I never stole your letter, and can only suppose it was
lost in the post."
The mere fact of the accused committing suicide would, in many
people's opinion, point to guilt; and as the postal order was never
traced, it was generally concluded that Anna had secreted it, and had
been only waiting till inquiries ceased, and the affair was forgotten,
to cash it. Of course, the letter I found was the missing one, and
although apparently hidden with intent, the fact of its never having
been opened seemed to suggest that Anna was innocent, and that the
envelope had, by some extraordinary accident, fallen unnoticed by Anna
through the crack between the boards. Anyhow, its discovery put an end
to the disturbances and the apparition of the unfortunate
suicide--whether guilty or innocent, and the Judgment Day can alone
determine that--has never been seen since.
CASE XV
THE WHITE LADY OF ROWNAM AVENUE, NEAR
STIRLING
Like most European countries, Scotland claims its share of phantasms
in the form of "White Ladies." According to Mr. Ingram, in his
_Haunted Houses and Family Legends_, the ruins of the mansion of
Woodhouselee are haunted by a woman in white, presumably (though,
personally, I think otherwise) the ghost of Lady Hamilton of
Bothwellhaugh. This unfortunate lady, together with her baby,
was--during the temporary absence of her husband--stripped naked and
turned out of doors on a bitterly cold night, by a favourite of the
Regent Murray.
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