February 10th, Wednesday.—Mrs. W—— arrived this morning from London; also Miss Langton, who is "sensitive," but wholly inexperienced. In the evening, at 6 p.m., Colonel Taylor arrived. He is in No. 8.
Miss Moore and I moved back into No. 1, and moved Mr. F—— into No. 3, the room reported (by the H——s) as specially haunted, where Colonel A—— and Major B—— had slept, and in our time Mr. L—— F——, who left last night.
The wing is now ready for habitation, except that the pipes are out of order, and the "set-basins" useless, also the bath. (N.B.—The fact that the pipes are all out of working order, and not a drop of hot water is to be had except in the kitchen, does away with a theory, which has been rather emphatically put forward, that "it is all the hot-water pipes.")
We are anxious to test the wing. Only one story, Miss "B——'s," is connected with it, and if there has been any practical joking anywhere, I personally incline to think that was the occasion. The wing is new, built, they say, in 1883, and the "ghost" showed human intelligence in selection of doors and victims. (After my return to London I had a conversation with Mrs. G——, which convinced me that I was mistaken in supposing that tricks had been played upon Miss "B——." [See p. 71.])
An old woman in the village asked Miss Moore to-day with interest, "Hoo'll ye be liking B——?" She spoke of the hauntings, and her husband insisted (the Highlander always begins that way) that there were not any, and so on, and the old woman explained that it was just the young gentlemen last year that was having a lark. Later she admitted, "There's nae ghaists at B——, but the old Major" (who died about twenty years ago); "he'd just be saying to Gracie if she didn't do as she was told, that he'd be coming back and belay the decks" (cf. p. 136).
P.S.—Monday 15th.—In the kirkyard to-day at L—— we were shown the Major's grave. It is one of three, inclosed by a rough stone wall. They have no headstones, and seem quite uncared for. One is, we are informed, that of his housekeeper, Sarah N——. The other is said to be that of a black man-servant.
Last night we slept as follows:—
| Room | 1 and 2. Myself and Miss Moore. |
| " | 3. Mr. F——. |
| " | 4. Miss Langton. |
| " | 5. Mrs. W——. |
| " | 6 and 7. Empty. |
| " | 8. Colonel Taylor. |
Miss Moore lay awake nearly the whole night. She heard, though in less degree, the old noises; and in the early morning (compare our first night) heard the sound of women's voices talking. When I awoke, about 6 a.m., she told me she had been disturbed, and said she feared that the others had also, as she had heard Mrs. W—— talking in Miss Langton's room.
At breakfast Mrs. W—— reported that she had been awakened by knockings, but had never moved. Miss Langton had heard nothing.