sure by a kind of scratching. The child
was then put into bed along with her sister, and the clergymen examined
the bed and bed-clothes to satisfy themselves that no trick was played, by
knocking upon any substance concealed among the clothes. As on the
previous night, the bed was observed to shake violently.

[Illustration: ROOM IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE IN COCK LANE.[44]]

[44] The woman whose ghost was said to manifest itself in Cock
Lane was buried in the crypt or cloister of St. John,
Clerkenwell. The vault is composed of two aisles, that on the
south being much narrower than the other,--it was here she
was deposited.

About seven years since, I was sketching a picturesque
trefoil-headed door leading into this part of the vault; and
the place being at that time in great confusion with coffins,
remains of bodies, some of which were dried like mummies,
&c., I could find no better seat than one of the coffins. The
sexton's boy, who held my light, informed me this was the
coffin of _Scratching Fanny_, which recalled the Cock Lane
story to my mind. I got off the lid of the coffin, and saw
the face of a handsome woman, with an aquiline nose; this
feature remaining perfect, an uncommon case, for the
cartilage mostly gives way. The remains had become adipocere,
and were perfectly preserved. She was said to have been
poisoned by deleterious punch, but this was legally
disproved; and, if I remember rightly, she was otherwise
declared to have died of small-pox; of this disease there was
not the least sign; but as some mineral poisons tend to
render bodies adipocere, here was some evidence in support of
the former allegation. I made particular inquiries at the
time of Mr. Bird, churchwarden, a respectable and judicious
man; and he gave me good assurance that this coffin had
always been looked upon as the one containing the Cock Lane
woman. Since that time the vault has been set in order, and
the above-mentioned coffin, with others, put away.

The niche near the window in the drawing of the Ghost Room is
the place where the bed-head was, and where the scratching,
knocks, &c. were heard. This is the tradition of the house.
Mrs. King, who holds the prem