were
so old that, among other rooms, we were shown the one occupied by King
Edward I on his march against Scotland in the year 1296, when the
Scottish regalia was captured, and the celebrated Crowning-Stone was
brought to England and placed in Westminster Abbey, where it has ever
since remained--a stone having an occult relation to the history of the
British and American peoples of the highest interest to both, but as
there is already an extensive literature on this subject I will not
enter upon it here.

I will now relate another curious experience. We had only recently
taken up our residence at Norwood, when one day I was seated in the
dining-room, but suddenly found myself in the hall, and saw two ladies
going up the stairs. They passed close to me, and turning round the
landing at the top of the stairs passed out of sight in a perfectly
natural manner. They looked as solid as any one I have ever seen in my
life. One of them was a stout lady with a rather florid complexion,
apparently between forty-five and fifty, wearing a silk blouse with thin
purple and white stripes. Leaning on her arm was a slightly-built old
lady with white ringlets, dressed all in black and wearing a lace
mantilla. I noticed their appearance particularly. The next moment I
found I was really sitting in the dining-room, and that the ladies I had
seen were nothing but visionary figures. I wondered what it could mean,
but as we had only recently taken the house, thought it better not to
mention it to any of my family, for fear of causing them alarm. But a
few days later I mentioned it to a Mrs. F. who I knew had had some
experience in such matters, and she said: "You have seen either some one
who has lived in the house or who is going to live there." Then the
matter dropped.

About a month later my wife arranged by correspondence for a certain
Miss B. to come as governess to our children. When she arrived there was
no mistaking her identity. She was the stout lady I had seen, and the
next morning she came down to breakfast dressed in the identical blouse
with purple and white stripes. There was no mistaking her, but I was
puzzled as to who the other figure could be whom I had seen along with
her. I resolved, however, to say nothing about the matter until we
became better acquainted, lest she should think that my mind was not
quite balanced. I therefore held my peace for six months, at the end of
which time I concluded that we knew enough of eac