645 C. Taken from Phantasms of the Living, vol. ii. p. 91. The account comes from Captain A. S. Beaumont, of 1 Crescent Road, South Norwood Park: -

February 24th, 1885.

About September 1873, when my father was living at 57 Inverness Terrace, I was sitting one evening, about 8.30 p.m., in the large dining-room. At the table, facing me, with their backs to the door, were seated my mother, sister, and a friend, Mrs. W. Suddenly I seemed to see my wife bustling in through the door of the back dining-room, which was in view from my position. She was in a mauve dress. I got up to meet her, though much astonished, as I believed her to be at Tenby. As I rose, my mother said, "Who is that ?" not (I think) seeing any one herself, but seeing that I did. I exclaimed, "Why, it's Carry," and advanced to meet her. As I advanced the figure disappeared. On inquiry, I found that my wife was spending that evening at a friend's house, in a mauve dress, which I had most certainly never seen. I had never seen her dressed in that colour. My wife recollected that at that time she was talking with some friends about me, much regretting my absence, as there was going to be dancing, and I had promised to play for them.

I had been unexpectedly detained in London. Alex. S. Beaumont.

The following corroboration is from the friend who was present: -

11 Grosvenor Street, W., March 5th, 1885.

As far as I can recollect, Captain Beaumont was sitting talking, when he looked up, and gave a start. His mother asked him what was the matter. He replied. "I saw my wife walk across the end of the room, but that is nothing; she often appears to people; her servants have seen her several times." The room we were in was a double dining-room, one end was lit with gas, and the teacher, Miss Mary Lock; suddenly I found myself by her side, and looking towards the class saw myself distinctly - a slim, pale girl, in a white frock and pinafore. I felt a strong anxiety to get back, as it were, but it seemed a violent and painful effort, almost struggle, when accomplished. I was much frightened, but did not mention it till many years after".

I may mention that Mrs. Stonés daughter has had a similar experience; so that here is perhaps another example of hereditary tendency.

650 A P P E N D I C E S [645 C other, where Mrs. Beaumont appeared, was comparatively dark. No one else saw her except her husband. Mrs. Beaumont was at the time in Wales, and this happened in Inverness Terrace, Bayswater. Florence Whipham.

Mrs. Beaumont says: -

I distinctly remember hearing from my husband, either the next day or the second day after his experience; and in his letter he asked, "What were you doing at such an hour on such a night ?" I was able to recall that I was standing in a group of friends, and that we were regretting his absence. I was in a mauve dress, which I am confident that he could never have seen. .

C. Beaumont.

Captain Beaumont adds that he has never had any other hallucination of the senses except on the occasion next described. This other case, in which the same agent and percipient were concerned, and a third case appended to it, would be quite without evidential value if they stood alone; but they are of interest in connection with the foregoing stronger example.

February 24th, 1885.

In 1871 I was staying at Norton House, Tenby, for the first time, and had just gone to bed, and was wide awake. I had the candle on my right side, and was reading. At the foot of the bed and to the right was a door, which was locked, and, as I learnt afterwards, pasted up on the other side.

Through this I saw the figure of my future wife (the lady of the house) enter, draped in white from head to foot. Oddly enough, I was not specially startled. My idea was that some one was ill, and that she had come to get something out of the room. I averted my head, and when I looked up again the apparition was gone. I suppose that I saw it for two or three seconds.

Alex. S. Beaumont.

Mrs. Beaumont says: -

February 24th, 1885.

In 1872, two or three months after my marriage, Captain Beaumont and I returned from London to Tenby. I went up into my dressing-room and gave the keys of my luggage to my servant, Ellen Bassett. I was standing before the looking-glass with my back turned to her, and I heard her utter a little sharp cry. I turned round, saying, "What's the matter?" and saw her with my nightcap in her hand. She said, "Oh, nothing, nothing," and I went downstairs. The day after, my husband saw her taking off the paper which pasted up the door between my bedroom and the dressing-room. He said, " What are you doing?" She said she was opening that door. He said, "Why, the first night that I slept in this house, I saw your mistress walk through that door." (I must explain that Captain Beaumont had been a guest in this house on a good many occasions before our marriage. On the occasion mentioned, he had imagined that perhaps some one was ill in the house, and that I had entered his room to get something, thinking him sure to be asleep.) Then the maid told him that she had seen me the night before we came home - she did not know exactly what day we were coming, and had been sleeping in the same bed as he had been in when he saw me.

She was just going to step into bed when she saw me enter "through the door," with a nightcap on, and a candle in my hand. She was so terrified that she rushed out of the room by the other door, and told the other servants she was sure I was dead. They comforted her as well as they could, but she would not return to the room. The cause of her crying out, when I heard her do so, was that, in unpacking, she recognised the identical nightcap that the apparition had worn. The curious point is that the nightcap was one that I had bought in London, and had not mentioned to her, and was perfectly unlike any that I had ever worn before. It had three frills. I had been accustomed to wear nightcaps of coloured muslin without frills.

The same servant, some months after the nightcap incident, went into the kitchen and said to the other servants, " We shall have news of missus to-day; I've just seen her standing in the dining-room door; she had on a black velvet bonnet and black cloak." (We had been in London some weeks.) This occurred about 9 o'clock a.m. About 10.30 she received a telegram from us to say we should be home that evening; the telegram was sent from Paddington Station as we waited for our train. The bonnet and cloak had been bought in town without her knowledge.

The maid was with me for years, and was certainly not nervous or hysterical. I have now parted with her for some years. C. Beaumont.