poured volumes of smoke into the rooms and nearly choked him. Night
after night the windows of his bedroom were smashed; cats were let
down the chimney; his water-butts were found filled with mud, and the
cord of the bucket of his well was cut time after time; the flowers
in his garden were dug up and put in topsy-turvy. He himself could not
stir out after dark without being tripped up by strings fastened a
few inches above the path; and once, coming out of his door, a string
fastened from scraper to scraper brought him down the steps with such
violence that the bridge of his nose, which came on the edge of a
step, was broken, and he was confined to his bed for three or four
days. In vain he tried every means to discover and punish the authors
of these provocations. A savage dog, the terror of the neighborhood,
was borrowed and chained up in the garden, but was found poisoned next
morning.

Watchmen were hired, but refused to stay for more than one night, for
they were so harassed and wearied out that they came to the conclusion
that they were haunted. If they were on one side of the house a voice
would be heard on the other. After the first few attempts, they no
longer dared venture to run, for between each round strings were tied
in every direction, and they had several heavy falls, while as they
were carefully picking their way with their lanterns, stones struck
them from all quarters. If one ventured for a moment from the other's
side his lantern was knocked out, and his feet were struck from under
him with a sharp and unexpected blow from a heavy cudgel; and they
were once appalled by seeing a gigantic figure stalk across the grass,
and vanish in a little bush.

At the commencement of these trials the schoolmaster had questioned
the boys, one by one, if they had any hand in the proceeding.