The Rev. D. W. G. Gwynne, M.D., was a physician in holy orders. In1853 he lived at P--- House, near Taunton, where both he and his wife"were made uncomfortable by auditory experiences to which they couldfind no clue," or, in common English, they heard mysterious noises."During the night," writes Dr. Gwynne, "I became aware of a drapedfigure passing across the foot of the bed towards the fireplace. Ihad the impression that the arm was raised, pointing with the handtowards the mantel-piece on which a night-light was burning. Mrs.Gwynne at the same moment seized my arm, _and the light wasextinguished_! Notwithstanding, I distinctly saw the figure returningtowards the door, and being under the impression that one of theservants had found her way into our room, I leaped out of bed tointercept the intruder, but found and saw nothing. I rushed to thedoor and endeavoured to follow the supposed intruder, and it was notuntil I found the door locked, as usual, that I was painfullyimpressed. I need hardly say that Mrs. Gwynne was in a very nervousstate. She asked me what I had seen, and I told her. She had seenthe same figure," "but," writes Mrs. Gwynne, "I distinctly _saw thehand of the figure placed over the night-light, which was at onceextinguished_". "Mrs. Gwynne also heard the rustle of the 'tall man-like figure's' garments. In addition to the night-light there wasmoonlight in the room.""Other people had suffered many things in the same house, unknown toDr. and Mrs. Gwynne, who gave up the place soon afterwards."In plenty of stories we hear of ghosts who draw curtains or opendoors, and these apparent material effects are usually called part ofthe seer's delusion. But the night-light certainly went out under thefigure's hand, and was relit by Dr. Gwynne. Either the ghost was anactual entity, not a mere hallucination of two people, or theextinction of the light was a curious coincidence. {186}
