(190) "In giving the following experience. I may premise that as a child, and since, I have comparatively had but little knowledge (as a personal experience) of fear; and in the existence of ghosts I have always disbelieved. Did I ever see or hear sights or sounds for which, on examination, I could not account, I have always come to the conclusion that they arose from natural causes which were beyond my reach of inquiry - hence I always refused to accept anything, without proof, and I may add, that I have rarely been convinced.

"Some 10 years ago, when in India, I contracted a great friendship, which was reciprocated, for a lady, Mrs. Reed, the wife of an officer. She had not been very strong, but when I parted from her with the intention of returning to England, no danger (the word had not even been mentioned) was anticipated, and for some few months after my return I heard from her, bright and cheerful letters enough. In them she certainly spoke of her health not being good, but nothing more. Then after a time her letters ceased, but I heard very regularly from others at the same place, and they mentioned that her health was gradually getting worse, and that she would probably be ordered to England for a thorough change, but still I heard no sound of fatal ending, and I was looking forward to her return with a great degree of pleasure.

"It was my practice not only to go to bed very late, but also for the last half-hour to pick up a book, the most uninteresting and dry that it was possible to find, and so try to soothe the mind. The moment I commenced to really feel sleepy, I would lower the gas to almost a pin's point (for I did not care to extinguish it, as I had a child of 3 sleeping in the same room), and then I could always compose myself comfortably to a sleep into which I could then fall in a very few minutes.

"On the night of September 21st, 1874, I had followed this exact routine. I had put aside my book, lowered the gas, and at a little after midnight I was sound asleep. As I knew afterwards, I must have slept about 3 hours, when I was suddenly aroused (and was, so far as I know, perfectly wide awake) by a violent noise at my door, which was locked. I have some recollection of feeling astonished (of fear I then had none) at seeing or rather hearing within the instant my door thrown violently open, as though by someone in great anger, and I was instantly conscious that someone, something - what shall I call it? - was in the room. • For the hundredth part of a second it seemed to pause just within the room, and then by a movement, which it is impossible for me to describe - but it seemed to move with a rapid push - it was at the foot of my bed. Again a pause; for again the hundredth part of a second, and the figure-shape rose. I heard it, but as it got higher its movements quieted, and presently it was above my bed, lying horizontally, its face downwards, parallel with my face, its feet to my feet, but with a distance of some 3 or 4 feet between us.1 This for a moment, whilst I waited simply in astonishment and curiosity (for I had not the very faintest idea of either who or what it was), but no fear, and then it spoke.

In an instant I recognised the voice, the old familiar imperious way of speaking, as my Christian name sounded clear and full through the room. ' Frances,' it repeated, ' I want you; come with me. Come at once.' My voice responded as instantaneously, 'Yes, I'll come. What need for such a hurry? * and then came a quick imperative reply, 'But you must come at once; come instantly, and without a moment's pause or hesitation.' I seemed to be drawn upwards by some extraordinary magnetic influence, and then just as suddenly and violently thrown down again.

"In one second of time the room was in a deathly stillness, and the words, 'She is dead,' were simply burnt into my mind. I sat up in bed dazed, and now, for the first time, frightened beyond measure. I sat very still for a few moments, gradually making out the different forms in the room, then I turned the gas, which was just above my head, full on, only to see that the room was totally unchanged. At the foot of my bed, at some distance from it, was the child's iron cot. I got up and looked at him; he was sleeping quite peacefully, and had evidently been totally undisturbed. I went to the door, to find it fast locked. I opened it, and gazed into the passage - total silence and stillness everywhere. I went into the next room, where there were sleeping two other children and their nurse, to find equal quietness there. Then I returned to my room, and, I must confess it, with an awful fear oppressing me. She had come once - might she not come again? I wrote down the date and the hour, and then opening shutter and window only looked out for the welcome dawn. "I went down to breakfast that morning, but said nothing of the details of my dream,1 only mentioning that I had had a very bad and a very vivid one.

Afterwards I found I could settle to nothing, and at last was becoming positively so ill that I was obliged to go back to bed. That same afternoon, curiously enough, a sister came to see me, who had been abroad with me, and whilst there had known and liked this same friend. She saw I was much upset about something of which I did not care to speak, and, by way of cheering me up, began telling me news of various mutual friends. At last, during a slight pause, she said, ' By the way, have you heard anything lately of Mrs. Reed? when last I heard she was not very well." Instantly came my reply, ' Oh, she is dead,' and it was only my sister's look of blank horror and astonishment that recalled me to myself. ' What do you mean, when did you hear? ' came from her in rapid utterance, and then I bethought me, how indeed did I hear - who had told me? But tell her the dream I could not, so I merely answered, ' You will see that I am right when you look in the newspapers - how I have heard of it I will tell you some other time,' and directly I changed the conversation.

1 This rather bizarre form of impression has a close parallel in the case of a purely subjective experience, described to me by Mrs. Pirkis, of the High Elms, Nutfield, Surrey, who has never had any other hallucination. She was one night sleeping with her sister - both being in perfect health - when, suddenly waking, she saw a figure kneeling over her sister, "a foot or something less above her, in reversed position, face towards the foot of the bed. It was a beautiful picture. 1 lay watching it, I should say, for about 4 or 5 minutes, till it melted away as I.looked".