In the same way there was one expected sound which never occurred, though frequent in the experience of earlier witnesses—­that of the rustling of a silk dress, suggesting to the mind of the hearer the idea of some one who, either in fact or in thought, had worn such a garment.

Tactile. The most important of these were the experiences of Miss “N.” on the night of March 3rd, and of Miss “Duff” on the night of March 22nd, both in No. 3; and of a maid, Lizzie, on the night of March 23rd, in the room above No. 3, on the attic storey, who all testified to the sensation of the moving of the bed, or the handling of the bed-clothes.  These were the only occasions during Colonel Taylor’s tenancy, but the phenomenon is one often testified to by earlier witnesses, both during the H——­s’ tenancy and that of the family of the late Mr. S——.

It presents a peculiar difficulty in the way of the theory that all the phenomena at B——­ were subjective hallucinations, and this is especially the case with regard to the evidence of a witness who has not been brought forward in the preceding pages, but whose account of a similar experience is reported by two first-hand witnesses.  On one occasion he had the whole of the upper bed-clothes lifted from off him and thrown upon the floor, while a pile of wearing apparel, which was laid on a chair beside the bed, was thrown in his face.

It is of course conceivable that the whole of these experiences, including the last, were the result of an hallucination; but on the other hand, it would be very unwise, in the present state of our ignorance on the subject, to dogmatise as to the possible action of unseen forces upon what is commonly called matter.  It is interesting to note that this senseless and childish trick coincides with what was said by Miss A——­ as to the presence of mischievous elementals, and also what she says as to apports.[I]

1.  The sensation of the movement of the bed itself, whether as being rocked, as in the experience of Miss “Duff” on March 22nd, and of Miss Langton on several occasions, and by guests of the H——­ family, or of being lifted up, as in that of the maid Lizzie, is a phenomenon by no means uncommon, and if objective is of the nature of levitation; but we have unfortunately no evidence from a second person observing the phenomenon from outside.  Whether it were actually moved it is impossible to say, but the sensation seems to have been more than subjective.

2.  The sensation of struggling with something unseen, described by Miss “Duff,” March 22nd, and of the sensation of an incumbent weight, as described by Miss “Duff” (same date) and Miss “N.” on March 2nd.  This coincides with the arrest of his hand experienced by Harold Sanders.  These phenomena adapt themselves to the theory of subjectivity more easily than the foregoing, because they more closely resemble those of nightmare (familiar to most persons), although they occurred while the witnesses were awake.