In July, 1772, Mrs.Ricketts wrote a long and solemn description of her sufferings, to be given to her children.
We shall slightly abridge her statement, in which she mentions that when she left Hinton she had not one of the servants who came thither in her family, which "evinces the impossibility of a confederacy".
Her new, like her former servants, were satisfactory; Camis, her new coachman, was of a yeoman house of 400 years' standing.

It will be observed that Mrs.Ricketts was a good deal annoyed even _before_ 2nd April, 1771, the day when she dates the beginning of the worst disturbances.

She believed that the agency was human--a robber or a practical joker--and but slowly and reluctantly became convinced that the "exploded" notion of an abnormal force might be correct.

We learn that while Captain Jervis was not informed of the sounds he never heard them, and whereas Mrs.Ricketts heard violent noises after he went to bed on the night of his vigil, he heard nothing.

"Several instances occurred where very loud noises were heard by one or two persons, when those equally near and in the same direction were not sensible of the least impression." {223} With this preface, Mrs.Ricketts may be allowed to tell her own tale.
"Sometime after Mr.Ricketts left me (autumn, 1769) I--then lying in the bedroom over the kitchen--heard frequently the noise of some one walking in the room within, and the rustling as of silk clothes against the door that opened into my room, sometimes so loud, and of such continuance as to break my rest.