common to such marauders, the air and movements of the man whom she had
seen entirely corresponded. And on hearing her perfectly distinct and
consistent account, I could myself arrive at no other conclusion than
that a stranger had actually got into the house. I had, therefore, in
the first instance, a most careful examination made to discover any
traces of an entrance having been made by any window into the house. The
doors had been found barred and locked as usual; but no sign of any
thing of the sort was discernible. I then had the various
articles--plate, wearing apparel, books, &c., counted; and after having
conned over and reckoned up every thing, it became quite clear that
nothing whatever had been removed from the house, nor was there the
slightest indication of any thing having been so much as disturbed
there. I must here state that this child was remarkably clear,
intelligent, and observant; and that her description of the man, and of
all that had occurred, was most exact, and as detailed as the want of
perfect light rendered possible.

I felt assured that an entrance had actually been effected into the
house, though for what purpose was not easily to be conjectured. The
man, Smith, was equally confident upon this point; and his theory was
that the object was simply to frighten us out of the house by making us
believe it haunted; and he was more than ever anxious and on the alert
to discover the conspirators. It often since appeared to me odd. Every
year, indeed, more odd, as this cumulative case of the marvellous
becomes to my mind more and more inexplicable--that underlying my sense
of mystery and puzzle, was all along the quiet assumption that all these
occurrences were one way or another referable to natural causes. I could
not account for them, indeed, myself; but during the whole period I
inhabited that house, I never once felt, though much alone, and often up
very late at night, any of those tremors and thrills which every one has