Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1890-09-19
THE WARNEF0RD GHOST,
BY MRS. ROBERT JocELYv.

by MHs. HOBERT JOCELfN.
"The house is very full, Florence, and
I thought you would not mind sleeping
in this room," said Mary Warneford, as
she ushered me into large, airy bed
room, into which the bright rays of the
setting sun were streaming gloriousIy on
4 certain afternoon in a by-gone June.
AZ really see no visible reason why l
should do So" replied jestingly, with
smile. al think it about as charming u
room as it we'll can be-"
1.-THE room is fairly pleasant in its
way" she returned carelessly. "Only,
as you know, it is supposed to be
haunted"
"Hauntcd1" repeated, rather aghast.
"Do you mean to say that this is the
haunted rooml"
"Yes, it is the room that is said to be
haunted" she replied quietly. "Do you
object to iti If so, pray say so, dear"
Her words woke me to sense Of my
duty to my hostess. "Oh, dear no"
replied quickly. ~ call it most inter
estingl"
"Very interesting, no doubt, to those
who believe in ghosts" she returned
quietly. 81 do not, or l should not
have put you in this ROOM"
"Of course, know that, and OF course
the ghost question is all nonsense"
agreed lightly.
"Just so, dear" she returned In the
same tone. ~ knew you were blessed
with little common sense, and that was
why selected you as suitable occu-
pant for this room. We oil know you
are quite above anything of this sort, and
do not possess such inconvenient things as
nerves."
And with this fattering assurance
ringing in my ears found myself alone
in the haunted room of Warneford Alb
hey.
looked curiously around it. A
charming room certainly, but haunted,
the haunted room.
Now the haunted room at Warneford
Abbey was about as we'll known as the
haunted house In Berkeley Square, and for
years it had been closely locked against
all possible intruders. 1t was an under
stood fact that the late Sir Charles
Warneford did not like any mention of
the Warneford ghost to be made In his
presence. There had been charming
mystery about the Warneford haunted
room. Every one had told different
story about it, and every one was quite
sure that his version of it was the true
one. Some people swore It was a man ;
some people knew for fact it was q
woman; others we're sure it was q mon
ster, too dreadful IN its hideousness to be
described, and others had been told, on
reliable authority, that it had tail and
cloven feet, and its form altogether was
the reverse to heavenly.
But when MaIy's husband, the present
baronet, came into the property, which
he did very shortly before the time this
story begins, he took quite an original
view OF the case, aud proclaimed far and
wide that there was no ghost at all, much
less q monster. Mary backed him UP
about it. They unlocked the room, had
it thoroughly done up and refurnished
and gave it to be understood that they
could not understand how any one in
their senses could possibly have believed
that there could have been word o.
truth in any of those old, foolish, super
stitious stories.
And it was thus that Mary coolly in
troduced the first guest into that haunted
room.
/ gazed round the room in an awestrick
en- manner, and came quickly to the con
clusion that the thing liked the least il
1t was the bed. A heavy, dark, old bed
stead, on which was carved lnnumerable
extremely unattractive objects. Head
of murderous looking men and women
interviewer among horrible, open -mouthet
animals, which had never been copiec
from any of the species supposed to hav,
come out of the Ark, and were none tht
less ghastly because their proportion,
were physical impossibility. No,
certainly did not like the bed in which
I was doomed to sleep that night at all
However, luckily for my peace of mind
/ had not much time to spare in medita
ton. We had arrived just in time fo
dinner-papa, Molly and land wher
Mary left ne had only half an hour il
which to unpack my dressing case, rum
mage in my box for some evenin,
clothes, and dress myself for Dime
. (Molly was the beauty of our family
and, therefore, of course, monopolizet
tho almost undivided. attention of ou
maid).
We spent pleasant enough evening
Mary understood thoroughly how to keel
things going, and it was long after Il
o'clock when We ladies trooped upstair
to bed.
Mollie came into my room for fey
, moments, and commented condcsccnd
ingly upon the fact that 1t was q mic
room. fancied she was rather annoye,
to find it much larger and more elabor
ately furnished than her own. Moll