Corney was continually tampering with the doors, and straining locks and keys.  He only manifested himself in material form to two persons; to ——­, who died with the fright, and to Mr. A——­ (Mrs. C.’s father) when he was about seven years old.  The latter described him to his mother as a naked man, with a curl on his forehead, and a skin like a clothes-horse(!).

One day a servant was preparing fish for dinner.  She laid it on the kitchen table while she went elsewhere for something she wanted.  When she returned the fish had disappeared.  She thereupon began to cry, fearing she would be accused of making away with it.  The next thing she heard was the voice of Corney from the coal-cellar saying, “There, you blubbering fool, is your fish for you!” and, suiting the action to the word, the fish was thrown out on the kitchen floor.

Relatives from the country used to bring presents of vegetables, and these were often hung up by Corney like Christmas decorations round the kitchen.  There was one particular press in the kitchen he would not allow anything into.  He would throw it out again.  A crock with meat in pickle was put into it, and a fish placed on the cover of the crock.  He threw the fish out.

Silver teaspoons were missing, and no account of them could be got until Mrs. A——­ asked Corney to confess if he had done anything with them.  He said, “They are under the ticking in the servants’ bed.”  He had, so he said, a daughter in ——­ Street, and sometimes announced that he was going to see her, and would not be here to-night.

On one occasion he announced that he was going to have “company” that evening, and if they wanted any water out of the soft-water tank, to take it before going to bed, as he and his friends would be using it.  Subsequently that night five or six distinct voices were heard, and next morning the water in the tank was as black as ink, and not alone that, but the bread and butter in the pantry were streaked with the marks of sooty fingers.

A clergyman in the locality, having heard of the doings of Corney, called to investigate the matter.  He was advised by Mrs. A——­ to keep quiet, and not to reveal his identity, as being the best chance of hearing Corney speak.  He waited a long time, and as the capricious Corney remained silent, he left at length.  The servants asked, “Corney, why did you not speak?” and he replied, “I could not speak while that good man was in the house.”  The servants sometimes used to ask him where he was.  He would reply, “The Great God would not permit me to tell you.  I was a bad man, and I died the death.”  He named the room in the house in which he died.