With that in mind, one may consider one of the most delightfully gothic tales I have in my library. Lord Halifax of Britain who enjoyed collecting such accounts recorded it. He claimed to have known the nephew of the man who experienced it.

There was once a certain Colonel who, due to business, had to travel into London by train one night. He preferred to have his compartment all to himself, and since this was not always possible, he generally avoided such things.

On one particularly uncrowded train ride he drifted off to sleep alone in his compartment. He woke up some hours later feeling very uncomfortable and disoriented. He began to search for his newspaper when he realized that a woman was sitting across from him silently.

She wore a black dress and her face was nearly totally obscured by a thick, black veil. Embarrassed, he began to collect himself. He apologized for not noticing her, but she did not look up to acknowledge him. She did not even speak. She stared into her lap blankly. Whatever she was holding seemed to be hidden in the folds of her skirt. He repeated the apology more loudly, but she did not seem to hear him again.

After a while the woman began to rock back and forth, singing a song to herself softly. It sounded like some sort of lullaby, but he could not make it out. Assuming that she had a baby with her, the gentleman tried to ignore her.

Suddenly the train came to a sudden and screeching halt, and the Colonel was knocked unconscious momentarily by his suitcase which had slipped off it's shelf and struck him on the back of the head. When he awoke, he saw no sign of the woman. Searching through the compartment, he saw no trace of her. He abandoned his small room.

Outside there was general mass confusion. The train had only had a minor collision, although there were a few injuries. Remembering his companion, the Colonel pulled aside a railway official and asked if he had seen his companion.

The official assured him that it was nothing out of the ordinary and, in fact, happened quite regularly. Apparently, years ago, a young bride and groom were traveling to London to be wed. The Groom, who had never been to London before, leaned too far out the window and his head was severed clean off by a passing wire. The body fell back into the bride's lap.

Hours later the bride was discovered rocking back and forth, singing to the headless body, having gone insane. She was committed to a mental hospital, but all she would ever do is stare at her lap and sing the same lullaby. From time to time her ghost appeared in the compartment to travelers.