44 LETTERS ON NATURAL MAGIC. 



the scenery, improvements, &c., such as he pro- 

 bably should have done had he been present. 

 On this occasion, however, there was no visible 

 apparition. 



7. On the 17th March, Mrs. A. was preparing 

 for bed. She had dismissed her maid, and was 

 sitting with her feet in hot water. Having an 

 excellent memory, she had been thinking upon 

 and repeating to herself a striking passage in the 

 Edinburgh Review, when on raising her eyes, 

 she saw seated in a large easy-chair before her 

 the figure of a deceased friend, the sister of Mr. 

 A. The figure was dressed as had been usual 

 with' her, with great neatness, but in a gown of a 

 peculiar kind, such as Mrs. A. had never seen 

 her wear, but exactly such as had been described 

 to her by a common friend as having been worn 

 by Mr. A/s sister during her last visit to England. 

 Mrs". A. paid particular attention to the dress, 

 air, and appearance of the figure, which sat in an 

 easy attitude in the chair, holding a handkerchief 

 in one 'hand. Mrs. A. tried to speak to it, but 

 experienced a difficulty in doing so ; and in about 

 three minutes the figure disappeared. About a 

 minute afterwards, Mr. A. came into the room, 

 and found Mrs. A. slightly nervous, but fully 

 aware of the delusive nature of the apparition. 

 She described it as having all the vivid colouring 

 and apparent reality of life ; and for some hours 

 preceding this and other visions, she experienced 

 a peculiar sensation in her eyes, which seemed to 

 be relieved when the vision had ceased. 



8. On the 5th October, between one and two 

 o'clock in the morning, Mr. A. was awoke by 

 Mrs. A., who told him that she had just seen the 

 figure of his deceased mother draw aside the bed- 



