1 4 Transactions. 



state of fear may be imagined. On emerging from the darkness 

 it was seen, however, that the cause of alarm was their own collie 

 dog. T have only been able to hear of one person who declared 

 positively that he had seen this ghost. This man was driving 

 home with his horse and cart when, as he declared to the last, he 

 saw the white lady at tlie head of the horse as it passed through 

 the darkest part of the wood. His terror was very great ; but it 

 may be as well to say that, while liis belief in this tale was 

 genuine, it is none the less true that he was addicted to the free 

 use of " John Barleycorn." It is not for me to say that on this 

 occasion this habit made the appearance of the ghost a little 

 apocryphal. No one seems to know the origin of this lady in 

 white. 



The next ghost of which we hear is one which did not haunt 

 the place in a visible form, but was only audible. The tenant of 

 a farm some little distance from the place where the white lady 

 appeared had fallen into difficulties, and, rather than face his 

 creditors, committed suicide. The deed was viewed with even 

 greater horror than would have been the case at the pi'esent 

 time, and it was difficult to persuade anyone to stay in the house 

 while the remains were in it. Three men living in the neigh- 

 bourhood at last consented, and were sitting in the kitchen, 

 while they kept their vigil, and talking at times of the dead man 

 and his doings, or reviewing the ordinary news of the district. 

 While they were thus occupied a footstep was heard in the 

 passage, and to their horror it sounded like that of the suicide. 

 So struck with fear were they that for a time no one would 

 venture from the kitchen, and meanwhile the footstep seemed to 

 go to the foot of tlie stair leading to the rooms above, and to 

 T-eturn along the passage. At last one of the men, more 

 courageous than the rest, said, " In the strength o' God, I'll gaun 

 up the hoose," and mustering up his courage went along the 

 passage to the I'oom where the corpse lay. He saw and heard 

 nothing on the way, and found the body as it had been left, and 

 without any sign of having been disturbed. For years this 

 '•' uncanny " sound was heard occasionally, to the great alarm of 

 those in the house who thought they heard it. One woman, 

 whose son told me the tale, was in the house alone, her employers 

 and fellow-servants being out when she heard the footstep coming 

 alon"' the passage to the foot of the stair and returning. She 

 appears to have had less timidity than many, for she not only 



