The Best Ghost Stories | Page 5

am not very well; and so waived it. She told Mrs. Bargrave, she was going a
journey, and had a great mind to see her first. But, says Mrs. Bargrave, how came you to

take a journey alone? I am amazed at it, because I know you have a fond brother. Oh!
says Mrs. Veal, I gave my brother the slip, and came away because I had so great a desire
to see you before I took my journey. So Mrs. Bargrave went in with her, into another
room within the first, and Mrs. Veal sat her down in an elbow-chair, in which Mrs.
Bargrave was sitting when she heard Mrs. Veal knock. Then says Mrs. Veal, My dear
friend, I am come to renew our old friendship again, and beg your pardon for my breach
of it; and if you can forgive me, you are the best of women. O, says Mrs. Bargrave, do
not mention such a thing; I have not had an uneasy thought about it; I can easily forgive it.
What did you think of me? said Mrs. Veal. Says Mrs. Bargrave, I thought you were like
the rest of the world, and that prosperity had made you forget yourself and me. Then Mrs.
Veal reminded Mrs. Bargrave of the many friendly offices she did her in former days,
and much of the conversation they had with each other in the times of their adversity;
what books they read, and what comfort, in particular, they received from Drelincourt's
Book of Death, which was the best, she said, on that subject ever written. She also
mentioned Dr. Sherlock, the two Dutch books which were translated, written upon death,
and several others. But Drelincourt, she said, had the clearest notions of death, and of the
future state, of any who had handled that subject. Then she asked Mrs. Bargrave, whether
she had Drelincourt. She said, Yes. Says Mrs. Veal, Fetch it. And so Mrs. Bargrave goes
up stairs and brings it down. Says Mrs. Veal, Dear Mrs. Bargrave, if the eyes of our faith
were as open as the eyes of our body, we should see numbers of angels about us for our
guard. The notions we have of heaven now, are nothing like what it is, as Drelincourt
says; therefore be comforted under your afflictions, and believe that the Almighty has a
particular regard to you; and that your afflictions are marks of God's favor; and when
they have done the business they are sent for, they shall be removed from you. And
believe me, my dear friend, believe what I say to you, one minute of future happiness will
infinitely reward you for all your sufferings. For, I can never believe (and claps her hand
upon her knee with great earnestness, which indeed ran through most of her discourse),
that ever God will suffer you to spend all your days in this afflicted state; but be assured,
that your afflictions shall leave you, or you them, in a short time. She spake in that
pathetical and heavenly manner, that Mrs. Bargrave wept several times, she was so
deeply affected with it.
Then Mrs. Veal mentioned Dr. Kenrick's Ascetick, at the end of which he gives an
account of the lives of the primitive Christians. Their pattern she recommended to our
imitation, and said, their conversation was not like this of our age: For now, says she,
there is nothing but frothy, vain discourse, which is far different from theirs. Theirs was
to edification, and to build one another up in faith; so that they were not as we are, nor
are we as they were: but, says she, we ought to do as they did. There was an hearty
friendship among them; but where is it now to be found? Says Mrs. Bargrave, It is hard
indeed to find a true friend in these days. Says Mrs. Veal, Mr. Norris has a fine copy of
verses, called Friendship in Perfection, which I wonderfully admire. Have you seen the
book? says Mrs. Veal. No, says Mrs. Bargrave, but I have the verses of my own writing
out. Have you? says Mrs. Veal, then fetch them. Which she did from above stairs, and
offered them to Mrs. Veal to read, who refused, and waived the thing, saying, holding
down her head would make it ache; and then desired Mrs. Bargrave to read them to her,
which she did. As they were admiring friendship, Mrs. Veal said, Dear Mrs. Bargrave, I
shall love you for ever. In these verses there is twice used the word Elysian. Ah! says Mrs.

Veal, these poets have such names for heaven. She would often draw her hands across
her own eyes, and say, Mrs. Bargrave, do not you think I am mightily impaired by my