THE HOUSE IN R- – GARDENS.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1518, 5 February 1886, Page 3

THE HOUSE IN R- - GARDENS.

" I am glad you like thiß house," said Mr, A. to his friend, Mr. B. one day atter diimer.Mr. B. then said—" You have often promised to tell me the story about it, but how such a new house, built in one of the best squares in the new part of South Kensington, could be hauuted, is to me a mystery." " Well," said A., "No time like the present. About five years ago I was working hard at the law, and had got some work to do. I married, aud my wife decided to look after a house. We liked South Kensington, but all the houses seemed too expensive. I t-aw one day au advertisement in the Times of a house for sale. I went to see it; my wife liked it, and we bought it very cheaply. As there were some things to be done, and we had to give up our old house before we could get into the new one, my wife went down to her relations at Edinburgh, and I furnished a small back room, and engaged an old lady to take charge of the house.

" One night I had dined at my club, and proposed to spend four or five hours enjoying my tea and a stiffish brief. 1 was sitting near the door, there being, as you see, no other, with chairs and tables in the different corners of the room. Suddenly looking ! up, I found just in front of my table a young woman wih light hair hanging down, her hands and irms pressed across her breast. Such a look of agony was in her face and eyes as quite spell-bound me. She passed away, and I rang for my old lady. ; " ' Lawk, master, how pale you look ! j Oh, you have seen the young woman ? j She only comes in this room ; but she (frightens folk a plenty. 1 will get j another room reary to-morrow." '"On no account,' I replied. 'I j have made up my mind if she comes back to-morrow to question her.' 4 1 then saw to the fastening of the doors, and went to bed, but could not oleep ; and as I lay rhinking I remembered that when I went to call upon our selected tradesmen they bad all looked curiously when I mentioned the house. At last I had said to one of the very well-to-do tradesmen: " 4 Why do you look odd at me at the mention of the house ?' " He replied : " 1 1 know nothing of it myself, but no family remains in it long.' "' Oh,' replied I, 4 drains, or water, or pipes. I will have them looked to.' " Pipes and drains! I think there is something more than that.V

" la the morning I had breakfast in the room overlooking the garden, and a more unlikely room or House to be haunted I never saw. That night after dinner, I watched and watched and watched, and nothing came. But when I had quite given up the idea, and was again absorbed in my brief, on looking up I saw the woman again. This time I spoke. "' Who are you, and what want

you ?' " The figure glided out of the room. I followed, and the old woman behiud me. The figure went down those three stairs, and passed through the door. The old woman unlocked and opened it.

" The figure was there, passed out of the yard into the garden, and disappeared at a certain spot. I put my handkerchief at once on the spot, and found two or three bricks, which I placed to mark it.

" The next day I got two or three men with spades, and they dug round the spot. About four feet down we came to a hard road, and trying about, found a soft place where the earth had been opened at some time. Continuing there, we came upon a skeleton with a stake driven through it. " On showing the bones to Dr. B—he pronounced them those of a female. Evidently she had committed suicide, and had been buried in the cross roads, with the stake driven through her, as was once the custom.

" I have never been able to find anything out about her. She has never returned, and I have reason to be grateful to her, for by her help, I have made a good bargain in buying my house very cheap."