A STRANGE EXPERIENCE 383 



of the widow of a descendant (through severa 

 heiresses) of the old feudal lords : here it was we 

 found a rest for the soles of our feet. 



Madame de lived almost alone in the old 



place with her daughter, a woman of nearly forty. 

 They kept but one servant, though there were cows 

 and pigs to look after, besides the housework. It 

 would be unnecessary for me to give a full account 

 of the whole chateau; but in order that the reader 

 may thoroughly picture to himself the scene of the 

 extraordinary and inexplicable occurrences I am about 

 to relate, it is necessary that I should describe at 

 some length the locale in which the ghost appeared — 

 or rather did not ; but I must not anticipate. 



The apartment, then, which we rented from Madame 



de was situate at the southern end of the old 



building, and, on the ground floor, was entirely de- 

 tached therefrom. It was entered from the court- 

 yard by a door exactly opposite that of the main 

 chateau. Entering this you had one door in front 

 of you and one on each hand. The former opened 

 on the winding stone stairs, the right-hand one 

 into the kitchen, and the other into the dining- 

 room. Through the dining - room you reached a 

 little drawing-room which, however, contained no 

 stove, and was therefore useless in winter. Ascend- 

 ing the stairs one reached a building similar in plan, 

 with this difference — that the space above the 

 dining - room was divided. Two - thirds formed the 

 bedroom, and from this opened a sort of lobby with 

 several store closets, and a door (always locked, of 

 course) communicating with the main building. Out- 

 side this was the landing, with steps leading into 

 one of the huge lofts common on the Continent, 



