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Marchioness Townshend & Maude Ffoulkes True Ghost Stories
TRUE GHOST STORIES

Autumn came, and when the days began to draw in Mary and I used to sit in the library, the child playing with her dolls, whilst I read. The library was a warm, comfortable room, and we spent many quiet hours there.

One evening, just before 'lighting-up' time, Mary, who was nestling by my side before the fire, suddenly exclaimed:

'Look, Grandpapa, whoever is the old gentleman sitting in the big chair with "ears"? He does look funny, he's dressed so oddly.' And she began to laugh.

'There's nobody there, you silly child,' I told her.

'Oh, but there is, Grandpapa,' she said. 'Why, he's just nodded his head. I believe he knows me. I didn't see him come into the room, did you?'

'Run away and see if there are any letters' I said. I did not want to humour the child in strange fancies, so I lit the gas, and when she came back:

'Well Mary, where is the funny old man?' I asked.

Mary looked round the room.  'Oh . . . he's gone - but he was here five minutes ago. Perhaps he'll come again. I do hope he will; I like him, Grandpapa.'

After this the visitor often returned, and Mary described his appearance and dress so minutely that I was convinced, against my will, that the appearance (unseen by me) was none other than my old father, wearing the clothes fashionable in the first years of the nineteenth century, which he had refused to discard for anything more up-to-date.

Mr. R.