The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-05-22
A CURIOUS STORY.
WAS 1T NIGHTMARE

\ young English lady, who is said t.
possess remarkable intelligence and he.
reditary acumen, relates III Notes aho
queries the following strange per>ou"l
experience in an old Yorkshire mansion.
What | am going to relate, she say :
happened to myself while staying with
some North-country cousins, last July,
at their house in Yorkshire. | had spent
IL few days there in the summer OF the
previous year, bat without then. hearin.
~ seeing anything out OF the common.
On my second visit. arriving early in the
afternoon. went out boating WITH some
Of the family, spent a very jolly evening.
and finally went to bctl-a little tined.
perhaps. with the days work. but il.,1
the least nervous, | slept SouiIdly until
between three and four, just when the
day was beginning to break. | had been
awake for short time. when suddenly
the door of my bedroom opened and shut
again rather quickly. iancied it might
be one of the servants and called out,
Come in After IL short time the door
opened again. but no one came in-at
least no one that | could see Almost at
the same time that the DOR opened for
the second time. | was Il little startled b.
the rustlinG of some curtains belonging
to Il hanging wardrobe. which stood BY
the side Of the bed; the rustling contin-
ued and | was seized with most uncom-
Portable feeling not exactly of fright, but
a strange unearthly sensation that | was
not alone. had had that feeling for
some minutes, when | saw at the foot of
the bed Il child, about seven or nine years
old. The child seemed as ii it were on
the bed, and came gliding toward me as
| lay. 1t was the figure of Il little girl in
her night dress-a little girl with dark
hair and Il very white face. | tried to
speak to her, but could not. She came
slowly on up to the top Of the bed and
then saw her face clearly. She seemed
in great trouble: her hands were clasped
and her eyes were turned up with look
of entreaty-an almost agonized look.
Then, slowly unclasping her hands, she
touched me on the shoulder. The hand
felt icy cold, and while strove to speak
she was gone. | felt more frightened
after the child was gone than before and
began to be very anxious for the time
when the servant would make her appear
auce. Whether ! slept again or not
hardly know. But by the time the ser
want did come, | had almost persuaded
myself that the whole affair was nothing
but very vivid nightmare. However,
when | came down to break fast, there
were many remarks made about my not
looking well: it was observed that | was
pale. In answer l told my cousins that
| had had a most vivid nightmare, and
remarked. if was believer in ghosts. |
should imagine had seen one. Nothing
more was said at the time upon the sub
ject, except that my host who was doc
tor. observed that had better not sleep
in the room again, at any rate not alone
So the following night one of my
cousins slept in the same room with me.
Neither of us saw or heard anything out
of the way during the night OF the early
morning. That being the case. persuad-
ed myself that what | had seen had been
only imagination, and much against
everybody's expressed wish, insisted
the next night on sleeping in the room
again, and alone.
Accordingly, having retired again to
the same room, | was kneeling down at
the bedside to say my prayers, when
exactly the same dread as before came
over me. The curtains of the wardrobe
swayed about. and | had the same sensa-
ton as previously that | was not alone
| felt too frightened to STIR when. luck
lily for me, one of my cousins came in for
something which she had left On look
ing at me she exclaimed, Have you seen
anythinga' | said No. but told her
how l felt; and, without much persua-
sion being necessary, left the room with
her, and never returned to it. When my
hostess learned what had happened Gas
she did Immediately she told me ] must
not sleep i'll that room again, as the night
mare had made such an impression on
me. | should imagine, she said, all sorts
of things, and make myself quite i'll. |
went to another room, and during the
rest of my vista week. was not trou-
bed by any reappearance of the little
girl.
On leaving. my cous in. the eldest
daughter of the doctor. went on a visit
with me to the house of an uncle of
mine in the same county. We stayed
there for about a fortnight, and during
that time the little girl was alluded TO
only as my nightmare.
In this aiterward found there was
little reticence, for, just before leaving
my uncle's, my cousin said to Inc:
must tell you something | have been
longing to tell you ever since left home
But my father lesiled me not to tell you.
az, not being very strong, you might be
too frightened. Your nightmare was
not nightmare at ALL but the appari-
ton of a little girl She then weat OH
to tell ME that this litti. girl had been
seen three times before, by three differ
ont members Of the family. but as this
was some nine or ten years since, they
had almost ceased to think anything
about it until related my experiences
on the morning after tho first night of
my second visit.
My cousin further went on to tell me
that her younger sister whilst in bed had
had one morning, about daybreak, to her
great surprise, seen little girl with dark
hair, standing with her back to her, look.