earth, and, pointing downward with a violent motion of
the index finger of its right hand, suddenly vanished. A great feeling
of relief now came over me, and, yielding to a reaction which was the
inevitable consequence of such a severe nervous strain, I reeled
against the window-sill and shook with laughter.

Equanimity at length reasserting itself, I carefully marked the spot
on the floor, indicated by the apparition, and descending into the
basement to fetch Scott, made hurried tracks to my friends' house,
where I was allowed to sleep on till late in the day. I then returned
to the haunted house with the landlord, and my friend, and, on raising
the boarding in the garret, we discovered a stamped and addressed
envelope.

As the result of our combined inquiries, we learned that a few years
previously the house had been occupied by some tradespeople of the
name of Piblington, who, some six or seven months before they left
the house, had had in their employment a servant named Anna Webb.
This servant, the description of whose person corresponded in every
way with the ghost I had seen, had been suspected of stealing a letter
containing money, and had hanged herself in the cellar.

The letter, I gathered, with several others, had been given to Anna to
post by Mrs. Piblington, and as no reply to the one containing money
was received, Anna was closely questioned. Naturally nervous and
highly strung, the inquisition confused her terribly, and her
embarrassment being construed into guilt, she was threatened with
prosecution. "As a proof of my innocence," she scribbled on a piece of
paper, which was produced at the subsequent inquest, "I am going to
hang myself. I never stole your letter, and can only suppose it was
lost in the post."

The mere fact of the accused committing suicide would, in many
people's opinion, point to guilt; and as the postal order was never
traced, it was generally concluded that Anna had secreted it, and had
been only waiting till inquiries ceased, and the affair was forgotten,
to cash it. Of course, the letter I found was the missing one, and
although apparently hidden with intent, the fact of its never having
been opened seemed to suggest that Anna was innocent, and that the
envelope had, by some extraordinary accident, fallen unnoticed by Anna
through the crack between the boards. Anyhow, its discovery put an end
to the disturbances and the apparition of the unfortunate
suicide--whether guilty or