“Suddenly she touched my arm, and directed my attention to the window.  There I saw a figure standing outside, which—­so slow-sighted am I—­I took for the moment for Madame’s maid, and thought she had come to call our attention through the window—­a long ‘French’ one, opening out on to the lawn—­as less likely to disturb the service.  I was starting up when I perceived that the figure was ’Ishbel’—­the black gown, like that worn by the maid, had misled me for the moment.  ‘Marget’ seemed to hover in the background, but she was much less distinct than the other.  A minute later we were called away.

“The room had been selected by the priests themselves, but it is the one I should myself, for obvious reasons, have chosen for the purpose.”

When the bustle of Madame’s hasty departure was over, and we had breakfasted, the bishop blessed the house from top to bottom, and especially visited rooms Nos. 1, 3, and 8, and also the library.  He sprinkled the rooms with holy water, and especially the doorway leading to the drawing-room, where noises have so often been heard.  He and the priests had hardly gone when there was a loud bang upon a little table that stands there.  It is an old work-table, a box on tall, slender legs, and the sound could easily be imitated by lifting the lid and letting it fall smartly, but I saw no movement—­not that I was watching it at the moment.  The bishop and priests returned, and the ceremony was repeated, after which the bang again occurred, but much more faintly.

   The three clergy left this afternoon.  Miss Moore and I are now
   alone.

This bang was the last phenomenon of an abnormal kind during this tenancy.  Miss Moore and Miss Freer stayed in the house another week without anything further occurring either to themselves, their guests, or the servants.

During that time, they received six more guests:  Miss C——­, Miss “Etienne,” with her brother, a lawyer, and three other visitors, with whom Miss Freer had no previous acquaintance, but who received an invitation under the following special conditions, not being, as were other guests, personal friends, or, in one or two instances, accompanying personal friends by whom they were introduced, and at whose request they were invited.

Sir William Huggins had some time before written to Lord Bute to beg him to obtain admission to the house for Sir James Crichton Browne, who is, of course, well known as a physician of great eminence, and in especial as an expert in psychology, and whom Sir William stated to be deeply interested in phenomena such as those observed at B——.

Lord Bute accordingly wrote to Miss Freer, who wrote to Sir James.  He did not immediately reply, which surprised her, after so earnest a request, and because admission to the house for the purpose of such observations was a mark of confidence, which as a hostess she was very chary of giving, and which would never have been extended to him, notwithstanding his scientific eminence, had it not been for the intercession of Sir William Huggins and Lord Bute, through whom he had sought it.