d they indicate their fear of it by the most
dismal howling. In my opinion there is very little doubt that dogs
actually see some kind of phantasm that, knowing when death is about to
take place, visits the house of the doomed and stands beside his, or
her, couch. I have had this phantasm described to me, by those who
declare they have seen it, as a very tall, hooded figure, clad in a
dark, loose, flowing costume--its face never discernible. It would, of
course, be foolish to say that a dog howling in a house is invariably
the sign of death; there are many other and obvious causes which produce
something of a similar effect; but I think one may be pretty well
assured that, when the howling is accompanied by unmistakable signs of
terror, then someone, either in the house at the time, or connected
with someone in the house, will shortly die.

_Dogs in Haunted Houses_

When I investigate a haunted house, I generally take a dog with me,
because experience has taught me that a dog seldom fails to give notice,
in some way or another--either by whining, or growling, or crouching
shivering at one's feet, or springing on one's lap and trying to bury
its head in one's coat--of the proximity of a ghost. I had a dog with
me, when ghost-hunting, not so very long ago, in a well-known haunted
house in Gloucestershire. The dog--my only companion--and I sat on the
staircase leading from the hall to the first floor. Just about two
o'clock the dog gave a loud growl. I put my hand out and found it was
shivering from head to foot. Almost directly afterwards I heard the loud
clatter of fire-irons from somewhere away in the basement, a door
banged, and then something, or someone, began to ascend the stairs. Up,
up, up came the footsteps, until I could see--first of all a bluish
light, then the top of a head, then a face, white and luminous, staring
up at me. A few more steps, and the whole thing was disclosed to view.
It was the figure of a girl of about sixteen, with a shock head of red
hair, on which was stuck, all awry, a dirty little, old-fashioned
servant's cap. She was clad in a cotton dress, soiled and bedraggled,
and had on her feet a pair of elastic-sided boots, that looked as if
they would fall to pieces each step she took. But it was her face that
riveted my attention most. It was startlingly white and full of an
expression of the most hopeless misery. The eyes, wide open and glassy,
were turned direct on mine. I was too appalle