The Best Ghost Stories | Page 7

her, it was scowered.
Then Mrs. Watson cried out, You have seen her indeed, for none knew, but Mrs. Veal
and myself, that the gown was scowered. And Mrs. Watson owned, that she described the
gown exactly: For, said she, I helped her to make it up. This Mrs. Watson blazed all
about the town, and avouched the demonstration of the truth of Mrs. Bargrave's seeing
Mrs. Veal's apparition. And Captain Watson carried two gentlemen immediately to Mrs.
Bargrave's house, to hear the relation of her own mouth. And when it spread so fast, that
gentlemen and persons of quality, the judicious and skeptical part of the world, flocked in
upon her, it at last became such a task, that she was forced to go out of the way. For they
were, in general, extremely satisfied of the truth of the thing, and plainly saw that Mrs.
Bargrave was no hypochondraic; for she always appears with such a cheerful air, and
pleasing mien, that she has gained the favor and esteem of all the gentry; and it is thought
a great favor, if they can but get the relation from her own mouth. I should have told you
before, that Mrs. Veal told Mrs. Bargrave, that her sister and brother-in-law were just
come down from London to see her. Says Mrs. Bargrave, How came you to order matters
so strangely? It could not be helped, says Mrs. Veal. And her brother and sister did come
to see her, and entered the town of Dover just as Mrs. Veal was expiring. Mrs. Bargrave,
asked her, whether she would drink some tea. Says Mrs. Veal, I do not care if I do; but I'll
warrant you, this mad fellow (meaning Mrs. Bargrave's husband) has broke all your
trinkets. But, says Mrs. Bargrave, I'll get something to drink in for all that; but Mrs. Veal
waived it, and said, It is no matter, let it alone; and so it passed.
All the time I sat with Mrs. Bargrave, which was some hours, she recollected fresh
sayings of Mrs. Veal. And one material thing more she told Mrs. Bargrave, that old Mr.
Breton allowed Mrs. Veal ten pounds a year; which was a secret, and unknown to Mrs.
Bargrave, till Mrs. Veal told it her.
Mrs. Bargrave never varies in her story; which puzzles those who doubt of the truth, or
are unwilling to believe it. A servant in the neighbor's yard, adjoining to Mrs. Bargrave's
house, heard her talking to somebody an hour of the time Mrs. Veal was with her. Mrs.
Bargrave went out to her next neighbor's the very moment she parted with Mrs. Veal, and
told her what ravishing conversation she had with an old friend, and told the whole of it.
Drelincourt's Book of Death is, since this happened, bought up strangely. And it is to be
observed, that notwithstanding all the trouble and fatigue Mrs. Bargrave has undergone
upon this account, she never took the value of a farthing, nor suffered her daughter to
take anything of anybody, and therefore can have no interest in telling the story.
But Mr. Veal does what he can to stifle the matter, and said, he would see Mrs. Bargrave;
but yet it is certain matter of fact that he has been at Captain Watson's since the death of

his sister, and yet never went near Mrs. Bargrave; and some of his friends report her to be
a liar, and that she knew of Mr. Breton's ten pounds a year. But the person who pretends
to say so, has the reputation of a notorious liar, among persons whom I know to be of
undoubted credit. Now Mr. Veal is more of a gentleman than to say she lies; but says, a
bad husband has crazed her. But she needs only present herself, and it will effectually
confute that pretense. Mr. Veal says, he asked his sister on her death-bed, whether she
had a mind to dispose of anything? And she said, No. Now, the things which Mrs. Veal's
apparition would have disposed of, were so trifling, and nothing of justice aimed at in
their disposal, that the design of it appears to me to be only in order to make Mrs.
Bargrave so to demonstrate the truth of her appearance, as to satisfy the world of the
reality thereof, as to what she had seen and heard; and to secure her reputation among the
reasonable and understanding part of mankind. And then again, Mr. Veal owns, that there
was a purse of gold; but it was not found in her cabinet, but in a comb-box. This looks
improbable; for that Mrs. Watson owned, that Mrs. Veal was so very careful of the key of
the cabinet, that she would trust nobody with it.