, and with eyes that
looked through and through us while he
spoke, as upon some strange uncanny sight
beyond
ii. "My father was left widower in his
first year Of marriage, his wife having died in
L : 4 ...l
brother George, whom some you have mis-
taken at times, you know, for me. My poor
} mother herself had been also one of twins
For few months after her death, her two
J sisters stayed in my iather's house to comfort
him and look after us children. Twas, how.