Thursday 29th May 1808

Dear Diary,
How people will laugh, when I am gone, when they read these diaries. They will titter and chortle at the sad, dull and uneventful life I led in the last months before my untimely death. They will definately be astounded by the lack of balls. I ask you, what have I achieved? Yes, I helped Father find his Todger and returned the stolen silver to the Chapel but apart from that it has just been endless organ fingering, jaunts atop the Knob, rides upon Python and a great deal of misfortune at the hands of Mother Nature.
Why so moribund?
Well, I have not been sleeping well these past nights, tossing and turning for much of them, probably with more emphasis on the turning rather than the tossing, but that is of no consequence. Late last night I became aware of an irregular clattering at my window and surmised someone outside was throwing stones at my pane to attract my attention. I raised myself and cupping my hands around my eyes, peered out into the darkness. At first I could see nothing then slowly the moon emerged from behind a cloud and the shadow lifted and I beheld a hooded figure clad in a long dark cloak. I stopped breathing when I saw that in it's left hand it held a long handled scythe. To my horror, it raised it's right arm and from the darkness of it's sleeve a pale hand extended and it pointed straight at me. That is when I screamed. I flung myself upon by bed and I screamed like I had never screamed before, long and loud and piercing.
Ned rushed in first, shirtless and in baggy long johns. Even in my terror I thought he looked marvellous. I pointed to the window and he looked out and shook his head. I jumped up to look myself, but the figure was gone. Father entered next then Fanny and Jane. Ned grabbed a pillow and clutched it to his magnificently sculpted chest. Willy Tert appeared at the door all wide eyed and runny nosed and Jane left, to put him back to bed.
I explained what I had witnessed and we all gathered about the window to peer out. All was silent, then we heard a shuffling outside the door. We all turned, looked and held our breath. The door slowly swung open to reveal a dark figure in the passageway beyond. It stepped into the light and Ned dropped the pillow and grabbed me and we both screamed together.
Mrs Norris with her hair in ringlets, and her bosom barely restrained by a cotton nightdress is enough to startle any man. So I felt no shame. Ned sat with me awhile after everyone else had gone back to bed. My heart was still racing though now it was not through fear.
"Do you believe me when I tell you what I saw, Ned?" I asked.
"Of course," he lied.