‘For example, one morning when Sir Henry and Lady Fraser got up to dress it was found that in a dressing-table in their bedroom every garment was soaking wet. Several days later the same dressing-table was discovered standing two feet out from the wall. On another occasion late one evening after they had retired to bed there was a banging at their bedroom door, so loud and reverberating that they immediately assumed someone was coming to tell them of an accident to or sudden illness of their children or even that a fire had broken out. They lay startled, before Sir Henry called out to whoever it was to enter. No one did. They got up to investigate and found no one outside. And no member of the household admitted banging on the door.

‘On several occasions the dining-room table, when set for dinner, would be discovered by a servant to have been rearranged. Knives, forks and spoons would be in the same setting but on the floor round the table, while each chair would be standing on the table as if it had been lifted up and put on the table.

‘Chambermaids would make the beds and on reentering the bedrooms, perhaps even only minutes later, find the bedclothes rumpled up or skilfully arranged to give the eerie impression of a person asleep in the bed.

‘And in the kitchen, cups and saucers would be found scattered on the floor, unbroken.

‘Of course, a watch was kept. Traps were set, but without success. Nothing happened during the time a room was under surveillance. But it only had to be vacated for a few minutes and some phenomenon happened.’

‘Wait a moment,’ said Pollard. ‘I’ve heard of this sort of thing. Isn’t there usually an adolescent involved?’

‘In many cases, yes. And in this case two of the Frasers’ four children were in their early teens. But it can’t have been as simple as that.’

‘Why not?’

‘Well, in the usual poltergeist case there may be all the phenomena I’ve already described – and more. But they don’t usually go beyond what one might describe as pointless, inexplicable practical jokes, slightly malicious in intent.’

‘Do you mean that this adolescent plays these tricks to relieve his feelings?’ Carol asked.

‘I’m not sure how I should put it,’ Meredith admitted. ‘It seems that whatever agency in the young person is responsible, it inhabits the deep subconscious. And can control forces that enable its tricks to be carried out. The adolescent may be as scared as any other member of the household.