The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1854-02-28 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

GHOST STORIES.—Left Holland House in tittle to get to Rogers's, where Sir W.. Scott was to call for us. Called at three to take us to dine with his son, Major Scott, at Hampton. Scott very agreeable on the way. Told him our conversation at Holland House about ghosts, which brought on the same topic. His own strong persuasion,. one night, that he saw the figure of Lord Byron. Had been either talking of or reading him ; and on going into the next room, was. startled to see through the dusk what he could have sworn was Byron, stand, as he used to do when alive. On returninginto the drawing-room, he said to his daughter "If you wish to see Lord Byron go into that room." It was the effect of either the moonlight or twilight upon some drapery that was hanging up, which to his imagination, just then full of Byron, presented this appearance. Rogers's story of the young couple at Berlin in their opera-box, between whom, at a distance, there always appeared to be a perion sitting, though on going into their box, it was found that there was nobody there but themselves. From all parts of the house this supernatural intruder could be seen.; but people differed as to its appearance, some saying it was a Pair man, others a dark ; some maintaining that he was old, others that he was young. It should be mentioned, that there was some guilty mystery hanging over the connexion between these young people ; and as, at last, no one ventured to visit their box, they disappeared from Berlin. This anecdote Lord Wriothesley Russell brought with him from abroad. Scott (who evidently did not like the circumstance being left unexplained) proceeded to tell a story of Mrs. Hook, the wife of Dr. Hook who wrote the Roman History ; "it being well," he said, "to have some real person to fit one's story on." Mrs. Hook becoming acquainted and intimate with a foreign lady, a widow, at Bath ; their resolving to live together on their return to London. Mrs. Hook, on coming down stairs one day at this lady's lodgings, meeting a foreign officer on the stairs, said to her friend next day, " You had a visitor yesterday ?" the other answering, "No ; she had seen no one since Mrs. Hook left her." Mrs. H., thinking this odd, going another day into her friend's dressing-room by mistake, and seeing the same officer there alone stretched on the sofa. Being now sure there was something not right, determined to mention it to the lady ; who, at first, said it was impossible, but hearing a description of how the officer was dressed, fainted. Mrs. Hook, convinced it was some improper liaison she was carrying on, determined gradually to give up her acquaintance. The foreign lady soon after was Preparing to go to London ; and Mrs. Hook, being in the room when her maid was packing (the lady herself not being present), saw a miniature case fall out of the portmanteau ; and taking it up and opening it, saw the portrait of the very person whom she had met on the stairs. " That," said the maid, "is the picture of my mistress's husband." " Her husband ?" " Yes," answered the maid; "he died a short time before we left Germany." In a few weeks afterwards, there arrived an order in England to have this foreign lady arrested, 911 014Argi of murdering her huphancl :—M9re'ff Pfe,