The String of Pearls (1850), p. 620

"Can't you?"
"No, nor you neither, if you come to that."
"Yes I can. Don't it make folks careful of going into a strange barber's shop, let me ask you that?"
"Oh, you idiot. That's always the way with you. You begins with looking as wise as an owl as has found out something wonderful, and then when one comes to find out what it is, it's just nothing at all to nobody. I tell you what it is, old fellow, it strikes me you are getting a drop too much."
"No—no; but I have got something on my mind."
"It stands on a very small place, then. What is it?"
"Just you listen and I'll tell you. I did think of not saying anything about it, because you see I thought, that is to say, I was afraid if I did, you would go off at once."
"Off? Off?"
"I don't mean dead—I mean out of this place, that's all, not out of this world; but now I feel as if I ought to tell you all about it, you know, and then you can judge for yourself. You know you slept here last night on that large sofa in the corner?"
"Yes, in course."
"Very good ; you had had what one may call just the other drop you know, and so—"
"No I hadn't, but you had. I recollect quite well you dropped your light, and had no end of trouble to get it lighted again, and kept knocking your head against the mantel-shelf and saying 'Don't' as if somebody was doing it to you."
"Go along with you. Will you listen, or won't you, while I tell the horrid anecdote?"
"Horrid, is it?"
"Above a bit. It's enough to make all your hair stand on end, like quills on a guinea hen, as the man says in the play; and I expect you'll dream of it all night; so here goes, and don't you interrupt me any more, now."
"Go on. I won't."
"Well, you know we had a pretty good fire here, as we have now; and as twelve o'clock went ding-dong by old St. Dunstan's, we thought it was time to have some sleep, and you lay down on the sofa, saying as you could see by the fire light, while I took the candle to go up stairs to bed with, you know—old Todd s bed, I suppose it is, on. the second-floor, and rather damp and thin, you know."
"Goodness, gracious! tell me something I don't know, will you? Do you want to drive a fellow out of his mind?"
"Well—well, don't be hasty! I'm getting on. I took the light, and shading it with one hand, for there's always a furious draught upon the stairs of this house; up I went thinking of nothing at all. Well, in course, I had to pass the first-floor, which is shut up, you know, and has all sorts of things in it."
"Yes; go on—go on!"
"Is it interesting?"
"It is; only you go on. I'll warrant now it's a ghost you are coming to."
"No it ain't; but don't percipitate, and you shall hear all about it. Let me see, where was I?—Oh, on the first-floor landing: But, as I say, I was thinking of nothing at all, when, all of a sudden, I heard a very odd kind of noise in the front room of the first-floor."
"I wonder you didn't fall headlong down stairs with fright, candle and all."
"No, I didn't. It sounded like the murmur of people talking a long way off. Then I began to think it must be in the next house; and I thought of going up to bed, and paying no attention to it, and I did get up two or three steps of the second-floor stairs, but still I heard it; and it got such a hold of my mind, do you know, that I couldn't leave it, but down I went again, and listened. I thought of coming to you; but, somehow, I didn't do so."