in the Room, which great Secret in Nature, that you may more fully be
convinc'd of its imaginary Reality, I must tell you the following Story
which I saw in a Letter directed to a particular Friend, take it Word
for Word as in the Letter; because I do not make my self accountable for
the Facts, but take them _ad referendum_.

SIR,

We had one Day, very early in the Morning, and for the most Part of the
Day a great deal of Rain with a high Wind, and the Clouds very thick and
dark all Day.

In the Evening the cloudy thick Weather continued, tho' not the Rain,
when being at a Friend's House in ---- Lane _London_, and several Ladies
and some Gentlemen in the Room, besides two or three Servants (for we
had been eating) the following Interlude happen'd for our Entertainment:
When the Cloth was taken away, two large Candles were brought upon the
Table and plac'd there with some Bottles and Glasses for the Gentlemen,
who, it seems, were intending to drink and be very merry; two large
Wax-Candles were also set on another Table, the Ladies being going to
Cards, also there were two large Candles in Sconces over or near the
Chimney, and one more in a Looking-Glass Sconce, on a Peer by the
Window.

With all this _Apparatus_, the Company separating sat down, the
Gentlemen at their Table, and the Ladies at theirs, to play _as above_;
when after some time the Gentleman of the House said hastily to a
Servant, _what a P---- ails the Candles_? and turning to the Servant
raps out an Oath or two, and bids him snuff the Candles, for they burnt
as if the Devil was in the Room.

The Fellow going to snuff one of the Candles, snuffs it out, at which
his Master being in a Passion the Fellow lights it again immediately at
the other Candle, and then being in a little hurry, going to snuff the
other Candle snuffed that out too.

The first Candle that was relighted (as is usual in such Cases) burn'd
dim and dull for a good while, and the other being out, the Room was
much darker than before, and a Wench that stood by the Ladies Table,
bawls out to her Mistress, _Law Madam!_ the Candles _burn blue_; an old
Lady that sat by says, _ay Betty!_ so they do; upon this one of the
Ladies starts up, _Mercy upon us_, says she, _what is the Matter!_ In
this unlucky Moment another Servant, without Orders, went to the great
Peer Sconce, and because, _as he thought_, he would be sure to snuff the
Candle well, he offers to take it down, but very unhappily,