We left our residence in the Rue du Palais Tallien to go to a house I had bought in the Rue Malbec, No. 116.
It was a detached house surrounded by a garden; it contained two bedrooms, a sitting-room, and a vestibule which served as a dining-room.
In order to make my recital intelligible, I am obliged to give a few details about the furniture and its arrangement.
A night-table separated my bed from the fireplace. Above the table was a holy-water fount; above the latter an oil painting representing the Virgin; finally, near the ceiling, the statuette on its bracket.
To the left of the night-table, in the recess beside the chimney, there was a panoply composed of swords and sabres.
When we were settled, Madame Vergniat again visited Périgord. It was during her absence that the first manifestation took place, but I attached no great importance to it.
Here are the circumstances under which the phenomenon occurred.
I was awakened in the night by the sound of a violent blow as of some one hammering at the front door. I promptly lit the candle, and looked at the time; it was one o’clock.
This visit was not of a reassuring nature, for, to be able to knock at the front door at this hour of the night, it was necessary to leap over the gate, which, securely closed, barred access to the house.