*:T. 22.] A GHOST STORY. 205 



tendency to believe in the marvellous naturally pro- 

 duced the statement that the moment of the death 

 had exactly corresponded with the time as predicted 

 in the dream. The story was told with corroborating 

 circumstances one of which was, the attempt to 

 cheat the ghost by altering the hour on the clock ; 

 and the tale obtained a surprising degree of credit, 

 considering the unsubstantial foundation on which it 

 really rested. 



On all such subjects my father was very sceptical. 

 He was very fond of telling a story in which he had 

 been an actor, and, as he used to say, in which his 

 unbelieving obstinacy had been the means of demol- 

 ishing what would have made a very pretty ghost 

 story. 



He had dined one day in Dean's Yard, Westminster, 

 with a party of young men, one of whom was his 

 intimate friend, Mr Calmel. There was some talk 

 about the death of a Mrs Nightingale, who had re- 

 cently died under some melancholy circumstances, 

 and had been that day buried in the Abbey. Some 

 one of the party offered to bet that no one of those 

 present would go down into the grave and drive a 

 nail into the coffin. 



Calmel accepted the wager, only stipulating that 

 he might have a lanthorn. He was accordingly let 

 into the cathedral by a door out of the cloisters, and 

 then left to himself. The dinner-party, after waiting 

 an hour or more for Calmel, began to think something 

 must have happened to him, and that he ought to be 



