I received the following account from the ladies concerned after a personal interview with one of them on February 27th, 1889, in the course of which I examined the scene of the apparition, the landing of a moderate-sized London house. The landing, though narrow, is well lighted, and it seems impossible that the appearance could have been a real person. The first experience, it will be seen, is a collective hallucination, of a type discussed in the preceding chapter.
No. 94.—From Mrs. Knott.
"LONDON, S.W.,
March 5th, 1889.
"The incident I relate occurred at this address early in February 1889. I have lived in this house four years, and constantly felt another presence was in the drawing-room besides myself, but never saw any form until last month. My cousin Mrs. R. and myself returned from a walk at 1.30 P.M. The front door was opened for us by my housekeeper, Mrs. E. I passed upstairs before my cousin, and on turning to my bedroom, the door of which is beside the drawing-room door [i.e., at right angles to it], I saw, as I thought, Mrs. E. go into the drawing-room. I put a parcel into my room and then followed her to give some order, and found the room empty! My cousin was going up the second flight of stairs to her room, and I called out, 'Did you open the drawing-room door as you passed?' 'No,' she replied, 'Mrs. E. has gone in.' Mrs. R. had seen the figure more distinctly than I; it seemed to pass her at the top of the stairs, and she thought, 'How quietly Mrs. E. moves! "I inquired of Mrs. E. what she did after opening the door for us, and she said, 'Went to the kitchen to hasten luncheon, as you were in a hurry for it.' The day was bright, and there is nothing on the stairs that could cast a shadow. I quite hope some day I may see the face of the figure."
From MRS. R., Malpas, Cheshire.
"March 1st, 1889.
"In answer to your letter on the subject of the figure seen at C. Terrace, Mrs. K. and I had just come in at about half-past one o'clock. Mrs. E. (the housekeeper) had opened the door. We went upstairs, and on the first landing are two rooms, one the drawing-room, the other Mrs. K.'s bedroom. She went into her room while I stood a minute or two talking to her. Just as I turned to go up the next flight of stairs I thought I saw Mrs. E. pass me quickly and go into the drawing-room. Beyond seeing a slight figure in a dark dress I saw nothing more, for I did not look at it, but just saw it pass me. Before I got upstairs Mrs. K. called out, 'Did you leave the drawing-room door open?' I answered, 'I did not go in; I saw Mrs. E. go in.' Mrs. K. answered, 'There is nobody there.' We asked Mrs. E. if she had been up; she, on the contrary, had gone straight down. Also, as she said, she would not have passed me on the landing, but have waited until I had gone upstairs; and as it struck me afterwards, she could not have passed me on such a small landing without touching me, but I never noticed that at the time. I do not know if a thought ever embodies itself, but my idea was, and is, that as Mrs. E. ran downstairs her thought went up, wondering if the drawing-room fire was burning brightly. The figure I saw went into the room as if it had a purpose of some sort. I have never seen anything of the sort before."
In a later letter Mrs. R. adds:—