continued. 'She came through your door, mother, from the sitting-room,'
sobbed Hal, with eyes starting out of his head.

"'Who, love?' asked his mother.

"'The old woman in the black bonnet. Oh, don't go away, mother.'

"So Angela had to spend the remainder of the evening between the
children's cribs.

"'What can we do to-morrow evening?' asked she. 'I have it! Lucy shall
be put to bed beside Jack.' Lucy was our youngest, aged two.

"All went well next night. There was no alarm to summon us from our
papers and novels, and we went to bed at eleven, Angela remarking that
the three cherubs were sleeping beautifully, and that it had been a good
move to let Lucy bear the other two company. I was roused out of sound
sleep by wild shrieks from the three children.

"'What! more bad dreams? This sort of thing must be put a stop to,' I
said; and I confess I was very angry with the young rascals. My wife was
fumbling for the match-box. 'Hush!' she whispered, 'there _is_ somebody
in the room.' And _I_, too, at that instant, felt the presence of some
creature besides ourselves and the children. The candle lighted, we
again reconnoitred--nothing to be seen in dressing-room, bed-room, or
_the drawing-room beyond_, the door of which was shut. But the curious
sense of a presence near us--stronger than any feeling of the kind I had
ever previously experienced--was gone. You have all felt the presence of
another person unseen. You may be writing--you have not heard the door
open, but though your back is towards the visitor, you know somehow that
he has entered."

"Quite true, Mr. Henniker--but there is nothing unnatural or unpleasant
in that sensation."

"Nothing, of course; I merely instance it to give you some idea of what
we felt on that occasion. We were astonished to find the sitting-room
untenanted. Meanwhile poor Hal, Jack and Lucy shrieked in chorus 'Oh,
the old woman in the black bonnet! Oh, take her away!'

"Poor Angela, trembling, hung over the cribs trying to soothe the
children. It was a good while before they could tell what had happened.
'She came again,' said Hal, 'and she came close, close to me, and she
put her _cold_ face down near my cheek till she touched me, and I don't
like her--oh, I don't like her, mother!'

"'Did she go to Jack and Lucy too?'

"'Yes, yes; and she made _them_ cry as well.'

"'Why do you not like her? Is it the black bonnet? You dreamt of a black
bonnet last night, you know,' said I,