edroom to the buttery, then down the cellar stairs,
traversing the cellar for a short time and then suddenly stopping. They
were all very much frightened and got up to fasten the doors and
windows, but were scarcely able to sleep the remainder of the night.

About a week after the visit of the pedlar to the house, Lucretia having
occasion to go down into the cellar, stumbled and fell into a hole
filled with soft soil, this somewhat frightened her and caused her to
scream for assistance. Mrs. Bell coming to her rescue, Lucretia asked
what Mr. Bell had been doing in the cellar that it was all "dug up."
Mrs. Bell replied that "the holes were only rat holes," and a few nights
afterwards Lucretia observed that Mr. Bell was busy for some time in the
cellar filling up the "rat holes" with earth which he carried there
himself.

During the remainder of the period in which the house was occupied by
the Bell family, the sounds continued to be heard, not only by Lucretia
but by Mrs. Bell. Lucretia's mother, Mrs. Pulver, was a frequent
visitor at the house, and on one occasion in particular, after the
foregoing events, when she called upon Mrs. Bell, she found the latter
quite ill from want of rest, and on enquiring the cause, Mrs. Bell
declared she was "sick of her life," and that she frequently "heard the
footsteps of a man traversing the house all night."

CHAPTER II.

A few months after these events happened the Bells left the
neighbourhood, and the house became tenanted by a Mr. and Mrs. Weekman,
who lived there about eighteen months, and left in the year 1847. Mr.
Weekman's statement respecting the noises he heard was to the effect
that one evening when he was about to retire for the night, he heard a
rapping on the outside door, and, what was rather unusual for him,
instead of familiarly bidding them "come in," stepped to the door and
opened it. He had no doubt of finding some one who wished to come in,
but to his surprise found no one there. He stepped out and looked
around, supposing that some person was imposing on him, he could
discover no one, and went back into the house. After a short time he
heard the rapping again, and stepped up and held on to the latch, so
that he might ascertain if any one had taken that means to annoy him.
The rapping was repeated, the door opened instantly, but no one was in
sight. Mr. Weekman states that he could feel the jar of the door very
plainly when the rapping was heard. As h