uriously cold sensation. I stood
by the fire, which was burning brightly, and shivered to an extent
that was quite phenomenal; the fire did not in the least remove the
cold shudderings which ran from head to feet.

"I threw the feeling off as best I could, but not entirely. I read a
little and then prayed. I read the office of compline and my private
prayers, and praying according to my custom for all faithful departed,
and especially for those who had previously lived in the house or been
connected with it. After this I looked at my watch; it was just upon
one o'clock, and I sat for a few minutes in the chair by the fire,
when I heard the noise described, behind me.

"I changed my position and placed the chair with its back to a table
and facing the door, the candle on the table, and took a book and
read; my shuddering sensations had been worse than ever. Suddenly I
looked up, and above the bed, _apparently_ on the wall, I got just a
glimpse (like a flash) of a brown wood crucifix: the wall was quite
bare, not a picture, nothing to make it explainable by imperfect light
or reflection. From that time the sensation of cold and shuddering
went away: I don't say immediately, but I was quite conscious of being
reassured.

"About half-an-hour afterwards all feeling of distress of any sort had
gone. I went to bed and to sleep. My own idea now is, that the sound I
heard was an inarticulate cry for help, probably by means of prayer.
The influence I feel was _bad_, but something overcame it."

It is desirable to add, as a question of evidence, for comparison of
the dates of this and Miss Freer's subsequent account of the same
phenomenon, that a letter from Mr. "Q." in Lord Bute's possession,
dated March 16th, begins, "I have no objection to Miss Freer seeing my
letter on the subject of the crucifix...."

Mr. "Q." also states that his delay in writing to Lord Bute about the
crucifix was, that he thought it might be a mental reproduction of one
which he sometimes sees in his own home, but that he found on
examining the latter that it has a white figure, whereas that of the
apparition has the figure of the same brown wood as the cross. In the
private account above referred to Mr. "Q" writes, "I found that the
crucifix at home _in no way_ resembles what I saw at B----". It will
be remarked that this peculiar apparition was seen in the same room by
the Rev. P. H---- in August 1892 (see p. 17), and it was again seen on
March 6th