The Spirit in the Green Riding Habit

Florence Marryat was visited several times by her spirit child, whom she also called "Florence". This spirit child of hers had died as a baby and always came to her clothed in a white dress.

One night, however, when Florence Sr. was living alone in the Regent's Park, she saw her spirit child (as she imagined) standing in the centre of the room, dressed in a green riding habit slashed with orange color, with a cavalier hat of grey felt on her head, ornamented with a long green feather and a gold buckle. The spirit stood with her back to Florence, but she could see her profile as she looked over her shoulder, with the skirt of her habit in her hand.

It was a most extraordinary attire in which she saw her spirit child this time, and so Florence felt curious on the subject, and the next day she questioned her spirit child about it during a séance at the table of her little spiritualist home circle.

"Florence!" Florence said. "Why did you come to me last night in a green riding habit?"

"I did not come to you last night, mother! It was my sister Eva," the spirit child answered.

"Good heavens!" Florence exclaimed. "Is anything wrong with her?"

"No, she is quite well."

"How could she come to me then?"

"She did not come in reality, but her thoughts were much with you, and so you saw her spirit clairvoyantly."

Florence's daughter Eva, who also was on the stage, was at that time fulfilling a stock engagement in Glasgow, and very much employed. Florence had not heard from her for a fortnight, which was a most unusual occurrence, and she had begun to feel uneasy. This vision made her even more uneasy, and so Florence wrote at once to her daughter and asked her if all was as it should be.
"I am so sorry I have had no time to write to you this week," Eva answered, "but I have been so awfully busy. We play The Colleen Bawn here next week, and I have had to get my dress ready. It's so effective! I wish you could see it... A green habit slashed with orange, and a grey felt hat with a long green feather and a big gold buckle. I tried it on the other night, and it looked so nice!"

"Well," Florence Marryat concluded. "My darling girl had her wish, and I indeed had seen it."