“AMBROSE ZAIL MARTYN.”

Here is another case in the veracity of which I have every confidence.  I will call it

The Headless Cat of No. ——­ Lower Seedley Road, Seedley, Manchester

It was related to me by Mr. Robert Dane, who was at one time a tenant of No. ——­ Lower Seedley Road, Seedley.  I quote it as nearly as possible in his words, thus:—­

“When we—­my wife and I—­took No. ——­ Lower Seedley Road, no possibility of the place being haunted crossed our minds.  Indeed ghosts were the very last things we reckoned on, as neither of us had the slightest belief in them.  Like the generality of solicitors, I am stodgy and unimaginative, whilst my wife is the most practical and matter-of-fact little woman you would meet in a day’s march.  Nor was there anything about the house that in any way suggested the superphysical.  It was airy and light—­no dark corners nor sinister staircases—­and equipped throughout with all modern conveniences.  We began our lease in June—­the hottest June I remember—­and nothing occurred to disturb us till October.

“It happened then in this wise.  I will quote from my diary:—­

“Monday, October 11th.—­Dick—­that is my brother-in-law—­and I, at 11 p.m., were sitting smoking and chatting together in the study.  All the rest of the household had gone to bed.  We had no light in the room—­as Dick had a headache—­save the fire, and that had burned so low that its feeble glimmering scarcely enabled us to see each other’s face.  After a space of sudden and thoughtful silence, Dick took the stump of a cigar from his lips and threw it in the grate, where for a few moments it lay glowing in the gloom.

“‘Jack,’ he said, ’you will think me mad, but there is something deuced queer about this room to-night—­something in the atmosphere I cannot define, but which I have never felt here—­or indeed anywhere—­before.  Look at that cigar-end—­look!’

“I did so, and received a shock.  What I saw was certainly not the stump Dick had had in his mouth, but an eye—­a large, red and lurid eye—­that looked up at us with an expression of the utmost hate.

“Dick raised the shovel and struck at it, but without effect—­it still glared at us.  A great horror then seized us, and unable to remove our gaze from the hellish thing, we sat glued to our chairs staring at it.  This state of affairs lasted till the clock in the hall outside struck twelve, when the eye suddenly vanished, and we both felt as if some intensely evil influence had been suddenly removed.

“Dick did not like the idea of sleeping alone, and asked if he might keep the electric light on in his room all night.  Tremendous extravagance, but under the circumstances excusable.  I confess I devoutly wished it was morning.

“Tuesday, October 12th.—­I was awakened at 11.30 p.m. by Delia saying to me, ’Oh, Edward, there have been such dreadful noises on the landing, just as if a cat were being worried to death by dogs.  Hark! there it is again.’  And as she spoke, from apparently just outside the door, came a series of loud screeches, accompanied by savage growls and snarls.