there was a great crash in the room just
when the parish minister was saying grace, and that many of the
people from outside noticed it, and "they just looked at each
other." I was myself in the room, but as we had just had a very
physical and commonplace disturbance--the arrival of an
uninvited and intoxicated guest, of which the other people did
not know as I did--I was preoccupied at the moment.

Mass this morning in the drawing-room.

_May 6th._--Madame Boisseaux has had to go suddenly; there has
been terrible news for her of this Paris fire. She came into my
room very early with her telegram (arrived too late for delivery
last night). I did not like to worry her with questions,
overwhelmed as she was, but she said her room "resounded with
knocks."

There was Mass said in the ground-floor sitting-room this
morning, and as I knelt facing the window I saw Ishbel with the
grey woman, nearer the house than ever before. She looked
pensive, but, as compared with last time, much relieved.

This is the last time the figures were seen. The following details are
quoted from a letter written by Miss Freer to Lord Bute on this day:
"Mass was said this morning in the downstairs room, the altar arranged
in front of the window, so that, as we knelt, we faced the garden.
Poor Madame Boisseaux was dressed for travelling, and in much
agitation. As the carriage which was to take her to the station was
expected at any moment, I suggested that she and I should remain
upstairs, but she said she should like to be there, if only for a few
minutes, the more that the 'intention' was to be partly for those who
had suffered in the fire, and for their sorrowing friends. She and I,
therefore, knelt close to the door, keeping it slightly ajar, so as to
be able to obey a summons at any moment.

"Suddenly she touched my arm, and directed my attention to the window.
There I saw a figure standing outside, which--so slow-sighted am I--I
took for the moment for Madame's maid, and thought she had come to
call our attention through the window--a long 'French' one, opening
out on to the lawn--as less likely to disturb the service. I was
starting up when I perceived that the figure was 'Ishbel'--the black
gown, like that worn by the maid, had misled me for the moment.
'Marget' seemed to hover in the background, but she was much less
distinct than the other. A minute later we were called away.

"Th