Mr. Henderson
committed himself to nothing but that 'it was very extraordinary;'
and there was a wicked look of diversion on Griff's face, and an
exchange of glances. Afterwards, in our own domain, we extracted a
good deal more from them.
Griff told us how the two elders started on politics, and denounced
Brougham and O'Connell loud enough to terrify any save the most
undaunted ghost, till Henderson said 'Hush!' and they paused at the
moan with which the performance always commenced, making Mr.
Stafford turn, as Griff said, 'white in the gills,' though he talked
of the wind on the stillest of frosty nights. Then came the sobbing
and wailing, which certainly overawed them all; Henderson called
them 'agonising,' but Griff was in a manner inured to this, and felt
as if master of the ceremonies. Let them say what they would by
daylight about owls, cats, and rats, they owned the human element
then, and were far from comfortable, though they would not
compromise their good sense by owning what both their younger
companions had perceived--their feeling of some undefinable
presence. Vain attempts had been made to account for the light or
get rid of it by changing the position of candles or bright objects
in the outer room; and Henderson had shut himself into the bedroom
with it; but there he still only saw the hazy light--though all was
otherwise pitch dark, except the keyhole and the small gray patch of
sky at the top of the window-shutters.
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