Childhood and Boyhood 79 



"I was at home during the Christmas Holidays when an attic was my bedroom. 

 Awaking one morning before daylight, when a faint light came from the street lamps, 

 I saw vaguely, the dark form of a man, standing by my licdside, but saw very clearly 

 the white blurs made by his face and hands, for he was on the side opposite the window. 

 Still it was impossible to be sure of the reality. I was but a small boy, in so great a 

 terror that my tongue refused to artinulate properly, when I tried to speak. Then with 

 a great effort, I sprang out of bed and pushed at the figure. My hand came against the 

 body of a man. Forthwith I pulled the bedclothes over my head, expecting every 

 moment to be stabbed through the counterpane. Thus I lay in agony until the day 

 broke and light coming through the clothes made it seem safe to look out. When I 

 told my story at breakfast, I was laughed to scorn, they said it was a nightmare, but 

 I knew better 1 . The robbery took place a few days later, when I had returned to 

 school and the attic was empty. The thieves gained access through that room, entering 

 through the window from the roof and leaving the dirty marks of the slippers they wore 

 all about the floor. The servants then said that similar marks but fewer of them, hail 

 been seen the morning after my adventure. My conclusion was that the man by my 

 bedside, was a reality and no dream, and that he had entered, it might be merely to 

 prospect the premises, believing that the attic was vacant, more probably that he came 

 with the intention of making the theft, but finding the attic occupied and fearing an 

 alarm, he decamped, to return on another occasion, when assured that the occupant of 

 the room was gone. He doubtless heard through an accomplice servant that no credit 

 had been given to my tale. 



FRANCIS GALTON, Sept. 2, 1898." 



In this robbery at Lansdowne Place Francis lost his watch 2 , and 

 the accompanying letter received March 1, 1834, reminds his mother 

 that a year has sped without a new watch. 



MY DEAREST MATER, 



I now write this letter to you on particular business to remind you of some- 

 thing which although you may have forgotten is still as fresh as possible in my memory 

 which is that a few days after the robbery (the day of which was yesterday) you did, 

 for the purpose of solacing and comforting me on account of the watch, faithfully 

 promise that if that said article was not discovered another exactly similar to that 



1 An almost identical incident occurred to the present writer as a child of nine, 

 except that the man lunatic or sleepwalker was seated on the edge of the bed and 

 visible in the moonlight that fell on him from the open window. I recollect keenly to 

 this day, the effort to test the reality and the solidity of the man, then the hours of 

 torture under the bed-clothes, to be told it was a nightmare, but I too knew better, 

 though no demonstration of its reality ever came to justify me! 



2 In the police advertisement : 50 Reward, Robbery of Jewels etc., February 23, 

 1833, we read among other things: "a small silver French Hunting Watch, supposed 

 to have F. G. engraved upon the Back." It is probable that this watfch was a present 

 from Francis' grandfather Samuel, from whom a nice letter is still extant to his son 

 Tertius ; this letter covered a draft to purchase watches for the grandchildren. 



