Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-02-14
A True Ghost story.
NARRATED BY THOMAS HEAPHY.
From the Saturday Magazine.I


only introducing lady and gentleman, Mr.
and Mrs. kirkbeck.
My new visitors were strangers to me
They had seen portrait l had painted. AMI
wished for hkenesses of themselves and thei
children. The price named did not dete
them, and they asked 10 look round th'
studio to select the style and size they shoult
prefer. The inspection proving satisfactory
They asked whether l could paint the pic
lures at their house in the country,and there
being no difficulty on this point, an engage
ment was made for the following autumn
subject to my writing to fix the time when
might be able to leave town for the purpose
This being adjusted. the gentleman gave mt
his card, and they left. Shortly afterwards
on looking at the card left by the strangers
| was somewhat disappointed to find thai
though it contained the name of Mr.. and
Mrs. Kirkbeck, there was no address.
tried to find it by looking at the Court Guide
but it contained no such name, SO put the
card in my writing-desk, and forgot for q
time the entire transaction.
Autumn came, and with it a series of en-
gagemeRts had made in the North of Eng
land Towards the end of September, 1868.
was one Of dinner-party at a country
house on the confines of Yorkshire and Lin
colnshire. The party was numerous one,
| and as the mel approached its termination,
| and was about to subside into the dessert,
the conversation became general. ! should
here mention that my hearing is defective
| at sometimes more SO than at Others, and
on this particular evening was extra deaf
| so much so, that the conversation only reach
/ ed ME in the form of continued din. AT
one instant, however, heard word dis
tinctly pronounced, though 1t was uttered by
person at a considerable distance from me,
| vi t1,ot, Lirlhapl- In, IA huc,-
ness of the London season l had forgotten
all about the visitors of the spring, who had
left their card without the address. The
word reaching me under such circumstances
arrested my attention, and Immediately re-
called the transaction to my remembrance
On the first OPP ortunity that offered. asked
a person whom / was conversing with. if a
family of the name in question was resident
in the neighborhood. | was told, in reply,
that Mr.. kirkbeck lived at A, at the
farther end of the county. The next morn
ing wrote 10 this person, saying that | be-
lieved he called at my studio in the spring,
and had made an arrangement with me, which
l was prevented fulfilling by there being no
address on his card furthermore, that l
should shortly be in his neighborhood on my
return from the north, but should ] be mis-
taken in addressing him, | begged he would
not trouble himself to reply to my note. l
gave, as nv address, The Post-ofice, York.
On applying there three days afterwards, |
received n note from Mr.. kirkbeck, stating
that he was very glad he had heard from me,
and that if | would call on my return. he
would arrange about the pictures be also
told me to write day before | proposed
coming. that he might not otherwise engage
himself. 1t was ultimately arranged that
should go to his house the succeeding Satur-
10. Of taf
terwards what matters l had to attend to in
London, and return in a fortnight to execute
the commissions.
The day having arrived for my visit, direct
ly after breakfast | took my place in the
morning train from York to London. The
train would stop at Doncaster, and after that
at Retford junction, where | should have to
get out in order to take the line through
Lincoln to A The day was cold, wet,
foggy, and in every way as disagreeable as
have ever known day to be in an English
October. The carriage in which / was
seated had no other occupant than myself,
but at Doncaster lady got in. My place
was back to the engine and next to the door.
As that is considered the ladies' seat, | offer
ed it to her she, however, very graciously
declined it, and took the corner opposite,
saying. in a very agreeable voice, that she
liked to feel the breeze on her cheek. The
next few minutes were occupied in locating
herself There was the cloak to be spread
under her, the skirts of the dress to be ar
ranged, the gloves to be frightened, and such
other tritiing arrangements of plumage as
ladies are wont to make before settling them
selves comfortably at church or elsewhere
the last and most important hsing the p,ac-
ing back over her hat the veil that concealed
her features. | could then see the lady was
young, certainly not more than two or three
and-twenty; but being moderately tall,
rather robust in make, and decided in ex-
preston, she might hnye been two or three
years younger. | suppose that her COM
plexion would be termed medium one her
hair being of bright brown. or auburn.
while her eyes and rather decidedly marked
eyebrows were nearly black. The color of
her cheek was of that pale transparent hue
that sets off to such advantage large express
sive eyes and an equable firm expression of
mouth On the whole, the ensemble was
rather handsome than beautiful, her express
sion having that agreeable depth and har-
mony about i. that rendered her face and
features, though not strictly regular. infinite
ly more attractive than if they had been
modelled upon the strictest rules Of symme-
try.
1t is no small advantage on q wet day and
a dull long journey to have an agreeable
companion one who can converse, and
whose conversation has sufficient substance
in it to make one forget the length and the
dreariness of the journey. In this respect !
had no deficiency to complain OF, the lady
being decidedly and agreeably conversation
al. When she had settled herself to her sat-
she asked TO be allowed to look at
my Bradshaw, and not being proficient in
that difficult work, she requested my aid in
at what time the train passed
through Retford again on It's way back from
London to York. The conversation turned
afterwards on general topics, and, somewhat
to my surprise. she led 1t into such partlcu-
lar subjects As | might be supposed to be
more especially familiar with indeed, |
could not avoid remarking that her entire
manner, while it was anything but forward,
was that of one who had either known me
personally or by report There was in her
manner a kind Of confidential reliance when
she listened to me, that il not usually ac-
corded TO a stranger, and sometimes she ac-
tually seemed TO refer to different circum-
stances with which | had been connected in
times past After about three-quarters of an
hours conversation the train arrived at Ret
ford, where | was to change carriages. On
my alightlng and wishing her good-morning,
she made a slight movement of the hand, as
If she meant me to shake 1t, and on my do
ing so she said, by way of adisu, ''I dare say
We shall meet again : to which | replied, Il
nope that We shall all meet again, and so
partet /, she going on the Inns towards Lon
don, and | through Lincolnshire to A.
The remainder of the journey WAS cold. wet,
and dreary. / missed the agreeable oonver-
sation, and tried to supply ITS place with
book had brought with me from York, and
the Iua.S newspaper, which had procured
at Retiord. But the most disagreeabe jour
ney comes to an end at last, and halt past
five IN the evening found me at the termina-
ton OF mInc. cHrrlHge was waiting Tor me
at the station where Mr. Kirkbeck was also
expected by the same train, but as he did not
appear, 1t was concluded he would come by
the next hall an hour later accordingly,
the carriage Grove away with myself cnly.
The family being from home at the mo-
ment ana the dInner-hOur being seven, |
went at once to my room to unpack and to
dress having completed those operations, |
descended to the drawing-room. 1t proba-
bly, wanted some time to the dinner hour as
the lamps were not lighted, but in their place
u large blazing FIRE threw a flood of light into
every corner of the room, and more especial
ly over lady. who, dressed IN deep black,
was standing by the chimney-pie warminga
very handsome foot on the edge of the fend-
er. Her face being turned away from the
door by which had entered, | did not at
first see her features on my advancing into
the middle of the room, however. the foot
was immediately withdrawn. and she turned
round 10 accost me. when. TO my profound
astOnishment, | perceived that 1t was none
other than my companion in the railway car
riage She betrayed no surprise at seeing
me on the contrary with one OF those
agreeable, Joyous expressions that make the
plainest woman appear beautiful, she accost-
ed me with. 81 SAID we should meet again.
Ny bewilderment at that moment almost
deprived me of utterance. | knew of no
railway or other means by which she could
have come. ] had certainly left her in
London tram, and had seen it start, and the
only conceivable way IN which she could have
come was by going on 10 Peterborough, and
then returning by II branch to A. II cir
cult Of about ninety miles. As soon as my
surprise enabled me to speak | said that /
wished had come by the same oon veyanoe
as herself.
That would have bsen rather difficult
she TejOined.
At this moment the servant came with the