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303
The Book of Dreams and Ghosts
·
Andrew Lang
230
"And
how
much
more
terrible
did
it
seem
in
this
little
cottage,
where
all
were
strict
members
of
church,
prayed,
sang
hymns
and
read
the
Bible.
Poor
Mrs.
Teed!"
On
Mr.
Hubbell's
remarking
that
the
cat
was
not
tormented,
"she
was
instantly
lifted
from
the
floor
to
a
height
of
five
feet,
and
then
dropped
on
Esther's
back.
.
.
.
I
never
saw
any
cat
more
frightened;
she
ran
out
into
the
front
yard,
where
she
remained
for
the
balance
(rest)
of
the
day."
On
27th
June
"a
trumpet
was
heard
in
the
house
all
day".
The
Rev.
R.
A.
Temple
now
prayed
with
Esther,
and
tried
a
little
amateur
exorcism,
including
the
use
of
slips
of
paper,
inscribed
with
Habakkuk
ii.
3.
The
ghosts
cared
no
more
than
Voltaire
for
ce
coquin
d'Habacuc.
Things
came
to
such
a
pass,
matches
simply
raining
all
round,
that
Mr.
Teed's
landlord,
a
Mr.
Bliss,
evicted
Esther.
She
went
to
a
Mr.
Van
Amburgh's,
and
Mr.
Teed's
cottage
was
in
peace.
Some
weeks
later
Esther
was
arrested
for
incendiarism
in
a
barn,
was
sentenced
to
four
months'
imprisonment,
but
was
soon
released
in
deference
to
public
opinion.
She
married,
had
a
family;
and
ceased
to
be
a
mystery.
This
story
is
narrated
with
an
amiable
simplicity,
and
is
backed,
more
or
less,
by
extracts
from
Amherst
and
other
local
newspapers.
On
making
inquiries,
I
found
that
opinion
was
divided.
Some
held
that
Esther
was
a
mere
impostor
and
fire-raiser;
from
other
sources
I
obtained
curious
tales
of
the
eccentric
flight
of
objects
in
her
neighbourhood.
It
is
only
certain
that
Esther's
case
is
identical
with
Madame
Shchapoff's,
and
experts
in
hysteria
may
tell
us
whether
that
malady
ever
takes
the
form
of
setting
fire
to
the
patient's
wardrobe,
and
to
things
in
general.
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