On their way to the stranger’s room from the cellar, both Mr. and Mrs. Hall vaguely heard the front door open and shut. However, they didn’t mention the fact to each other. They did hear someone sneeze on the staircase but Mr. and Mrs. Hall both thought that the other was sneezing; hence both of them ignored it.

In the room, feeling the pillow and the bed clothes, Mrs. Hall declared confidently that bed must have been left about an hour ago. As the couple was discussing the matter, the bed clothes suddenly gathered themselves together and moved over the bottom rail of the bed. Immediately after, the stranger’s hat flung itself against Mrs. Hall’s face. The sponge from the washstand followed the hat. Then the chair went up in the air and came charging at Mrs. Hall

The poor lady screamed and turned her back towards the chair. Immediately after, she and hall were pushed out of the room. While the objects were flinging themselves, a vicious laughter, resembling that of the stranger, was heard. The shock was so violent that Mrs. Hall fell fainting into her husband’s arms.