those claims indisputable, which had never been
anything else, decided in her favour. Some
short time after this, Mrs. D——— was residing
in L——— Place, Brighton. A friend, Miss
F———, usually shared her bedroom. Both were
lying awake one morning about eight o'clock,
when Mrs. D———, with some surprise, saw her
friend rise up suddenly in bed, clasp her hands,
and sink back again on the pillow in a profound
sleep. Strange as seemed the movement, it was
so evident to Mrs. D——— that her friend was
really in a tranquil slumber, that she made no
effort to disturb her. A minute elapsed, when
the door quietly opened, and there seemed to
enter a figure which she believed to be
supernatural. She describes her feelings with great
minuteness. She owned that, by nature, she was
somewhat nervous, yet her impressions, as she
afterwards remembered them, on this occasion
had not the slightest intermixture of fear. She
was conscious of a reverential awe, such as might
become the witness of a revelation overruling the
accepted law of nature, united with a feeling of
intense curiosity as to the object of the apparition.
Gliding through the subdued light, the figure
had all the appearance, gait, and manner of her
deceased husband; until, passing round the
room, and sinking down, into an arm-chair that
stood nearly opposite her bed, turned slightly
aside, the figure presented its profile, and Mrs.
D——— instantly recognised her connexion, and
late opponent, Mr. W . D———, at that time
residing in the north. No sooner had the mysterious
visitor sat down, than he raised his clasped
hands, as in passionate entreaty; but though the
spectral lips appeared to move, as in harmony
with the gesture, no sound was audible. Three
times the hands were lifted in the same earnest
manner, then the figure rose, and retired as it
came. Some nervous reaction followed its
disappearance, for Mrs. D———'s maid appearing a
minute or two later, found her mistress trembling
violently, and much agitated. Nevertheless, she
quickly regained her self-possession, and calmly
related what she had seen, both to Miss F———
and the maid, the former being unable to recal
anything unusual, and only knowing that she
had fallen asleep again, contrary to her own
intention.

The succeeding day was cold and stormy, and
neither of the friends quitted the house. In the
evening some neighbours called. As they were
taking leave, one of the party suddenly inquired:

"By-the-by, have you had any recent news
from the north? A rumour has reached us,
I hardly know how, that Mr. W. D———is
dangerously ill, some say dying, even (but it is
only report) dead"

"He is dead," said Mrs. D———, quietly.
"He died this morning."

"You have a telegram?"

"You shall hear."

And Mrs. D———told her story to her
wondering friends.

As quickly as news could reach Brighton,
she received intimation of Mr. D———'s death,
at the hour of his appearance.

A singular and suggestive statement is, that
the scene witnessed by Mrs. D——- at Brighton,
was being enacted in the death-chamber of Mr.
W. D———, hundreds of miles distant. His
mind wandered somewhat, as the end drew near,
but perpetually returned to the subject of the
unhappy lawsuit. Mistaking his sister for Mrs.
D———, he addressed to her the most fervent
entreaties for pardon, avowing his bitter regret,
condemning his own injustice and covetousness,
and declaring that he could not die in peace
without her forgiveness. Three times the dying
man had raised his hands in the manner she
had witnessed, and so expired.

One morning, some years since, the lady of
a distinguished London physician was lying in
bed at her house in P——- Street. It was
daylight, and she was broad awake. The door
opened, but Lady———, concluding it was her
maid, did not raise her head, until a remarkable-
looking figure, passing between her bed and
the window, walked up to the fireplace, when,
reflected in the mirror which hung above, Lady
——— recognised the features of her stepson,
Dr. J. C———, then attached to a foreign
embassy. He wore a long night-dress, and carried
something on his arm.

" Good Heavens! is that you, John? and in
that dress?" cried Lady ————, in the first
surprise.

The figure turned slowly round, and she then
became aware that the object he carried was a
dead child, the body being swathed round and
round in a large Indian scarf of remarkable
workmanship, which Lady——— had presented
to Mrs. J. C——— on the eve of her departure.
As she gazed, the outline of the figures
became indistinct—invisible. They were lost in
the familiar objects of the room. Lady———
neither fainted nor shrieked, nor even rang
the bell. She lay down and thought the matter
over, resolving to mention it to no one until
the return of her husband, then absent in
attendance on an illustrious household. His
experience would decide whether her physical
health offered any solution of the phenomenon.
As for its being a dream, it may be taken as an
accepted fact that, though nobody is conscious
of the act of going to sleep, everybody knows, by
the sudden change of scenery, and snapping of
the chain of thought alone, when he has
awakened.

On hearing her story, her husband immediately
looked at his lady's tongue, and felt her
pulse. Both organs perfect. Of her nerves he
had seen proof. Touching veracity she was
truth itself. All his skill could devise nothing
better than a recommendation to patience, and
to see what came of it. In the mean time the
day and hour were noted down, and the next
advices from T——— awaited with more than
usual interest.

At length they came. Dr. J. C——— informed
his father that their child—an only one—had
died on such a day (that of the apparition), and
that his wife, anxious that it should be laid to
rest in the land of its birth, had begged that it