“Will you do so?” — “Yes.”

“Can you go out of this house?” — “Yes.”

“Is it your intention to follow this child about everywhere?” — “Yes.”

“Are you pleased in being asked these questions?” — “Yes.”

“Does it case your troubled soul?” — “Yes.”

[Here there was heard a mysterious noise, which some wiseacre present compared to the fluttering of wings.]

“How long before your death did you tell your servant, Carrots, that you were poisoned? — An hour?” — “Yes.”

[Carrots, who was present, was appealed to; but she stated positively that such was not the fact, as the deceased was quite speechless an hour before her death. This shook the faith of some of the spectators, but the examination was allowed to continue.]

“How long did Carrots live with you?” — “Three or four days.”

[Carrots was again appealed to, and said that this was true.]

“If Mr. Kent is arrested for this murder, will he confess?” — “Yes.”

“Would your soul be at rest if he were hanged for it?” — “Yes.”

“Will he be hanged for it?” — “Yes.”

“How long a time first?” — “Three years.”

“How many clergymen are there in this room?” — “Three.”

“How many negroes?” — “Two.”

“Is this watch (held up by one of the clergymen) white?” — “No.”

“Is it yellow?” — “No.”

“Is it blue?” — “No.”

“Is it black?” — “Yes.”

[The watch was in a black shagreen case.]

“At what time this morning will you take your departure?”

The answer to this question was four knocks, very distinctly heard by every person present; and accordingly, at four o’clock precisely, the ghost took its departure to the Wheatsheaf public-house, close by, where it frightened mine host and his lady almost out of their wits by knocking in the ceiling right above their bed.

The rumour of these occurrences very soon spread over London, and every day Cock Lane was rendered impassable by the crowds of people who assembled around the house of the parish clerk, in expectation of either seeing the ghost or of hearing the mysterious knocks. It was at last found necessary, so clamorous were they for admission within the haunted precincts, to admit those only who would pay a certain fee, an arrangement which was very convenient to the needy and money-loving Mr. Parsons. Indeed, things