Page:Account of some imaginary apparitions (NLS104186561).pdf/13

( 13 ) once bold and incredulous. They pretended however, to adopt the opinion of the landlord, that the appearances were ſupernatural; but it happened that upon going into the room they found the remainder of the tapers on the virtues of which the landlord had largely expatiated, and immediately perceived that it was only a common candle of a large ſize, which he had brought by miſtake in his fright.

This diſcovery convinced them that there was a fraud, and that appearances that vaniſhed at the approach of unconſecrated light were produced by mere human artifice.

They therefore conſulted together, and at length agreed that the maſſes ſhould be continued, that the landlord ſhould ſay not one word of the candle, or the ſuſpicions it had produced: that his daughter, the next night, ſhould ſleep in the apartment which had been quitted by the ladies, and that one of the officers ſhould lie in the girl's bed, while he other, with the landlord ſhould wait in he kitchen to ſee the iſſue.

This plan was accordingly, with great ſecrecy carried into execution.

For two hours after the officer had been in bed, all was ſilent and quiet, and he began to ſuſpect that the girl has been fanciful, or that their ſecret had tranſpired: when all on a ſudden he heard the latch of the door gently raiſed, and perceived ſomething approach the bed and attempt to take up the cloaths; he reſiſted with ſufficient ſtrength to fruſtrate the attempt, and immediately the