,transcriber's ,note3 ,inconsistency between ,,toc and ,chapter headings have been retained as in the original4 ,,seen ,,and ,,unseen ,,by ,e4 ,,katharine ,,bates ,,new ,,york ,,dodge ,,publishing ,,company #bad-bbj ,,east #bc,,rd ,,street #aijh ,first ,published ,july #aijg ,second ,impression ,october #aijg ,third ,impression ,march #aijh ---------- ,popular ,edition #aijh ,to ,c4 ,e4 ,b4 ,,in ,,memory ,,of ,,one ,,who ,,loved ,,and ,,suffered ,,and ,,in ,,the ,,sure ,,and ,,certain ,,hope ,,of ,a ,,joyful ,,meeting ,,with ,,him1 ,,and ,,with ,,others ,,who ,,have ,,crossed ,,the ,,bar ,,contents ,,chapter ,,page ,,introduction ix ,i4 ,,early ,,recollections #a ,,ii4 ,,investigations ,,in ,,america1 #ahhe-ahhf #ac ,,iii4 ,,australia ,,and ,,new ,,zealand #di ,,iv4 ,,hong ,,kong1 ,,alaska1 ,,and ,,new ,,york #ga ,v4 ,,india1 #ahij-ahia #hj ,,vi4 ,,sweden ,,and ,,russia1 #ahib #ig ,,an ,,interlude #abi ,,vii4 ,,lady ,,caithness ,,and ,,the ,,avenue ,,wagram #add ,,viii4 ,,from ,,oxford ,,to ,,wimbledon #afa ,,ix4 #ahif1 ,,hauntings ,,by ,,the ,,living ,,and ,,the ,,dead #agf ,x4 ,,further ,,experiences ,,in ,,america #aie ,,xi4 ,a ,,haunted ,,castle ,,in ,,ireland #bah ,,xii4 #aijj-aija1 ,,odds ,,and ,,ends #bcb ,,xiii4 #aijc1 ,a ,,second ,,visit ,,to ,,india #bfj ,,xiv4 ,a ,,family ,,portrait ,,and ,,psychic ,,photography #bgd ,,appendix #bih ,,introduction ,many years ago1 whilst living at ,oxford1 ,i was invited by a very old friend1 who had recently taken his degree1 to a river picnic2 with ,nuneham1 ,i think1 as its alleged object4 ,unfortunately1 the day proved unfavourable1 and we returned in open boats1 also with open umbrellas2 a generally drenched and bedraggled appearance1 and nothing to cheer us on the physical plane except a quantity of iced coffee which had been ordered in anticipation of a tropical day4 ,under these rather trying conditions ,i can remember getting a good deal of amusement out of the companions in the special boat which proved to be my fate4 ,our host1 being a clever and interesting man himself1 had collected clever and interesting people round him1 on the ,birds of a ,feather principle1 and ,i happened to sit between two ladies1 one the wife 7now1 alas6 the widow7 of a man who was to become later on one of our most famous bishops2 the other--her bosom friend and deadly rival--the wife of an equally distinguished ,oxford don4 ,the iced coffee combined with the pouring rain may have been partly to blame1 but certainly the conversation that went on between the two ladies1 across my umbrella1 was decidedly ,feline4 ,to pass the time we were valiantly endeavouring to play ,twenty ,questions from the bottom of the boat1 and the ,bishop's widow was asking the questions4 ,she had triumphantly elicited the fact that we had thought of a cinder--and an historical cinder--and the twentieth and last permissible question was actually hovering on her lips4 ,it was the cinder that ,richard ,coeur de ,lion's horse fell upon1 she said eagerly4 ,of course1 we all realised that this was a most obvious slip in the case of so highly educated a woman2 but the ,bosom ,friend could not resist putting out the velvet paw3 ,a little confusion in the centuries1 ,i think1 dear1 she said sweetly4 ,the unfortunate questioner practically never smiled again during that expedition4 ,but a still more crushing blow was in store for her4 ,the conversation turned later upon questions of style in writing or speaking1 and with perhaps pardonable revenge1 she said to her rival3 ,i always notice that you say 'one' so often--'one does this or that1' and so forth4 ,really1 dear8 ,that is curious4 ,now ,i always notice that you say ',i' so continually6 ,the cut and thrust came with the rapidity of expert fencers4 ,and this brings me to the real gist of my story4 ,it is considered the most heinous offence to say ,i1 and every conceivable device is resorted to1 no matter how clumsy1 in order to prevent the catastrophe of a writer being forced to speak of himself in the first person4 ,to my mind1 there is a good deal of affectation and pose about this1 and in anything of an autobiography it becomes insupportable4 ,the writer happened upon one occasion to be present1 etc4 ,he who pens these unworthy pages was once travelling to ,scotland1 etc4 etc4 ,which of us has not groaned under these self-conscious euphemisms8 ,why not say ',i' and have done with it8 we are wont to exclaim in desperation after pages of this kind of thing4 ,now ,i propose to say ,i and have done with it1 and not waste time in trying to find ingenious and wearisome equivalents4 ,that is my first point4 ,secondly1 in this record of psychic experiences ,i mean to keep clear of another intolerable nuisance--,i mean the continual introduction of capital letters and long dashes in order to conceal identity in such episodes4 ,the motive is admirable1 but the method is detestable4 ,one can only judge by personal experience4 ,i know that when ,i read a rather involved narrative of sufficiently involved psychic doings1 and ,mr ,q----1 ,miss ,b----1 ,mr ,c----1 and ,mr ,c4's maternal aunt ,mrs ,g---- figure wildly in it1 ,i am driven desperate in trying to force some idea of personality into these meaningless letters of the alphabet4 ,to conceal the identity of ,mr ,brown1 who was once guilty of seeing a ghost1 may be and most frequently is1 a point of honour1 but why not call him ,mr ,smith1 and say he lived in ,buckinghamshire1 and thus rouse a definite mental conception in your reader's brain1 instead of calling him ,mr ,z4 of ,w----1 and thus setting up mental irritation before the ghost comes upon the scene8 ,having cleared the ground so far1 ,i will now mention my third and last point4 ,it is usual when writing reminiscences of any kind to anticipate your reader's criticisms1 and try to increase his interest in your experiences by a sort of false humility in deprecating their value4 ,the idea is doubtless founded on a sound knowledge of ,human ,nature1 but it may easily fall into exaggeration4 ,nothing is1 of course1 so disastrous as to praise beforehand a person1 a picture1 a voice1 a poem1 a book1 or anything else in the wide world1 in which we wish our friends to take any special interest4 ,such a course naturally rouses unconscious antagonism in poor1 fallen ,human ,nature before we even see or hear the object of our later bitter aversion4 ,but there is a medium in all things1 and it is scarcely polite to put the intelligence of our readers sufficiently low to be manipulated by such obvious arts4 ,moreover1 it has been well said that the history of any one human being--truthfully told 7,i would add1 intelligently assimilated7--would be of enthralling interest and value4 ,if this be true on the ordinary physical1 intellectual1 and spiritual planes it should not be less true1 surely1 where a fourth plane of psychic experience is added to the other three8 ,then again1 there is no need to apologise for experiences limited in interest or in amount4 ,these terms are of necessity comparative4 ,for example1 my experiences are limited compared with those of some people ,i have known1 who have been either more highly endowed with psychic gifts or who have considered it advisable to cultivate such gifts to a high point of efficiency2 or lastly1 with whom opportunities for experience have been more numerous4 ,but1 on the other hand1 my experiences have been great compared with those of some people at least equally interested in these subjects4 ,geographically speaking1 ,i have been peculiarly fortunate1 having had the opportunity of witnessing phenomena of this kind in many countries1 differing widely in ,race1 ,climate1 and other conditions4 ,i have been told many times that ,i could develop clairvoyance1 clairaudience1 or sit as a materialising medium1 but have had no desire to go further in these matters4 ,i have seen quite as much as ,i wish to see1 ,i have heard quite as much as ,i wish to hear1 and should be very sorry personally to increase either of these psychic possibilities by the practice that makes more perfect4 ,some consider this lamentable cowardice and want of faith4 ,each one must judge for himself in such a matter4 ,faith in this connection may easily degenerate into foolhardiness4 ,greater is ,he that is for you than all those who are against you has been quoted to me again and again in deprecation of my attitude in these things4 ,it has always appeared to me a matter in which individual judgment must be exercised1 and upon which no broad and general lines of conduct can be laid down4 ,one man can cycle fifty miles in the day1 and dance all night1 and be the better for the experience4 ,another attempting the same feat1 but not having the same constitution1 might do himself lasting injury4 ,it is exactly the same thing on the psychic plane4 ,our psychic constitutions differ at least as much as our physical ones4 ,we may overtax either1 and with similar consequences4 ,we have no right to expect protection or immunity on either plane1 where we neglect the warnings of that inner monitor who is always our best guide4 ,as a final word of warning1 ,i would say3 ,beware of your motives in cultivating psychic capacity4 ,it is so easy to mistake love of notoriety1 even in one's own little milieu1 for love of ,truth4 ,there is always an eager1 curious crowd anxious to get messages or hear raps1 or to see any other little psychic parlour tricks which we may be induced to play for their benefit4 ,at first one feels it is almost a sacred duty to satisfy1 or attempt to satisfy1 these psychic cormorants2 but later1 wisdom comes with experience4 ,at one time ,i felt bound to collect my friends and acquaintances round me and tell them all ,i knew upon these subjects1 and doubtless it was right to do so whilst ,i felt that way1 to quote an expressive ,americanism4 ,but the inevitable day came when ,i realised that ,i had spent my strength and my muffins in vain2 for these gatherings generally took the form of tea-parties1 not too large to cope with single-handed--say from ten to twenty people4 ,they came at #d4cj ,p4,m4 and stayed till #h ,p4,m41 when most of them remembered they ought to have dined at #g4de ,p4,m41 and went away saying ,how immensely they had enjoyed themselves1 and ,how interesting it all was4 ,and so far as any permanent good came of it1 there the matter ended4 ,believe me1 when people are prepared for this development of their finer senses they will come to you4 ,there is no need to go into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in4 ,if they do come they won't stay--why should they8 ,they have not got there yet1 to use a thoroughly hateful and ungrammatical but absolutely accurate sentence4 ,if you try to carry them on the back of your own knowledge and experiences1 you can do so for a time1 but eventually they will struggle down1 or you will put them down from sheer fatigue1 and then they will run back to the spot where you found them1 and thence work out their own psychic evolution either in this or in some future term of existence4 ,when their interest is exhausted--to say nothing of your patience--you will hear that they have called you a crank and lamented your wasting your time over such nonsense4 ,that will be your share of the transaction4 ,i know this because ,i have been there--moi qui vous parle4 ,let every man be persuaded in his own mind1 but don't try to persuade anyone else4 ,when the right time comes he will ask your help and counsel without any persuasion4 ,of course1 ,i am speaking only of private work4 ,lectures and congresses are of the greatest possible value2 for no one knows whom he may be addressing on these occasions1 and the seed may be falling into soil prepared1 but often unconsciously prepared1 for its reception4 ,to sum up the whole matter3 #a4 ,be strong in the conviction that eventually good must always conquer evil1 but remember also that you individually may have a very bad time meanwhile if you go amongst mixed influences and evoke that which at present you are not strong enough to withstand4 #b4 ,know when to speak and when to be silent4 #c4 ,receive what comes to you spontaneously1 but never allow yourself to be cajoled or persuaded into developing your mediumship to gratify curiosity2 not even on the plea of scientific duty1 unless you are fully conscious in your own mind that this is the special work which is laid upon you4 ,and bearing these three simple rules in mind1 we may go forward with brave hearts and level heads on the ,quest which has been so plainly opened out to us in this twentieth century4 ,e4 ,,katharine ,,bates4 ,,seen ,,and ,,unseen ,,chapter ,i ,,early ,,recollections ,having set myself to write a personal record of psychic experiences1 ,i must begin at the beginning1 as the children say4 ,when only nine years old ,i lost my father--the ,rev4 ,john ,ellison ,bates of ,christ ,church1 ,dover--and my earliest childish experience of anything supernormal was connected with him4 ,he had been an invalid all my short life1 and ,i was quite accustomed to spending days at a time without seeing him4 ,his last illness1 which lasted about a fortnight1 had therefore no special significance for me1 and my nurse1 elder brother1 and godmother1 who were the only three people in the house at the time1 gave strict orders that none of the servants should give me a hint of his being dangerously ill4 ,these instructions were carefully carried out1 and yet ,i dreamed three nights running--the three nights preceding his decease--that he was dead4 ,i was entirely devoted to my father1 who had been father and mother to me in one1 and these dreams no doubt broke the terrible shock of his death to me4 ,how well ,i remember1 that cold1 dreary ,february morning1 being hastily dressed by candle-light by strange hands1 and then my dear old nurse 7who had been by his bedside all night7 coming in and telling me the sad news with tears streaming down her cheeks4 ,it seemed no news at the moment2 and yet ,i had spoken of my dreams to no one1 for fear they should come true1 having some pathetic1 childish notion that silence on my part might avert the catastrophe4 ,in all his previous and numerous illnesses ,i had never dreamt that any special one was fatal4 ,during the next few years of school life my psychic faculty remained absolutely in abeyance4 ,in a fashionable school1 surrounded by chattering companions and the usual paraphernalia of school work1 classes1 and masters1 etc41 ,i can1 however1 recall many a time when suddenly everything around me became unreal and ,i alone seemed to have any true existence2 and even that was for the time merged in a rather unpleasant dream1 from which ,i hoped soon to wake up4 ,this sensation was quite distinct from the one--also well known to me in those days and later--of having done all this before1 and knowing just what somebody was about to say4 ,probably both these sensations are common to most young people4 ,it would be interesting to note which of the two is the more universal4 ,i pass on now to the time when ,i was about eighteen years old1 and a constant visitor1 for weeks and months at a time1 in the house of my godfather1 the archdeacon of a northern diocese4 ,his grandson1 then a young student at ,oxford1 of about my own age1 must have been what we should now call a very good sensitive4 ,it was with him that ,i sat at my first table1 more as a matter of amusement than anything else1 and certainly young ,morton ,freer treated the spirits in the most cavalier fashion4 ,they did not seem to resent this1 and he could do pretty much what he liked with them4 ,this may be a good opportunity for explaining that when ,i speak in this narrative of spirits ,i do so to save constant periphrasis1 and am quite consciously begging the question very often1 as a matter of verbal convenience4 ,in those days ,i don't think we troubled ourselves much about theories1 and when we found that ,morton and ,i alone could move a heavy dining-room table1 or any other piece of heavy furniture quite beyond our normal powers1 practically without exerting any strength at all1 we looked upon it as an amusing experience without caring to inquire whether the energy involved had been generated on this side the veil or on the other side4 ,we could certainly not have moved such weights under ordinary circumstances1 even by putting forth all our combined strength1 and we could only do so1 for some mysterious reason1 when we had been sitting at the table beforehand4 ,ingenious ,theories of ,human ,electricity raised to a higher power by making a ,human ,battery1 etc4 etc41 were not so common then as now1 and we accepted facts without trying to solve their problems4 ,the dear1 hospitable ,archdeacon would put his venerable head inside the door now and then1 shake it at us half in fun1 and yet a good deal in earnest1 and ,i think he was more than doubtful whether our parlour games were quite lawful6 ,we were very innocent and very ignorant in those days on the subject of psychic laws2 and probably this was our salvation1 for ,i can remember no terrible or weird experience1 such as one reads of nowadays when tyros take to experiments4 ,and yet my knowledge and experiences of later days lead me to endorse most heartily the well-known dictum of ,lawrence ,oliphant--namely1 that when he saw people sitting down in a casual1 irresponsible way to get messages through a table1 it reminded him of an ignorant child going into a powder magazine with a lighted match in its hand4 ,staying in this same house1 ,i can next recall a flying visit from a brother of mine1 who had just spent three months1 on leave from ,india1 in ,america1 where he had taken introductions1 and had been the guest of various hospitable naval and military men1 who had shown him round the ,washington ,arsenal1 ,west ,point ,academy1 and so forth4 ,my kind old host had begged him to take us on his way back to ,london2 and ,i remember well his look of utter amazement when ,morton and ,i had lured him to the table one afternoon1 and he was told correctly the names of two or three of these ,american gentlemen4 ,i must have mentioned them to my sister in my letters1 he said1 turning to the younger man4 ,i knew this was not the case1 but it was difficult to prove a negative4 ,it was a relief1 therefore1 when my brother suggested what he considered a real test1 where previous knowledge on my part must be excluded4 ,let them tell me the name of a bearer ,i had once in ,india--he lived with me for more than twelve years--always returning to me when ,i came back from ,english furlough1 and yet at the end of that time he suddenly disappeared1 without rhyme or reason1 and ,i have neither seen nor heard of him since4 ,i know my sister has never heard his name4 ,that would be something like a test1 but1 of course1 it won't come off1 he added cynically4 ,the wearisome spelling out began4 ,the table rose up at ,r1 then at ,a4 ,quite wrong1 my brother called out in triumph4 ,i knew how it would be when any real test came4 ,fortunately1 too1 it is wildly wrong--neither the letter before nor the letter after the right one1 so you cannot wriggle out of it that way4 ,never mind1 ,major ,bates1 said ,morton ,freer good-naturedly4 ,let us go on all the same1 and see what they mean to spell out4 ,fortunately1 we did so1 with a most interesting result2 for the right name was given after all1 but spelt in the ,hindoostanee and not the ,european fashion4 ,the name in true ,hindoostanee was ,rm ,dn--but ,europeans spelt it ,rham ,deen--and so my brother himself had entirely forgotten when the ,a was given that it had any connection with the man's name4 ,when the whole word was spelt out1 of course he remembered1 and then his face was a study6 ,good gracious6 it is right enough1 and that is the real ,hindoostanee spelling1 too4 ,i never thought of that when the ,a came6 ,i think this episode knocked the bottom out of his scepticism for some years to come4 ,even now this case precludes ordinary and conscious telepathy4 ,mr ,podmore would be reduced to explaining that the ,hindoostanee spelling was latent in my brother's consciousness1 though his normal self repudiated it4 ,another curious incident--still more difficult to explain upon the ,thought ,transference ,theory 7unless we stretch it to include a possible impact of all thoughts1 at all times and from all quarters of the globe1 upon everyone else's brain7--occurred under the same hospitable roof4 ,one of the ,archdeacon's nieces came to stay in the house about this time4 ,she was considerably my senior1 and was very kind to me1 with the thoughtful kindness an older woman can show to a sensitive young girl4 ,this awakened in me an affection which1 ,i am thankful to say1 still exists between us4 ,this lady was considerably under thirty years old at the time1 but to my young ideas she seemed already in the sear and yellow leaf from the matrimonial point of view6 ,one must remember how different the standard of age was more than thirty years ago6 ,it was also the time when marriage was looked upon not only as the most desirable1 but as almost the only possible1 career for a woman4 ,so when ,morton and this lady and ,i were sitting at the table in the gloaming one evening1 ,i said1 with trembling eagerness3 ,morton1 do ask if ,carrie will ever be married1 for the case seemed to me almost desperate at the advanced age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight6 ,i must mention that for some occult reason 7which ,i have entirely forgotten7 ,i trusted fervently that a ,hungarian or ,polish name might be given after the satisfactory ,yes had been spelt out1 but1 alas6 nothing of the kind occurred4 ,the table began with a ,d1 and then successively ,e1 ,h1 ,a1 ,v were given4 ,no one ever heard of a ,polish or ,hungarian name of the kind1 and ,i remember saying petulantly3 ,oh1 give it up1 ,morton4 ,it's all nonsense6 ,nobody ever heard of a ,mr ,dehav4 ,once more ,morton rescued a really good bit of evidence by his imperturbable perseverance4 ,wait a bit6 ,let us see what is coming1 he said4 ,i took no further personal interest in the experiment4 ,either ,morton concluded the name was finished1 or there was some confusion in getting the next letters1 owing doubtless to my impetuous disgust4 ,anyway1 he went on to say3 ,let us ask where the fellow lives at the present time4 ,this was instantly answered by ,freshwater1 and the further information given that he was a widower4 ,none of us knew any man1 married or single1 who lived at ,freshwater1 and the incident was relegated to the limbo of failures4 ,several years later1 however1 my friend did marry a gentleman whose name 7a very pretty one7 began with the five despised letters1 and he was a widower1 and had been living in his own house at ,freshwater at the time mentioned4 ,she did not meet him until some years after our curious experience4 ,about the same time1 but in the south of ,england1 my attention was again drawn to metapsychics by an experience connected with the death of the famous ,marquis of ,hastings1 of horse-racing repute4 ,as a young girl ,i lived close to the ,mote ,park at ,maidstone1 where his sister1 the present ,lady ,romney1 was then living as ,lady ,constance ,marsham4 ,the ,reverend ,david ,dale ,stewart and his wife 7he was ,vicar of ,maidstone1 and ,i made my home with them for some years after leaving school7 were friends of hers1 and she sometimes came to see them in a friendly way in the morning4 ,on one of these occasions1 when ,lady ,constance had just returned from paying her brother a visit in a small shooting-box in the eastern counties 7,i think71 ,mrs ,stewart remarked that she was afraid the change had not done ,lady ,constance much good1 as she was looking far from well4 ,in those days ,lady ,romney was an exceptionally strong and healthy young woman4 ,she said rather impatiently3 ,well1 the fact is ,i did a very stupid thing the other day--,i never did such a thing before--,i fainted dead away for the first time in my life4 ,asked for the reason of this1 she told us that she and her husband and ,lord and ,lady ,hastings were dining quietly one evening together1 two guests who had been expected not having arrived by the train specified4 ,looking up ,bradshaw1 and finding no other train that could bring them until quite late at night1 the other four sat down to dinner4 ,soup and fish had already been discussed1 when a carriage was heard driving up to the door1 and they naturally concluded that their guests had discovered some means of getting across country by another line4 ,lord ,hastings said3 ,tell ,colonel and ,mrs ---- that we began dinner1 thinking they could not arrive till much later1 but that we are quite alone1 and beg they will join us as soon as possible4 ,the servant went to the door1 prepared with the message given1 flung it open--but no carriage1 no horses were there6 ,everybody had heard it driving up1 nevertheless4 ,remembering the old family legend that a carriage and pair is heard driving up the avenue before the head of the ,hastings family dies1 ,lady ,romney fainted dead away1 very much to her own surprise and mortification2 for she was1 and doubtless is still1 an uncommonly sensible woman1 quite above all superstitions4 ,the episode struck me as curious at the time2 but the impression passed1 and a few days later ,i went to pay a visit to friends of mine in ,buckinghamshire4 ,soon after my arrival ,i happened to mention the story1 and was much laughed at as a superstitious little creature1 to think twice of such nonsense4 ,of course1 everyone had been mistaken in supposing they heard wheels or horses' hoofs--nothing could be simpler6 ,and yet before ,i left that house1 three weeks later1 all the newspapers were full of long obituary notices of the ,marquis of ,hastings4 ,these were so interesting that my friend's husband had reached the second long column in ,the ,times before any of us remembered my story1 which had been treated with so much contempt4 ,it suddenly flashed across my mind3 ,owen6 ,remember the carriage and pair and how you laughed at me6 ,they were forced to confess it was certainly rather odd1 the usual refuge of the psychically destitute6 ,a shake of the kaleidoscope1 and ,i see another incident before me of more personal interest4 ,at the time of the outbreak of the ,afghan ,war1 in the autumn of #ahgh1 ,i was living with very old friends in ,oxford4 ,my brother of the ,rm ,dn incident was once more in ,india1 and had been ,military ,secretary for some years at ,lahore to ,sir ,robert ,egerton1 who was at that time ,lieutenant-,governor of the ,punjab4 ,when the war broke out1 my brother1 of course1 went off to join his regiment for active service2 but at the time of my experience it was impossible that he could have reached the seat of war1 and ,i knew this well4 ,i was in excellent spirits about him1 for he had been through many campaigns1 and loved active service1 as all good soldiers do4 ,moreover1 ,i had just read a charming letter which ,sir ,robert ,egerton had sent him on resigning his appointment as ,military ,secretary to take up more active duty to his country4 ,yet it was just at this juncture--when1 humanly speaking1 there was no cause for any special anxiety--that ,i woke up one morning with the gloomiest and most miserable forebodings about this special brother4 ,nothing of the kind had ever occurred to me before1 though he had been through many campaigns in ,india1 ,china1 ,abyssinia1 and elsewhere4 ,it was an overwhelming conviction of some great and definite disaster to him1 and my friends in vain tried to argue me out of such an unreasonable terror by pointing out1 truly enough1 that he could not possibly be within the zone of danger at that time4 ,i could only repeat3 ,i know that something terrible has happened to him1 wherever he is4 ,it may not be death1 but it is some terrible calamity4 ,i spent the day in tears and in absolute despair1 and wrote to tell him of my conviction4 ,allowing for difference of time between ,quetta and ,oxford1 my mental telegram reached me in the same hour that my brother1 whilst on the march1 and only thirty miles beyond ,quetta1 was suddenly struck down in his tent by the paralysis which kept him confined to his chair--a helpless sufferer--for twenty-eight years4 ,perhaps1 now that ,i know so much more of mental currents1 ,i might have received a more definite message as regards the true nature of the calamity4 ,it could not have been more marked1 nor more definite as regards the fact of it4 ,my condition of hopeless misery obliged me to put off all engagements that day1 and ,i did nothing but fret and lament over him1 with the exception of writing the one letter mentioned1 in which ,i told him of my strange and sad experience4 ,in time1 of course1 the first sharp impression passed1 and soon a cheery letter arrived from him1 written1 of course1 before the fatal day4 ,my experience in ,oxford occurred on the morning of #dth ,december #ahgh4 ,it was well on in ,january #ahgi before the corroboration arrived1 in a letter written to us by a stranger4 ,communication was delayed not only by the war1 but also by the fact that my poor brother was lying at the time deprived of both movement and speech1 and could only spell out later1 by the alphabet1 the address of his people at home4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,investigations ,,in ,,america1 #ahhe-ahhf ,an interval of seven years occurs between the events recorded in the last chapter and my first visit to ,america1 which took place in the autumn of #ahhe4 ,during these years no abnormal experiences came to me1 nor had ,i the smallest wish for any4 ,the table turnings with ,morton ,freer were a thing of the past1 and were looked back upon by me in the light of a childish amusement rather than anything else4 ,quite other interests had come into my life1 specially as regards literature and music2 and ,i never gave a thought to spooks or spiritualism1 nor did ,i really know anything about the latter subject4 ,it is true that on one occasion a curate at ,great ,marlow had spoken to me about ,mr ,s4 ,c4 ,hall and his researches1 and ,i think he must have given me an introduction to the dear old man1 for ,i remember going to see him with a lady friend 7he made a great point of this1 somewhat to my amusement71 and finding a charming old man with silver locks1 a fine head1 and a nice white frilly shirt4 ,he spoke of his dear friend ,mrs ,jencken1 whom he considered the only reliable medium1 and showed us some sheets full of hieroglyphics1 which he said were messages obtained through her influence from his dear wife4 ,it was all so much ,greek to me in those days1 and only true sympathy with the poor old man's evident loneliness and adoration of his wife's memory prevented my making merry over the extraordinary delusions of the old gentleman1 when my companion and ,i had left his rooms in ,sussex villas4 ,later1 ,i lived during two years with ,mrs ,lankester and her daughters whilst looking after an invalid brother in ,london2 and ,i need scarcely point out that constant intercourse with ,professor ,ray ,lankester in his mother's house was not calculated to encourage any psychic proclivities1 even had these latter not been entirely latent with me at that time4 ,i heard a great deal about the ,slade exposure1 both from ,professor ,lankester and his friend ,dr ,donkin1 who often came to us with him4 ,when arranging my ,american tour in #ahhe1 ,mrs ,lankester kindly gave me an introduction to ,mrs ,edna ,hall1 an old friend of theirs1 who had been living in their house during the whole period of the ,slade trial4 ,this lady--an ,american--lived permanently in ,boston1 and curiously enough 7in view of the preceding facts7 it was she who persuaded ,miss ,greenlow and me to attend our first sance in ,boston4 ,mrs ,edna ,hall had honoured ,mrs ,lankester's introduction most hospitably2 but she was too busy a woman to do as much for us as her kindness suggested1 and she had therefore introduced us to another friend--,mrs ,maria ,porter--a most picturesque1 clever1 and characteristic figure in ,boston society in the eighties4 ,both these ladies accompanied us to the ,sisters ,berry4 ,mrs ,edna ,hall had no sort of illusions on the subject4 ,she said quite frankly that she only took us there because it was a feature of ,american life which we ought not to miss1 and which would probably amuse us1 if only by showing the gullibility of ,human ,nature4 ,one is always apt to read past experiences in the light of present convictions4 ,fortunately1 ,i kept a diary at the time1 and have a faithful record of what took place1 and1 which is still more valuable1 of the impressions formed at the time4 ,the extracts connected with this sance in ,boston1 and later experiences in ,new ,york1 are taken partly from my record at the time and partly from the chapter on ,spiritualism in ,america1 published in my book entitled ,a ,year in the ,great ,republic4 ,speaking of this first sance in ,boston1 ,i see that ,i have said3 ,i went to the ',sisters ,berry' in a very antagonistic frame of mind1 determined beforehand that the whole thing was a swindle 7italics are recent71 accompanied by friends who were even more sceptical than myself1 if that were possible4 ,i go on then to describe the usual cabinet1 and pass on to the following extract3-- ,an old ,egyptian now appeared1 and a man in the circle1 who had been sitting near my friend ,miss ,greenlow all the evening1 went up and spoke to him1 and then asked that the lady who had been sitting near him might come up also1 which she did2 but she said she could distinguish no features1 and only felt a warm1 damp hand passed over hers4 ,miss ,greenlow was next called up by the spirit of a young man who wished to embrace her1 but who was finally proved to be the departed friend of the lady who sat next to her4 ,miss ,greenlow returned to her seat1 furious1 declaring that it was a horrible1 coarse-looking creature1 unlike anyone she had ever seen in her life4 ,mrs ,porter made valiant attempts to investigate the figures who came forth at intervals1 but was invariably waved back by the master of the ceremonies4 ,will that lady kindly sit down8 ,this spirit is not for her4 ,it wishes to communicate with its own friends1 and she is disturbing the conditions1 and forcing the spirit back into the cabinet4 ,there were evidently many old stagers there1 who flew up like lamp-lighters on every possible occasion1 with exclamations of3 ,oh1 ,uncle ,charlie1 is that you8 ,how do you do1 ,jem8 and so forth4 ,one old lady1 in a mob cap and black gown1 was introduced as a certain ,sister ,margaret who had taught in ,st ,peter's ,school1 ,boston4 ,she came to speak to a former pupil1 who gave her spiritualistic experiences in such remarkably bad grammar as reflected small credit on ,sister ,margaret's teaching of the ,english language4 ,this girl told us how anxious she had always been to see her old teacher1 who had appeared to her several times in the sance room1 but never in her old garments--a sort of sister's dress4 ,after wishing very fervently one night1 ,sister ,margaret appeared dressed in mob cap and gown1 saying3 ,don't you see my dress8 ,i came in it at your wish4 ,yes1 answered the girl2 and ,i thank you for gratifying my wish4 ,since which time1 she added1 ,i have been a firm believer in spiritualism4 ,a young ,french girl1 in draggly black garments and a shock of thick black hair1 then came forward and rushed amongst us1 trying to find someone to talk ,french with her4 ,my friend ,mrs ,hall went up first1 and then ,i was told to go up and speak to her4 ,i took hold of her hands1 and grasped them firmly for a moment4 ,they seemed to be ordinary flesh and blood1 but ,i am bound to confess that they appeared to lengthen out in a somewhat abnormal fashion when the pressure was removed4 ,her face was very cadaverous1 and she spoke in a quick1 hurried way1 as if time were an object4 ,she said she understood a little ,english1 but could not speak it4 ,her mother had been ,french2 her father an ,indian1 un brave homme4 ,it seemed to me that a good deal of kissing and embracing went on4 ,one old grey-headed gentleman was constantly walking up to the cabinet and being embraced by a white figure1 whose arms we could just see1 thrown round his neck1 in the dim light4 7,i note that the light here was much less than with ,mrs ,stoddart ,gray in ,new ,york47 ,the only excitement was the chance of some disturbance before we left2 for ,mrs ,porter became more and more indignant with the gross imposture1 which culminated when at length she was called up and told that a young man wished to speak with her4 ,she asserted that it was the most horrible1 grinning1 painted creature who hissed into her ears4 ,the master of the house begged her to be patient1 and try to hear what the spirit wished to say1 but with a very emphatic ,,no1 ,,no1 ,,no she resumed her seat1 amidst a general titter of laughter4 ,at the last we were told that three little girls1 whose mother sat near the cabinet1 wished to materialise1 but found it difficult to do so1 owing to the absence of children in the audience4 ,the mother seemed very anxious to see them2 but suddenly the gas was turned up1 and the sance declared over--a very abrupt finale to a piece of unmitigated humbug1 ,i should say4 ,these extracts sufficiently show the spirit in which ,i entered upon my investigations and the result of that spirit4 ,i think even ,mr ,podmore would have considered me thoroughly sound on that first evening4 ,i have no doubt that the violence of ,mrs ,porter's antagonism1 and the smiling cynicism of ,mrs ,hall in face of the ,american experience she had proposed for us1 added to my own preconceived prejudices4 ,i am aware that the ,berry ,sisters have been exposed1 thus sharing the fate of all other public mediums4 ,in the light of later experiences1 however1 ,i feel sure that ,i might have received something personally evidential on this occasion had my attitude of mind given hospitality to any possible visitors from the ,unseen4 ,the next extracts from my diary refer to a sance which we attended in ,new ,york a few days after our arrival there1 and some two or three weeks later than the ,boston sitting already described4 ,our stay in ,boston had extended to three months from the original fortnight we had planned for the visit4 ,i had taken a few very good introductions there3 to ,dr ,oliver ,wendell ,holmes1 ,colonel ,wentworth ,higginson1 and others of the ,boston alumni1 and as several receptions had been kindly arranged for us1 and my name had appeared many times during the winter in various local papers1 it would have been easy for the ,sisters ,berry to find out something about me and my companion1 and utilise the knowledge by faking up a convenient spirit1 who could have talked glibly of my literary tastes1 and so forth4 ,nothing of the sort occurred1 however1 although our first sance only took place a week or two before we left ,boston1 after my three months' stay there4 ,this fact should certainly be counted as righteousness to the much abused ,sisters6 ,it was the more curious1 that our first sance in ,new ,york1 within a few days of our arrival1 and in a metropolis where at the time we were absolute strangers1 should have been so much more successful as regards evidential experiences4 ,i will again quote from my diary of #ahhf4 ,the medium visited on this occasion was ,mrs ,cadwell1 who has since died4 99 99 99 99 99 ,we knew nothing beforehand of the medium1 who lived in a small flat in an unfashionable quarter4 ,some eight people only were assembled in the extremely small room4 ,all were perfect strangers to ,miss ,greenlow and me1 but a fancied likeness in one lady present to a picture ,i had seen of ,mrs ,beecher ,stowe led me to ask if it were she1 and ,i was told that my surmise was correct4 ,there was no room for a cabinet1 so a curtain was hung across a tiny alcove1 just the ordinary arch found in most rooms of the kind4 ,when ,i went behind the curtain with the female medium1 before the sitting began1 there was barely space for us both to turn round in4 ,the carpet on either side the curtain was one piece4 ,there was absolutely no room for any trap-door machinery1 even could such have been worked successfully in the perfect silence in which we sat1 within two feet of the alcove4 ,the room was about the size of the small back dining-room in an ordinary ,london lodging--say in ,oxford or ,cambridge ,terrace1 for example4 ,the medium sat amongst us at first1 only going behind the curtain after a few moments1 when she was under control as it is called4 ,a little child of hers1 who died some years ago at the age of four1 is supposed to help in the materialisations1 but is never seen outside the curtains4 ,if she came out herself she would not be able to help the others to do so4 ,i mention these things in the words in which they were told to me1 offering no comment1 but putting the case for the moment as spiritualists would put it4 ,to do this1 and then to give a faithful and unprejudiced account of what took place1 seems to me the only fair way of treating such a subject4 ,i was told again and again that too much concentration of thought on the part of the audience was deterrent4 ,this accounts for music as an invariable accompaniment of all such sittings4 ,it seems to harmonise the circle1 to break up over-concentration1 and may also1 unfortunately1 serve to cover the doings of dishonest mediums4 ,it must not1 however1 be supposed that in this case the materialisations went on only whilst we were singing4 ,this might point to a possible trap-door theory1 although in a city where flats abound 7rooms1 not human beings67 there would still be the difficulty of getting your downstairs neighbours to look kindly upon such proceedings4 ,as a matter of fact1 we were often sitting in absolute silence when fresh spirits appeared4 ,i can corroborate the assertion that too much concentration of thought upon them proves deterrent to the spirits1 for on more than one occasion ,i heard a voice from the curtain or cabinet saying3 ,do get the people's minds off us2 we can do nothing whilst they are fixed upon us so intensely1 as though thought in spirit life corresponded to some physical obstacle on the earth plane4 ,the first spirit who came 7the daughter of an old gentleman sitting near me7 intimated through him that she would like me to go up and help her to materialise the white veil which all in turn wore1 and which1 though perfectly transparent1 is considered a necessary shield between them and the earth's influences2 on the same principle1 ,i suppose1 that we put on blue spectacles to protect us from the blinding rays of the sun4 ,she came out from the alcove1 held both her hands in front of her1 turning them backward and forward that ,i might be satisfied that nothing was concealed in them4 ,the soft1 clinging material of her gown ended high up on the shoulders1 so there were no sleeves to be reckoned with4 ,i stood close over her1 holding out my own dress1 and as she rubbed her hands to and fro a sort of white lace or net came from them1 like a foam1 and lay upon my gown which ,i was holding up towards her4 ,i touched this material1 and held it in my hands4 ,it had substance1 but was light as gossamer1 and quite unlike any stuff ,i ever saw in a shop4 ,the very softest gossamer tulle that old ladies sometimes produce as having belonged to their grandmothers is perhaps the nearest approach to what ,i then lifted in my hands1 but even this does not accurately describe it4 ,when long enough she took up the veil1 unfolded it1 covering her head with it1 and saying very graciously ,thank you to me4 ,other spirits now appeared for the other people in the room1 who conversed with them in low tones4 ,all these had evidently materialised before and could consequently speak with comparative ease4 ,one1 called the ,angel ,mother 7the mother of the medium71 answered questions on the spirit life in a loud ,american voice1 prefacing every remark1 whether to man or woman1 by an affectionate ,well1 de-ar6 ,her answers showed considerable shrewdness1 but not much depth1 and were often rather wide of the mark4 ,nels ,seymour 7who appears to have belonged to a sort of ,christy ,minstrel ,company over here7 cracked jokes all the time with a gentleman amongst the audience in a good-natured but flippant and very unspiritual manner1 and even the ladies joined in the undignified punning and play upon words that went on all the time4 ,the little child's voice came in as a relief every now and then4 ,she spoke broken1 childish ,english1 but used the expressions of a grown-up person4 ,she described several spirits as chying 7trying7 to come1 but not being strong enough4 ,i was becoming drowsy1 and rather tired of the performance1 when my attention was once more aroused by hearing that a very beautiful female spirit1 with a diamond star in her forehead1 had appeared and asked for me1 saying she had been a friend of mine on earth1 and wished to communicate with me4 ,this was conveyed to me by the little child's voice1 the spirit herself not having yet emerged from the curtain2 but the medium's husband looked behind it1 and told me of the diamond star1 which he said was some order in spirit life4 ,having no idea who the friend might be1 ,i begged for some further particulars before going up to speak to her4 ,she passed from earth life about five years ago1 and in ,germany1 answered the medium's husband1 who had conducted the conversation behind the curtain4 ,this was less vague1 and now for the first time a suspicion of the spirit's identity crossed my mind2 but ,i would not go up until a name had been given1 and ,i asked for this before leaving my seat4 ,my travelling companion--a recent acquaintance--had never heard me mention the lady in question1 who had died in ,germany at the time specified4 ,the little child said the spirit would give the name through her1 and the process was a curious one4 ,instead of mentioning the whole name or each letter of it to her father1 the child described each letter to him as you might describe the lines of the large capitals in a child's reading-book4 ,the father guessed the letter from the child's description1 and asked me if the first one were correct8 ,it was2 but ,i did not tell him so1 merely saying ,i should like to have the ,christian name in full before giving any opinion4 ,in due time the six letters 7,muriel1 we will call it7 were correctly given1 and ,i had then no further excuse for refusing to speak to the spirit4 ,i went up to the curtain1 and she appeared in front of it4 ,i have been frequently asked3 ,should you have recognised her as your friend had no name been given8 ,with every wish to be perfectly truthful1 ,i find it difficult to answer this question1 for the following reason3--,none of the materialisations ,i saw were exactly human in face4 ,there was no idea of a mask or clever get up1 but if one could accept the theory of a body hastily put together and assumed for a time1 the result is exactly what might have been expected under the circumstances4 ,my friend in real life was very pale1 and had exquisitely chiselled features1 and the ones ,i now looked upon were of the same cast4 ,the height was also similar1 and an indescribable atmosphere of refinement1 purity1 and quiet dignity1 for which she had been remarkable2 all this was present with this materialisation4 ,more than this ,i cannot say1 for no materialisation ,i have ever seen could be truthfully considered identical with the human original4 ,i did not feel frightened1 but ,i did feel embarrassed1 and naturally so1 considering how unwilling and grudging my recognition of her individuality must have appeared4 ,she seemed conscious of this1 for almost immediately she mentioned her hands1 holding them out for inspection1 and saying3 ,don't you remember my hands8 ,i was so proud of my hands6 ,now1 as a matter of fact1 my friend was noted for her beautiful hands1 but she was too sensible and clever a woman to have been conceited about them1 and had too much good taste ever to have made their beauty a subject of remark1 even to an intimate friend4 ,moreover1 the hands now en vidence1 although well shaped and with tapering fingers1 were as little identical with a human hand as the face was identical with a human face4 ,casting about for something to say to her1 my first thought was for an only and dearly loved married sister of hers1 also a friend of mine1 and ,i mentioned the latter in a guarded way1 saying3 ,if you are in reality my friend1 have you no message for your sister8 ,in a moment1 and without the slightest hesitation1 she said3 ,tell poor ,jessie1 going on with a message peculiarly appropriate to the facts of the case1 but of much too private a nature for publication4 ,almost immediately afterwards1 and with no shadow of suggestion from me1 she added3 ,poor ,jessie6 ,she suffered terribly when ,i passed away so suddenly4 ,my friend had died in a foreign country1 under peculiarly sad circumstances4 ,she was young1 beautiful1 and accomplished2 a prominent local figure in the well-known capital where she had spent several winters4 ,her death was so sudden that there was not even time to put off a large afternoon ,at ,home arranged for that day4 ,moreover1 this sister1 by a most merciful chance1 happened to be spending a few months with her1 out of ,england1 at the time4 ,these were all special facts1 spontaneously referred to by her1 but which would not have applied equally well to the death of any other friend1 even supposing such a death to have occurred abroad4 ,the spirit spoke feebly and with difficulty1 not having much strength1 she told me4 ,i asked if her father 7who had died a few months previously7 were with her4 ,not yet1 she said gently2 but ,i know that he has passed over4 ,she then kissed my hand1 and faded away before my eyes1 not apparently returning to the curtain 7close to which ,i stood71 but vanishing into thin air4 ,some ten days later my friend and ,i went again to an evening sance at the same house1 different people being present on this occasion4 ,a stupid1 unintelligent sceptic woman put us all out of harmony by making inane suggestions1 always declaring that she would not for the world interfere with the conditions1 but doing so all the same4 ,the ,angel ,mother came again1 and rather lost her temper1 ,i thought1 with an aggravating1 illogical man in the circle1 who hammered away about ,faraday's opinions on the spirit world without much idea of what he was talking about4 ,nels ,seymour appeared1 as well as spoke1 this time4 ,he took my hand and kissed it2 but he does not leave the cabinet1 as he is the control4 ,it was eleven years on this day since he had passed over1 so he called it his birthday4 ,a very beautiful female spirit materialised and offered to sit on my lap2 an offer ,i closed with at once4 ,she was some five feet eight inches in height1 and a large1 well-developed woman4 ,anticipating the possibility of her resting her feet on the ground1 and so concealing her real weight1 ,i moved my own feet from the ground the moment she sat down1 which was easily done1 as my chair was a high one4 ,she remained for several minutes in this position1 resting1 of necessity1 her whole weight upon me1 which was about equal to that of a small kitten or a lady's muff1 in the days when small muffs were in fashion4 ,there was an appreciable weight1 but ,i have never nursed any baby that was not far heavier4 ,the veil this time was materialised in the usual way1 my friend going up to watch the process4 ,my spirit friend appeared again1 and more strongly this time4 ,at a public sance1 where so many are eager to communicate with their friends1 it is impossible to monopolise more than a few minutes of the public time1 and consequently any communications are as hurried and unsatisfactory as a conversation with an intimate friend in the public reading-room of a hotel would be4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i pass over another most excellent and evidential incident as a concession to family prejudice4 ,it has already appeared in my book on ,america entitled ,a ,year in the ,great ,republic1 and may be found there4 99 99 99 99 99 ,at a third materialising sance at the same house an excitable ,italian friend of mine1 who had never seen anything of the kind before1 came with much the same prejudices as ,i had felt at the ,boston sance1 and disturbed the conditions very much by his attitude of determined antagonism2 whilst his comparative ignorance of ,english1 and my feeble ,italian1 made explanations1 under the circumstances1 rather hopeless4 ,the whole circle was put out of harmony1 and a dead weight lay upon us all4 ,the materialisations continued1 it is true2 but personally it was a great relief to me when my excitable friend left1 declaring that everything he had seen was physiquement impossible mon ange4 ,he departed so abruptly as to bring down much abuse upon his absent head for having broken the battery and almost killed the medium by his sudden disappearance from the circle4 ,this awful threat had so much power over the rest of the party that we sat out to the bitter end1 leaving the medium at last still in her trance1 with husband and son hovering over her in an anxiety which1 if acted1 showed first-class dramatic power4 ,meanwhile ,i had made the acquaintance of a very beautiful and charming woman in ,new ,york1 to whom ,i had brought a letter of introduction4 ,she has had a tragic and remarkable history2 is a woman of great mental powers1 in addition to very remarkable beauty2 and is of the highest rank1 being an ,austrian princess1 ,i believe1 in her own right1 and having spent her youth in foreign courts4 ,apart from these facts1 which had been told me by a mutual friend before we met1 ,i knew nothing whatever of her family history1 nor whether she had brothers or sisters1 alive or dead4 ,i had spoken to her of my curious experiences1 and she had discussed the matter with me from the standpoint of a thorough woman of the world1 of strong mental power1 who had seen too much of life to be dogmatic or narrow in her views1 but too much also to believe in what is called the supernatural1 before every possible natural hypothesis had been admitted and dismissed as untenable4 ,sitting in her pretty room the day before ,i left ,new ,york1 we had talked for some two hours on various subjects connected with life and literature1 and before the final adieux she said laughingly3 ,well1 have you been to any more sances8 ,i said ,no1 and that we did not intend to do so1 as our time was now so short4 ,a few moments of careless talk on the subject ensued1 and picking up a newspaper1 ,i cast my eye over the usual list of mediums1 clairvoyants1 etc4 ,a half-defined wish to see whether any spirit friend would come to me under totally different conditions and surroundings1 and in an entirely different quarter of the city1 led to my copying out one of the addresses at haphazard4 ,i could not prevail upon my hostess to accompany me 7she is delicate1 and dreads night air71 but ,i took the slip of paper to my hotel1 thinking that my friend there might care to take the cars after dinner to this distant end of the city4 ,my ,english companion proved rather indifferent and disinclined towards the expedition4 ,this was very natural4 ,she was not magnetic in temperament1 and had no expectation of seeing any of her own friends1 although1 of course1 she had both seen and spoken to those who came for me4 ,however1 a good dinner at the excellent ,windsor ,hotel fortified us so much after our fatigues that at the last moment we agreed to make one more attempt1 no one1 ourselves included1 having known five minutes previously that we should leave the house4 ,on this occasion we were ushered into a much more imposing drawing-room1 and the lady herself was evidently some degrees higher in the social scale than our first mediumistic friend4 ,the arrangements also were quite different4 ,as we sat waiting for a few minutes 7having arrived very punctually71 ,mrs ,gray looked at my friend1 and then described an elderly lady with grey hair who was standing over her1 but1 of course1 invisible to our eyes4 ,almost immediately ,mrs ,gray began rubbing her knees1 and complained of pain in them1 adding3 ,the impression of dropsy is being conveyed to me4 ,this spirit seems to have suffered from disease of that nature4 ,my friend--who was very self-contained and unemotional--gave no clue to the fact that she recognised anyone by this description1 but as we were returning home in the cars she said quietly3 ,it is curious ,mrs ,gray should have described that old lady with grey hair--,i suppose she meant my mother4 ,she had grey hair1 and died of dropsy4 ,on my expostulating with this lady for having given the impression that she did not recognise the description at the time she said1 with conscious pride3 ,you don't suppose ,i was going to let the woman know that she had described my mother8 ,to give a false impression in so good a cause as determined incredulity1 seems not only justifiable1 but actually praiseworthy to many minds4 ,later in the evening1 the sance being in full swing1 a spirit dressed in some kind of white sister's dress appeared at the door of the cabinet2 and ,mrs ,stoddart ,gray asked if anyone in the circle could speak ,german1 as this spirit did not seem to understand ,french1 ,italian1 or ,english1 and she herself only recognised ,german by the sound4 ,a gentleman volunteered his assistance1 but apparently without much effect1 and being a ,german scholar1 ,i then offered to come to the rescue4 ,the moment ,i went up to the figure she seemed to gain strength1 and came quite out of the cabinet1 and said to me in the most refined ,german 7any readers who have studied the language know that there is as wide a difference between the highest and lowest type of ,german accent as between an educated ,irish accent and an ,irish brogue73 ,ich bin die schwester von ,madame ,schewitsch1 mentioning the name of the foreign friend with whom ,i had been spending that afternoon3 ,ich weisz das ,sie ,heute ,nach mittag bei meiner schwester waren4#a #a ,translation3 ,i am the sister of ,madame ,schewitsch--,i know that you spent this afternoon with my sister4 ,she had evidently a strong1 almost overwhelming desire to make some communication to me for her sister1 but the difficulty in doing so seemed equally strong4 ,it lay beyond the question of language4 ,she spoke with sufficient strength1 and ,i could understand perfectly her well-chosen and well-pronounced words4 ,but some insuperable obstacle seemed to prevent her telling me what she wished to convey1 and the despairing attempt to surmount this was painful in the extreme4 ,i assured her of my willingness to help in any way possible1 and made a few suggestions1 but all in vain4 ,is it that you are not happy8 ,no--no6 ,that is not it4 ,it seemed to me some sort of warning which she wished to convey1 and had some connection with illness1 for the words achtung and krankheit 7warning and illness7 were repeated more than once1 but no definite message came4 ,i then asked if she could write it1 and she caught eagerly at the idea4 ,so ,i borrowed a pencil and some paper1 and placed them on a small table in the middle of the room1 with a chair in front of it4 ,she came quite close to the table 7five gas burners were more than half turned on1 so there was plenty of light71 sat down1 and took up the pencil1 but almost immediately threw it down again1 saying in a most unhappy and despairing voice3 ,nein6 nein6 ,ich kann es selbst nicht schreiben6#b and vanished before my very eyes as she rose from the table4 ,now had this been a case of fraud1 and supposing that some woman had means of discovering the name of my ,new ,york friend and the fact of my having spent that very afternoon with her1 what would have been easier than to write or give some commonplace message in a language of which she had already proved herself mistress8 #b ,translation3 ,no6 no6 ,i cannot even write it6 ,the episode was so painful that ,i decided not to write to ,madame ,schewitsch about it4 ,i have therefore no absolute corroboration of the fact that the lady mentioned had a sister who became a nun1 or who was connected with some such establishment1 and had passed over4 ,this1 however1 is much more probable than not1 because in every high-born ,catholic family in ,austria1 one member in a large family almost invariably takes the veil4 ,i have given the real name in this case1 hoping ,madame ,schewitsch may perchance come across my book1 and supply the information needed4 ,i may remark1 finally1 that three or four months later1 whilst travelling in ,california1 ,i heard from my excitable and sceptical ,italian friend 7who had given me the introduction to ,madame ,schewitsch7 that this lady had had a long and most serious illness during my absence in the ,west1 and that her husband and he had both feared she would never recover from it4 ,this fear1 fortunately1 proved to be groundless4 ,to return to the sitting4 ,about twenty minutes after the sister had disappeared1 a figure in white came forward very swiftly1 and without a moment's hesitation pointed towards me1 saying quickly3 ,for you4 ,i went up at once1 recognising who it was1 but determined to give no sign of this fact4 ,the spirit looked at me for a moment with surprise1 as one might look at any well-known friend who passed us in the street without a greeting4 ,as ,i remained silent she whispered3 ,don't you know me8 ,i am afraid ,i gave the false impression this time1 and asked her for her name4 ,why1 ,i am ,muriel6 came the instant answer1 mentioning the name of the first friend who had appeared to me1 after spelling out her name1 at the previous sances held in another part of ,new ,york4 ,on this third appearance my spirit friend asked me to kiss her4 ,i must confess that ,i complied with some amount of trepidation1 which proved to be quite unnecessary4 ,there was nothing the least repulsive to the touch1 although it was not exactly like kissing anyone on earth2 but an indescribable atmosphere of freshness and purity1 which seemed always to surround this friend whilst living1 was very apparent under these changed conditions4 ,another curious little point is that ,i had entirely forgotten my friend's love of violets 7she always wore them when possible1 and used violet scent7 until ,i smelt them distinctly whilst speaking to her4 ,it must be remembered that until the day of the sitting1 we had never dreamed of going to ,mrs ,gray's house1 nor had we even heard her name4 ,i picked it out of a newspaper by chance--amongst at least thirty others4 ,until past seven o'clock that evening we had not decided to visit her1 and the sance began at eight ,p4,m41 no single person in the room being present who had been at the house of the other medium some weeks previously4 ,under these circumstances it would be difficult to account for the fact of my friend's reappearance on the ground of collusion between the two mediums4 ,moreover1 such collusion would not account for the appearance earlier in the evening of a spirit claiming to be the sister of ,madame ,schewitsch4 ,no one hitherto has been able to suggest any intelligent explanation of my personal experiences on these occasions4 ,conjuring tricks and trap doors are1 of course1 trotted out by the unintelligent sceptic1 but these do not meet the difficulty of an accurate knowledge of names and of family matters of comparatively small importance4 ,as ,i am just now chiefly concerned with presenting incidents in my life rather than in prosing over them1 ,i resist the temptation to go further into the question of ,materialisations either from the historical or ethical point of view1 and pass on to the subject of clairvoyance4 ,,chapter ,,ii--continued ,,investigations ,,in ,,america1 #ahhe-ahhf ,in speaking of clairvoyance ,i shall again have recourse to my notes taken at the time of my ,american visit and on the spot4 ,i am quite convinced that where a life has been in any way eventful or at all marked1 any fairly developed clairvoyant can in some way sense your mental and moral atmosphere4 ,in some three or four personal cases1 the notes taken at the time of such visits1 paid several thousands of miles apart1 might almost be read as descriptive of the same interview1 with different witnesses4 ,my travelling companion1 who had led a very uneventful life1 seemed to puzzle them much more4 ,there was apparently nothing to lay hold of1 and only a very shadowy1 indistinct picture was given in consequence4 ,in my own case the colours were put on freely1 firmly1 and without the least hesitation1 and in every single instance the sketch was remarkably truthful1 and yet would not have described the life of one other woman in three or four hundred4 ,that there is a good deal of guesswork done even under the supposed influence of trance is quite evident to me4 ,i am not prepared to say that such trances were in no case genuine1 but the remarks made during them were frequently of a tentative nature1 and the slightest good hit was followed up with as much ingenuity as ,sir ,richard ,owen displayed in putting together his skeleton from a single bone4 ,i was told some six or seven times that my mother 7who died during my infancy7 was my guardian spirit1 and six times her name was given to me1 with some difficulty in one or two cases1 but invariably without the smallest guessing on the part of the clairvoyant or any hint from me4 ,one of my most successful interviews in ,new ,york was with a ,mrs ,parks of ,philadelphia--a very pleasant1 good-looking1 healthy woman1 quite unlike the usual cadaverous medium with whom one is more familiar4 ,her terms being rather higher than those usually asked in ,america 7where competition has made mediums a cheap luxury71 ,i demurred at first2 upon which she said brightly3 ,well1 don't come if you don't feel like paying that2 but ,i never alter my prices4 ,but ,i won't take your money if ,i don't give you satisfaction4 ,some get satisfaction from one person and some from another--you will soon see if ,i am telling you the truth about your friends1 and ,i won't take a penny from you if you are dissatisfied4 ,i left the house saying ,i would think it over1 and ,mrs ,parks did not at all press me to come1 and from my manner could hardly have expected to see me4 ,i had a most satisfactory interview with her next day4 ,after referring to my mother's presence1 and giving her name without any hesitation1 she gave me several messages with regard to character which were singularly appropriate1 and finished up by saying3 ,your mother does not wish you to go to mediums or mix yourself too much up with such persons4 ,it is not necessary for you to do so2 she says you have enough mediumistic power for her to be able to communicate with you directly4 ,i could not help saying3 ,well1 ,mrs ,parks1 you are going very much against your own interests in giving me this message4 ,i am a perfect stranger to you in this city4 ,i have told you that ,i am making some little stay here1 and as you have given me so much satisfaction ,i might have been induced to come and see you several times again before leaving4 ,she laughed1 and answered3 ,that is quite true2 but ,i am an honest woman1 and ,i am bound to give you the message that is given to me for you1 even when it goes against my interest4 ,seeing her bright1 pleasant home1 with every trace of comfort about it1 and having received personal proof that money alone was not her consideration1 ,i could not help asking why she continued such an arduous life4 ,well1 she answered1 the truth is that ,i do it now against my own wish4 ,my husband has always objected to it more or less4 ,he was afraid it might injure my health1 and for two years ,i gave it up entirely4 ,but1 she added1 the spirits would not leave me alone4 ,it seemed as if ,i had to come back to it1 as if ,i were refusing to use the powers that had been given to me for the help and comfort of my fellow-creatures4 ,i name a higher price than others1 to limit my work and to keep away those who would only come from idle curiosity4 ,she also told me that sometimes she had to give orders beforehand that certain people should not be admitted on any pretext whatever4 ,i can see their spirits round them before they reach the door very often1 and ,i would not have such people1 bringing such an atmosphere into my house--no1 not if they gave me a hundred dollars for each sitting4 ,i must mention one more incident connected with this period of my investigations1 because it throws a strong light on some obscure problems4 ,whilst consulting these clairvoyants1 in widely different parts of ,america1 two very near relatives of mine were almost invariably described1 and the names--one male and one female--were generally given4 ,the mediums invariably went on to say that the female spirit was further on in development than the male spirit4 ,now there were circumstances which made this statement1 viewed from this world's standpoint1 not only absolutely mistaken1 but almost ludicrously so4 ,the woman's nature had been a far more faulty one--more impetuous1 less balanced1 and so forth4 ,the male spirit described had been a man of very exceptional character and spirituality1 whilst on earth4 ,in spite of these facts the same mistake1 as ,i considered it1 had consistently been made by every clairvoyant who described them2 which1 by-the-by1 rules out telepathy as an explanation of these special experiences4 ,it certainly seemed strange that after giving accurate descriptions of the two relatives referred to--names included--each clairvoyant should make exactly the same mistake upon so obvious a matter as the question involved4 ,some months later1 in the course of my travels1 ,i found myself at ,denver in ,colorado4 ,we stayed here1 at first1 one day only1 to break our journey farther up into the ,rocky ,mountains4 ,the previous day1 when wandering about ,colorado ,springs1 my friend and ,i had come across a lady doctor by chance2 and having asked some trivial question1 we were invited into her pretty little house1 where we chatted for half-an-hour on various subjects--including spiritualism4 ,we gave no account of our experiences1 but simply mentioned the fact that we had some interest in the investigation4 ,hearing this1 and that we were going on to ,denver next day1 this lady gave me the address of a young married friend who lived in that city1 and who had during the previous two years suddenly developed strong mediumistic power1 but was in no way a professional4 ,she begged us to call if possible1 and ,i took down the address1 but said it was very doubtful if we could do so in the short time we should have at our disposal4 ,at the end of a long afternoon's drive to the most interesting points of view in ,denver1 we found ourselves close to the quarter where this young woman lived1 and called at the house mentioned4 ,the lady was not at home1 and a friend who received us explained that it would be impossible for her to come down in the evening to see us1 as she was delicate1 and not allowed to go out at night4 ,as we were leaving ,denver early next morning1 this made a meeting impossible1 so we left our cards1 and a note to explain our visit4 ,going into the hotel office after dinner that evening1 ,i heard a gentleman inquiring for me by name1 saying he had brought his wife to see me4 ,i explained that ,i was the lady he asked for1 and he then said1 with the stoical resignation of the typical ,american husband3 ,i did not like her to come out1 but she was bound to have her own way4 ,the lady in question came into my bedroom upstairs after dismissing her husband1 and said she preferred a room already permeated by my influence4 ,she then continued very simply3 ,i do not know whether ,i shall be able to help you at all1 but it seems there is something ,i have to tell you or explain4 ,when ,i read your note ,i felt bound to come1 although my husband tried to dissuade me4 ,it seemed to me as if the spirits came all the way with me in the cars4 ,she then gave me quite a good sitting1 but on the ordinary lines1 ending up by the description of the relatives mentioned1 and by making the usual mistake about their relative spiritual positions4 ,this was all said in trance4 ,when she returned to consciousness ,i said3 ,now1 ,mrs ,brown 7her real name71 ,i must tell you honestly that you have made one cardinal mistake1 but ,i am also bound to say that five or six professional mediums have done just the same as regards the same matter4 ,i then explained1 and asked if she could account for such a persistent and obvious misconception4 ,wait a moment1 she answered2 perhaps the spirits will tell me4 ,she looked up with a very intent expression for a minute1 as though listening to some explanation which did not cover the ground of her own experience1 and then said very quickly and in a monotonous voice1 as though repeating a verbal message3 ,it has nothing exactly to do with our earthly idea of 'goodness4' ,spiritual life can only come to those prepared for it1 within the limits of their capacity4 ,the male spirit you mention was a clergyman of the ,church of ,england4 ,he was a very holy man1 but he was in some way creed bound4 ,he was a man of strong creed2 he clung to his creed here1 and cannot quite free himself from it even now1 although he has advanced very much in spiritual perception4 ,now his wife had a very sympathetic1 apprehending nature4 ,she can therefore receive spiritual light more fully and freely4 ,that is why she has risen to a higher plane4 ,this is not a question of character so much as of spiritual capacity1 and in this she is the more highly gifted of the two4 ,she is on a different plane1 but she is able to help her husband very much1 and in time he will join her1 and they will progress together4 ,all this was said in a quick1 decided way1 and without the smallest hesitation4 ,one would hardly have expected a young woman in the midst of the ,rocky ,mountains to know the exact meaning of the term clergyman of the ,church of ,england1 for the word is almost unknown in ,america1 where they speak invariably of a minister4 ,yet the words were given with quick1 firm precision1 exactly as written down4 ,later1 in ,san ,francisco1 a clairvoyant at once referred to my friend ,muriel1 and described her1 but in rather vague terms4 ,when ,i pointed this fact out she said a little impatiently1 as though we were wasting time in quibbling3 ,oh1 well1 it does not matter4 ,the spirit tells me you know perfectly well who it is4 ,she has already appeared to you in ,new ,york4 ,i had gone to this particular medium with several young friends1 who were all in a very sceptical and rather frivolous state of mind4 ,she described an uncle1 apparently over the heads of two of my friends1 and gave the further information that he was surrounded by water1 and appeared to have been drowned2 also that he was extremely musical4 ,this was declared to be perfectly untrue and without a grain of foundation1 in fact4 ,the woman looked puzzled and a little mortified1 but turned to others in the circle1 with better success1 let us hope6 ,on our return home1 when the young people were telling their mother of the awful humbug amid shouts of laughter1 the mother said quietly3 ,but surely you remember1 my dear children1 hearing of your ,uncle ,robert1 who was drowned years ago1 before any of you were born8 ,he was a great musician4 ,he wanted to give up his life to art1 but he was persuaded to take up another profession4 ,i give this as an instance of the carelessness with which1 when we are determined to find fraud1 we may do so sometimes at the expense of truth4 ,these young girls had doubtless heard of their uncle1 but the fact had possibly escaped their memories for the moment1 and probably they had no wish to recall anything which could cast a doubt on their preconceived notion that the whole thing was a swindle6 ,before closing the chapter of my ,american experiences in the years #ahhe and #ahhf1 ,i must give one more personal detail4 ,when investigating various clairvoyants in the ,eastern ,states in ,march and ,april of the year #ahhf1 ,i had been told more than once that a guardian band of six spirits was forming round me1 and would be later supplemented by another band of six protectors4 ,whether this had any bearing upon the following incident1 ,i must leave my readers to decide4 99 99 99 99 99 ,about three months after this pronouncement ,i found myself at ,victoria1 ,vancouver's ,island4 ,miss ,greenlow and ,i had gone there from ,san ,francisco for a week or two1 not being able at that time to make the further trip to ,alaska4 ,after a very stormy voyage of two or three days we reached ,victoria one morning about six ,a4,m4 ,there was only one large double-bedded room available at the hotel1 and we took this on the understanding that two separate rooms should be found for us before the evening4 ,as we lay on our beds for a few hours of much needed rest1 quite suddenly ,i realised that ,i saw something abnormal in the air--just above and in front of my head4 ,i mentioned this with much surprise to my companion1 who at once suggested the effects of liver after a sea voyage so tempestuous as ours had been4 ,for the first few moments ,i was inclined to agree with her1 and said so2 but very shortly my opinion was altered by the fact that what ,i saw first as an indistinct blur gradually assumed a definite shape1 and ,i then found there were six little swallows in front of me1 apparently connected with each other by a waving ribbon1 or so it appeared to me4 ,opening and shutting one's eyes did not affect the vision4 ,there they remained1 both at the moment and for several succeeding years1 during which time ,i was constantly in the habit of seeing my birds1 as we used to call them4 ,about six months after their first appearance in the pure1 clear atmosphere of ,victoria 7,vancouver71 ,i was driving across the ,blackheath ,common on a very bright1 frosty day1 and looking out of the open window of my carriage1 ,i saw my six birds as usual2 but for the first time1 parallel with them and lower down1 were six new birds of just the same size and appearance 7about half-an-inch between the tips of the wings74 ,a few days later the new birds and the old ones had amalgamated1 and twelve little swallows floated in the air before my eyes4 ,i could not see them in the house4 ,it needed the background of uninterrupted sky apparently to throw them into sufficient relief to be recognised4 ,after some years1 this special sign was withdrawn1 and others have taken its place4 ,for example1 ,i have seen in the same way1 during the last fourteen years1 an anchor1 with the chain attached to it1 and caught through one end of the former1 a short reaping hook4 ,this1 doubtless1 has some symbolical meaning4 ,near the anchor ,i see a sacrificial altar1 with flames rising up from it2 then a triangle1 with loops at the corners1 which ,i was once told was the sign of ,nostradamus4 ,then an old-fashioned mirror in a quaintly-shaped frame1 and finally a long staff1 with the sign of ,aries at one end4 ,i have since realised that this is very much like the ,staff of ,faith found on the top of many of the tombs in the ,roman catacombs4 ,all these latter emblems come together as a rule1 with a connecting thread binding them to each other4 ,i cannot see them at will1 but when the atmosphere is at all clear they are rarely absent1 when ,i have time to look for them4 ,i was much amused once by an earnest ,christian scientist1 with whom ,i happened to be spending a few days on the coast of the eastern counties4 ,she had warned me repeatedly against phenomena of every kind1 spontaneous or induced4 ,on a specially bright morning we were sitting together in a beautiful park1 which is thrown open to strangers on special days1 and1 forgetting my companion's prejudices1 ,i exclaimed involuntarily3 ,i never saw my signs more clearly than just now6--there must be something very pure about the atmosphere4 ,this was too much for my friend1 who bent forward eagerly1 saying3--,do let me try if ,i cannot see them too6 ,well1 she tried for the greater part of two hours1 but absolutely in vain1 and then got up1 and suggested going home to luncheon4 ,she added navely3 ,i thought they must have something wrong about them1 and ,i am quite sure of it now1 or ,i should have seen them4 ,but it had taken her two hours of failure to be absolutely convinced that they came straight from the devil6 ,one sign--also birds--appeared to me on one occasion only4 ,we had returned to ,denver1 where ,miss ,greenlow and ,i were to separate after a year's constant travel together4 ,she was going back to ,san ,francisco to take steamer for the ,sandwich ,islands1 and thence on to ,australia2 whilst ,i was returning to ,england for family reasons4 ,i had arranged to dine with the hospitable ,dean of ,denver the evening of the day of her departure1 and ,i had not realised how much less lonely one would have felt had my journey ,east corresponded more closely with her journey ,west1 especially as she was obliged to leave the hotel about nine o'clock in the morning4 ,waking early1 and lying in bed1 feeling very melancholy at the idea of being left behind and alone in the very centre of ,america1 ,i looked up1 and1 to my delight1 saw a new sign4 ,not my little birds this time1 but two big1 plump father and mother birds1 with a short string attached1 not horizontally as before1 but perpendicularly4 ,at the end of this little string was a tiny bird1 even smaller than the swallows1 being evidently guided by the two big birds1 and quite safe in their charge4 ,my room communicated with that of my companion1 whose door was open1 and ,i told her of this new sign in the heavens1 adding that ,i hoped it had come to stay4 ,fortunately1 ,i found a pencil1 and made a rough sketch at the time1 or ,i might have been tempted to imagine that ,i had never seen it at all1 for the trio never appeared again1 though ,i have longed to see them1 and have certainly required the consolation quite as much1 many times1 since that far-away summer morning in ,denver1 ,colorado4 99 99 99 99 99 ,on reaching home after this long ,american trip1 ,i found a budget of letters awaiting me--amongst them a little registered box containing a kind birthday present from the brother who has been mentioned in the ,introduction to this book4 ,was it another case of mental affinity which had induced him unconsciously to choose a gold brooch with two swallows in gold and pearls8 ,not an uncommon design2 but the birds were exactly the same size as those ,i was in the habit of seeing just at that time4 ,i never told him how extraordinarily propos his present had proved1 but ,i have always looked upon that brooch as a mascot1 and have certainly worn it every day since it came into my possession4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,australia ,,and ,,new ,,zealand ,shortly after the ,jubilee of #ahhg had taken place1 ,i sailed for ,australia and ,new ,zealand4 ,my first psychic experience in the ,colonies took place in ,melbourne1 some months after my landing in ,tasmania4 ,the wife of one of the prominent citizens in ,melbourne had been specially invited to meet me at an afternoon reception in the house of friends to whom ,i had carried letters of introduction1 as she was said to be so deeply interested in everything psychic1 and would greatly enjoy hearing my ,american experiences4 ,fortunately1 the lady arrived late1 and we had already enjoyed some interesting conversation before she came4 ,a wetter wet blanket it has never been my fortune to encounter4 ,she was a very handsome woman1 and therefore good to look at1 but in the rle of sympathetic audience she was a miserable failure4 ,she sat with a cold1 glassy eye fixed upon me1 whilst ,i endeavoured to continue the conversation which had been interrupted by her arrival4 ,she might just as well have said as have looked the words3 ,now go on making a fool of yourself6--that is just what ,i have come to see4 ,the position was hopeless4 ,so ,i began to talk about the weather1 which is disagreeable enough from sirocco in the hot spring months 7it was the end of ,october7 to be useful4 ,presently the daughter of the house came up to me1 and said3 ,do1 please1 go on telling us your interesting experiences1 ,miss ,bates2 we can talk about other things at any time1 and we asked ,mrs ,burroughes on purpose to meet you4 ,the lady in question had joined another group by this time1 so ,i was able to whisper in reply3 ,i am so very sorry1 but ,i cannot possibly talk of these things before your friend--she paralyses me absolutely from any psychic point of view4 ,she is very handsome1 and ,i like looking at her1 but ,i cannot talk to her except about the weather4 ,how very odd6 was the unexpected reply4 ,that is just what ,lizzie ,maynard says4 ,and ,i did very much want ,lizzie to hear about ,america too1 but she has gone off to the other end of the room1 saying she knows you won't be able to talk whilst ,mrs ,burroughes is here4 ,this was interesting1 for ,i had not noticed the young girl mentioned1 who had not been introduced to me4 ,so when my young hostess asked if she might bring ,lizzie to see me at my hotel next day1 ,i gladly acquiesced1 in spite of feeling very far from well at the moment4 ,this feeling of malaise increased in the night1 and was1 in fact1 the precursor of a short but sharp attack of a form of typhoid which was running through the hotel at the time4 ,being in bed next afternoon about four o'clock1 ,i was dismayed to hear that ,miss ,maynard had arrived to see me1 and1 moreover1 had arrived alone4 ,i had never spoken to the girl nor even consciously set eyes on her before1 but ,i knew she must have come at least three miles from the suburb where she lived1 and would probably refuse to have a cup of tea downstairs during my absence4 ,there was nothing for it1 therefore1 but to make an effort1 order tea to be brought for her to my room1 and send a message hoping she would not mind seeing me in my bedroom4 ,she came up--a modest1 charming-looking girl of about twenty4 ,i explained the circumstances1 and apologised for being unable to join in the tea-party1 but felt rather desperate when ,i realised that even the effort of taking any share in the conversation was beyond me4 ,suddenly a brilliant idea passed through my throbbing head4 ,the day before1 in planning the visit1 which ,miss ,boyle had been unable to carry out herself1 she had mentioned that her friend ,lizzie ,maynard was a very good automatic writer1 and this seemed a solution of the difficulty4 ,so when my little friend had finished her tea1 but was still looking tired from the long walk1 ,i said to her3 ,i am so sorry to be so stupid to-day1 ,miss ,maynard4 ,i cannot talk1 but ,i can listen2 or do you think possibly you could get a little writing for me8 ,miss ,boyle told me you wrote automatically sometimes8 ,i will try1 certainly1 was the ready response4 ,i never know1 of course1 what may come1 and as this is our first meeting1 it may be a little more difficult1 but ,i should like to try4 ,she found paper and pencil1 and sat by my bedside1 holding the pencil very loosely between the second and third fingers1 instead of between the thumb and first two fingers in the usual way4 ,she continued talking to me during the whole time1 and not being well versed in automatic writing then1 ,i could not believe that any writing could really be going on in this very casual sort of way4 ,is any writing really coming8 ,i questioned at last4 ,oh yes2 but ,i can't make out the last long word1 she said1 turning the paper round1 so that she could see it1 for the first time4 ,kindly give me that word again1 she remarked casually1 and continued her conversation with me4 ,finally the three or four sheets of rather large but not always very distinct caligraphy were submitted to me1 and ,i saw that ,miscellaneous had been the long word at the beginning which ,lizzie had asked to have repeated4 ,the whole message was intensely interesting to me1 for it began3 ,i who on earth was known as ,george ,eliot4 ,now ,i had more than once seen1 but had never spoken to1 ,george ,eliot in earth life1 and although admiring her genius1 as all who read her books are bound to do1 there seemed no very obvious reason why she should come to me4 ,moreover1 ,lizzie ,maynard1 a charming but not highly educated girl 7as ,i discovered later71 seemed to know little about the famous author beyond her name4 ,another1 and infinitely inferior1 lady writer had been discussed with bated breath the day before in ,lizzie's presence4 ,her books--just then in the zenith of their popularity--had newly penetrated to the ,colonies1 and were being talked of there as though ,minerva herself1 helmet and all complete1 had suddenly arrived in ,melbourne4 ,i had personally been greatly interested by one of this lady's earlier books1 and had a much less definite opinion of the author then1 than ,i have at the present moment4 ,threshing my brains for any sort of tie with ,george ,eliot1 ,i remembered having often stayed at ,oxford as a young woman1 when ,jowett of ,balliol was entertaining her and ,mr ,lewes1 in his own home4 ,of course1 there was no question in those far-away days of my being asked to meet such a brilliant star2 but it amused me often to hear the dull and uninteresting people of some standing in the ,university1 whom ,jowett had not favoured with an invitation1 declaring that nothing would have induced them to accept it6 ,this was1 however1 but a feeble link1 even when added to the righteous indignation one had so often experienced on hearing similar remarks made1 about a woman too far above her critics both in genius and morals1 for them to be able to catch the faintest glimpse of her personality4 ,apparently it only now lay with me to cease asking why1 and accept the goods provided by the gods1 making the most of such an opportunity4 ,on these occasions so many possible questions tumble over each other in the brain that it is difficult to select any one to start with4 ,at length ,i asked the following question3-- ,what did ,george ,eliot think of the author who had been so much discussed and so highly applauded on the previous afternoon8 ,very quickly came the answer3 ,i have no sympathy there--a mere puppet4 ,certainly this was not thought reading2 for my own opinion then was very indefinite1 and ,lizzie's views1 as it turned out1 were as enthusiastic as those of most people in the ,colony4 ,it was not until several years later that ,i realised that an extraordinarily apt criticism had been made2 for a puppet is made to dance by other entities4 ,i was longing to ask another question1 but had some natural hesitation in doing so before such a young girl4 ,moreover1 ,i feared the answer must almost of necessity be coloured by the traditions of the latter1 and therefore would be of no great value either way4 ,but taking my courage in both hands1 ,i put the question3 ,please ask ,george ,eliot if she now thinks that she was justified in the position she took up with regard to ,george ,lewes8 ,the answer came in a flash3 ,,certainly4 ,we are one here1 as we were on earth4 ,anything less likely to emanate from the brain of an orthodox young girl can hardly be conceived6 ,amongst other details1 ,george ,eliot said finally that she had come to know my mother in spirit life1 where she was called ,,stella4 ,now my mother's name in earth life was ,ellen1 which has the same root for its origin4 ,of course1 ,miss ,maynard did not then know whether my mother were alive or dead1 and nothing naturally concerning her ,christian name4 ,the last statement made by ,george ,eliot on this occasion was that before another year had rolled by1 a great gift would come to me1 and ,i must be very careful to use without abusing it4 ,i was too tired at the moment to ask whether another year rolling by meant a whole year from #bhth ,october #ahhg 7the date of the message71 or the end of the current year--namely1 #cast ,december #ahhg4 ,when the message had come to an end1 ,miss ,maynard gathered up the scattered sheets1 and promising to copy them out for me1 took her departure1 and left me to muse--so far as a racking brain would allow--on the curious and interesting result of her visit4 ,no cup of tea to thirsty wayfarer was ever surely so grandly rewarded6 ,my next adventure had a distant connection with these ,australian experiences4 ,i had come out to join the friend 7,miss ,greenlow7 who had been my companion in ,america1 and who had thence sailed for ,sydney when ,i returned for a year to ,england4 ,she had been anxious for me to rejoin her in ,australia1 and from thence visit ,japan and ,china2 but my arrival having been delayed by literary matters1 this lady had finally lost patience1 and1 without my knowledge1 had gone on to ,new ,zealand1 and thence1 as it turned out1 to ,samoa4 ,when ,i heard of the ,new ,zealand episode there was nothing for it but to follow her there1 on a will-o'-the-wisp expedition1 as it turned out1 but1 fortunately1 ,i was unaware of this at the time4 ,i say fortunately1 because had ,i known that she had already left ,australia for ,samoa1 ,i should certainly have returned to ,england1 in despair of tracing her any further1 and thereby one of my most interesting experiences would have been lost4 ,the illness in ,melbourne1 already referred to1 detained me for over a fortnight1 so it was necessary to transfer my ,new ,zealand ticket from one boat to another4 ,so the illness also must have been one of the factors that was involved in the adventure1 as ,i have called it4 ,for the delay led to my meeting--in a friend's house--,mr ,arthur ,kitchener 7a younger brother of ,lord ,kitchener71 who was introduced to me on the special ground that we were to be fellow-travellers to ,new ,zealand a day or two later4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,mr ,kitchener was on his way from ,england to ,new ,zealand1 where he was superintending a sheep-run for his father in those days4 ,he had come out by ,p4 ,o41 and transhipped at ,melbourne after two or three days' delay there4 ,several other passengers from the ,massilia were also going on to ,new ,zealand1 and naturally they felt like old friends after the five or six weeks already spent together4 ,they thought ,i wanted to be alone1 and ,i thought they wanted to be alone1 and so ,i kept severely to the upper deck1 feeling often lonely1 and they all remained on the lower deck1 wishing ,i would come down and talk to them sometimes4 ,in spite of these misconceptions on either side1 ,mr ,kitchener and ,i became sufficiently friendly for him to give me a very kind and hospitable invitation to spend the last few days of the year at his station1 about nine miles from ,dunback1 in the ,dunedin district4 ,i think ,i must have told him of my disappointment in missing my companion in ,sydney1 after travelling so many thousand miles to join her1 and doubtless he felt some interest in this ,stanley and ,livingstone sort of chase1 with two women taking the principal characters6 ,anyway1 the invitation was given and accepted1 and he kindly promised to ask one or two people to meet me in his house4 ,all this came to pass some weeks later1 on my return from the ,new ,zealand lakes1 and just before an expedition to the ,sounds1 generally known as the ,sounds ,trip4 ,this is a pleasure trip1 organised for early ,january1 which is1 of course1 midsummer there4 ,it lasts for ten days1 and gives one the opportunity of seeing to the best advantage these glorious inlets of the sea4 ,my week at the sheep station was to precede this1 as ,i have explained2 in fact1 as the steamer sailed late in the afternoon1 it was possible to go on board without stopping for the night at ,dunedin1 whence we were to sail4 ,but at the last moment a slight contretemps took place4 ,owing to some delay the steamer would not be able to leave till ,monday1 instead of the ,saturday morning as arranged1 and our kind host insisted on extending his hospitality for the two extra days4 ,now each day there had been some talk about having an impromptu sance1 and each day ,i had successfully evaded the arrangement4 ,i have a great dislike to sitting in casual circles with strangers1 and it seemed to me that no good purpose would be served by doing so4 ,it is impossible on these occasions to convince anyone else that you are not pushing or muscle moving1 or generally playing tricks1 and it has always seemed to me that the time wasted over mutual recriminations on these points1 or the silly jokes that appear inevitable1 when two or three human beings at a table get together in a private house2 might be much more profitably spent4 ,table turning as a parlour game is about as stupid and aimless an amusement as ,i know4 ,i represented all this to ,mr ,kitchener1 but in vain4 ,he had attended some psychic meetings in ,dunback or ,dunedin1 and evidently wished me to reconsider the matter4 ,also it happened to be the last day of the year1 when people are always more inclined to be obliging1 ,i suppose2 anyway that ,saturday night1 #cast ,december #ahhg1 found me sitting down to a table in the little drawing-room of that far-away sheep station4 ,as some reward for any virtue there may have been in yielding my point1 ,i remembered suddenly that ,george ,eliot's message on #bhth ,october--two months previously--had been rather vague1 and that it might be interesting1 if the chance came1 to find out whether before another year has rolled away meant a year from #bhth ,october1 or the year of which so few hours still remained to us4 ,after the usual inanities--,i am sure you are pushing4 ,no2 you are6 ,i saw your fingers pressing heavily4 ,why1 how extraordinary6 that is exactly what ,i thought about you1 etc4 etc41 it was intimated that a spirit was there giving the name of ,george ,eliot1 so ,i put my question at once4 ,i did not mean another year from ,october last--,i referred to this year1 was the answer4 ,shall ,i be able to write automatically8 was my next query4 ,no2 leave that alone--it would be very dangerous for you at present4 ,shall ,i be able to hear8 ,shall ,i become clair-audient8 ,no1 came for the second time4 ,my next question naturally was3 ,then shall ,i be able to see very soon8 ,yes2 for you will become clairvoyant for the first time4 ,remember my warning to use but not abuse the gift4 ,now ,i must explain that all this time a good deal of the usual kind of joking had been going on4 ,moreover1 ,i felt intuitively that ,mr ,kitchener thought ,i was deceiving myself into the idea that human muscles could not account for the movements1 and1 in fact1 the very worst possible conditions for getting anything of value were present4 ,so much so that ,i did not for one moment suppose that it was really ,george ,eliot1 or that she would countenance that particular sort of buffoonery1 and the incident made no impression upon me at all4 ,i had already taken my hands off the table1 when someone--,mr ,kitchener1 ,i think--banged it down four times1 and then triumphantly observed3 ,yes1 of course1 you will see somebody during the night1 or rather at four o'clock in the morning1 you see6 ,the whole thing was the kind of fiasco ,i had expected1 degenerating into a romp1 as poor ,corney ,grain used to remark about the ,lancers and the stern old lady in the suburban villa4 ,the bathos of table turning had surely been reached when it came to banging the leg of the table down four times1 and calmly announcing four o'clock as the time for my first vision6 ,but the remarkable point is that ,i did have my first vision that night1 though it had come and gone long before four ,a4,m4 ,it is necessary to remember that the sun rises about three-thirty ,a4,m4 during the end of ,december or first week in ,january out there1 so it would have been fairly light before four ,a4,m42 whereas when ,i woke out of my first sleep that night1 it was pitch dark4 ,my room was the usual whitewashed apartment to be found in the ordinary colonial station1 with a wooden bed standing about two or three feet from the wall1 and parallel with the only window in the room2 which faced the door 7at the foot of my bed71 and was fitted with a very dark green blind1 on account of the hot summer sunshine4 ,but it was now pitch dark in the room4 ,i woke facing the window1 but turned on my side1 as one generally does on such occasions1 and this brought me face to face with the wall4 ,to my infinite amazement there stood between the wall and my bed1 a diaphanous figure of a woman1 quite life size or rather more1 with one arm held out in a protecting fashion towards me1 and some drapery about the head4 ,the features were1 moreover1 quite distinct1 and1 as ,i afterwards realised1 the counterpart of ,george ,eliot's curious and ,savonarola-like countenance4 ,but at the moment1 oddly enough1 ,i only thought of two things--first1 how extraordinary that what had appeared to me such a silly waste of time overnight should have had any element of reality about it6 ,then swiftly came the second idea3 ,and how in the world does it happen that ,i don't feel a bit frightened8 ,i lay there absolutely content and peaceful1 with a feeling of blissful satisfaction which ,i have never exactly realised either before or since that one occasion4 ,everything is all right--nothing can really ever go wrong--nothing at least that matters at all4 ,all the real things are all right4 ,i can never doubt the truth of these things after this experience4 ,it was promised1 and the promise has been redeemed4 ,these were the thoughts that passed idly through my brain as ,i lay--fully awake--and looked up at the comforting woman's figure4 ,for it seemed more--much more--than a mere vision4 ,i have spoken of the figure as diaphanous because it was not as solid as an ordinary human being1 but1 on the other hand1 ,i could not see the wall through it3 it was too solid for that4 ,then ,i remembered a story told in ,the ,athenum--of all papers--and written by a ,dr ,jephson1 of his experience whilst paying a visit to ,lord ,offord1 and making notes--late at night--in the library of the house for some literary work on hand4 ,he had finished his notes1 put away the book of reference1 looked at his watch1 found the hands marking two ,a4,m4 7so far as ,i remember71 and had just said to himself3 ,well1 ,i shall be in bed by two-thirty after all1 when1 turning round1 he found a large leather chair close to his own1 tenanted by a ,spanish priest in some ancient dress6 ,thinking it might be an hallucination1 he deliberately turned round--away from the priest--rubbed his eyes1 and then slowly looked back again4 ,still the priest was there1 and ,dr ,jephson then realised for the first time that1 although not consciously frightened or alarmed in any way1 he was quite unable to speak to the intruder4 ,so he quietly chose a pencil1 sat down1 and calmly took his portrait4 ,the priest politely remained until the sketch was completed1 and then vanished4 ,this story1 read some years previously1 flashed through my brain1 and ,i thought3 ,i will try turning round1 and then seeing if she is still there4 ,i turned deliberately1 facing the window1 and then realised that it was pitch dark in my room--not the faintest glimmer of light came through the heavily shrouded window4 ,then it can't be four o'clock1 was my triumphant comment4 ,it would have been too disappointing had my distinguished visitor condoned the unblushing banging down four times of the table leg1 by choosing that hour for her arrival in my room6 ,but then again1 how could ,i see her1 since the room was quite dark8 ,it was only necessary to turn round once more to the wall to realise that ,i did see her in fact1 although ,i ought not to have done so in theory6 ,i saw her as distinctly as ,i ever saw a marble statue in the ,vatican ,gallery by the light of noon4 ,although ,i had recalled the ,jephson story so circumstantially1 it never struck me that it might be interesting to attempt any conversation1 and see whether ,i also were tongue-tied4 ,i did not want to speak--there seemed no special reason for speaking4 ,it was quite enough to lie there with this blissful feeling of protection and love folding me round like a cloud with golden lining4 ,and as this consciousness held me in its loving grasp1 to my infinite sorrow the kind1 protecting figure disappeared1 gently and very slowly1 sinking into the ground on the spot where ,i had first seen her2 and once more all was dark in the room4 ,i lay1 too happy and peaceful for movement or even speculation for some ten minutes1 and then it struck me that ,i had better light the candle by my side1 and find out what o'clock it might be4 ,now ,i have a rather accurate idea of time1 and can generally tell within a minute or two how long any special work may have taken me4 ,looking at my watch1 ,i saw it was just two-twenty-five ,a4,m41 so ,i settled in my own mind that ,i must have seen the figure at two-fifteen ,a4,m41 or possibly at two-ten ,a4,m41 for ,i think the experience lasted nearly five minutes altogether4 ,anyway1 ,i felt sure that ten minutes1 as nearly as possible1 had elapsed between the sinking of the figure out of sight and my lighting the match in order to consult my watch4 ,it may have been nine minutes1 or possibly eleven1 but ,i feel confident the time mentioned would be within these limits4 ,therefore next morning1 when our host appeared1 and ,i was chaffed about the vision1 ,i said boldly3 ,you think it all nonsense1 and ,i confess ,i did not believe anything that came last night when so much joking was going on1 but ,i was mistaken4 ,i did see1 for the first time in my life1 anything abnormal4 ,and ,i repeated my experience1 just as ,i have now written it down4 ,incredulous looks greeted me1 and then ,mr ,kitchener said quietly3 ,oh yes1 you saw something at four ,a4,m4 ,i am not at all surprised to hear that4 ,not at four ,a4,m41 ,i answered1 but at two-fifteen ,a4,m4 ,i made a special note of the time4 ,i was asleep again long before four ,a4,m41 and never slept better in my life4 ,he looked puzzled1 and then suggested that my watch must have gone wrong2 but we compared notes1 and our watches were registering exactly the same hour within a minute or two4 ,i found out later that1 having learnt something of the ,thought ,transference ,theory at the ,dunedin ,circle or ,metaphysical ,club which he had attended1 ,mr ,kitchener had attempted to make me see a vision at four ,a4,m41 but as he confessed he had been fast asleep when ,i did see 7an hour and three quarters before his efforts started71 it would take a very ingenious person to prove that the latter had anything to do with the occurrence4 ,a deeply interesting corroboration reached me1 however1 a few weeks later1 by which time ,i had visited the ,sounds1 and many other places of interest1 and had arrived safely at ,auckland1 in the ,north ,island4 ,on the morning of my vision1 ,i must not forget to mention1 that ,i had spoken of it to ,mr ,kitchener's faithful ,irish housekeeper1 whose nationality ,i knew would prevent her thinking me a mere lunatic4 ,by this time scepticism had the upper hand1 and ,i was beginning to try to explain away everything in the true ,podmorian spirit4 ,could ,mr ,kitchener or any other person present have had to do with the matter8 ,in this case my blissful feelings would naturally be merely the result of imagination1 and easily disposed of on this ground4 ,so ,i questioned the little housekeeper when she brought my hot water as to whether it could have been possible for ,mr ,kitchener or anyone else in the house to have access to a clean sheet or tablecloth1 and to have masqueraded in the garden outside my room4 ,she indignantly denied the possibility4 ,the linen is all locked up by me2 besides1 no one would have been so wicked4 ,it might have frightened you out of your senses1 ma'am6 ,do you suppose the master would have done such a thing8 ,no2 ,i did not really accuse anyone of such a cruel and stupid joke4 ,moreover1 it was a little difficult1 even for ,podmorian ingenuity1 to explain how man or woman1 masquerading in a white sheet in the garden outside1 could convey the fairly solid figure of a faked ,george ,eliot1 who stood well out between the wall and my bed2 and this through a thick green blind and curtains1 when garden and room alike were shrouded in absolute darkness6 ,foiled in all my attempts to find a sensible solution to the mystery1 ,i determined to write and ask ,lizzie ,maynard of ,melbourne if she could throw any light upon matters1 my decision in taking this step being strengthened by the curious coincidence which ,i had just discovered--i4e4 that ,mr ,kitchener's housekeeper had lived with the ,maynards when they had had a house in ,dunedin1 which was later burnt down1 as so often happens in the ,colonies4 ,jane had lost sight of the ,maynard family for years1 and was much excited by my promising to write and tell them of my meeting with her4 ,of course1 ,i mentioned my strange experience and all the details connected with it--except the exact hour of the occurrence4 ,it was by a pure oversight 7as ,i supposed7 that this fact was omitted4 ,i have had reason since to believe that ,i was unconsciously impressed to leave out this special detail1 in order that ,i might receive far better evidence than would have been possible under other circumstances4 ,had ,i mentioned the hour of the vision1 the imagination of my young friends in ,melbourne might have been at work as regards the hour of their experience1 which was as follows3-- ,several weeks after leaving ,dunback ,i reached ,auckland1 and received amongst other letters one from ,lizzie ,maynard in answer to mine4 ,mr ,kitchener had also written1 saying what nice girls my friends the ,maynards must be1 and how kindly they had written to his excellent little housekeeper1 sending her welcome gifts1 and saying that her place had never been filled in their hearts1 and so forth4 ,lizzie's letter to me began also about the excellences of ,jane1 and the curious coincidence through which she had been once more put in touch with her2 then she went on to say3 ,it is indeed very remarkable about your experience1 dear ,miss ,bates1 but ,i think you will consider it much more remarkable when ,i tell you what we were doing that night4 ,i was spending the week-end with our mutual friends ,captain and ,mrs ,boyle 7in whose house she and ,i had encountered ,mrs ,burroughes71 and ,lily ,boyle and ,i were sleeping in the same room1 as the house was full4 ,on the evening of #cast ,december there was a little dance arranged1 to 'dance the old year out and the new year in1' and at midnight we dispersed1 the visitors going home1 and those in the house retiring to bed4 ,lily and ,i were too much excited to get into bed at once1 so ,i suggested that we should try to compose a letter to ,miss ,pearl 7this being the lady whose writings they greatly admired4 ,i had allowed them to use my name as an introduction1 should they wish to communicate with her at any time74 ,lizzie went on to say how nervous they were about writing the letter1 fearing that so popular an author might not take any notice of the badly expressed letter of two young colonial girls4 ,however1 she did her best1 and ,lily ,boyle did her best1 and the result was a hopeless failure6 ,then1 continued ,lizzie1 a happy thought struck me--,george ,eliot had used my hand to convey her message to you last ,october2 might we not1 remembering this1 appeal to her to help us in our difficulty8 ,so we gave up trying to write the letter ourselves1 took down planchette from its shelf1 and started again4 ,in a few moments an excellent letter was written1 giving your name as an introduction1 with all the little points you had specially begged us to remember in connection with ,miss ,pearl's probable prejudices4 ,it was so splendidly written1 and so quickly1 that you can imagine our delight6 ,we could not bear to give up planchette even after both our names had been signed1 and ,i said pleadingly3 ',oh1 don't go away6 ,do stop and tell us something more4' ,in large letters1 as you see 7,lizzie enclosed the script71 was written very decidedly3 ,,no1 ,i ,,cannot ,,stay ,,with ,,you ,,now--,i ,,have ,,promised ,,to ,,go ,,and ,,see ,,stella',s ,,daughter4 ,i remembered1 dear ,miss ,bates1 that ,g4 ,eliot had said your mother's name in spirit life was ,stella1 so1 of course1 we knew that she meant us to understand that she was going to see you4 ,unfortunately1 you did not mention the hour of her visit1 but we took the time when enclosed message was written--very accurately--in order to tell you about it1 and the hour was just twelve-thirty ,a4,m4 ,do write and tell us that was the time when she appeared to you--we feel sure it must have been--but are longing to have our idea confirmed1 etc4 etc4 ,now my young friends had evidently entirely forgotten the difference in time between ,dunedin and ,melbourne1 and ,i must confess to my own amazement when ,i found that it was considerably over the sixty minutes1 which ,i should have vaguely supposed it to be4 ,in fact1 ,i was rather disappointed to think there was so wide a margin between the two occurrences1 until ,i casually asked a gentleman1 who was staying in my hotel1 if he could tell me the difference in time between the two cities4 ,not exactly1 ,i'm afraid1 but it is considerably over an hour4 ,ah1 there is a good atlas6 ,i can easily calculate it for you4 ,he remained silent for a moment1 and then raising his head1 said3 ,as nearly an hour and three quarters as possible4 ,this was pretty good evidence of the practically simultaneous experience of my friends in ,melbourne at twelve-thirty ,a4,m41 with my own at two-fifteen ,a4,m4 in the neighbourhood of ,dunedin4 ,when ,i first became acquainted with ,mr ,myers1 shortly after my return from ,australia and ,new ,zealand1 ,i told him this story4 ,he was greatly interested1 but pointed out that it was useless from the evidential point of view unless ,i would take the trouble to write one or two letters to the ,colonies4 ,so ,i wrote to ,mr ,kitchener for confirmation of the fact that ,i was staying in his house on the night of #cast ,december #ahhg1 and had told him of my experience next morning1 exactly as here related4 ,then ,i had to get ,miss ,lizzie ,maynard's testimony with regard to her letter to me1 and finally1 ,i think1 the testimony of ,lily ,boyle and her father that ,miss ,maynard was their guest in ,melbourne on the occasion of the ,new ,year's ,eve dance4 ,these letters are presumably still amongst the archives of the ,society of ,psychical ,research1 and the story was printed by them in their ,proceedings some years ago4 ,i may add a last evidential touch by saying that when ,i met ,miss ,pearl for the first time after my travels1 she referred to the letter she had received--under favour of my introduction--and quite spontaneously remarked upon its excellence1 adding3 ,i could scarcely believe that two young ,australian girls1 as they described themselves to me1 could have written such an admirable letter4 ,i did not disclose the real source of the composition1 as the popular author thinks that she has no belief in spiritualism4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,hong ,,kong1 ,,alaska1 ,,and ,,new ,,york ,the spring months of #ahhh found me at ,brisbane1 en route for ,china1 after spending a pleasant month with old friends on a well-known station belonging to the late ,sir ,arthur ,hodgson1 named ,eton ,vale1 and situated on the beautiful and healthy ,darling ,downs of ,queensland4 ,before returning to ,sydney from ,new ,zealand1 my female ,dr ,livingstone had reappeared upon the scene in the most unexpected manner4 ,our historical meeting took place in an ,auckland hotel1 where she suddenly turned up one day1 driven back from ,samoa by the intense heat4 ,so after some gentle recriminations1 she having supposed the delay on my part might mean an entire change of plan1 and ,i having supposed--from her letters--that ,sydney was such a ,paradise that she could hardly be dragged from it even by a flaming sword1 we agreed to cry quits1 and continue our travels together4 ,so ,miss ,greenlow spent the month of ,march in ,sydney1 whilst ,i paid my visit to ,queensland1 and we met once more at ,brisbane to take steamer for ,thursday ,island1 ,cape ,darwin1 and eventually ,hong ,kong4 ,only one small matter of psychic interest occurred during this voyage4 ,i have mentioned in a previous chapter the little swallows1 which ,i first saw in ,san ,francisco in the year #ahhf4 ,i had been accustomed to seeing them ever since that date1 and had been frequently commiserated for incipient eye trouble in consequence1 by more than one sceptical friend4 ,on the very day we went on board the ,hong ,kong steamer at ,brisbane1 a new sign appeared3 a single bird1 holding in its beak a ring with half hoop of five stones1 presumably diamonds4 ,i told my friend about this1 but neither she nor ,i could imagine any significance in it4 ,at that time we had not even met any of our fellow-passengers to speak to1 for we were all taken up with settling into our cabins and trying to make ourselves as comfortable as circumstances would permit4 ,for a whole week the same little bird and the same ring were persistently held up before me4 ,then an inkling of the possible meaning broke upon me suddenly4 ,within a fortnight of our sailing this suspicion was confirmed1 and the little bird's warning or suggestion amply justified4 ,but that is another story6 ,curiously enough1 the new sign in the heavens was withdrawn as soon as ,i had grasped its meaning4 ,i must hasten over our delightful stay in ,japan1 because amongst much of extreme interest from artistic1 social1 and various other points of view1 nothing occurred which has any special bearing on my present subject4 ,leaving ,japan eventually by sailing from ,yokohama to ,vancouver 7,washington territory71 the old threads were once more put into my hands4 ,we made the acquaintance on board the old ,p4 ,o4 ,abyssinia of the late ,captain ,mac,arthur1 a kindly and genial naval man4 ,he was an ,australian by birth1 but belonged to our ,english navy1 and was just returning home on his promotion as commander4 ,he became rather interested in my queer ideas1 and ended by suggesting some experiments with the table1 so he persuaded the ship's carpenter to put together a small rough wooden table4 ,the sittings were held1 generally after dinner1 in either my cabin or that of my stable companion ,miss ,greenlow4 ,so far as ,i remember1 we three were the only sitters1 and ,i am bound to confess the sittings were sometimes very monotonous1 even viewed from the indulgent perspective of a sea voyage4 ,in fact1 ,i can now recall only one incident of any real value4 ,the dear old nurse1 spoken of in my opening chapter1 had now been for three or four years on the other side of the veil1 but had never given me the slightest sign of her presence4 ,but she came several times during this voyage1 and always with the same object--namely1 to entreat1 and finally implore me1 to give up a projected tour in ,alaska4 ,miss ,greenlow and ,i had been prevented from undertaking this1 two years earlier1 when visiting ,victoria 7,vancouver71 and she was very keen to go there from ,washington territory on this occasion4 ,i was not keen for the expedition1 but had made no strong objection to it1 and it was understood that we should go together4 ,this was the tour which my old nurse now pleaded so anxiously should be given up1 so far as ,i was concerned4 ,it will ruin your health1 my darling1 she said more than once4 ,don't go there2 take my advice4 ,and on one occasion1 just before landing1 she added3 ,you will find letters awaiting you which will enable you to make other plans4 ,this proved true--in a certain way4 ,the first letter opened in the budget which fell to my share1 told me of the sudden death of our family solicitor1 which would have been a good excuse for a hasty return to ,england had any such pretext been necessary4 ,but this was not the case1 for my companion1 although quite determined to go to ,alaska herself1 was not in the least inclined to over-persuade me to accompany her4 ,she was a very independent woman1 quite accustomed to travelling alone1 and ,i knew that neither her enjoyment nor her convenience would be affected by my decision one way or the other4 ,i had no wish to go myself1 and1 moreover1 thought it quite probable that my dear old nurse's warnings might be amply justified4 ,but there were other grave considerations to be taken into account1 and ,i still feel that ,i adopted the right1 although not the pleasanter course1 when ,i allowed my fellow-passengers to depart ,east1 joking me on my want of faith in the warnings from the spirits1 and accompanied my friend1 very unwillingly1 to ,alaska4 ,my nurse's earnest entreaties were only too fully justified on the physical plane1 to say nothing of the miserable discomfort of the trip 7which in those days had to be made in an overcrowded cargo boat47 ,i took a chill in those ,arctic regions1 which later developed into the longest and most serious illness of my life4 ,it took months to make even a partial recovery1 and the effects will remain during my life4 ,yet ,i have never regretted my decision4 ,this little episode seems to throw some light upon the way such warnings should be treated4 ,to give no heed to them on the one hand1 or to follow them blindly1 in spite of every other consideration1 on the other2 these seem to me the ,scylla and ,charybdis of our lives4 ,it shows that we must judge for ourselves2 we cannot shift the burden of responsibility on any other shoulders4 ,how could we gain the real education of life were it otherwise8 ,had ,i turned my back on ,alaska ,i should have gained enormously1 physically speaking1 and yet failed in a moral test4 ,but my dear old nurse1 who considered only--probably saw only--the physical evils to be avoided1 was entirely in the right1 from her standpoint4 ,the faithful soul was doing her best to shield her nursling from danger4 ,a severe illness was entailed by my ,alaska experiences4 ,livingstone and ,stanley were once more separated4 ,in other words1 ,miss ,greenlow was obliged to return to ,england alone1 leaving me to be nursed through a long and painful illness by kind friends and connections in ,toronto4 ,one of my doctors--the brother of my hostess--kindly made time to take me and my nurse to ,new ,york1 in order that he might put me under the special care of the ship's doctor1 and also be able to certify1 as required1 that ,i was in a fit condition to undertake the voyage4 ,it was during the day or two spent in ,new ,york before sailing1 that ,i induced this gentleman to accompany me one evening to a sance held by ,mrs ,stoddart ,gray1 who has been previously mentioned in this narrative4 ,dr ,theodore ,covernton had all the ordinary doctor's prejudices against anything unseen or unknown4 ,he had read my book on ,america1 and considered the chapter on ,spiritualism a lamentable lapse from the good sense shown in the rest of the book6 ,i represented to him that for a physician to deny all possibilities of ,hypnotism or ,mesmerism1 ,thought ,transmission1 etc41 meant losing some very valuable aids in his profession1 and would probably soon mean being left pretty badly behind in the race4 ,knowing of no specially good hypnotist in ,new ,york1 and as there was no time to find one out1 ,i boldly suggested that he should plunge into still deeper depths of folly1 and accompany me to the house of ,mrs ,stoddart ,gray4 ,the usual performances went on1 but whether owing to ,dr ,covernton's attitude of mind or other causes1 nothing of any special interest to him or to me occurred4 ,one incident impressed him1 ,i think2 certainly he could suggest no possible explanation of it1 for it happened in a very fair amount of light and close to our feet4 ,a gentleman and lady were sitting in the circle who had brought with them their little boy1 a child of seven years old4 ,i had asked the lady if she considered it wise to bring so young a child into such a milieu1 several hours after an ,english child would have been put to bed1 and her answer was cheery and characteristic3 ,well1 ,i guess we shouldn't have much peace at home if we didn't bring ,charlie along with us to see his ,granny4 ,we took him once1 and since then he always insists upon coming4 ,he loves talking to his ,granny1 and he is not a bit afraid of her4 ,at this moment a small frail woman stepped out from the cabinet1 and came right up towards us1 motioning to the little grandson that she wished him to go into the cabinet with her4 ,this he did without a moment's hesitation1 and the curtain fell1 and concealed them both from view4 ,the interview lasted for some minutes1 and when the little boy reappeared1 he was holding his ,granny by the hand1 and was evidently on the best of terms with her4 ,i do not expect my readers to believe me1 but this is exactly what happened next3 ,the child had brought some toys--a little train and some building blocks--to get ,granny to play with him as usual1 and the fragile old lady knelt down on the floor1 and played with him just as any ordinary ,granny might have done1 only with far more agility4 ,in the very midst of their brick building and train starting1 a terrible catastrophe occurred1 which spoilt the rest of the evening for the poor child4 ,granny had evidently forgotten that her time was limited1 by conditions of which we are still profoundly ignorant4 ,quite suddenly1 and without a word of warning1 she disappeared1 not into the cabinet at her back1 but right through the carpet under our feet1 and well within a yard of the said feet1 and this with two or three gas-jets burning over our heads6 ,there was no mistake about it4 ,dr ,covernton and ,i were sitting next to the father and mother1 whilst the child and his grandmother played at our feet4 ,one moment she was there2 the next she had disappeared like a flash into a mere cloud of mist1 and even this was quickly withdrawn1 apparently through the floor4 ,no trap-door theory could account for this1 because the woman had disappeared1 and only the wisp of ethereal garments remained1 before the latter were also dissipated4 ,we must1 moreover1 note the difficulty of working a trap door immediately under the feet of a sceptical young physician1 who at once investigated the carpet1 hoping in vain to find in it some solution of the mystery6 ,i have already mentioned that the whole incident took place1 in light sufficiently good to read a book without straining the eyes4 ,the poor little boy was terribly upset1 and sobbed bitterly4 ,his parents said they had brought him many times before1 and such a fiasco had never before taken place4 ,mrs ,stoddart ,gray was very indignant about it4 ,too bad6 ,she ought to have known she was staying too long1 and risking a fright for the child4 ,if she had only gone back into the cabinet he would not have been frightened4 ,but she stayed too long and had not enough strength to get back4 ,the child was too thoroughly frightened and upset to admit of any consolation1 and the parents were obliged to take him away1 still sobbing1 and asking why ,granny had gone away like that and given him such a fright4 ,a year later1 in ,london1 ,i took ,dr ,covernton--by appointment--to see ,dr ,carl ,hansen1 who was then giving hypnotic treatment1 and also doing some work in demonstrations for the ,society for ,psychical ,research4 ,dr ,hansen tried in vain to put either ,dr ,theodore ,covernton or myself under the influence1 so was obliged to have recourse to his wife4 ,naturally this was considered a most suspicious circumstance by my companion2 but ,i noticed that he was very much interested in his conversation with her--from the medical point of view--and he was sufficiently honest to admit that he could not explain what happened in his presence1 upon any normal hypothesis4 ,,chapter ,v ,,india1 #ahij-ahia ,in the month of ,november #ahij ,i started with a young friend for my first visit to ,india4 ,my companion was still at the age when social ,india was naturally more interesting to her than either the historical or mystical aspects of the country4 ,and1 for myself1 ,i went there in those days rather to see the glorious buildings of a magnificent ,past1 than with any view of wresting occult secrets from the ,fakirs and ,yogis of the ,present4 ,it was well perhaps that one's ambitions were so limited by the ,possible1 for ,i am very much inclined to think that ,mystic ,india is and must remain a sealed book for the ,english4 ,we must always remember the natural prejudices of a conquered race towards the conqueror4 ,in addition to this1 the ,hindoostanees consider 7and who shall say without ample cause87 that ,englishmen are hopelessly born and sunk in materialism1 incapable of exercising an imagination which they don't possess2 with a top dressing of conventional orthodoxy1 so far as their own special religion is concerned1 but with nothing but ridicule or thinly veiled contempt for the religious channels through which other races may be taking their spiritual food4 ,we have given them only too much reason for these conclusions4 ,as a consequence of this state of things1 ,englishmen and women are looked upon as quite impossible from the ,indian point of view1 and a devout and educated ,hindoo would no more think of discussing his transcendental ideas with such people than we should think of discussing delicate questions of ,art--in its various branches--with the first village yokel we happened to meet in the road4 ,i was confirmed in these ideas by noticing the difference in the welcome accorded to a charming young ,swedish lady1 whom we met at ,benares on her wedding tour4 ,she had brought excellent native introductions from her own country1 where certain ,rajahs and ,maharajahs had been entertained by her ,king1 and thanks to these1 and1 as she said1 to the fact of my not being ,english1 she had access to many interesting places1 and took part in interesting functions1 from which the rest of us were debarred4 ,i am hoping to pay a third visit to ,india some day1 with the special object in view of occult investigation4 ,it remains to be seen whether1 by any fortunate accident1 ,i may then be more successful in encountering anything more interesting than the ordinary clever conjurers1 who sometimes pose as ,fakirs1 and may be found by the tourist on every hotel veranda in ,india4 ,meanwhile ,i am limited by the title of my book to personal incidents1 as to which ,i find one or two notes in my ,indian diary4 ,making the usual tour1 but including ,lahore--where my brother had lived at ,government ,house for several years as ,military ,secretary to ,sir ,robert ,egerton 7who was in his day71 ,lieutenant-,governor of the ,punjab--we came in due course to ,delhi4 ,our first day there was devoted to tracing ,mutiny relics of all kinds1 and about four ,p4,m4 in the afternoon we drove out to the famous ,ridge to see the ,mutiny ,memorial4 ,this1 as most people nowadays know1 is a red standstone tower1 with staircase of rough stone inside1 and small windows pierced through at varying intervals4 ,it stands upon an extensive marble flooring1 which is inscribed with the names of the various regiments--officers and men--who took part in the renowned siege1 and died for their country in consequence4 ,as we drove towards the ,memorial1 the whole place seemed to be in a flutter of excitement4 ,hundreds of coolies were flocking round1 and we both remarked how much more interested they appeared to be in these monuments of past events than the corresponding class of ,english labourers would have been4 ,but on arrival we found there was no question of intelligent historical interest4 ,the fact was that a poor coolie--who had just climbed up the ,memorial ,tower by the inner staircase--had fallen out of one of the windows described1 and was lying on the marble floor below1 at the far side from us1 crushed and dying4 ,we were told that an ,englishman had1 fortunately1 been present1 and had driven off at once for a doctor4 ,so nothing could be done for the poor man until the latter arrived4 ,meanwhile our native servant--,bobajee--had1 of course1 rushed off to see what was to be seen of the tragedy1 and1 rather to my horror1 my girl friend seemed about to follow his example6 ,it was terrible to think of the poor man lying there in his death agony2 but he was already surrounded by natives1 and no real help could be given without fear of doing more harm than good before the doctor was brought to the spot4 ,therefore merely to go and look on1 without being able to succour1 seemed to me an added horror to the tragedy1 and ,i turned round rather sharply on my young friend1 and expostulated with her4 ,as a matter of fact1 she did not go2 but ,i am obliged to mention the incident as accounting for a certain momentary excitement and annoyance on my part1 which proved to be factors in the story about to be related4 ,allowing for difference of time between ,delhi and ,london1 a very old friend of mine1 ,lady ,wincote 7who was then living in ,london1 where ,i was in the habit of visiting her constantly when in town71 was lying in bed1 resting after a disturbed night1 at the very hour of our visit to the ,mutiny ,memorial4 ,it was about noon in ,england2 she was fully awake1 and had been reading4 ,looking at her watch she realised it was time to make a move if she meant to come down for luncheon4 ,suddenly the door opened1 and ,i walked into her bedroom1 and right round the bed1 until ,i stood between her and the window1 which was to her left as she lay in bed4 ,i was dressed in ordinary outdoor attire1 and seemed much excited and annoyed about something4 ,i was talking continuously1 as it seemed to her2 but she could not make out any connected sentences1 and wondered what had upset me so much4 ,she spoke to me1 asking what had happened2 but ,i took no notice of her questions1 standing with my face to the window and my back to her for a few moments4 ,then ,i turned round1 and deliberately retraced my steps1 past the ottoman1 skirting round the bed1 and was just disappearing through the door1 when she made a final effort to attract my attention1 asking a very practical question3 ,emmie6 ,do tell me before you go1 what number you are staying at in ,oxford ,terrace 7the part of town where ,i always stayed at that time74 ,lady ,wincote said3 ,you made no answer at all1 but whisked out of the door in a great hurry1 and then for the first time ,i remembered that you were in ,india4 ,it had all seemed so natural1 as you had often been in my bedroom1 that ,i only thought at the moment that you must have returned unexpectedly to ,london from the country4 ,my one anxiety was to know which number on the ,terrace would find you1 in case you had changed your address there4 ,now all this was1 fortunately1 written out to me by my friend on the very day that it happened--i4e4 #hth ,january #ahia--;and crossed my letter to her telling her of the incident4 ,my letter was written a day or two later ,i think2 but ,i was keeping a strict diary at the time1 and under date of #hth ,january have the record of the event1 corresponding with the date of ,lady ,wincote's letter to me4#c #c ,both my diary and ,lady ,wincote's letter were shown to ,mr ,myers on my return to ,england1 also my letter which crossed the one from ,lady ,wincote to me4 ,he was greatly interested in the account4 ,probably in any case ,i should have written to tell this friend of the incident1 on account of a conversation ,i had with ,bobajee when he returned from his ghastly entertainment4 ,i had looked inside the ,memorial1 and had seen that the stone steps were crumbling away and looked very unsafe1 so when he came back and said3 ,something bad inside there1 ,lady ,sahib1 ,i concluded naturally that he was referring to the state of the staircase1 and attributing the poor coolie's fall to some such cause4 ,but he denied this strenuously3 ,no6 no6 ,lady ,sahib--some bad debil inside there4 ,he threw coolie over6 ,then he went on to tell us that on one special night in the year no native man1 woman1 or child in the whole city could be induced to pass the ,mutiny ,memorial at midnight4 ,the few daring souls who had passed there1 had found the tower all lighted up inside1 and the ,sepoys and the ,british soldiers had come back1 and were fighting their battles over again6 ,the man spoke in simple good faith1 and assured me that all ,delhi people knew this to be a fact1 and gave the place a wide berth on that anniversary4 ,the idea of the bad debil throwing the poor coolie down from the top of the tower1 followed by this curious legend1 interested me as a bit of folk-lore1 but my companion was drastic in her remarks4 ,silly nonsense1 ,bobajee6 was her reception of the story2 and this made me feel intensely sorry for the moment1 that ,lady ,wincote1 who would have been as much interested as myself1 should not have been present4 ,did this moment of intense desire for her1 project itself into the appearance she saw in her room8 ,who can say8 ,certainly it was a curious coincidence that she should see me in an annoyed and excited state just when ,i was feeling annoyed and excited--so many thousand miles away4 ,delhi seems to have been specially favourable to psychic experiences1 for ,i find another one recorded on the very day succeeding the last event4 ,my friend1 having some slight ailment1 ,i had driven out alone with our native servant1 and we made a long tour1 returning about six ,p4,m4 past ,ludlow ,castle1 of famous ,mutiny memory1 and still--in the year #ahia--;a ,government bungalow4 ,the present ,czar of ,russia was travelling through ,india at the time as ,czarewitch1 with his cousin1 ,prince ,george of ,greece1 and they were expected to arrive in ,delhi that same evening4 ,the ,royal party and suite were to be lodged at ,ludlow ,castle1 and were expected within an hour4 ,bobajee jumped off the box of my carriage1 and urged me to go look1 see6 ,no1 ,bobajee6 ,drive on--can't go look see--they no let me in4 ,yes1 yes1 ,lady ,sahib1 he said eagerly--everything ready--all gone away--nobody in there yet4 ,with our ,english notions this seems inconceivable1 but it proved to be absolutely true4 ,i went in1 expecting to be turned back ignominiously before ,i had crossed the hall1 but there was positively no one there6 ,the place was like a ,city of the ,dead4 ,yet within an hour1 a banquet arranged for about seventy people was to take place6 ,i made the best of my opportunity1 ranged through the numerous bedrooms--with hanging ,japanese blinds shutting them off and each one inscribed with the card of the special ,russian or ,greek general who formed part of the suite4 ,at length ,i strolled into the dining-room--a long1 narrow room--arranged for the coming festivity 7at least sixty to seventy covers were laid71 the flowers arranged on the tablecloth in the pretty1 artistic ,indian fashion1 all the beautiful glass and silver placed in readiness4 ,nothing was wanting but the presence of the guests for whom all this preparation had been made4 ,the short ,indian twilight was already upon us as ,i stood there for a moment1 contrasting the dead and almost eerie silence1 with the lights and laughter that would so quickly replace it4 ,a fireplace was close to me as ,i stood at the far end of the room1 looking down the whole length of the table4 ,glancing up1 ,i realised that the only picture in the room was hung over this fireplace4 ,the picture in question had no artistic value--the painting was flat and poor2 even the subject did not strike me for the first moment as anything very remarkable4 ,it was the portrait of a man in the prime of life--about thirty-five1 ,i should have supposed--with the long whiskers and rather prim pose of a portrait made by an evidently poor artist1 probably thirty or forty years previous to my visit4 ,but as ,i looked again1 a curious sensation came over me4 ,in spite of the painter's failure to convey anything more like a living man than a dead pressed rose is like a living rose1 there was something in the eyes of the portrait that held me1 something that rose triumphant above the artist's limitations4 ,at the same moment ,i was conscious of a ,presence behind my back2 of somebody who was looking at the picture with me2 of somebody who was saying to me 7not with the outer1 but an inner voice73 ,that is a picture of me1 but ,i am not there--,i am here1 close to you2 behind your shoulder--,i am looking at it with you4 ,the impression was so strong that it seemed almost as if a hand were pressing on my shoulder4 ,i turned round involuntarily1 but no one was there4 ,then ,i looked at the picture again1 and always with the same weird sensation that the man whom the picture represented had been strong enough to make me feel his actual presence in the room1 although ,i could see nothing4 ,there was no name on the picture of either subject or artist1 no possible clue to identity1 and looked at as a picture alone1 there was nothing in the flat1 conventional presentment of the features to account for my experience4 ,this made it the more remarkable4 ,i could scarcely tear myself away from the almost overwhelming sense of the presence of some strong and strangely magnetic personality1 but the fast fading twilight warned me not to risk an ignominious retreat4 ,so ,i went hurriedly through the large and handsome drawing-room1 which was filled with portraits1 chiefly of deceased governors and generals1 many of them admirably painted1 and a striking contrast to the one poor and commonplace picture already seen4 ,the absolute incongruity between the impression received and the object which roused it1 led me to make inquiries1 in spite of my friend's jokes over my powers of imagination4 ,anyway1 ,i am going to clear this up1 ,i said with determination2 and in a few days my perseverance was rewarded1 and my impression amply justified1 by finding that ,i had been looking at the portrait--feeble and poor as it was--of ,brigadier-,general ,nicholson4 ,none of my readers need to be told that if any dead man could impress himself upon the living1 this would be the man capable of such a feat4 ,even to this day there is a small religious sect in ,india called the ,nicholasain1 who have handed down the memory of this god rather than man1 who had to dismount from his horse occasionally1 to thrash his would-be worshippers1 and put a stop to their inconvenient adoration6 ,nicholson's brilliant achievements in the ,mutiny2 his absolute control over men of the most diverse character2 the devotion with which he inspired his soldiers1 and his own glorious death in the very moment of victory--all these are matters of history4 ,i feel glad and grateful to have known1 even for a few passing moments1 what that influence had been2 and when ,i found out ,brigadier-,general ,nicholson's grave at ,delhi1 after my ,ludlow ,castle experience1 ,i left my flowers on the grave of an honoured acquaintance1 rather than of a man known to me only through historical records4 ,one more incident1 or rather coincidence1 and ,i must close my ,indian chapter4 ,this also is connected with the ,mutiny and with ,delhi1 but the special coincidence1 to which ,i refer1 took place at ,agra1 when my friend and ,i were staying at the hotel there in the early spring of #ahia4 ,one of my oldest and most valued friends is ,lieutenant-,colonel ,alfred ,s4 ,jones1 ,v4,c41 formerly of the #ith ,lancers1 and one of our ,mutiny heroes4 ,as everything connected with that historical tragedy seems to have perennial interest for every ,englishman--no matter what his creed or politics--,i make no excuse for furnishing some details connected with my friend's career4 ,his record from ,hart's ,army ,list is as follows3-- ,lieutenant-,colonel ,jones was present at the battle of ,budlekee ,serai1 and at ,delhi throughout the siege operations1 including the assault and capture of the city1 having been ,d4,a4,q4,m4,g4 from #hth ,august to #bcrd ,september #aheg4 ,served with the #ith ,lancers in ,greathead's pursuing column1 and was present in the actions of ,bolimshuhur and ,alighur and battle of ,agra--where he was dangerously wounded1 having received a musket-shot wound and twenty-two sabre cuts4 ,he was mentioned in the despatches of ,sir ,hope ,grant on three different occasions1 and has received the ,victoria ,cross for taking a nine-pounder gun1 with the assistance of some men from his squadron1 in the action of ,budlekee ,serai 7medal with clasp and ,brevet of ,major74 ,although1 as a child1 ,i had heard of the bravery and the terrible wounds of one who was to become later in life one of my greatest friends1 the actual details of the ,agra catastrophe were hazy in my memory4 ,two things1 however1 had remained firmly imbedded in my mind--first1 that a brother officer had told me that he was standing close by ,colonel ,jones when1 as a young officer1 the latter attended the ,leve to receive his ,victoria ,cross1 and that the ,queen was so much agitated by his appearance that she could hardly pin it on4 ,also1 that this brother officer heard her whisper to her husband3 ,my ,god1 ,albert6 look at that poor boy6 ,he has been cut to pieces6 ,the other childish memory is that the ,taj had been turned into a hospital at the time of the ,mutiny1 and that my friend1 amongst others1 had been nursed there4 ,this latter proved to have been a mistake on the part of my informants4 ,it was the ,moti ,musjid 7the ,pearl ,mosque7 which was turned to this account1 and in which my friend was nursed back to life1 to the surprise of all who knew the extent of his disaster4 ,it is specially important for people blessed1 or cursed1 with psychic gifts to give no occasion to the enemy by exaggeration or inexact memory of details4 ,so1 with the wholesome dread of a well-read reviewer before my eyes1 ,i determined to go to the fountain-head1 and ask ,colonel ,jones himself to supply me with the true incidents which make the ,agra episode a moving picture before our eyes4 ,he has kindly consented to do this1 and ,i give the narrative in his own words3-- ,after the fall of ,delhi1 a column1 under ,general ,greathead1 was sent down to ,lucknow1 and as three squadrons of the #ith ,lancers were told off to go1 ,i resigned my staff appointment1 and went with my troop4 ,after two fights--,bolimshuhur and ,alighur--we were hurried off to ,agra1 sixty-six miles in thirty-six hours4 ,but on arrival we found that the ,agra people had recovered from their fright and ,greathead was fool enough to believe their story that the enemy was twelve miles away1 and therefore took up ground for our camp1 just by the graveyard and parade-ground1 which you will remember4 ,there was a high crop of sugar-cane1 concealing everything beyond the parade-ground1 and after most of the officers of the whole force had gone off to ,agra ,fort to breakfast with friends1 cannon-shot began to fall amongst us2 and everyone had time to fall in1 as the horses had not been unsaddled4 ,my squadron1 consisting of ,french's and my troops1 was told off as an escort to ,blunt's ,battery1 ,f4,a41 which formed the left of the line1 consisting of our other two squadrons1 more ,f4 ,artillery1 #hth and #geth ,regiments1 etc41 all moving to the front through high crops4 ,then we saw the enemy--#gjj or #hjj yards off--and ,blunt unlimbered his guns1 and began to fire1 when we soon saw a body of cavalry moving off across our front1 to turn our left flank1 and ,blunt said we must go back to defend our camp4 ,so he limbered up1 and we all 7i4e4 our squadron and ,blunt's guns7 began to straggle back through the high crops4 ,but ,blunt said he must leave one troop with two of his guns1 and ,french's troop was stopped for the purpose4 ,instead of staying with it1 he felt so sure we should have a chance at the cavalry we had seen 7,mutineers7 that he came on with me1 and together we formed up my troop on the parade-ground1 close to ,blunt's guns1 which we saw already unlimbered4 ,a squadron of ,irregular 7mutinied7 cavalry was coming in our direction over the parade-ground1 with a blue squadron of 7mutinied7 regular cavalry in support1 both trotting2 so1 of course1 we went for the ,red 7head of the echellon they formed74 ,then ,i saw ,french shot1 and the hind quarters of his grey horse pass round the left flank of my little troop2 then ,i gave the word ,,gallop1 and the ,red squadron1 to my surprise1 halted4 ,observing its leader taking aim at me with his carbine1 ,i inclined a little to my left1 in order to stick him1 never dreaming that ,i should be hit before ,i could do so1 and ,i was almost within reach before he fired1 and his bullet went through my bridle arm1 so ,i had to take my reins on my sword hand and jam my horse into the ranks1 just behind the squadron leader who had shot me4 ,now to clear up your mystery about my being left to my fate 7,i had specially asked ,colonel ,jones how he happened to be left alone amongst the ,sepoys1 whose numbers were registered by his sabre cuts in so ghastly a fashion71 ,i was not left to my fate2 on the contrary1 the man on the left of my troop1 who alone could see1 put his lance through the squadron leader1 and stayed about--outside the ring--trying to get to me to the last1 and got the ,v4,c4 on my report to that effect4 ,my troop1 occupying1 in double rank1 about twenty yards1 went straight on after the twenty yards or so front of the enemy's probable front of perhaps fifty yards4 ,so there were plenty of ,sowars left to mob round me and to keep off the man who tried to save me4 ,of course1 my men were quite right in pursuing the broken force as they did1 right off the field4 ,this account has the immense advantage of being taken verbatim from ,colonel ,jones' letter just received by me4 ,it has the disadvantage that such a letter1 from a brave man1 would naturally possess--i4e4 that of minimising his share in the episode to the point of making it difficult for the lay mind to realise where the heroism came in--which heroism is a vital point in my coincidence4 ,fortunately1 ,i have the best authority for saying that the ,blunt mentioned in this record always maintained that ,colonel ,alfred ,jones had saved his guns4 ,it appears that at the time of the unexpected attack from the enemy1 ,colonel ,jones and two or three friends 7who had not gone to the fort7 were breakfasting under the shade of the cemetery wall when the alarm was given4 ,my friend1 wishing to rest his charger after the long forced march from ,agra1 had taken a spare troop horse1 saddled with a hunting saddle4 ,when the round shot began to fall1 there was no time to get his charger4 ,there was nothing for it but to put on sword and pistol and ride straight in to the enemy's ranks4 ,no wonder the poor people shut up in ,agra were enthusiastic over this charge of cavalry in their shirt sleeves1 as they called it4 ,in #ahia ,i was staying in ,agra1 at the hotel1 with my friend of the ,delhi incident4 ,a certain ,major ,pulford1 who had come to ,agra to race some ponies1 divided us at the table d'hte4 ,he and ,i had been neighbours for two or three days1 when he asked me carelessly one evening what ,i had been doing that afternoon1 as my friend confessed to having taken a day off4 ,now ,i had spent the afternoon at the ,taj1 and had made many inquiries about the tradition that this building had once been turned into a hospital4 ,no one knew anything about it4 ,one old ,hindoo1 evidently thinking ,i wished him to say ,yes1 remembered hearing that this had been the case about eighty years ago4 ,this last artistic touch of accuracy was fatal to his bon fides1 and ,i turned away in disgust4 ,so ,i told ,major ,pulford my story1 and we laughed over the well-known fact that a ,hindoo of that class always tries to find out what you wish him to say1 and then says it6 ,major ,pulford asked why ,i was so keen on the subject4 ,because a very old friend of mine was badly wounded at ,agra during the ,mutiny1 and from a child ,i have had the impression that he was nursed in the ,taj4 ,no1 he answered4 ,i am sure the ,taj was never used as a hospital1 but ,i think the ,pearl ,mosque may have been4 ,this would account for the mistake1 probably4 ,now the point in this incident is the fact that ,i had not mentioned my friend's name to ,major ,pulford4 ,had the name been a more distinctive one1 ,i might have mentioned it1 although realising that ,major ,pulford was too young a man to have known anything about the ,mutiny at first hand4 ,we talked casually on the subject for a few minutes1 and then he said3 ,of course1 ,i was a baby at the time1 but ,i have read and heard any amount about it1 naturally4 ,my boyish hero was a fellow named ,jones of the #ith ,lancers1 who was so awfully plucky in their celebrated charge1 when surprised by the enemy on the ,agra parade-ground4 ,i know nothing about the fellow except what ,i have read4 ,i believe he is alive still1 but they say he was almost cut to pieces then4 ,that is the friend whom ,i thought had been nursed in the ,taj1 was my astonished answer4 ,major ,pulford's delight was unbounded to have come by so strange a coincidence even thus near to the hero of his youth4 ,for myself1 ,i recognised that ,i had sat next to the only man1 probably then in ,india1 who could have given me the accurate and precise details of the whole affair6 ,i know every inch of the ground1 and just where it all happened1 he said eagerly4 ,do let me drive you and your friend over there to-morrow in my buggy1 and ,i will point out every detail4 ,he did so next day1 leaving me with the most vivid impression of the scene of my friend's gallant fight for life1 against such overwhelming odds4 ,that he should still be alive and active--nearly fifty years later--seems little short of a miracle6 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,sweden ,,and ,,russia1 #ahib ,travelling in ,sweden in the spring of #ahib1 ,i carried with me from ,england an introduction to the ,swedish ,consul at ,gottenburg4 ,one of the sisters of this gentleman was married to an ,englishman--a ,mr ,romilly--and he and his wife chanced to come over for a visit during my stay4 ,speaking of psychic matters one day1 ,mr ,romilly told me the story of his first cousin 7a well-known woman of title7 and her ,egyptian necklace4 ,a present had been made to her 7,i think on her marriage7 of a very beautiful ,egyptian necklace with stones of the exquisite blue shade so well known by travellers in ,egypt4 ,these special stones1 alas6 must evidently have been genuine1 and rifled from some old tomb1 for the owner of the necklace appeared one night by the lady's bedside1 and warned her that she would have no peace so long as she persisted in wearing his property4 ,so the lady very wisely locked up the necklace in her dressing-case1 and fondly trusted the ,egyptian ghost would be satisfied4 ,not a bit of it6 ,in a short time he appeared again1 and told her that she would be haunted by his unwelcome presence so long as the necklace remained in her possession4 ,she then drove off with it1 and deposited it with her lawyer1 who locked it up in a tin case1 doubtless with a secret smile at his noble client's superstitions4 ,but ,nemesis lay in wait for him1 and the last thing ,mr ,romilly had heard upon the subject was that the lawyer himself was made so exceedingly uncomfortable by the attentions of the ,egyptian gentleman that he was obliged to have necklace and tin case buried together in his back garden6 ,to have forced a lawyer into such extreme measures was certainly a score for the ghost6 ,a few months later1 ,i met the heroine of the story at a friend's house at tea1 and speaking of her relation1 who had married a ,swedish wife1 and whom ,i had met in ,gottenburg1 ,i alluded discreetly to the story of the blue necklace4 ,my companion at once endorsed it in toto1 and did not seem at all annoyed by the fact that her cousin had mentioned it to me4 ,i remember that ,mrs ,romilly laid the cards for me1 with astonishing success1 and told me she had learnt the mystic lore from an old ,finnish nurse1 who had been brought over from ,finland by her own ,swedish grandfather when quite a young girl1 and had lived in the family until her death4 ,she assured me that the ,finns were specially gifted in all kinds of gipsy lore4 ,from ,stockholm we paid a visit to ,russia1 and in ,st ,petersburg ,i had my first personal experience since leaving home4 ,we had engaged1 as courier during our stay in the city1 a ,german who had lived there for forty years1 named ,kntze1 ,i think4 ,we were staying at the ,hotel de ,france1 and this man told me one day that a celebrated ,french modiste had rooms in our hotel1 having come there to show her beautiful ,parisian costumes1 and to take orders as usual from the ,russian ,royal ,family and ,ladies of the ,court4 ,he also mentioned the ,frenchwoman's recent misfortune in hearing--since her arrival in ,russia--that her trusted manager in ,paris had disappeared suddenly1 carrying away with him #ajj1jjj francs4 ,two nights later ,i had gone to bed as usual about ten-thirty ,p4,m41 and must have slept for nearly four hours1 when ,i awoke feeling the heat very oppressive4 ,it was almost the end of ,june at the time4 ,getting out of bed to open my window still farther1 ,i gazed down upon the courtyard which it overlooked1 noting the absolute stillness of the house and the hot1 oppressive air outside4 ,suddenly this stillness was rent by the most horrible and appalling shrieks6 ,peal after peal rang out4 ,i have never heard anything so ghastly nor so blood-curdling either before or since4 ,for a moment it seemed that one must be dreaming4 ,what horrors1 to justify such awful shrieks1 could be taking place at this quiet hour and in this quiet1 respectable hotel8 ,nothing less than murder suggested itself to me1 and ,i quickly crossed the room1 and turned the key in the lock4 ,my next thought was for my companion--the ,miss ,greenlow of ,american days4 ,she was sleeping next door to me1 with an intervening door between us4 ,i hammered loudly upon this1 and finally opened it4 ,i knew she always locked her outer door1 but feared she might go into the passage1 not realising the danger in the moment of waking1 and might fall into the murderer's hands4 ,so ,i called out3 ,wake up--wake up1 ,miss ,greenlow6--but don't open your door4 ,someone is being murdered out there4 ,i had heard every other door in the passage opening1 and the scared inmates rushing to and fro1 so there was no question of feeling bound to give the alarm4 ,miss ,greenlow1 being an extremely lymphatic person1 was still sleeping the sleep of the just4 ,i gave her a good shake at last1 finding knocks and calls of no avail2 but she only turned over sleepily1 murmuring3 ,oh1 it's all right6 ,i don't suppose there is anything much the matter--do go to bed again6 ,so ,i returned to my own room1 and as the horrible screams had now ceased1 ,i opened my door very gently1 and looked down the dimly lighted passage4 ,my room was a corner one1 exactly at the head of the wide staircase2 to the left-hand side1 for anyone mounting the stairs4 ,exactly opposite my door1 with a wide passage between1 was the room which had been pointed out to me as belonging to the famous ,french modiste4 ,miss ,greenlow was evidently the only person in the hotel who had slept through the horrors of that night1 for small groups were gathered together at various points along the corridor1 and at every door some scared man or woman was looking out1 anxious1 like myself1 to solve the dreadful mystery4 ,at that moment my eyes lighted on my special ,german waiter talking in a hushed whisper to a musjig--in the usual red coat4 ,so ,i beckoned to him1 and very reluctantly he came to my door4 ,being asked in ,german what was the meaning of the shrieks we had heard1 he said at once that a lady had been taken ill suddenly4 ,the man was a bad liar1 and a child would have seen that he was repeating a made-up story4 ,but nothing more could be got out of him1 so ,i dismissed him impatiently1 saying3 ,what is the good of telling me such nonsense8 ,i shall find out for myself to-morrow4 ,once more ,i shut and locked the door1 and lay for an hour or two thinking over the ghastly disturbance1 and wondering who could have been the hapless victim4 ,it was now about five ,a4,m41 and full dawn4 ,as so often happens1 even after the most sleepless night1 ,i dozed off then1 and slept for more than an hour1 and during my sleep ,i dreamed--and this was my dream4 ,it must first be noted that the wide staircase ,i have described as passing close to my room was thence continued upward to the next floor4 ,in my dream or vision ,i saw distinctly a woman in a white nightgown1 with dark hair streaming down her back1 rushing up this second flight of stairs in the most distraught and reckless fashion4 ,in one hand she held a knife1 and was trying to stab herself with it1 as a musjig--in crimson coat--rushed after her1 and endeavoured to wrench it out of her hand4 ,two or three other people ran up the stairs behind her1 but only this peasant seemed to have the courage or presence of mind to grapple with her4 ,in a few moments1 as it seemed to me1 the vision1 so startling and clear cut1 faded away1 and ,i sank into a dreamless sleep1 ,i suppose1 for it was past six ,a4,m4 when ,i woke finally4 ,when the ,german waiter appeared with my breakfast ,i said rather curtly to him3 ,you need not have troubled to make up that foolish story last night2 ,i know what happened--,i have seen it4 ,he looked very incredulous1 so ,i went on3 ,the lady was trying to kill herself1 and rushed up to the next floor with a knife in her hand4 ,i saw the musjig run after her and force it from her4 ,the man was absolutely speechless4 ,he said not one syllable1 either of corroboration or denial1 but left the room as quickly as possible1 looking scared1 and certainly left the impression upon my mind that my vision represented what had actually taken place an hour or two previously4 ,to my great surprise1 however1 our respectable and dependable courier1 ,kntze1 gave quite a different version of the affair4 ,he came as usual to my room to take his orders for the day--,miss ,greenlow being present--and at once referred to the terrible tragedy4 ,ah1 poor lady6 you remember my telling you about her the other day1 and how her manager had run away with all that money8 ,now this frightful misfortune has happened to her1 and no one knows if she will survive it4 ,she is still alive1 however1 and is to be taken to the hospital at one ,p4,m4 ,but what has happened1 ,kntze8 ,i said impatiently1 rather irritated1 if the truth must be told1 by his mysterious allusions and ,miss ,greenlow's assumption of profound indifference4 ,of course1 no self-respecting person1 having calmly slept through such a tragedy1 could be otherwise than indifferent next morning6 ,kntze's story was far more artistic than that of the waiter1 and was skilfully interwoven with shreds of truth1 as ,i discovered later4 ,he said that the poor lady was in the habit of making herself a cup of tea in the middle of the night when wakeful2 also that she wore wide1 hanging muslin sleeves with her night attire4 ,she had risen as usual from a sleepless bed to make tea with her little ,etna4 ,unfortunately1 she had set fire to a sleeve1 which at once burned up1 and in a few moments she was enveloped in flames1 owing to the flimsy material she wore4 ,then the shrieks began which had so thrilled our nerves4 ,a ,russian gentleman1 sleeping near her1 was awakened by the noise1 and knowing that she was a rich woman1 and had brought many valuables with her1 he concluded she was being murdered2 so he rushed to the rescue with a revolver1 found the burning woman1 and he and the musjig at length succeeded in putting out the flames4 ,the story was well told1 and perfectly credible4 ,miss ,greenlow could not resist pointing out how entirely it annihilated my vision4 ,no suicide6--no knife6--no rush up the staircase6--nothing1 in fact1 that might not have been1 and1 of course1 must have been a mere freak of imagination during my troubled sleep4 ,in the face of ,kntze's quiet and detailed statement ,i could only agree with her1 and so the matter rested for some months4 ,the poor woman meanwhile remained in the hospital1 and her son and daughter were telegraphed for from ,paris4 ,we found them at the hotel on our return there1 three weeks later1 from ,moscow4 ,there was then some slight hope of ultimate recovery1 but within six or seven weeks from the accident the unfortunate woman died from shock and exhaustion4 ,from ,russia we returned to ,stockholm and ,christiania1 where ,miss ,greenlow took the steamer for ,hull1 and ,i went up into the ,dovre ,feld ,mountains to join a ,swedish friend1 already mentioned in my chapter on ,india4 ,i told her my story of the poor ,french modiste and her sad and painful accident1 also about my curiously vivid and yet inaccurate vision1 and we discussed the latter in quite an ,s4,p4,r4 spirit6 ,we were then in a very remote part of the ,dovre ,feld1 where foreign papers were practically inaccessible4 ,i had left my friend in ,norway1 and returned to ,england a week or two before receiving a very interesting letter from her4 ,in it she said3 ,i have just got hold of some ,french papers1 and ,i see that poor woman you told me about1 has just died in ,petersburg1 and the real story has now come out4 ,it seems that it was suicide after all1 so your vision was quite true6 ,she had received large sums in advance for commissions from some of the ,russian nobility1 and had either spent or speculated with them4 ,that was why she had to invent the story of an embezzling manager1 to cover her own shortcomings4 ,but the truth was leaking out in spite of her endeavours1 and she made up her mind to commit suicide rather than face the horrors of a ,russian prison4 ,the paper goes on to say that she chose a most terrible death1 little realising what the torture would be4 ,it seems that she waited till the middle of the night you described1 and then covered her whole body with oil1 and set fire to it6 ,this accounts1 of course1 for the horrible shrieks you heard4 ,in her awful agony she seized a knife--that she had either secreted or found in her room--rushed out into the passage in a blaze1 and when the musjig tried to stop her1 she ran from him1 and attempted to stab herself as she made her way up the stairs4 ,all this you seem to have seen accurately2 also the fact that the musjig pursued her and succeeded in wrenching the knife from her hands before she had injured herself with it4 ,the paper mentions that a ,russian gentleman had gone to the rescue when he heard the shrieks1 but this was before she had got hold of the knife1 and it was the musjig alone who saved her1 in the end1 from immediate death4 ,during this ,russian visit we had gone down to ,moscow from ,petersburg1 and here again a curious adventure befell me4 ,it was1 as ,i have said1 in the height of the summer1 and one was thankful to have a large1 handsome room1 with three windows looking over the square1 and the famous ,kremlin ,palace in the distance4 ,my room was divided into two unequal parts1 separated from each other by a door which was1 during the hot season1 thrown wide open and fastened back securely4 ,between this door and the one opening into the outer corridor the washing apparatus stood1 and also a wardrobe of white painted deal1 with a very poor lock to it1 as ,i discovered later4 ,on retiring to rest the first night1 ,i locked the outer door1 undressed in this ante-room1 and finally hung up my gown in the wardrobe ,i have mentioned4 ,then1 after looking out of the windows on the fast diminishing crowd below in the square1 ,i went to bed1 feeling quite cheerful1 and looking forward to a long night's rest after a journey which had been hot and tiring4 ,as so often happens1 one was probably over-tired1 and sleep was not to be wooed by any of the usual methods4 ,in vain ,i counted sheep getting over a hedge1 added a hundred up backward and forward1 tried deep breathing1 and other little parlour games4 ,it was absolutely useless4 ,twelve o'clock struck1 then the half hour1 and ,i gathered from the stillness below that the good ,moscow citizens had retired to their respective homes4 ,this seemed an added insult6 ,then one o'clock struck1 and after that ,i lay for a seeming eternity1 before two strokes from the clock outside indicated the half hour4 ,scarcely had the reverberation ceased when ,i heard cautious sounds in the corridor1 which gave me a good fright1 and made me regret the silence ,i had found so irksome4 ,the outer door of my room was quietly being opened1 creaking on its hinges in the most ordinary and commonplace way1 but evidently opening under a very wary hand4 ,then ,i could not have locked it after all6 ,and yet ,i felt so convinced that ,i had done so6 ,certainly ,i had intended to do so on my first night in a strange hotel6 ,the best ,i could hope was that some other new arrival had mistaken his room1 and was returning late1 and consequently trying to be as quiet as possible4 ,this flashed through my mind1 and brought a moment's comfort4 ,i expected to see a man's head round the open door at the foot of my bed1 and to hear a hurried apology and still more hurried retreat4 ,i say a man's head1 for the footsteps1 though so quiet and cautious1 were without doubt a man's footsteps4 ,but several moments passed in horrible suspense4 ,the outer door had creaked on its hinges and opened without a shadow of doubt4 ,where was the man8 ,the door had not closed again1 so far as ,i could hear4 ,from my bed ,i could not command a view of the smaller portion of the room1 where1 presumably1 he must be hidden4 ,there was nothing but the wash-hand stand and the wardrobe there4 ,what could he be doing or waiting for8 ,my comforting supposition of a mistake in the number of his room1 made by an innocent guest1 could not be stretched wide enough to account for the long pause4 ,perhaps it was some robber lurking about the passages6 ,he had tried my door gently1 and found it open4 ,i had heard the door creak on its hinges in spite of all his care4 ,now he was doubtless waiting to make sure that this noise had not awakened me before beginning his operations6 ,this was the only reasonable supposition1 and ,i lay in absolute terror for some minutes1 fearing to stir or almost to breathe at such close quarters1 and quite incapable of rising and putting an end to my terrible suspense4 ,i longed to hear the next quarter strike1 but nothing relieved the dead silence in my room and in the streets outside4 ,at long last the quarter to two struck1 and something in the friendly tones of the massive clock relieved the tension and gave me courage--the courage of desperation--to strike a match and light my candle before starting on a tour of discovery4 ,the middle door was fastened back1 as ,i had found it when taking possession of the room4 ,in any case1 that was not the door which had been opened--the sound came from the outer door4 ,i must find out if anyone were hiding in the little dressing-room2 and in any case1 ,i must lock the outer door1 which ,i had felt so certain ,i had locked on coming up to my room4 ,i passed through the open inner door with fear and trembling4 ,to my relief1 the small apartment was apparently empty4 ,the wardrobe stood partly open1 but nothing more terrible than my own gown was inside it4 ,then ,i made my way to the outer door1 which gave on to the corridor1 determined to make sure of locking it firmly this time4 ,after all1 it must have been a wandering guest1 who had discovered his mistake at once1 and retreated noiselessly6 ,i have seldom been more absolutely dumfounded than when ,i turned the handle of that door1 preparatory to locking it1 and found that it was securely locked already1 just as ,i had supposed6 ,how could the hinges have creaked then1 and whose cautious footsteps had ,i heard8 ,once more my eyes fell upon the wardrobe1 with its cheap varnish and lock4 ,i had certainly not locked this overnight4 ,could it have creaked itself farther open8 ,it did not for the moment strike me that the noise came from another quarter1 and that the footsteps were still to be explained4 ,i was only too thankful to find the barest apology of an explanation4 ,so ,i locked the wardrobe as carefully as possible1 noticing that the lock was not one of the first quality1 and once more retired to bed1 and put out my candle1 greatly relieved4 ,scarcely ten minutes had passed 7as ,i afterwards ascertained7 when the whole scene was enacted once more6 ,the same cautious tread1 the same sound of the outer door creaking slowly on its hinges--there was nothing in the least uncanny about it per se4 ,it was just the normal noise that any late comer would make who was thoughtful enough not to disturb a sleeping house4 ,but my impatience got the better of my fears this time4 ,i was not going to be decoyed out of bed a second time on a wild-goose chase4 ,it must have been that wardrobe door after all6 ,as to the footsteps1 ,i don't know and ,i don't care6 ,the cheap lock must have given way1 and ,i shall find the wardrobe door has swung open1 ,i am sure4 ,with this comforting assurance ,i turned round1 and in a few minutes fell into a deep sleep1 after the varied excitements of the night4 ,next morning ,i stepped gaily into the smaller division of the room to begin my toilet1 and triumphantly turned round to convince myself of the truth of my theory about the wardrobe door4 ,to my infinite astonishment and perplexity the wardrobe was securely locked1 just as ,i had left it in the middle of the night4 ,i have never had any explanation of this mystery2 but ,i changed my fine big room for a much less desirable one that morning1 and made some excuse about wishing for a quieter room at the back of the house4 ,the next evening1 sitting in my new abode with my travelling companion1 she showed far more interest in my adventure than in the ,petersburg tragedy and subsequent vision of mine4 ,so much so that ,i invited her to take a pencil and see if she could get any sort of explanation of the mystery2 for although not at all intuitive1 she knew something of what is called automatic writing4 ,i give her narrative1 not as being in the slightest degree evidential1 but for its intrinsic interest1 and because ,i am personally convinced that she had not sufficient imagination to have made it up on the spur of the moment4 ,miss ,greenlow's message was to the following effect3-- ,about fifty years previously1 a ,russian gentleman 7an officer1 ,i think1 but am not certain of this7 and his mistress had occupied this large front room4 ,the man had spent all day at a rifle competition1 combined with some sort of merry-making1 and had returned home very late--at one-thirty ,a4,m41 in fact--very much the worse for drink4 ,he had opened the door very carefully1 trusting he should find the lady asleep2 but1 unfortunately1 she was not only wide awake1 but extremely annoyed by his late return and the state in which he had come back to her4 ,a desperate quarrel had ensued1 and getting frightened by his violence1 she seized his rifle1 giving him a blow on the head with the butt end of it1 hoping to stun him1 but with no idea of murder in her mind4 ,whether she gave a more severe blow1 in her nervousness1 than she had intended1 or whether the rifle fell on some specially vital spot1 was not explained in the writing4 ,anyway1 the blow proved fatal--to her extreme regret and remorse4 ,under these circumstances one would have supposed that it would be more reasonable for the lady to haunt the room1 and not the gentleman2 but ,i tell the tale as 'twas told to us4 ,it is1 however1 remarkable that in most of these stories it is the victim who appears--determined to enact the scene of his or her death--and not the murderer4 ,i think we were also told1 by-the-by1 that ,i had slept in the room on the anniversary of the occurrence4 ,it was obviously impossible to get any corroboration of such a story4 ,two small points in it1 however1 were proved to be true4 ,the ,moscow hotels1 as a rule1 were comparatively modern at the time of our visit1 and therefore the fifty years ago seemed highly improbable4 ,we learned1 however1 through a few discreet questions later1 that this particular hotel had been in existence so far back as fifty years1 and also that rifle competitions had taken place on certain occasions in those far-off days4 ,for the rest ,i claim nothing4 ,i have truthfully recounted my experience without a word of exaggeration1 and have never been able to account for it normally4 ,the explanation given to us is1 of course1 just worth the paper it was written upon from any evidential point of view4 ,,chapter ,,vi--continued ,,sweden ,,and ,,russia1 #ahib ,taking my experiences chronologically1 ,i must now carry my readers back to ,england1 where the autumn of this year found me in ,london4 ,i had been asked to recommend a house for paying guests1 well situated1 in the ,west ,end of ,london1 and newly started by a lady who had been left a widow with very slender provision4 ,several kind women had interested themselves in the case1 and had wisely suggested thinking out a means of livelihood in the future rather than merely supplying present wants4 ,it would be difficult to imagine a person less suited for the sort of employment chosen2 but that is another story4 ,i never care to recommend anything or anybody of which or of whom ,i have no personal knowledge2 at the same time1 ,i was anxious to help my kindly acquaintance in her philanthropy1 and as ,i had arranged to spend some weeks in ,london that autumn--to be near an invalid brother--it struck me that ,i might stay at the house so strongly recommended1 instead of taking private rooms as usual4 ,so ,i journeyed to ,sussex ,gardens1 found a charming house1 newly furnished and decorated1 and as clean as the proverbial new pin1 and1 moreover1 a very good-looking mistress of the house1 still a youngish woman of five or six and thirty4 ,she spoke most warmly of the kindness she had received from the lady who had given me her address1 showed me some pleasant rooms1 and the arrangement was quickly completed4 ,i chose a small sitting-room in addition to my bedroom1 although1 as a matter of fact1 this was scarcely necessary1 as ,i was the first guest received4 ,only one deaf old lady appeared upon the scene during the six weeks ,i spent there4 ,i had not been forty-eight hours in the house before ,i discovered that my hostess was a convinced and very remarkable psychic4 ,naturally she was delighted to find someone to whom she could speak of her various experiences without being laughed at or put down as a lunatic4 ,at the same time ,i am bound to confess that ,mrs ,peters1 although extremely interesting1 was also rather agitating1 and certainly much too erratic to make an entirely satisfactory ,chatelaine4 ,she was given to reading ,aurora ,leigh1 instead of ordering dinner1 and had to be sent for occasionally to sit at the head of the table1 with a volume of ,browning or ,tennyson firmly clutched in her reluctant hand4 ,even when duly found and delivered1 curious things happened during the meals--especially at dinner in the evening1 when she often put down knife and fork and directed my attention to the far end of the handsome dining-room1 where she was wont to see the ghost of her late husband4 ,look1 dear ,miss ,bates6 ,surely you must see him--dear ,henry1 ,i mean4 ,there he stands1 beard and all1 just between the sofa and the wall4 ,i can see him as clearly as ,i see you6 ,i am bound to say ,i never did see dear ,henry2 but the fine tabby cat certainly saw something in that corner1 for it would rush most frantically to the sofa1 jump on to one end1 and sit staring at ,henry 7presumably71 with its tail stuck out and its fur rising up1 glaring into the corner with a look of combined fear and fascination4 ,my little sitting-room was invaded at all hours by my too interesting landlady1 who would suddenly remember some thrilling experience1 which she wished to share with me4 ,at length ,i took to my bed for three days1 not in the least ill1 but simply for a much-needed rest in the midst of all these excitements4 ,a day or two after emerging from this haven of peace1 ,i received a visit from a young lady1 whose parents were well known to me in ,yorkshire1 and who had recently become engaged to a very rich man1 many years her senior2 in fact1 considerably older than her own father1 who had lately passed away4 ,the daughters of this family were all devoted to their father1 and most of the visit was occupied in giving me details of his last illness1 and in my sympathising with her upon his loss4 ,it was1 in fact1 far more a visit of condolence than of congratulation upon her future prospects of happiness4 ,as to the latter1 ,i found it difficult to be quite truthful and yet conventionally ecstatic4 ,to marry a man nearly old enough to be your grandfather struck me as risky1 to say the least of it1 even with all the emollients which riches and position undoubtedly add to domestic life4 ,the young woman in question did not at all resent my frankness on the subject1 but assured me that her greatest consolation in thinking of her late father was the fact that she was about to make a marriage which he had always wished1 and of which he had emphatically given his approval on his death-bed4 ,i told him ,i had decided upon it1 just before he died1 and he was so relieved and happy about it1 she said simply as she turned to leave the room4 ,having mentioned that a younger sister was also in town1 ,i sent a message to the latter1 asking her to take early dinner with me on the following ,sunday1 which happened to be my only spare day just then4 ,on the evening of this visit from the coming bride1 ,i had accepted an invitation to a large musical party in the house of the lady who had begged me to interest myself in ,mrs ,peters4 ,it was within a stone's-throw of ,sussex ,gardens1 and ,i came down to dinner at seven-thirty ,p4,m41 intending to dress later1 and go round there about nine ,p4,m4 ,for an hour or so before dinner ,i had been conscious of a growing despondency1 to which ,i could attribute no cause1 and this increased so much during the meal that ,mrs ,peters noticed it at last1 and asked me if ,i were feeling unwell4 ,no--not unwell--but ,i am absolutely miserable1 and cannot imagine why4 ,then you have not had bad news8 was the next remark4 ,i feared you must have had1 seeing you so silent and not able to eat anything4 ,in answer to this ,i said that ,i had not even the excuse of hearing of other people's misfortunes1 for a young lady had been calling upon me that afternoon1 who was about to make what the world calls a very successful marriage4 ,i did not1 however1 mention her name1 as ,mrs ,peters knew none of my friends4 ,dinner over1 ,i felt still so unaccountably wretched that ,i determined to give up the evening party1 and write my excuses4 ,mrs ,peters did her best to combat this decision1 fearing that her kind benefactress might be disappointed1 and also urging that the evening's enjoyment would cheer me up4 ,but finding me inexorable1 she then said3 ,well1 if you have quite determined not to go1 shall ,i come into your sitting-room and see if we can get any explanation of your curious feeling of depression8 ,i closed with this suggestion1 knowing ,mrs ,peters to be a really remarkable sensitive4 ,so we sat in the dark for a few minutes2 and then ,i heard a soft frou-frou on ,mrs ,peters' silk gown1 and knew she was tracing out words with her hand in a fashion of her own4 ,it is a spirit that young lady brought with her1 she announced at length4 ,the spirit has remained here with you1 and is worried about this marriage you spoke of4 ,she wants you to try and break it off4 ,she seems to have been nearly related to the lady1 or perhaps a godmother2 anyway1 she takes great interest in her4 ,will she give a name8 ,i asked4 ,,eliza is all ,i get1 ,mrs ,peters replied4 ,it then occurred to me that my young friend's name was ,eliza1 and that she had been so named after a great-aunt1 to the best of my recollection2 but as she was invariably called ,elsa1 by friends and relations alike1 it was only by chance that ,i remembered hearing her teased about her far less romantic baptismal name4 ,i asked if no surname could be given1 thinking at the moment that it would be ,waverly--the family name2 but my thought was evidently not transferred to ,mrs ,peters1 who said she could not get the name accurately1 but that it was certainly not ,waverly4 ,i found later that the ,great-,aunt ,eliza had a name entirely different from that of her descendants4 ,nothing further happened on this occasion1 except that ,i sent a message to ,great-,aunt ,eliza to say that nothing would induce me to take the responsibility of trying to break off any marriage1 either by the advice of people in this sphere or in any other sphere4 ,in this case ,i should have had neither the authority nor the influence to make any such unwise attempt4 ,sunday came round in due course1 and brought the bride's younger sister1 then a girl of twenty-four or twenty-five4 ,we discussed the usual midday ,sunday dinner of roast beef and ,yorkshire pudding1 ,mrs ,peters sitting at the head of the table1 ,i on her right hand1 and ,carrie ,waverly next to me4 ,suddenly realising that my remarks to the latter were receiving very scant attention1 ,i looked up1 and found the girl's black eyes fixed in a basilisk stare upon our unfortunate hostess1 whose own eyes were cast down1 but who appeared uneasy and troubled by the determined gaze of my guest4 ,at length the poor woman threw down her knife and fork1 rose hastily from the dining-table1 and made her way eagerly to the sofa at the other end of the room1 where she lay down at full length1 murmuring3 ,i can't stand it any longer6 ,carrie ,waverly was at length induced to come away to my sitting-room and leave the poor woman in peace1 which she did1 asserting her complete innocence1 and assuring me she only wanted to see if she could make ,mrs ,peters look up at her6 ,i explained to her that sensitives may be as much upset by this sort of thing as another person would be by a blow on the back4 ,she looked incredulous1 and then said cheerfully3 ,well1 if it is as bad as that1 don't you think you ought to go and see how she is8 ,two for yourself and your own curiosity and one for her6 ,i thought2 but ,i took the hint1 and found ,mrs ,peters still prostrate on the sofa1 but full of apologies for her sudden collapse3 ,you must have thought me so very rude1 etc41 etc4 ,i reassured her on this point1 and expressed regret that my visitor should have upset her so much by looking so fixedly at her4 ,it was not her fault1 said ,mrs ,peters eagerly4 ,it was the man standing over her4 ,he had his hands upon her shoulders1 and was trying so hard to influence her1 and she was resisting it all the time1 and the whole conflict of their wills was thrown upon me1 and ,i could not stand it at last--that was why ,i left the table1 she gasped out4 ,could you describe the man at all8 ,quite clearly1 she said4 ,i shall never forget his face--,i saw him so distinctly4 ,she then proceeded to describe in detail the very clear-cut features and bushy eyebrows of ,carrie ,waverly's father1 giving also his colouring1 which was very distinctive4 ,i suggested trying to find out what he wanted to say to his daughter1 but this distressed ,mrs ,peters so much that ,i was sorry to have made the suggestion4 ,no6 no6 dear ,miss ,bates6--don't ask me to do that--dear ,henry never likes my taking messages from strangers--,i have promised him that ,i would never do it without his permission4 ,it upsets me so much1 and ,i feel so weak already4 ,so ,i came away1 promising to look in later and see if ,i could do anything for her4 ,carrie was naturally greatly interested by the accurate description given of her father1 and was very impatient for me to pay ,mrs ,peters a second visit4 ,i went in presently1 and found the latter standing up1 and in a state of great excitement4 ,she had1 in fact1 been on the point of coming to us when ,i entered4 ,dear ,henry told me to take that message after all1 were the words with which she greeted me4 ,there was some misunderstanding between the father and this daughter1 and he wants her to know that it is all right now4 7,this seemed to me most improbable1 as the devoted daughters and father were always on terms of the greatest harmony and mutual understanding4 ,yet it proved to be quite true47 ,mrs ,peters continued3 ,he is very much upset about this marriage4 ,he tells me he was so anxious for it when on this side1 but now he sees all the difficulties and possible dangers4 ,but he says it is too late to reconsider the step now2 only he is so very anxious to secure the interests of his daughter before she marries4 ,he wishes to know whether her settlement is signed4 ,it is not one of which he would have approved4 ,and he says there are two houses1 and one ought to be settled upon her--you must ask about it1 dear ,miss ,bates4 ,he is most decided and so dreadfully upset about it all1 because he says it was he who urged the marriage upon her4 ,i spent the following fifteen or twenty minutes as a sort of messenger-boy between ,mrs ,peters in the dining-room and ,carrie ,waverly in my sitting-room4 ,needless to say1 ,i knew nothing at all about the settlements or how many houses the prospective bridegroom might possess1 and having no sort of curiosity about the financial affairs of my neighbours1 it was not at all pleasant to be employed in this way4 ,mrs ,peters1 on the contrary1 seemed to know everything connected with the estate and the marriage settlement1 except the fact that the latter had not yet been signed1 although reluctantly passed by both the lady's trustees4 ,wherefore this special limitation in the father's knowledge it is impossible to say4 ,he certainly showed no limitation in his knowledge of the bridegroom's character and disposition1 and gave the most elaborate and detailed instructions as to how his daughter should behave towards her husband1 and where she might1 with advantage1 cultivate tact and patience4 ,my advice to ,miss ,waverly was to say nothing on the subject to her sister1 but she wisely1 as it turned out1 determined to take the responsibility of telling her everything4 ,she telegraphed to me next day1 asking if she might come and see ,mrs ,peters and bring the bride with her4 ,this was done1 and they arrived1 with several photographs1 large and small1 of the father1 and also of the bridegroom1 for identification4 ,carrie1 in fact1 tried--a little unfairly perhaps--to make ,mrs ,peters identify the wrong person by forcing into notice a large photograph of the bridegroom 7some years senior to the father71 and saying carelessly3 ,there1 ,mrs ,peters--that is the face you saw yesterday of my father1 is it not8 ,but ,mrs ,peters would have none of it4 ,she looked staggered for a moment1 then caught sight of the second picture1 and turned to it with relief3 ,this is the face ,i saw1 whether it is your father or not1 she answered1 with decision4 ,the bride begged for a private interview with ,mrs ,peters1 which lasted for a considerable time4 ,of course1 ,i knew nothing of this interview1 nor should ,i feel at liberty to speak of it if ,i did know4 ,i may1 however1 be permitted to say that ,i have the bride's own assurance that the accurate knowledge then given her of her future husband's characteristics physical and mental1 and the best way of dealing with them1 made all the difference in her married life4 ,during that interview ,mrs ,peters also told her the number of years she would be married2 and the prophecy was accurately fulfilled1 which is the more remarkable1 because1 as a rule1 it seems impossible to predicate time1 even when events can be foreseen4 ,i am happy to add that the marriage turned out a complete success1 and that a marriage settlement was made more in accordance with the father's wishes1 although neither trustees nor principal in the transaction1 had any idea that the actual arrangements were in any way due to the strongly expressed wishes of a discarnate spirit4 ,if this book should ever fall into their hands1 and they should trace the story in spite of the thick veil ,i have thrown over all the circumstances1 ,i can only trust that1 in gratitude for the results1 they may become reconciled with the channel through which these were made possible4 ,people may say3 ,what a terrible idea that a father or a husband should trouble himself about such sordid details as money1 houses1 etc4 ,but this is an extremely foolish remark1 although it may appear very spiritual on the surface4 ,it is surely the most natural thing in the world that a near relation--if permitted--should endeavour to secure comfort and happiness for a dearly loved wife or daughter2 especially when1 as in the above case1 he felt mainly responsible for a state of affairs which might have turned out so disastrously1 save for his loving care and foresight1 exercised as these were from the other side of the veil4 ,at anyrate it disposes once for all of the weary old ,cui ,bono argument1 which is so futile1 and yet so constantly and triumphantly quoted by stupid people1 who seem to took upon it as a patent extinguisher for any psychic gifts or experiences4 ,it is mainly in order to meet this senseless observation that ,i have included this story in my reminiscences4 ,most of us are debarred from answering the ,cui ,bono bray1 by the fact that our most helpful experiences are generally of a too intimate and often sacred nature to be given to a scoffing world4 ,but this instance has the advantage of dealing entirely with material matters1 and thus being on a level with the ordinary intelligence4 ,nobody can say in this case no good was done4 ,it only remains to be deeply shocked by the undignified1 nay1 almost blasphemous1 intervention in mundane affairs of a spirit who should certainly have had some more worthy occupation4 ,it is another case of the old man and the donkey4 ,if discarnate spirits don't trouble about the personal affairs of those on earth1 the ,cui ,bono argument is hurled at them4 ,if they do1 they are called blasphemous and irreverent6 ,the mention of the ,waverly family reminds me of an incident which took place when ,i was staying in their house in the country1 a year or two earlier than the time of which ,i am writing4 ,i have reserved it purposely as a sequel to this last story1 which is in its proper chronological setting4 ,in the year #ahhi ,i was spending a pleasant fortnight with the ,waverlys in ,yorkshire1 at the very time when a dear old friend of mine 7,mrs ,tennant7 was dying in ,london4 ,i had seen her only a week or two before1 but had no knowledge of her illness1 as we were not in constant correspondence1 although there was a deep and strong affection between us4 ,i did not even hear of her death1 in fact1 till a few weeks after it took place1 having missed the announcement in the papers4 ,when ,mrs ,tennant's sister1 ,mrs ,lane1 wrote me the details1 ,i had left ,yorkshire1 and was staying with cousins in ,worcestershire4 ,thinking over the dates mentioned in describing the illness1 ,i realised with a shock of pained surprise that the final state of unconsciousness must have set in the very evening when ,i was enjoying myself in ,yorkshire1 at a large dinner-party given by my host and hostess4 ,it seemed terrible to think that my dear and much loved friend should have been lying unconscious upon her death-bed1 and that no word or sign should have come to me4 ,then suddenly ,i remembered a curious little incident connected with that dinner-party4 ,i had been admiring a pretty little slate-coloured kitten belonging to the house1 which was calmly sitting upon the grand piano after dinner1 when the ladies were alone in the drawing-room4 ,after the gentlemen joined us1 ,i was deep in conversation with my host 7a remarkably interesting and intelligent man71 when ,i noticed a small black kitten run past my dress4 ,probably ,i should have remarked upon it had we been less occupied in talking1 for ,i am extremely fond of cats and animals in general4 ,i did glance up1 as a matter of fact1 and satisfied myself that it was not the little slate-coloured kitty1 which sat in still triumph on the piano4 ,besides1 this kitten was black1 not slate4 ,i thought no more of it until the guests had left and ,mrs ,waverly and ,i were going upstairs to bed4 ,she and ,i were very affinitive1 but neither she nor her family had any special interest in psychology4 ,on this occasion1 however1 she said rather mysteriously3 ,i think something will happen to-night to you4 ,a good many jokes had been made about the probably uncanny atmosphere of my room1 and the various spooks who were doubtless sharing it with me1 so ,i laughed1 thinking this was only the usual family joke4 ,but ,mrs ,waverly was quite in earnest4 ,at first she would give no reason for her remark1 fearing ,i should tell her daughters1 and that she would be laughed at in consequence4 ,reassured on this point1 she said to me quite seriously3 ,whilst you were talking to my husband this evening ,i saw a black kitten run straight across your dress--just opposite to me4 ,well1 of course1 ,i saw the kitten6 ,i answered1 to her surprise2 but there is nothing very remarkable about a black kitten in the house4 ,but we have no black kitten in the house1 or anywhere on the premises4 ,where did it go to8 ,you never saw it again8 ,no2 it was not an ordinary kitten1 and ,i did not suppose till this moment that anyone had seen it but myself4 ,it was a fact that no one but ,mrs ,waverly and ,i had seen any kitten but the slate-coloured one already mentioned4 ,thinking over this in the light of the sad news of my dear old friend's death1 and noting the correspondence in time between her loss of consciousness and the appearance of the mysterious black kitten--seen only by ,mrs ,waverly and myself--it was impossible not to ask in the depths of my heart whether1 perchance1 the spirit of my faithful friend had been trying to send me some symbol of her approaching death4 ,it may be objected that black cats are generally connected with good luck4 ,well1 ,i think my dear ,london mother1 as she called herself sometimes1 would have explained this apparent contradiction very simply4 ,she had lived through much sorrow1 and was often oppressed by sore doubts of the ,cosmic ,love4 ,i never knew any woman with such strong and passionate human sympathy1 and to such fine spirits1 the world1 under present conditions1 must always offer terrible problems4 ,her sympathies were sometimes too keen for that robust faith which can always say3 ,god's in ,his heaven6 ,all's right with the world6 ,yet her last words were3 ,i am so tired1 and ,god will understand2 and ,i am so glad to go4 ,to finish my chapter on a merrier note1 ,i will mention an amusing episode connected with the evening of the black kitten's appearance4 ,amongst the guests invited to that dinner-party was a clergyman-squire1 a man of some means who had taken orders4 ,a squarson is the portmanteau name for such a gentleman in ,yorkshire1 ,i believe2 one who combines squire and parson4 ,this particular specimen of the genus was both a vegetarian and a celibate4 ,the latter fact had been made clear to me by the many regrets expressed in the neighbourhood that he had remained a bachelor owing to religious scruples4 ,the vegetarianism was equally certain1 for ,i had heard orders given for special dishes to be prepared for this guest2 and sitting next to him at the dinner-table1 ,i knew that he had not touched either meat or game1 although it was not a fast day4 ,after dinner1 when the gentlemen had joined us in the drawing-room1 the conversation turned upon psychic matters and my experiences in ,america of a few years before4 ,this extreme ,high ,churchman denounced all these1 lock1 stock1 and barrel4 ,he believed that everything might have happened as described1 but was equally certain that the devil alone could have had a hand in such goings on6 ,perhaps it will be wise to explain that he did not make use of this latter expression6 ,my host1 instead of coming to the rescue1 which he might have done1 as one of the ,cloth2 looked much amused when ,i fielded most of my adversary's theological balls4 ,at length1 being unaccustomed to such irreverent handling1 my enemy lost his temper1 and1 as usual on such occasions1 he tried to take my wicket by quoting texts against me6 ,well1 all ,i can say is that everything you have told us is in direct opposition to ,holy ,writ4 ,in fact1 we are specially warned in the ,scriptures that in the latter days seducing spirits shall arise4 ,at this fatal moment1 when the ,theological ,closure was descending upon my unhappy head1 a really brilliant thought occurred to me4 ,was it a seducing spirit or a friendly intelligence who reminded me that my opponent had only quoted half the text--the half that suited him8 ,i pointed this fact out meekly4 ,he looked puzzled1 and probably had honestly forgotten what he did not wish to remember4 ,finish the text8 ,what do you mean8 he said irritably4 ,so ,i finished it for him3 ,in the latter days seducing spirits shall arise1 forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats4 ,he had pressed me very hard and rather unfairly4 ,still1 the counsel of perfection would have been to refrain from the comment that1 if ,i were a celibate and vegetarian1 it was not the text ,i should have chosen with which to clinch an argument6 ,,an ,,interlude ,i have headed this chapter an ,interlude1 for the following reason3-- ,it is the only one in this book which does not record a personal experience4 ,the opportunity came to me at ,florence1 two years ago1 of hearing one of the best old-fashioned ,christmas ghost stories ,i ever came across2 also a ghost story which has two rather unique advantages4 ,first1 it has never been published before2 secondly1 the percipient was the matron of a boys' school 7a well-known one71 and wrote out her experiences within twelve hours of their occurrence4 ,now1 the matron of a large boys' school must1 of necessity1 be an exceptionally practical woman1 and her daily experiences can scarcely tend to encourage undue ,romance or ,imagination4 ,when ,i add that this story was given to me1 and a copy of the original letter placed in my hands1 by a sister of two of the schoolboys who were under the matron's supervision1 ,i shall have cleared the way for my ghost to appear upon the scene4 ,i must add1 however1 that ,i met this sister1 a young widow1 in ,florence1 two years ago4 ,she then told me this story1 finding that ,i was intimately acquainted both with the county and the small county town where it happened4 ,the matron had gone there for the prosaic purpose of taking the baths for her rheumatism4 ,the adventure took place in the early morning of #adth ,april #ahge1 and was recorded1 within a few hours1 in a long letter written by the percipient to a favourite cousin4 ,my friend1 ,mrs ,barker's brothers being at school at the time1 begged to be allowed to read this letter and take a copy of it4 ,the copy was made by their sister--then a young girl--and ,i have it in my hands at the present moment of writing4 ,it is1 of course1 necessary to change the name of the county and town1 as the old family mansion1 let in lodgings in #ahge1 has since then been sold and turned into a boarding-house4 ,mrs ,barker's mother made an expedition to this town1 a few years ago1 to verify the facts1 and went over the house1 which has been considerably altered and reconstructed inside since #ahge4 ,the small park mentioned in the story is now built over entirely1 as the town has increased in popularity1 owing to its baths1 and the family portraits here mentioned have been removed since the house was sold4 ,i will now quote verbatim from the matron's letter1 written on the morning of her experiences4 ,the ,priory1 ,grantwich4 #adth ,april #ahge4 ,,my ,,dear ,,edie1--,when you asked me once for a ghost story1 ,i daresay you as little expected1 as ,i did1 how soon ,i should have to reveal to you an experience which will doubtless give you1 as it has me1 much ground for thought and speculation about those mysterious laws which rule the spirit world4 ,how true it is that ,thought and ,feeling annihilate ,time and ,space6 ,since last night1 ,i seem to have lived through half a lifetime1 such an effect have its events had upon my inner life4 ,but before ,i begin to relate the strange circumstances ,i have to tell you1 ,i must describe to you more particularly this house in which they happened4 ,i think ,i told you that ',the ,priory'--where ,i am now lodging--is an old mansion1 belonging to the ,carbury family4 ,for some years past1 it has been let to the present occupiers who make the rent by letting lodgings4 ,some ancient pieces of furniture remain1 and a great many portraits1 none of the earliest date1 but a handsome and respectable collection--soldiers1 bishops1 and judges1 in their uniforms1 robes1 and wigs1 and ladies with powdered hair1 hoops1 and trains4 ,of these portraits1 two have engaged my attention1 especially1 from the first moment of seeing them1 but ,i am not going to speak of them yet2 my first object is to give you an idea of the house1 or rather that part of it with which my story is connected4 ,i think ,i have told you that the grand staircase goes up from the inner hall1 and that round the staircase runs a gallery2 in this gallery and in the hall below1 are hung most of the portraits4 ,on the first turn and landing of the staircase1 there is a door opening into a trellised walk which leads into the garden4 ,on a level with this door is a large window which looks on to sweeps of soft turf1 shaded by fine trees4 ,standing often to look from this window1 as ,i passed up and down the staircase1 one tree has always riveted my attention4 ,it is a large old plane-tree1 standing by itself1 and having a strange1 melancholy1 decayed look about it4 ,i noticed--why1 ,i cannot imagine--that on one side of it the ground was bare and black1 though everywhere else the grass was green and fresh4 ,i mention this1 because it had struck me before the strange events occurred which ,i am going to tell you4 ,you must now go with me to the top of the staircase4 ,just at the top1 on your right hand1 hangs one of the portraits ,i mentioned4 ,it is a life-sized painting of ,captain ,richard ,carbury1 who landed1 on the #aith ,september #agch1 in the ,colony of ,georgia1 with ,general ,oglethorpe's regiment4 ,opposite to this1 on the other side of the gallery1 is the portrait of a lady1 with black1 resolute brows and full1 voluptuous mouth and chin4 ,she has a high colour1 an exquisite hand and arm1 and an ,amazonian bearing4 ,passing from the gallery1 you enter a long passage1 leading to other passages and staircases1 with which we have nothing to do4 ,i only want you now to become acquainted with my own rooms4 ,as you enter the passage from the gallery1 two doors open1 one on either hand4 ,to the right is my sitting-room1 a square1 cheerful room1 looking on the street2 to the left is my bedroom1 which will require a more particular description4 ,it is a large1 low room4 ,as you enter from the passage1 the window1 which looks into the garden1 is opposite to you4 ,in the middle of the wall to your right hand stands the bed1 and opposite to that1 the fireplace1 and1 as you will see1 if you have taken in my description1 just at the back of the portrait of the lady with the black eyebrows1 is another door4 ,opposite to this last is yet another1 which caught my attention when ,i first entered the room from a peculiarity about it4 ,the upper part of this door is of glass1 rendered opaque by being washed or lined with some red substance4 ,as soon as ,i was alone in the room ,i tried to open this door1 but it was firmly fastened4 ,i don't know why ,i should have felt disquieted by this circumstance1 but certainly ,i did feel annoyed4 ,i thought at first that it probably opened into a dressing-room4 ,there must have been a strong light behind it1 for a red light always fell on that side of the room through the coloured glass1 and ,i could see that red light in the morning1 before any light penetrated the window-blind4 ,i think ,i have now told you all that is necessary for understanding my experience4 ,i must ask you to remember that yesterday was the thirteenth of ,april4 ,i went to bed about eleven o'clock1 and soon fell asleep4 ,i could not1 however1 have slept long before ,i woke with an unusual feeling that something strange was going to happen4 ,i awoke1 not as one does in the morning1 with a drowsy resolve not to go to sleep again because it is time to get up1 but as one awakes when a journey or some similar event is imminent1 for which one's faculties have to be clear1 and one's body active and alert4 ,i was rather wondering at and enjoying the unusual clearness and energy of thought of which ,i felt capable1 when the clock in the hall began striking1 and1 almost at the same moment1 the clock of the old ,church of ,st ,andrew began striking also4 ,i knew that both were striking twelve1 though ,i did not count the blows1 but just as the last stroke of the church clock died away1 another sound caught my ear4 ,the door by the fireplace gave a loud crack and then opened1 as if with some difficulty4 ,the red door at the same time rattled1 as if someone were trying vainly to open it4 ,the room had previously been dark1 but ,i now plainly saw a tall figure come through the doorway and stand near the foot of the bed4 ,there was a dull1 yellowish light round the figure1 which illumined it1 leaving the rest of the room in darkness2 but this yellow light1 ,i perceived1 became red at one point of the figure's left side1 and shone down on the floor with a red glow1 like that which came through the opposite door4 ,the apparition stood quite silent whilst ,i looked at it4 ,the features and figure were familiar to me for they were those of ,captain ,richard ,carbury1 in the portrait1 who had gone out to ,georgia with the regiment of ,his ,excellency1 ,general ,oglethorpe6 ,as soon as ,i was sure of this1 ,i said3 ',you are ,captain ,richard ,carbury8' ,the apparition nodded4 ',why do you come to me8' ,i said4 ',cannot you speak8' ,he seemed to have some difficulty in doing so1 but after two or three efforts1 such as one makes to move a rusty hinge1 he parted his lips1 and said3 ',yes6 ,i am ,richard ,carbury1 and ,i am come to make you a witness4' ',a witness of what8' ,i said4 ',can ,i be of use to you8 ,you come from the spirit world4 ,is it then permitted to mortals to have personal intercourse with spirits8' ,he held up his hand as if to silence me4 ',listen to me1' he said4 ',you are not frightened of me8' ',no1' ,i replied2 nor did ,i feel the slightest awe or fear4 ,i felt stimulated1 a kind of electricity ran through my veins--,i longed earnestly to learn something of the mysterious realm from which he came1 but ,i had no vulgar or superstitious fear4 ',nor need you have any dread1' he returned4 ',i have no wish nor power to hurt you1 but you must listen to my story4 ,once in fifty years ,i am allowed to leave my grave and revisit the scene of my tragical death1 and this must always be on the #adth of ,april1 which is the anniversary of the event4#d ,i am also permitted to recount my story if ,i find anyone sleeping in this room who is willing to listen to me4 ,are you willing8' #d ,there is evidently some mistake here in the figures given by the ghost or received by the matron4 ,if his death took place in #agda 7three years after landing in ,georgia71 his first spirit return was due in #agia1 the second1 #ahda1 and the third1 not till #ahia4 ,it appears to have been anticipated by sixteen years1 if the dates given are correct4 ,a friend suggests that once in fifty years does not necessitate exact intervals of fifty years4 ,i replied that ,i should gladly hear what he had to tell1 but would he allow me to ask him one question8 ,he inclined his head in assent1 and ,i said ,i had always thought that the spirits of the dead1 if they were allowed to appear on earth1 came with shadowy and skeleton forms4 ,why did he appear with flesh like a living man8 ',ah6' he said1 'that is owing to the peculiarity of my grave4 ,i am buried in salt4' ' ,have you anything more to ask8' said my visitor4 ',nothing more at present1' ,i replied4 ',i am ready now to hear your story4' ',i will make it as short as possible and not detain you long4 ,you have noticed my portrait in the gallery8' ',yes4' ',and that of the lady opposite1 my cousin1 ,lucretia ,carbury8' ',certainly4' 7,here the red door was violently shaken74 ',she cannot open it1' said ,captain ,carbury1 'it is sealed4' ',when ,i went out to ,georgia1' he resumed1 'in #agch1 ,i was engaged to be married to her2 we had been betrothed by our parents in our childhood1 and family reasons made it almost a necessity that we should be united1 but as we grew up neither of us was very anxious to fulfil the engagement1 and1 to tell the truth1 ,i was glad of the summons to join my regiment4 ,however1 after three years in that distant colony1 ,i came home1 having made up my mind ,i would marry ,lucretia and settle down on the family property--which could only be enjoyed by that means--for we were the only representatives of the family1 and the property was so left by our fathers that only by marrying could we enter into possession4 ,either by marrying or by the death of one of us2 when the whole of the property would go to the other4 ,i knew that ,lucretia was at the old house at ,grantwich1 and ,i came straight to her4 ',i had written to say when she might expect me1 and she received me with apparent kindness and agreed to all my propositions about our marriage4 ,i arrived late at night1 and she let me into the house herself and got food for me4 ,we supped together1 and she pledged me in a cup1 which ,i now know was drugged to make me sleep heavily4 ',i then retired to my room--this room1 this bed1 on which you now lie6 ',what ,i am now going to tell you has been made clear to me since2 at the time ,i was conscious of nothing4 ,as soon as ,i got into bed1 ,i fell asleep1 and whilst ,i thus slept ,lucretia came through that door 7pointing to the red door opposite71 and stabbed me to the heart4 ,i will show you the instrument with which she did it1 if you like4' ',pray do1' ,i said1 and he unbuttoned his scarlet uniform coat and drew from his left side a slender dagger or stiletto4 ,i looked at it with great interest and asked if ,i might take it in my hand4 ',certainly1 if you wish it1' he said1 'but ,i do not advise you to touch it4 ,it is rusty now from the salt1 but ,i assure you it was bright and keen when she drove it into my heart4 ,the stroke was so cleverly aimed that ,i died instantly4 ,lucretia then made a signal1 which was answered by the entrance of a man1 and between them they carried my body through the door by which ,i entered to-night4' ,he paused1 and ,i thought he looked more ghastly4 ',is anything the matter8' ,i asked4 ',i am thinking1' he answered1 'that ,i can show you the rest1 if you will follow me1 but ,i must tell you that when we leave this room and enter the gallery1 it is possible the murderess will follow us4 ,shall you be afraid8' ',not in the least1' ,i said1 ',i will follow you with pleasure1 but you must allow me to put something on1 as ,i am suffering from rheumatism1 and am afraid of the cold and damp4' ',by all means1' said ,captain ,carbury4 ',i will wait for you in the gallery4' ,i then got up and put on my dressing-gown and slippers4 ,whilst ,i was doing so1 ,i heard a rustling in the passage as of a woman passing slowly along4 ,i found ,captain ,carbury1 and followed him along the gallery without looking round1 but when we reached the end of the gallery and turned to go down the first flight of stairs1 ,i saw the lady with the black brows--whom ,i now knew to be ,lucretia ,carbury1 the murderess--standing in the doorway1 between the gallery and the passage4 ',i do not think she can come any farther1' said my guide1 and he opened the door leading from the staircase into the garden4 ',i am showing you just where they brought me1' said he4 ',who was the man8' ,i asked4 ',i never knew his name1 but she married him afterwards4' ,he then moved across the lawn to the bare spot under the plane-tree4 ,here he stopped1 and1 pointing downwards1 showed me on the bare ground an exact outline of the dagger which he had drawn from his side4 ',here they dug my grave and here they buried me2 a salt spring washes over me4' ,at this moment the great clock of ,st ,andrew struck ,,one4 ',all that you have told me is very sad and strange1' ,i said1 'but now1 will you allow me to ask you why you have appeared to me8 ,is there anything you want done on earth that ,i can do8 ,is there any restitution to be made1 or justice to be administered8 ,anything that you require1 ,i am ready to do1 if you will grant me one favour when you return to the spirit realm4' ,i had been speaking with my eyes fixed on the ground1 but now1 happening to raise them1 ,i was surprised to see that my companion appeared to be sinking into the ground4 ',my time is up1' he said4 ',remember6'--and1 as his head disappeared1 his words came in a hollow1 sepulchral voice from beneath that spot of black earth--'remember you are my witness6' ,i was left standing alone under the plane-tree1 with the thought1 that in returning to my room1 ,i might probably meet the restless spirit of ,lucretia ,carbury4 ,nothing of the kind1 however1 occurred4 ,i passed through the doors that had opened at the touch of ,captain ,carbury1 and ,i noticed that they closed behind me without any effort on my part4 ,i regained my bed1 and almost immediately fell asleep4 ,all had passed so naturally1 and as a matter of course1 that only when ,i woke this morning1 and thought over the events of the night1 did ,i realise that ,i had passed through such an experience as is given to few human beings4 ,you see1 dear ,edie1 that my narrative has taken so long to write that ,i have no time to speak of other things1 even if ,i could bring my mind to think of anything else1 which1 ,i confess1 ,i should have great difficulty in doing4--,ever your very affectionate1 ,m4 ,,porter4 ,copied verbatim from ,miss ,porter's letter1 written on the morning of #adth ,april #ahge4 99 99 99 99 99 ,so ends the story1 with apologies to the ,s4,p4,r46 ,i claim nothing for it beyond the following facts3 ,the ,priory still exists at ,grantwich1 and is known to have been the family mansion of the ,carbury family4 ,miss ,porter was undoubtedly matron of the school where my friend's brothers were educated4 ,she was a woman of unblemished character and truthfulness1 and would certainly not have invented this long and detailed account of her personal experiences within a few hours of their occurrence4 ,my friend most certainly copied this letter1 which her brothers had obtained leave to read1 from their school matron--,miss ,porter herself4 ,lastly1 my friend1 ,mrs ,barker's mother 7who is still alive71 verified the existence of the ,priory 7as ,i have called it7 in the town of ,grantwich1 and it had been turned into a boarding-house at the time of her visit1 having been previously let in lodgings4 ,also she found that ,captain ,richard ,carbury was supposed to have died in ,georgia in the year #agda1 as is inferred in the story4 ,as the murderess and her accomplice alone seem to have been aware of his return on that fateful night1 this would be the natural opinion of the world4 ,as an old associate of the ,s4,p4,r41 and quite conversant with their methods1 two criticisms of the story at once suggest themselves1 in addition to the confusion of dates1 which might perhaps be excused1 owing to the abnormal nature of the interview described4 ,but the obvious ,podmorian remark would be that the whole adventure was a dream on the part of ,miss ,porter1 induced by her interest in the two family portraits she had seen1 and the curious sensations she had experienced in looking at a specially gloomy tree in the park4 ,this would certainly cover the ground1 but it proves1 perhaps1 rather too much4 ,it requires very robust ,faith in ,unfaith to suppose that a sensible1 practical woman1 suffering from rheumatism1 should carry her dream to the verge of following her dream man into the garden and grounds of the house4 ,it may be urged that she dreamt all this also1 but that way madness lies4 ,we must be able to formulate that certain acts of ours took place during full consciousness1 or daily life would become impossible and moral responsibility would cease4 ,miss ,porter might have been in a dream all through the night--granted4 ,but in these cases it is the morning that brings counsel4 ,we are all aware of the extraordinary lifelike dreams which1 with the return of normal memory1 we recognise as dream visions1 no matter how vivid and credible they may have appeared to us in the night4 ,but with ,miss ,porter this normal process was reversed4 ,she went to sleep quite calmly1 and first realised1 upon waking in the morning1 how thoroughly abnormal her experiences had been4 ,i pass on to the next criticism1 which a little editing on my part could have averted3 ,is it credible that a woman1 only just recovering from the surprise and marvel of such an experience1 should write about it1 within a few hours1 to a favourite cousin1 as if she were preparing a story for ,the ,family ,herald8 ,i confess that this was my own feeling when the record was placed in my hands4 ,we must1 however1 remember--first1 that the percipient was obviously a lady of great courage1 or she would not have followed her ghost into the garden2 secondly1 that she was a keen observer and very accurate in details4 ,probably1 many generations of schoolboys1 passing through her hands1 may have quickened her perceptions in both these ways4 ,as for the stilted style1 that presents little difficulty1 when one remembers that people of a certain rank in life never use a short word when a long one will answer the purpose6 ,i claim nothing for the story1 beyond the points already mentioned4 ,these are matters of fact4 ,each one must interpret it according to his own views and prejudices4 ,it is quite enough for me to be responsible for the truth and accuracy of my own experiences1 to which we will now return4 99 99 99 99 99 ,note4--,since writing the above ,i have consulted the ,century ,encyclopdia1 and find there3 ,oglethorpe--,james ,edward1 born in ,london1 ,december #bast1 #afif1 died at ,cranham ,hall1 ,essex1 ,england1 #aghe4 ,an ,english ,general and ,philanthropist4 ,he projected the ,colony of ,georgia for insolvent debtors1 and persecuted ,protestants2 conducted the expedition for its settlement1 #agcc1 and returned to ,england1 #agdc4 ,the apparent discrepancy between the date #agcc given in the ,encyclopdia1 and the #agch of ,captain ,carbury's ghostly narrative1 may be due to one of two causes3 ,the young girl copying ,miss ,porter's letter may have mistaken a three for an eight rather easily4 ,again1 ,captain ,carbury did not state that he landed with ,general ,oglethorpe1 #aith ,september #agch1 but with ,general ,oglethorpe's regiment4 ,this latter may have been a reinforcement sent out to the ,general after his first landing in the ,colony4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,lady ,,caithness ,,and ,,avenue ,,wagram ,having spent the winter months of #ahid 7from ,january to ,april7 in ,egypt1 ,i was returning thence in the latter month with my friend ,mrs ,judge of ,windsor4 ,our route was via ,paris1 and ,i had arranged to spend a week there in the same hotel as the young ,swedish lady whom ,i first met in ,india1 and who has been referred to more than once in this record4 ,she told me she had made the acquaintance that winter of the famous ,countess of ,caithness and ,duchesse de ,pomar1 and thinking it would interest me to meet this lady1 she had asked for permission to introduce me to her4 ,as it turned out1 ,madame ,brgel was unable to accompany me to the house1 having several engagements for the afternoon1 but she promised to put in an appearance later4 ,so ,mrs ,judge and ,i drove off to the well-known mansion in the ,avenue de ,wagram1 and were received very cordially by ,lady ,caithness4 ,i had once tried to read a very abstruse and mystic book by this lady1 and had heard her spoken of as a more or less hopeless lunatic1 who imagined herself ,mary ,queen of ,scots1 and so forth4 ,otherwise ,i went without prejudice1 and being accustomed to judge for myself in such matters1 came to the conclusion that ,lady ,caithness was an extremely shrewd woman1 with her head remarkably well screwed on1 as the saying is4 ,as regards her claims to be ,mary ,queen of ,scots1 ,i never heard these from her own lips1 although ,i saw her daily for a week1 and we had many interesting talks4 ,she certainly did claim to be in very close relations with the ill-fated ,queen of ,scotland1 but ,i do not know what views she may have held privately as to varied manifestations of the one spirit4 ,i have heard ,lord ,monkswell propound an interesting theory1 with ,archdeacon ,wilberforce in the chair1 to the effect that as one short earth life gave small scope for spiritual experience and development1 he thought it quite possible that the same spirit might have several bodily manifestations simultaneously1 and that the judge and the criminal might conceivably be one and the same individual in two personalities6 ,it is possible that ,lady ,caithness may have had some such view1 not theoretically 7as was the case with ,lord ,monkswell71 but as a matter of conviction1 and apart from the limits of ,time and ,space involved in the conception of the latter4 ,i can only say that ,i never heard her speak of ,mary ,queen of ,scots except as an entity1 quite distinct from herself4 ,but that she carried the ,marie culte to great extremes is an undoubted fact4 ,the hall and rooms on the ground floor of the ,avenue ,wagram ,house were arranged and furnished in close imitation of ,holyrood ,palace4 ,i counted over fifty miniatures and other pictures of the ,scottish ,queen in the ,countess's beautiful bedroom alone1 and later on shall have to speak more definitely of one life size and exquisitely painted portrait of the ,queen4 ,but to return to this first reception4 ,i must confess that a somewhat inconveniently keen sense of humour found only too much nourishment on this occasion4 ,the ,countess was magnificently dressed1 as was usual with her1 in priceless lace1 falling over head and shoulders1 and a beautiful tiara of various coloured jewels arranged over the lace4 ,this was eccentric perhaps1 considering the occasion1 but not laughable4 ,lady ,caithness1 in addition to geniality1 had enough quiet dignity to carry off the lace and jewels with success4 ,i was chiefly amused by the attitude of adoring humility and flattering appreciation shown by the numerous ladies already assembled when we arrived4 ,only one man was present1 and he was a priest4 ,later ,i learned to appreciate the friendliness of the ,abb ,petit and to admire his intellectual courage and manliness4 ,for the moment1 seeing him surrounded by these female worshippers1 hanging upon his lips as he discoursed to us about new readings of old truths1 one was irresistibly reminded of certain scenes in ,molire's ,femmes ,savantes4 ,a lively little ,american lady 7married to an ,italian count7 plied him with numerous questions in fluent ,french1 spoken with an atrocious accent4 ,finally1 she wished to hear the ,abb's views upon ,melchisedech6 ,in the midst of other questions and answers1 the kindly little man managed to turn round to her with a cheery ,ah1 ,madame la ,comtesse6 pour le ,melchisedech--nous reviendrons tout de suite ,melchisedech6 ,all the affairs of the religious universe were being wound up at a similar pace and in like fashion1 and this final word of cheerful assurance would have proved absolutely disastrous to me had ,i not been sitting close to my friend and able to whisper to her3 ,please dig your nails into my wrist--hard4 ,any bodily pain was preferable to the hysterical laughter which had been so long suppressed and seemed now imminent4 ,but there was worse to come6 ,an ,englishwoman1 the very type of the characteristic ,british spinster1 turned round1 and addressed ,m4 l',abb in laboured and extremely ,british ,french 7,i must leave the accent to be imagined and supplied by my reader73 ,mais1 ,monsieur l',abb6 c'est le ,protestantisme que vous nous enseignez la4 ,he turned round upon her in his wrath3 ,mais1 ,madame--ou ,,mademoiselle4 7,no print can convey the utter scorn and contempt of this last word47 ,the rest of the sentence was lost to us in the loud laugh of the genial1 good-tempered woman3 ,moi1 ,mademoiselle6 ,j'ai t marie vingt ans et j'ai six enfants6 ,the whole scene was too funny for words1 and1 with the exception of this good lady1 all present took themselves as seriously as a ,university don6 ,it was a real relief when the solemnity of the reception broke up and we were ushered into the adjoining dining-room for an excellent tea4 ,here ,i came upon my ,swedish friend1 who had only just arrived1 and missed all the fun4 ,she told me there was to be a sance held in the house next day1 and that she had been asking the ,countess if ,i might not be present4 ,it might amuse you1 ,kat6 was her irreverent way of putting it4 ,unfortunately1 there seems to be some difficulty about it4 ,at this moment ,lady ,caithness came up1 and cordially expressed her regrets that she could not accede to ,madame ,brgel's suggestion4 ,had you been staying until next week1 ,miss ,bates1 ,i would gladly have arranged for it1 but to-morrow is a very special occasion4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,i have promised ,m4 ,petit that no one shall be present except himself and me1 and the two female mediums1 of course4 ,on ,wednesday we are to have a crowded meeting here--all the well-known people in ,paris will come--and ,m4 l',abb will read his paper explaining that he can no longer blind his eyes to the new light breaking upon the world through scientific discovery1 etc41 but that he remains a loyal son of the ,church1 if the ,church will allow him to do so4 ,it is1 of course1 a very trying and anxious ordeal2 for many priests will be present1 also a cardinal and one or more of our bishops4 ,so the sance to-morrow will be specially devoted to receiving last instructions for the paper he is about to read1 and some words1 we trust1 of encouragement and hope4 ,of course1 ,i hastened to assure ,lady ,caithness of my full comprehension of her point1 and added that ,i was only sorry she should have been asked to alter her arrangements on my account4 ,but you will join us on ,wednesday at the meeting1 ,i trust8 ,it will be held at three ,p4,m41 in a large room on the ground floor1 which is arranged for such gatherings4 ,i shall expect you then1 so we will not say good-bye4 ,this was heaping coals of fire on my head2 for so observant a woman as ,lady ,caithness must have noticed my difficulty in keeping a grave face earlier in the afternoon6 ,now comes a curious point4 ,as we left the house ,madame ,brgel in expressing disappointment about the next evening1 added3 ,and yet somehow ,i think you will go after all4 ,yes1 ,i said involuntarily4 ,i believe ,i shall go1 but ,i cannot think how it will come about2 nothing could be more decided than what we have just heard1 and ,i cannot possibly put off my journey to ,england the end of this week4 ,i think we were both a little disappointed when no letter arrived by the morning's post4 ,local letters often come by second post1 urged my friend1 who was very keen upon her presentiment4 ,a long morning at the ,louvre prevented my reaching home till one ,p4,m41 when the djeuner la fourchette was half way through its course4 ,no letter on my plate6 ,so ,madame ,brgel and ,i agreed that the wish must have been father to the thought with both of us1 and put the matter out of our heads once for all4 ,at two-thirty ,p4,m41 however1 a dpche letter arrived for me4 ,lady ,caithness wrote to beg that ,i would make a point of being with her that evening by nine p4m4 ,you will think this very inconsistent with what ,i told you yesterday1 she wrote1 but ,i said only what was the exact truth1 as matters then stood4 ,it is the ,queen herself who has communicated with me this morning1 and insists upon your being present this evening4 ,the ,abb and ,i can only bow to this decision4 ,i need not tell you how pleased ,i shall be personally to greet you this evening4 ,i was again shown into the spacious bedroom of the ,countess1 where she received in general1 quite after the manner of the ,french kings in the days of the old monarchy4 ,her bed was quite a ,state bed too1 with its beautiful silk furnishings and heavy velvet hangings4 ,on the wall behind this1 was a very valuable fresco painting1 representing ,jacob's ladder1 with the angels ascending and descending1 executed by a famous modern artist4 ,we soon descended to the ground floor1 and passing through the large lecture-room1 of which ,lady ,caithness had spoken1 and which had sufficient gilt and cane chairs to seat a large audience2 we stepped down some marble stairs into a small but exquisitely appointed room4 ,it was a sort of chapel1 in fact1 built by the ,queen's instructions1 and used for all purposes and occasions of direct communication with her4 ,a general impression remains with me of rare woods and exquisite marbles1 and the walls were hung with framed tapestries representing various scenes in the ,queen's life4 ,to me the most striking and beautiful thing in the room was a full-length1 life-sized portrait of ,mary herself1 so arranged that a hidden lamp threw its soft light on the features2 whilst the hanging velvet curtains of deep crimson on either side concealed the frame of the picture1 and conveyed the illusion that a living woman was standing there ready to receive her guests4 ,i have never seen anything more perfect than the way in which this impression was conveyed1 without a jarring note of sensational effect4 ,the two ,french women mediums were already in the room1 and ,i am bound to say they did not attract me pleasantly nor impress me very favourably4 ,they were mother and daughter1 and ,harpy was written large over either countenance4 ,doubtless they were very good mediums1 in spite of this fact4 ,they must have been so1 unless one supposes that ,lady ,caithness and the ,abb ,petit were themselves abnormally strong sensitives2 in which case one would have thought this extraneous help would have been unnecessary4 ,we sat down at a fairly large wooden table1 polished1 but without covering of any kind1 and having only one solid support to it1 coming from the centre1 passing down as a single wooden pillar1 and spreading out in the usual fashion at the bottom4 ,i had noted this on first entering the room4 ,the two women sat together on my right-hand side4 ,on my left was the ,abb1 and the ,countess sat exactly opposite to me1 with a printed alphabet pasted on to a card1 and a long pencil as pointer4 ,this made up the party4 ,at a side table1 placed some distance away1 sat a pleasant young ,french lady1 who was writing automatically all the time2 a secretary to the ,countess1 ,i believe4 ,this young lady had no possible connection with the table4 ,the sance began with a few words of prayer from the ,abb for light and guidance4 ,the process was as follows3--,first1 the ,countess and then ,i took the printed alphabet1 and pointed silently and at a fair pace to the letters1 going on from one to the other without pause4 ,at the letter needed the table did not rise1 but gave a sound more like a bang than a rap4 ,i have never heard anything quite so loud and definite in my long investigation4 ,the sound seemed to come from within the wood1 as in ordinary raps1 when these are genuine1 but it was far louder and more rapid and decided than the usual sance rap4 ,there was no hesitation1 no gathering up of force4 ,any amount of vitality was evidently present1 and the intelligence1 from whatever source1 was unerring4 ,the ,countess and ,i were the only two persons who held the alphabet and pointed1 and when she held it the mediums could not have seen the letters from their position at the table with regard to hers4 ,yet the letters were banged out 7,i can use no other expression7 with absolute accuracy1 and at a pace which1 quick to start with1 became more and more rapid as we wearied of the monotonous task and handed the alphabet to each other in turn4 ,when the name of ,,god or of ,,our ,,lord came1 only the first letter was indicated1 and then the table swayed slowly to and fro in a very reverent and characteristic way for a few seconds2 after which we began the alphabet again for the next word4 ,when these loud bangs came ,i could trace the reverberation in the wood1 and it seemed to me practically impossible that the ,harpies could be producing them by any unlawful methods1 whilst sitting in full light and with immovable faces1 the daughter writing down the letters as quickly as these were indicated4 ,one did not feel quite comfortable about making investigations in a private house without being invited to do so4 ,again1 if the women were tricking1 and ,i caught them at it1 there was always the chance of a disagreeable scene with people of their class4 ,on the other hand1 it was losing a great opportunity1 to refrain1 as a mere matter of courtesy4 ,also ,i comforted myself by thinking that if anyone needed to feel ashamed it would be the ones who cheated1 and not the detective4 ,so ,i pushed my chair a little nearer to the table1 and the next time the ,countess took the alphabet from me and the bangs were in full swing1 ,i put my foot cautiously but very effectually entirely round the one leg of the table1 moving it also up and down freely4 ,not a vestige of another foot1 nor even of the flimsiest particle of dress or other obstruction6 ,i could positively and distinctly hear the reverberation of the loud bangs on the wood1 between me and the centre of the table1 whilst my own leg and foot were firmly embracing the single wooden pillar upon which the latter stood4 ,so the ,harpies were justified1 so far as this one phenomenon was concerned4 ,the letters written down so rapidly by the daughter on large sheets of paper presented an apparently hopeless jumble1 but when the sitting was over at the last1 the ,abb and ,i were able to make out the words and sentences without great difficulty 7he being accustomed to the task71 and we then found a long1 coherent1 and at anyrate perfectly sensible1 message addressed to him1 and referring to the points of his coming discourse4 ,this had to be proved upon its own merits1 and without prejudice1 arising from the fact that ,st ,paul's name was given as the author4 ,it was quite as helpful as some of the ,apostle's letters1 with the advantage of being up to date as regarded the question in hand4 ,after all1 the ,abb was about to embark upon an enterprise requiring much courage and great tact1 in the forlorn hope that the walls of narrow ,orthodoxy and ,priestcraft might fall down before the trumpets of advancing ,knowledge and ,light4 ,it may or may not have been ,st ,paul who stood by the ,abb with words of encouragement that night2 but ,i1 for one1 find no difficulty in thinking it conceivable that the great ,apostle should take a keen interest in the evolution of the planet upon which he once lived4 ,the charming young lady delivered up her script also4 ,it was interesting and well written1 but the only paragraph which remains in my memory was an excellent analysis of the initial difference between ,christianity and ,theosophy4 ,the ,abb kindly copied it out for me next day1 but ,i must quote from memory4 ,christianity is a stretching down of the ,divinity to ,man4 ,theosophy is the attempt of ,man1 by his own efforts1 to reach the ,divine4 ,this seems to me both terse and true4 ,we had sat from nine ,p4,m4 till one ,a4,m41 and ,i think we were all relieved when an adjournment for supper was suggested by ,lady ,caithness4 ,her son1 the ,duc de ,pomar1 joined us for this part of the evening1 and was introduced to me4 ,my enjoyment of the excellent fare1 after so many hours of exhaustion1 was only tempered by an unfortunate and violent quarrel between the mother and daughter mediums1 on the score of the age of the latter6 ,the mother declared her daughter was forty-five2 the daughter said3 ,not a day over thirty-five1 and intimated that she surely might be supposed to know her own age6 ,the mother1 however1 murmured provokingly3 ,moi1 je sais mieux que a2 and so the wrangle went on1 until ,i made a diversion by taking leave of my hostess and promising to be present at the lecture the following afternoon1 which1 by the way1 had become this afternoon by the time ,i left the ,hotel ,wagram4 ,when ,i entered the house once more1 it was to be shown into the large lecture-room previously described1 which was already three parts full1 and very shortly entirely so4 ,lady ,caithness had kindly reserved a front seat for me1 so ,i could see and hear without difficulty4 ,on the raised platform stood my friend the ,abb looking very grave and rather nervous4 ,a cardinal1 two bishops1 and some half-dozen priests were seated close to him1 and very shortly the lecture1 which was1 ,i think1 extempore1 began4 ,the ,abb was so manifestly in dead earnest and without any suspicion of pose1 that one could not fail to be deeply impressed by the scene4 ,it needed all the help of a sincere purpose and a brave heart1 to stand up amongst those of his own cloth1 and1 in face of a partially indifferent and partially unfriendly audience1 to declare boldly the faith that was in him--a faith that burned all the more brightly and warmly from the fact that it was being purged of the superstitions which must always become the accretions of every form of religion2 the clinging refuse of weed and shell1 which from time to time must be scraped off the bottom of the grand old ship if it is to convey us safely from port to harbour4 ,the ,cardinal sat twirling his big seal ring1 with a look of cynical amusement on his face1 or so it seemed to me4 ,as the ,abb proceeded to mention the advances made in science and the necessity for a restatement of old truths1 which should bring them into line with other truths of the nineteenth century1 proving the essential unity of all truth1 and breaking down the fallacy that the vital part of religion and the vital part of science have anything to fear from one another1 the ,cardinal's face was a study to me4 ,yes1 of course1 we know all that1 you and ,i1 but what is the use of making this fuss about it8 ,we belong to a system1 and this system has worked very well for centuries past1 and will work very well for centuries to come if fools don't attempt to upset the coach by restatements and readjustments1 as they are called4 ,the people don't want restatements2 they want a dead certainty1 and that is just what we give them4 ,all this ,i seemed to read in his clever1 cynical countenance1 in direct opposition to the thrilling sentences of the ,abb ,petit as he leant forward and said1 with uplifted finger and prophetic intensity3 ,la lumire est venue1 mes frres--et si vous ne la suivez pas--vous serez laisss seuls dans vos glises4 ,it is impossible to exaggerate the affectionate solemnity of this appeal to his brother priests4 ,the tragic note was relieved later by an amused smile which rippled round the audience4 ,this puzzled me until a kind ,french lady sitting next to me explained that the audience were amused by the trs chers frres 7dearly beloved brethren71 with which the ,abb addressed them in this rather unorthodox lecture4 ,it was evidently looked upon as a curious bit of professional survival4 ,on the following day 7,thursday7 ,i was invited to lunch with ,lady ,caithness at two ,p4,m41 and being a punctual person1 ,i arrived at that hour4 ,the powdered footman announced that his mistress had not yet emerged from her bedroom1 and showed me up into the dining-room adjoining1 where ,i awaited her4 ,in a few minutes ,i was joined here by the ,abb1 who politely expressed his sorrow that he had not known of my arrival earlier4 ,as we sat chatting together1 he told me a curious experience of his of the previous night1 which will certainly cause the enemy to smile1 if not to blaspheme4 ,he said 7of course1 in ,french73 ,i was sitting last night in my room1 which looks over the back of the house1 and where ,i can hear no sounds from the ,avenue1 and ,i was talking to ',la ,reine4' ,suddenly ',elle m'a frapp sur l'paule1' and then said she must leave me at once1 in order to meet the ,duchesse1 who had just returned home4 ,at that moment twelve o'clock struck from a neighbouring church1 and ,i looked at my watch1 and found it was indeed midnight4 ,when ,madame la ,duchesse comes in1 ,i am most anxious to find out whether she and the ,duc were returning home at that hour4 ,you will be my witness1 madame1 that ,i have told you of this occurrence before seeing the ,duchesse4 ,i assured him that ,i would gladly testify to this2 and in a few moments the ,duc de ,pomar arrived1 and almost immediately after him1 ,lady ,caithness emerged from her bedroom on the other side of the dining-room4 ,we sat down to luncheon1 and ,i was much amused by the form of the ,abb's question later in the meal4 ,madame la ,duchesse6 puis je vous demander sans indiscrtion1 a quelle heure vous tes revenue hier au soir8 ,lady ,caithness looked a little surprised1 but answered readily enough3 ,well1 it must have been past midnight2 ,i did not notice very specially4 ,not past midnight1 mother1 corrected the ,duc de ,pomar2 ,i heard a clock strike twelve just as we were driving through the ,porte ,cochre4 ,bien1 ,madame1 qu'est-ce-que je vous ai dit8 demanded the ,abb1 turning to me in triumph4 ,he then repeated his story1 and ,i was able to certify that he had already mentioned it to me on my arrival4 ,the following day ,i took my leave of ,lady ,caithness1 with a happy remembrance of her and her great kindness and hospitality to me during this pleasant week4 ,she made me promise to let her know whenever ,i might happen to be passing through ,paris4 ,i wrote to her the next year1 when about to make a short stay in ,paris1 on returning from ,algeria1 and received an answer from the ,riviera4 ,she had been wintering there1 and had been packed and ready for the return to ,paris1 when an obstinate chill had upset all plans4 ,she begged me to go to the ,avenue ,wagram when ,i arrived and find out the latest news of her1 as the doctors might give leave for the journey at any moment4 ,ten days later ,i did go to her house and interview the lady secretary 7not the one ,i had seen71 who was very grudging in her answers1 and gave me the impression that she was accustomed to deal with persons who had some axe to grind by claiming acquaintance with the ,countess4 ,i did not happen to have the letter in my pocket which authorised my visit1 and should probably not have produced it in any case4 ,so ,i turned away rather shortly1 leaving my card1 saying3 ,i must trouble you to forward this at once to ,lady ,caithness4 ,the moment the secretary saw my name1 her manner entirely changed1 and became as servile as it had been cavalier4 ,miss ,bates1 ,i see8 ,oh1 certainly1 ,i shall communicate at once with her ladyship4 ,i had no idea it was ,miss ,bates4 ,pray excuse me1 so many come and ask for the ,duchesse1 and we have to be so very particular4 ,but1 of course1 you must be the lady the ,duchesse is so very fond of4 ,she has mentioned you often1 and warned us to receive you with every courtesy4 ,and that is my last recollection of the kindly woman1 who died a few months later4 ,no1 not absolutely my last recollection3 visiting ,scotland in #ahif1 ,i made a point of going to ,holyrood ,chapel for the express purpose of finding her grave4 ,the plain stone slab and simple inscription seemed at first a curious contrast to the gorgeous magnificence of her home and dress and surroundings4 ,yet ,i am inclined to think that they represented a side of her character which was quite as real as the other4 ,in like manner1 no one who knew of her only as a wild visionary could have realised the shrewd1 practical woman of business and of common-sense who shared the personality of ,countess of ,caithness and ,duchesse de ,pomar4 ,i remember that ,mr ,frederic ,myers made the same remark to me after a visit he paid to her1 just after my return to ,england1 for the purpose of arranging matters with regard to her generous bequest to the ,society for ,psychical ,research4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,from ,,oxford ,,to ,,wimbledon ,from ,paris to ,england is not a long cry1 and my next reminiscence is connected with the ,university of ,oxford4 ,i was spending a few days there with a friend in the spring of #ahif1 and went with her one afternoon to an ,oxford tea-party1 with its usual sprinkling of women1 married and unmarried2 a few dons captured as a question of friendship1 and more than a few undergraduates4 ,amongst the latter ,i chanced to hear the name of a very well-known bishop1 whom ,i had first met and known rather intimately when ,i was a young girl1 and he a young married curate4 ,i had also known his wife 7a few years my senior7 very intimately in those far-off days1 so my curiosity was aroused to know if the young man in this ,oxford drawing-room should chance to be a son of this bishop1 whom we will call the ,bishop of ,granchester4 ,i found that my surmise was correct2 the young man was introduced to me1 and we were soon deep in an interesting conversation about his parents1 especially his mother1 who had died when he was barely three years old4 ,he knew little or nothing about her4 ,his father had married again1 and his paternal grandmother 7still alive in #ahif7 had never cared for his mother--from feelings of jealousy probably--so there was no one to speak to the boy about her1 and he was naturally delighted to hear all my girlish recollections of her4 ,do come and have tea with me to-morrow afternoon1 or any day that suits you1 he said eagerly4 ,i have one or two old photographs taken of my mother when she was young1 and ,i should like so much to know which of them you consider the best4 ,of course1 ,i agreed to go1 ,mr ,blake-,mason promising to ask a chum to entertain my hostess whilst he and ,i discussed the photographs and the old days before he was born4 ,returning home from his rooms that ,february evening1 ,i was conscious once more of an unaccountable depression1 and also a certain amount of nervous irritability1 which other sensitives will understand1 and which often precedes some psychic happening4 ,just after we had finished dinner1 it struck me suddenly1 and for the first time1 that my discomfort might be connected with my afternoon visit4 ,this young man's mother might be wishing to impress me in some way6 ,i found that this was the fact1 but felt unequal to going further into the matter that night4 ,i promised to listen to anything she might wish to say next morning1 and having given this promise1 all unpleasant and disturbing influences disappeared1 and ,i had a good night's rest4 ,next morning1 after breakfast1 my hostess said very practically3 ,now do get this matter off your mind at once1 or you will be worried about it all day4 ,i am going to order dinner1 and shall then be in the drawing-room1 so you can have this room entirely to yourself4 ,i sat down1 and a very beautiful message was given to me by the friend of my girlhood4 ,she was evidently very much perturbed and very anxious about something connected with her youngest son1 whom ,i had met for the first time two days previously1 and about whose affairs1 ,i need scarcely say1 ,i was in a state of profound ignorance4 ,the little mother was anxious not to give him away1 nor betray confidences1 and so her words were very guarded4 ,there was evidently nothing in the least dishonourable or in any way unworthy of her son in question4 ,i gathered1 rather1 that he might be contemplating some step which she1 from her wider outlook1 considered undesirable and inexpedient2 possibly even disastrous in the future4 ,it was no business of mine1 and ,i make it a point of honour not to try to guess more than ,i am told1 and to forget what ,i am told as soon as possible1 where the affairs of other people are involved4 ,this is1 fortunately1 easy for me as a rule1 but in this case one sentence remains even now ringing in my ears1 and if the son ever comes across this record ,i hope he will forgive my reproducing his mother's last beautiful words to me3 ,tell my darling boy that life is so solemn and true love so sacred a thing4 ,tell him to be very1 very sure1 lest he lose the substance in pursuing the shadow4 ,the first sentence is given verbatim4 ,in the second my memory may be producing the sense without the exact wording1 but ,i have no doubt at all that my words practically convey what the mother wished me to tell her boy4 ,this message gave me a hard problem to solve3 ,what should ,i do with it8 ,on the one hand1 my having agreed to take the message1 tacitly bound me to let him have it4 ,on the other hand1 there were various questions to consider4 ,in the first place1 ,mr ,blake-,mason might probably1 and very naturally1 resent my writing to him on the subject1 especially as ,i had no reason to suppose he had any knowledge of psychic matters4 ,secondly1 he might suppose 7quite untruly7 that ,i had heard some private affairs of his discussed1 and had taken upon myself to convey a personal warning1 under cover of his dead mother's wishes4 ,this was perhaps exaggerating a possibility1 which1 nevertheless1 could not be ignored4 ,thirdly1 he might consider me a harmless lunatic1 conveying a message which had no slightest foundation in truth4 ,fourthly1 it might1 on the other hand1 give him the impression that his mother must have some access to his most private affairs2 in which case he might become intensely interested in psychic matters1 to the exclusion of more mundane affairs--always a danger with young people--not to mention other possibilities of psychic disaster for inexperienced investigators4 ,i went over all these chances con1 to put against the one pro of his mother's loving anxiety1 and my sense of responsibility to her4 ,finally1 ,i decided that there was no choice left for me but to send the message1 and trust the consequences to a ,higher ,wisdom4 ,i did this1 adding a few words of explanation1 and also of warning1 in case he should recognise my absolute bon fides and his mother's personality1 and become too much absorbed by these psychic possibilities4 ,unfortunately1 ,i added1 in his own interests1 that it was not necessary to acknowledge the letter4 ,it would doubtless reach him1 and ,i had nothing more to do with the matter4 ,i left ,oxford next day1 and have never seen the young man since2 nor have ,i ever heard from him4 ,i concluded that he was annoyed1 or that the message was quite wide of the mark4 ,i never doubted his mother's presence with me1 but ,i might have failed to reproduce her words to her son with sufficient accuracy for recognition4 ,anyway1 ,i put the matter out of my head as one of those trying episodes to which all sensitives are exposed at times1 when they think more of conscience than personal convenience4 ,three or four years passed before the corroboration of that message came to me1 in a rather curious manner4 ,a cousin of mine1 having been badly wounded in the ,west ,african ,war1 was sent to a ,london hospital to have the bullet1 which had puzzled all the local surgeons1 located and extracted4 ,he was at the hospital for several weeks during the ,london season of #ahii1 ,i think4 ,during these weeks ,i1 in common with many other friends and relations1 was in the habit of paying him occasional visits4 ,i had gone to say good-bye to him on leaving town1 when by chance 7as we call it7 he mentioned1 for the first time1 the name of his ward sister1 adding how charming and kind and capable she had proved4 ,by the way1 she is a daughter of the ,bishop of ,granchester1 he added4 ,you know everybody1 ,cousin ,emmie6 perhaps you know her1 he said1 smiling4 ,no2 ,i don't know her1 ,bertie6 but ,i knew her mother and father very well many years ago4 ,nothing would satisfy him but that ,i should ask to see her when ,i left the hospital1 and as he seemed really anxious on the point ,i promised to do so1 though inwardly averse from disturbing a busy woman4 ,i asked the hall porter for her1 but said ,i had no special business1 and would not ask to see her unless she happened to be quite free4 ,in a few moments he returned1 and showed me into a pretty sitting-room on the ground floor1 saying that the sister would be with me shortly4 ,the door opened again to admit a bright1 pleasant-looking young woman of seven or eight and twenty1 who gave me a most cordial greeting when she heard my name1 saying3 ,oh yes1 ,frank told me all about meeting you at ,oxford4 ,i did not feel very keen about talking of ,frank just then2 but we sat down1 and had a long half hour's chat on much the same lines as my conversation with her brother three years before4 ,i had said good-bye1 and she had accompanied me across the hall to the fine stone steps leading from the hospital--she had1 in fact1 turned towards her own apartments--when ,i felt ,i must ask her one more question1 so ,i also turned1 and hurried back to her4 ,did your brother ,frank ever tell you of a letter he received from me in ,oxford8 ,i asked4 ,oh yes1 she answered1 without a touch of embarrassment4 ,then ,i continued3 ,i never heard from him about it4 ,i told him he need not write at the time1 but ,i have been afraid he was hurt or annoyed1 and thought it an impertinence on my part perhaps4 ,did ,frank never write8 she asked1 with genuine astonishment4 ,i know he intended to do so4 ,certainly he was not annoyed in any way4 ,far from it4 ,he was intensely interested1 and ,i have the best of reasons for knowing that that message from our mother made a very great difference in his life4 ,i thanked her for these words1 without asking anything further4 ,as ,i have said1 it was no affair of mine1 from first to last2 but the verification1 after such a lapse of time1 was doubly satisfactory to me4 ,again ,i ask3 ,how about the ,cui ,bono argument8 99 99 99 99 99 ,another shake of the kaleidoscope1 and ,i find myself at ,wimbledon1 staying with a friend--now1 alas6 passed away--who had then a pretty house not far from the ,common1 and with whom ,i often spent a few days when in ,london4 ,on this occasion she had asked some friends to meet me at tea1 amongst them ,mrs ,alfred ,wedgwood1 to whom ,i had introduced her some years previously1 and my friends ,v4 ,c4 ,desertis and his wife4 ,a ,miss ,farquhar1 whom ,i knew very slightly1 was sharing a sofa with me1 she sitting at one end and ,i at the other1 leaving a vacant space between us4 ,mrs ,wedgwood was talking to ,mr ,desertis at the moment1 but suddenly looked across the room at our sofa1 and began describing very graphically an old man of benevolent aspect sitting between ,miss ,farquhar and myself1 leaning on a stick1 and wearing a soft felt hat4 ,he has long hair1 almost down to his coat collar1 and he looks such a dear1 kind old man6 ,mrs ,wedgwood said2 then turning round1 she added3 ,surely some of you must recognise him6 he is so very clear and distinct in his whole personality4 ,mrs ,desertis whispered something to her husband1 who asked at once if the old gentleman's hair was very white4 ,yes2 quite white1 said ,mrs ,wedgwood hopefully4 ,and curly and long8 ,yes2 curly and quite long1 reaching to his collar1 continued ,mrs ,wedgwood1 still more confidently4 ,but our hopes were dashed when ,mr ,desertis turned round drily to his wife3 ,then it cannot possibly be my father1 as you suggested4 ,his hair was white1 but quite short4 ,it was a cruel blow6 ,but ,mrs ,wedgwood still affirmed that she had never seen anyone more distinctly1 whether we recognised him or not4 ,i may here mention that ,i had been sleeping very badly in this house for some nights past1 and regretted this the more1 because ,i was shortly going to stay with a friend at ,windsor for my first ,fourth of ,june1 and wished to be specially bright and well for the coming festivities4 ,these bad nights were later proved to have some connection with the benevolent old gentleman just described6 ,now ,i will continue the sequence of events4 ,mrs ,wedgwood's clairvoyant description had been forgotten by us all1 as ,i supposed1 long before the afternoon came to an end4 ,it had passed unrecognised1 and other interesting matters arose in conversation4 ,the following day ,miss ,farquhar wrote a line to my hostess1 asking if she might come to tea towards the end of the week1 as she had something very interesting to tell us4 ,she came1 of course1 and thus unfolded her budget3 ,none of you seemed very much impressed about that old gentleman ,mrs ,wedgwood described here the other day1 but her words were so graphic that ,i felt sure she was really seeing him at the moment1 so ,i determined to try and find out something about him4 ,i went to an old lady ,i know1 one of the oldest inhabitants1 and asked her if she knew anything of your predecessors in this house4 ,she told me an elderly couple had lived here1 a husband and wife1 that the husband had died1 and that although the wife lived away from ,wimbledon now1 she could not bear to part with the house which her husband had been so fond of2 so let it4 ,in fact1 my old friend seemed to think she must be your present landlady4 ,this was said to my hostess1 and proved to be quite true4 ,the house had been let through an agent1 and as the present owner lived in a distant county1 nothing was known of her personally by my friend4 ,then ,miss ,farquhar continued3 ,hearing that the old man was so devoted to the house rather suggested a reason for ,mrs ,wedgwood seeing him here1 so ,i asked my old lady if she had known this gentleman1 and if so1 would she describe him4 ,she did this1 almost word for word as ,mrs ,wedgwood had seen him4 ,also1 she added1 that he was a good deal of an invalid1 often sat indoors1 with a hat on for fear of draughts1 and carried a stick1 upon which he constantly leant for support4 ,this was very satisfactory1 and we applauded ,miss ,farquhar's detective instincts1 and promised to let ,mrs ,wedgwood know about the matter4 ,the latter took it all very quietly1 only remarking that she felt sure someone ought to be able to find out about the old man4 ,a sudden thought struck me that my disturbed nights and uncomfortable feelings1 in a very cheerful and pretty bedroom1 might possibly be connected with the same old man4 ,without saying a word about this1 ,i asked ,mrs ,wedgwood to come up into my room before she returned to ,london1 and then ,i told her that ,i could not sleep1 and had not had a peaceful night since ,i arrived4 ,could she find out what was the cause8 ,mrs ,wedgwood looked round for a moment1 and then said in the most casual way3 ,not the smallest doubt of the cause4 ,it is that old man1 of course4 ,he is earth-bound1 ,i expect1 and haunting the house4 ,you had better take a message from him if you want to get rid of him4 ,i would help you if ,i could1 but ,i shall be late for my train if ,i don't start at once4 ,next morning ,i took the poor old gentleman's message1 which began with an apology and regrets for disturbing me1 but went on pathetically3 ,you must forgive me1 ,i was so very anxious to send a message to my wife1 and ,i saw that you were a sensitive and could take it from me--,i did not realise that it might cause you so much discomfort4 ,that lady called me earth-bound1 but if ,i am1 it is only through my deep love for my dear wife1 and ,i am permitted to watch over her4 ,i was drawn here by my old affection for this house1 and also by your presence here1 knowing you could help me4 ,he then gave the message1 of which ,i can only remember that it was most touching in its expressions of deep affection and watchful care for his widow4 ,as we did not know this lady's present address1 and could not procure it without raising inconvenient questions1 my hostess and ,i settled that she should lock up the message1 in the hope that some day we might be able to forward it4 ,a year later ,i had a most unpleasant experience of being made to feel seriously ill when ,i came down for a night from town1 and as another clairvoyant assured me that this resulted from the message remaining undelivered and the poor old man's frantic endeavours to reach his wife's consciousness1 ,i told my ,wimbledon friend that something must be done4 ,either she must procure the lady's address cote que cote1 or ,i could not come down again to ,wimbledon until this step had been taken4 ,under pressure of this determination of mine the address was procured1 and this led to a rather unpleasant experience4 ,i wrote a very courteous letter to the lady1 enclosing the message1 and explaining that ,i was quite debarred from visiting my ,wimbledon friend until it was delivered1 that ,i hoped1 therefore1 she would excuse my sending it1 after more than a year's consideration of the question4 ,i further intimated that although she might consider me a lunatic for my pains1 ,i trusted there could be nothing to vex or hurt her in so touching an evidence of her husband's constant care and love1 however little faith she might be disposed to place in the source from which the message was supposed to emanate4 ,the answer came as a shower bath on my unfortunate head4 ,the old lady 787 was furious4 ,she had never heard of such wicked nonsense6 ,her dear husband was quite the gentleman1 both in clothes and appearance1 and he was not old--not a day over sixty-eight--when he died1 etc4 etc4 ,it would have been amusing if it had not been rather pitiful to think of the poor young man of sixty-eight trying so hard to reach such a termagant6 ,later1 ,i heard that the military man1 through whom the old lady's address had been given to my ,wimbledon hostess1 had asked the husband of the latter if ,i were a lunatic1 by any chance6 ,and this is how some of us welcome our friends from the other side of the veil6 ,the marvel to me is that ,love can still be stronger than ,death1 in face of such ingratitude and stupidity6 ,i have already mentioned my extreme sensitiveness to the atmosphere 7psychic7 of rooms1 especially rooms where one sleeps4 ,i find another instance of this in my notes4 ,i was paying a first visit to a friend in the south of ,england1 and a very bright1 cheerful room had been allotted to me there4 ,from the first night ,i felt a strong influence of a man in the room4 ,kindly note that ,i do not say the influence of a strong man2 on the contrary1 the character appeared to me that of an essentially weak man--weak rather than wicked--sensual as well as sensuous--self-indulgent1 and greatly wanting in grit and will power4 ,my hostess had two sons1 one whom ,i knew1 and the other1 living abroad1 whom ,i had never met4 ,the influence ,i felt was certainly not that of the son ,i knew1 who was both manly and strong-willed1 a fine soldier1 and hard as nails1 as men would say4 ,i feared it might be the other son1 however1 and took an early opportunity of asking to see a photograph of the latter4 ,my mind was quite set at rest4 ,it was certainly not this man's influence that ,i had felt so strongly in my room4 ,asking my hostess1 who had chiefly occupied the room1 she said at once3 ,both my sons have slept there at different times1 adding1 ,i am sure you have some of your queer ideas about the room--what is the matter with it8 ,i told her2 ,now that ,i am quite convinced that neither of your sons is implicated1 ,i will describe to you the character of a man whom ,i feel sure must have slept in that room and has left a strong psychic influence behind him4 ,i then mentioned the characteristics already given1 and one or two more which have escaped my memory4 ,my sceptical friend looked a little surprised4 ,she said nothing at the moment1 but crossed the room to a cabinet1 whence she took a photograph of a man which ,i had never seen1 and placed it in my hands4 ,i am bound to confess1 she added1 that you have exactly described the character of my brother-in-law1 who certainly has occupied the room more than once4 ,the sequel to this little incident is rather significant4 ,a year or two later1 this lady and ,i1 having both succumbed to influenza and bronchitis1 were sent off to the same place abroad to recuperate4 ,her attack had ended sooner than mine1 so that ,i joined her there1 and one of the first pieces of news she gave me was of the death of this brother-in-law1 adding3 ,poor fellow6 ,he died from a very painful disease1 and suffered terribly4 ,he had grave faults1 but1 as you said1 they came from weakness rather than wickedness4 ,at anyrate1 he was humble-minded1 for he wrote a touching letter to me when ,i lost a very dear relation lately1 wondering why such a valuable life should have been taken and such a 'useless log' as himself be left alive4 ,this poor man had only just passed over when ,i joined my friend1 and ,i felt that he was in a very bewildered and sad state of mind4 ,i could realise his presence so clearly1 partly1 no doubt1 from having sensed his character so strongly1 that the obvious thing seemed to be to try and help him on his new plane of life4 ,to the superficial mind it appears very absurd1 and equally irreverent1 to suppose that a faulty creature on this side the veil can help a faulty creature on the other side4 ,personally1 ,i have never had any difficulty in realising the power of prayer for those who have passed beyond our mortal sight4 ,surely we are one large family1 whether here or there8 ,the best way to make children love each other is to persuade them to help each other4 ,is it strange that the same rule should apply to the universe that applies to the tiny portion of it that we know8 ,anyway1 ,i am quite sure in this case that my prayers did help and comfort this poor man in his dark experience4 ,in a few weeks the position seemed to be altogether lightened4 ,he thanked me for my sympathy and companionship1 and ,i have never heard of him since4 ,the caviller will say at once3 ,could not someone else have done the work equally well--either a near relation in the other sphere or a ministering angel8 ,the answer is3 ,certainly they could have done it equally well1 probably far better4 ,but the point is that it happened to be the bit of work put into my hands1 and at least ,i did my best4 ,what more can any of us say8 ,again ,i ask3 ,how about the ,cui ,bono argument8 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,hauntings ,,by ,,the ,,living ,,and ,,the ,,dead #ahif ,in this same year 7#ahif7 ,i remember another curious incident4 ,i was staying in ,london during the season1 and some girl friends were very anxious that ,i should meet a lady whom they knew intimately and wished me to know also4 ,as so often happens under these circumstances1 we were not in the least degree interested in each other2 but that has nothing to do with my story4 ,the girls had asked various other friends1 but this special lady was the raison d'tre of the tea-party1 and they begged me to come in good time1 because ,mrs ,halifax had several other engagements1 and could not pay them a long visit4 ,so ,i dressed hurriedly in order to keep the appointment1 and went to the house feeling rather bored by the whole arrangement1 little dreaming that it would be the occasion of such an interesting personal experience4 ,the lady turned out to be exceedingly prosperous and extremely uninteresting1 from my point of view4 ,probably she would have given her ideas of me in much the same way6 ,i realised that she had brought a son and a daughter with her1 but did not know that another young man 7whose face ,i have never seen7 was also a son of hers4 ,i talked to the mother for the conventional quarter of an hour1 and then turned with relief to the other son whom she had mentioned1 and with whom ,i found several old friends in common4 ,meanwhile the room was filling up with guests2 amongst these late comers ,i noticed the entrance of a man whose face did not impress me at all favourably4 ,he looked dissipated and conceited4 ,i did not speak to this man1 but my strong impression about him is a factor in the story4 ,when the lady1 par excellence1 of the entertainment rose to leave the room1 followed by her son and daughter1 ,i noticed that a second young man was also in her train2 but ,i had not seen him previously1 for the very good reason that he had been sitting behind my back all the afternoon4 ,i did not see his face even now4 ,my attention had been diverted from the ,halifax party as they rose to take leave1 and ,i only noticed the back of the second young man as they left the room1 and was told later that this was another son of ,mrs ,halifax1 no other comment upon him being made4 ,in those days ,i was able to do more work on the psychic plane than at present1 and often tried to help sad or wandering spirits by praying for them when made conscious of their presence near me4 ,when ,i woke in the night--after this tea-party--therefore1 and felt a presence near me1 it did not at first alarm me in any way4 ,when fully awake1 however1 ,i quickly realised that this was no poor1 sad1 bewildered spirit1 but a very malignant and revengeful one4 ,i did not recognise the sex at the moment4 ,in fact1 my consciousness was entirely engrossed by realising that this was a question of my prayers being needed by no spirit more urgently than by my own4 ,something very malignant was in the room--something or someone far too actively and insistently wrathful and malignant to listen to any prayers or entreaties4 ,this conviction grew so strong upon me that ,i lighted my candle1 and getting out of bed1 prayed for protection against the evil thing that was present in my room4 ,i think ,i must have remained at least ten minutes on my knees1 and ,i can remember distinctly the feeling of alarm and hopelessness that came over me when ,i realised how strong were the ,powers of ,darkness and how little my prayers seemed to avail me4 ,shortly1 however1 faith returned1 and with it the confidence of victory4 ,i returned to my bed quite calm and strong1 and fell asleep knowing that the malignant presence was no longer there to worry and torment me4 ,i have always found it as easy to communicate with incarnate spirits at a distance as with discarnate ones1 so on awaking in the morning1 and remembering my disagreeable experience1 ,i asked a friend1 still in the body1 what was the meaning of it4 ,i had made up my mind that if it were in any way connected with the visitors of the previous afternoon1 it must be with the dissipated-looking young man1 for whom ,i had conceived an instinctive aversion4 ,to my infinite surprise his name was not given1 but that of the younger ,halifax son4 ,it was ,henry ,halifax4 ,it is a spirit which was haunting him and came to you afterwards4 ,now1 as ,i had not even seen this young man1 as already explained1 ,i could not bear to think of any false and fanciful accusation being made against him2 so remonstrated with my friend4 ,do be careful in giving me the name4 ,are you quite sure you mean ,henry ,halifax8 ,are you not thinking of ,mr ,loseby8 7,mentioning the name that had been given me of the other gentleman47 ,no2 ,i mean ,henry ,halifax4 ,but ,i did not even see him1 ,i urged4 ,no2 but you were sitting with your back to him all afternoon4 ,don't you know the back is more psychically sensitive than any other part of the body8 ,nothing was said about the malignant spirit beyond the fact that it was someone haunting ,henry ,halifax4 ,the matter1 once explained1 ,i put it out of my head1 having no special curiosity as to the reason of the haunting1 and supposing it might have been some male acquaintance of his4 ,that morning ,i went down to my ,wimbledon friend for a night4 ,i arrived in time for luncheon on ,saturday morning1 and after a pleasant walk on the ,common in the afternoon my friend suggested our coming home by a certain florist's shop1 as she wished to buy some plants for her drawing-room4 ,i had already met this florist's wife1 a very spooky person1 who had been introduced by us to ,mr ,myers and the ,society for ,psychical ,research4 ,she was a handsome1 fresh-coloured1 practical woman1 with nothing of the weird and pallid ghost seer about her comely face4 ,but she had had some wonderful experiences1 and her children also2 and these had been already imparted to ,mr ,frederic ,myers4 ,when the business part of our interview was concluded ,mrs ,levret turned to me1 and said3 ,well1 ma'am1 ,i am glad to see you again in these parts4 ,have you had any curious experiences since ,i saw you last8 ,now ,mrs ,levret had so many curious experiences of her own1 as to which she was wont to be very voluble1 that ,i had never before known her express curiosity about those of anybody else4 ,this just flashed through my mind as ,i answered her3 ,no2 nothing particular1 ,mrs ,levret4 ,by-the-by1 ,i had a rather disagreeable experience last night1 but it has been explained4 ,and in a few words ,i mentioned what has been already described at length4 ,from my words she must have gathered that ,i supposed the haunting spirit to be that of a man1 and that ,i did not attach much importance to it any way4 ,as we left the shop my charming hostess1 who was equally beloved by those in her own class and those out of it1 turned round1 and said pleasantly3 ,we must hurry home now1 ,mrs ,levret1 but do come up to-morrow and see ,miss ,bates4 ,she does not leave me till the evening1 and ,i know you will enjoy having a talk with her4 ,mrs ,levret promised to come1 and appeared next morning1 having first ascertained that the sceptical husband of my hostess would not be upon the premises4 ,he does laugh at me so1 ma'am1 she said apologetically4 ,so she was brought straight up to my bedroom next day1 and we had an interesting talk over her own strange adventures4 ,suddenly she looked up1 and said3 propos des bottes4 ,how about that young man1 ma'am8 ,what are you going to do about him8 ,what young man8 ,i said1 honestly puzzled4 ,and what can ,i do about any young man8 ,the ,halifax incident had so completely faded from my mind that ,i could not for the moment imagine what she meant4 ,the young man you told me about yesterday afternoon1 ma'am1 ,mrs ,levret answered stoutly4 ,but ,i can't do anything about him4 ,what should ,i do8 ,then she took up her parable in these words3 ,well1 ma'am1 ,i have been thinking a deal about that young man since yesterday4 ,it seemed to take a sort of hold upon me4 ,it seems given to me1 ma'am1 that it is a young woman who is haunting him--a young woman who is not in his own rank in life--someone whom he wronged4 ,i was amazed by these words1 and still more by the keen interest ,mrs ,levret showed in the subject4 ,but what can ,i do in the matter1 even if it be as you say8 was my next question4 ,well1 ma'am1 they give me to understand that the young man must be made to confess4 ,he will never have any peace until he does4 ,it seems to me you might get him to confess4 ,now there could be no question of confession on the outer plane1 as the young man was a perfect stranger to me1 and there was small chance of our ever meeting again4 ,but ,i was aware that ,mrs ,levret was not speaking of the outer plane1 so ,i agreed to take pencil and paper1 and see if ,i could bring the spirit of ,henry ,halifax to me1 and having done so1 whether ,i could induce him to tell me the truth4 ,he came1 but for a long time would say neither ,,yes nor ,,no4 ,what business is it of yours8 was the constant reply to my questions4 ,and ,i am bound to say it appeared a very pertinent one1 from the ordinary point of view4 ,clearly it was no business of mine2 but ,mrs ,levret was so much in earnest1 and had impressed me so strongly with what had been given to her1 that ,i felt ,i must persevere1 in the young fellow's own interests4 ,so ,i explained that ,i had no wish to pry into his private affairs from any mere unworthy curiosity1 but that having myself felt the malignant presence that was said to be haunting him1 and being told that only confession would remove it1 ,i hoped he would consider the matter seriously before obstinately closing the door of opportunity now open to him4 ,who could foretell when he might have another chance8 ,a long pause succeeded these words4 ,i felt that the angry1 irritable mood was passing over1 and when my hand was next influenced to write1 the words that came were not the usual curt ,none of your business1 but an apology for his rude reception of my efforts to help him1 and a full confession1 which entirely bore out ,mrs ,levret's impressions4 ,he told me that it was only too true that he had betrayed a young woman in a different rank of life from his own4 ,she had died in child-birth the preceding midsummer1 and had died cursing him for his perfidy4 ,ever since 7it was now late in ,june7 he had been haunted by her presence1 seeing nothing1 but always conscious of a malignant spirit tempting him to his own destruction4 ,the mental agony was so great that he told me he did not think he could endure it much longer1 and had almost decided to put an end to his life 7little realising1 poor fellow1 that bad as this life might be1 the next phase would be far worse for him74 ,after trying to soothe and comfort him1 without in any way minimising the weight of his sin or attempting to lessen his remorse for it1 it struck me that it would be well to try and have a little talk with his poor young victim4 ,so saying good-bye1 and promising to remember him in future1 ,i asked mentally for her spirit to come1 and then tried to influence her in the direction of forgiveness4 ,it was a hard struggle1 and no wonder4 ,the poor young woman had trusted him1 had been deceived1 and finally launched into another sphere without any preparation for it4 ,what wonder that she haunted the man who had wronged her so terribly1 through pure selfishness1 and that any love she had ever borne him had long since turned to deadly hate6 ,it needed both time and patience to rouse even mere passive feelings towards him4 ,i spoke of his deep remorse and misery4 ,at first she only answered that she was very glad to hear it1 because it showed she had succeeded in making her presence felt4 ,by degrees1 however1 a more womanly view of the subject seemed to come to her4 ,after all1 he was the father of her child2 the poor little baby that had mercifully followed its mother into the ,great ,unseen4 ,she had loved him once1 by her own showing4 ,i made the most of this point1 and very slowly1 very grudgingly1 she gave me the promise ,i asked for--i4e4 that she would at least cease this revengeful haunting1 even if she could not yet feel more kindly towards the one who had injured her so deeply4 ,having extracted this promise ,i felt that no more could be done for the time being1 and ,mrs ,levret1 who had been sitting in unwonted silence during both interviews1 then took her leave4 ,i have given this case and its treatment very much in extenso1 not only because it may be helpful to others dealing with erring and revengeful spirits1 but because on my return to ,london every important point in this true narrative was amply corroborated4 ,it took some time and a good deal of tact before the case was complete4 ,first1 ,i learned that ,henry ,halifax was by no means a persona grata in the house where ,i first met him1 and that my young friends there had only been allowed to ask him under some protest1 and because the rest of his family were to be present4 ,asked why this should be the case1 their answers were naturally vague3 they only knew he was not very welcome4 ,of course1 ,i did not pursue the matter with these young people4 ,they told me1 however1 that he was very much changed of late1 and seemed so often moody1 unhappy1 and discontented4 ,i am sure we should be happy enough if we had such a luxurious home and all that money1 said one of them navely4 ,now ,i happened to know rather intimately at that time another friend of the ,halifax family2 a woman considerably older than the young girls mentioned1 and as she had some little knowledge of psychic possibilities ,i determined to lay the whole story before her1 trusting to her honour to keep it to herself1 and not to allow any prejudice against ,henry ,halifax to arise in her mind should she know nothing of the circumstances4 ,she had known the family from her childhood1 and ,i knew1 therefore1 would not be influenced by the word of an outsider under these circumstances4 ,but ,i discovered that the confession of ,henry ,halifax1 the spirit1 was no illusion on my part1 but the absolute truth4 ,young1 handsome1 rich1 with all the world before him 7he was only twenty-four at the time71 this lady had been greatly puzzled by his intense depression of the last few months1 and told me that he was constantly speaking of suicide4 ,it was supposed to be a purely physical condition by his parents and others4 ,she1 however1 knew an intimate man friend of his4 ,by one of those not uncommon mistakes1 whereby each one supposes the other to be in the confidence of a mutual acquaintance1 she had discovered that the real trouble was mental rather than physical1 and that the death of the young woman of lower social position1 in child-birth1 last midsummer was an actual fact6 ,needless to say how great was her astonishment to find that the whole story had been made known to me through such a curious train of circumstances--first1 my experience of the malignant spirit2 secondly1 my happening to go to ,wimbledon next day and mention the circumstances to the wife of the florist there2 thirdly1 her strong and1 as it proved1 quite accurate impressions upon the subject2 and fourthly1 my two interviews3--first1 with the betrayer1 and then with the betrayed on the psychic plane4 ,some few months later ,i was asked by the lady just mentioned if ,i should object to meeting ,henry ,halifax at dinner next evening4 ,not at all1 was my answer4 ,in fact1 ,i felt it might be part of some psychic plan that ,i should do so4 ,evidently this was not the case1 for at the last moment a telegram came to his hostess to say he was unexpectedly prevented from returning to town4 ,so we have never met at all6 ,but ,i trust the confession may have been as efficacious as ,mrs ,levret was told that it would be4 ,anyway1 ,i can testify that the gentleman in question is now happily married1 and1 therefore1 presumably no longer haunted by the revengeful spirit1 who has long since1 let us trust1 found happiness and peace in a higher world than this4 99 99 99 99 99 ,speaking of haunting by the so-called dead reminds me of haunting by the so-called living4 ,in this same year 7#ahif7 ,i was staying in ,cambridge for the first time in my life4 ,oxford ,i have known since girlhood1 but this was my first visit to the ,sister ,university2 needless to say1 however1 that ,i have met many men who have graduated there4 ,not knowing the town of ,cambridge myself1 ,i had never made it a subject of discussion1 and ten years ago ,i was not even aware that such a street as ,trumpington ,street existed1 difficult as it may be for ,cambridge people to credit this statement4 ,in any case1 most emphatically1 ,i did not know that a very old friend of mine1 who became later in life a judge1 had ever lived in this street4 ,having been a sailor in youth1 he had gone up to ,cambridge comparatively late2 this was shortly before my acquaintance with him began4 ,not knowing ,cambridge at all1 the question of where he lived there had never entered into our conversations together4 ,probably ,i took it for granted that he was living in his college 7,peterhouse74 ,the strong feeling of friendship between us had become a warmer sentiment on his side1 and this led later1 and inevitably1 to a thorough break in our pleasant relations with each other4 ,long years passed1 during which ,i neither saw nor heard of my friend4 ,i knew that he had married1 and had had a somewhat successful career as a barrister in ,london1 and that was all ,i knew about him4 ,after staying for a week or two with friends in the neighbourhood of ,cambridge in #ahif1 ,i had taken rooms for a month in ,cambridge1 inviting one of these friends to stay with me as my guest4 ,we came upon these special rooms in a curious way4 ,having worked through a list of those suggested to us by a friend1 none of which quite suited1 ,i heard1 by the merest chance1 that possibly ,i might find what ,i wanted in ,trumpington ,street1 at the house of a very respectable ,cambridge tradesman4 ,we went there1 but only to find that the rooms vacant could not be ready for me at the time specified1 as some old customers were coming to them for three or four days4 ,but ,i want them for a month1 ,i expostulated4 ,the landlady was firm2 she could not disappoint these people after promising to take them in4 ,in spite of my disappointment1 ,i admired her so much for this strict sense of honour that ,i determined to look at the rooms in case of requiring any at a future date4 ,we went upstairs4 ,the rooms were exactly what ,i required1 and very clean and well furnished1 so it ended by my agreeing to take them for a week later1 although at a considerable inconvenience4 ,it was in this casual way that ,i entered the house about the middle of ,may #ahif4 ,my friend was not able to join me until the morning after my arrival1 so ,i spent the first evening alone1 and retired to bed rather early4 ,i slept well enough during the earlier part of the night1 but awoke about two ,a4,m41 having had a tiresome1 worrying dream about the very man ,i have mentioned1 who had certainly not been in my thoughts for many months1 or possibly years4 ,even when fully awake1 his influence was still in the room with me1 and falling asleep again1 there he was once more in my dream1 twitting me with my want of appreciation of him in the past1 and suggesting what a much more successful career ,i might have had through marrying him4 ,this sort of thing went on for the rest of the night4 ,either ,i woke up with a disagreeable start1 still feeling the man's influence in the room1 or sank into a troubled sleep1 to be once more at the mercy of his reproaches6 ,when morning came ,i was only too thankful to get up1 and when my friend arrived on her bicycle about noon1 and asked me how ,i had slept in the strange house1 ,i was forced to confess that my night had been much troubled by dreams about an old friend1 of whom she had never heard1 by-the-by4 ,oh1 well1 we all dream about old friends sometimes1 she said1 but ,i'm afraid in this case your dreams were not pleasant2 you look tired out6 ,anyway1 it is a mercy that it was not ,f----'s6 ,and so with a joke the matter dropped4 ,but the following night the trouble was renewed4 ,even then ,i did not in any way connect it with the room in which ,i was sleeping1 and ,i said nothing next day to my friend on the subject4 ,but the third night matters had gone beyond a joke4 ,the influence was stronger than ever1 the gibes and reproaches more accentuated1 and1 in addition to these1 there was on my side the exasperation engendered by three sleepless nights4 ,instead of feeling depressed--as on the two previous occasions--the worm turned at last6 ,i spoke out loud in my vexation1 as though the man himself were there listening to me4 ,well1 ,i said1 ,i have no unkindly feeling towards you of any kind4 ,if you have nothing better to do than to come worrying me and keeping me awake in this way1 it just shows how wise ,i was not to marry you6 ,you have nothing to do with my life now4 ,and ,,you ,,can ,,go4 ,standing up in this way to the ghost of the living had a most excellent effect1 upon my mind at anyrate4 ,i felt intensely relieved1 and soon fell into a long and dreamless sleep4 ,this last experience first suggested the idea that this old friend must have some special connection with that house4 ,in the morning ,i confessed to my friend that my second night had been as disturbed as the first1 and the last the worst of all1 adding3 ,that man is simply haunting the place4 ,i am determined to try and find out if he ever lodged here4 ,this was by no means easy1 as it turned out4 ,his ,college career was already buried in the snows of some twenty-five years4 ,moreover1 when ,i questioned the young daughter of our landlady as to how long her parents had lived in the house1 she said at once3 ,just seventeen years1 ma'am4 ,father and mother came here the year ,i was born4 ,this did not help me much4 ,i asked who had rented the house previously4 ,referring this question to her mother1 she told me it had been taken from some people who had left ,cambridge1 and ,mother thought they were both dead now4 ,this was a second cul-de-sac for me6 ,but ,i was determined to go on with my investigations1 simply grounded upon the strong conviction that such repeated experiences must have some foundation in fact4 ,the girl saw ,i looked disappointed4 ,did you want to know about anyone who lived here long ago8 she ventured timidly4 ,yes2 ,i wanted to find out whether an old friend of mine ever lodged here2 he belonged to ,peterhouse1 was my answer4 ,ah1 then1 ,i am sure he would not have lodged here1 said the girl confidently4 ,none of the ,peterhouse gentlemen come here4 ,it is always the ,pembroke men who come to this house4 ,it seemed fated that ,i should hear no more about my living ghost4 ,a few days later1 however1 the luck turned4 ,i was told quite casually that ,mr ,pound1 the well-known ,cambridge chemist1 had occupied our house years before1 and ,i determined to verify this some day4 ,as ,mr ,pound combined the post office with his drugs1 one often went into the shop1 but hitherto ,i had only seen his assistants4 ,going in one day with my friend for some stamps1 ,mr ,pound himself handed them to me4 ,here was my chance6 ,i must confess that ,i hesitated to ask such an apparently absurd question on such slender grounds4 ,in any case1 was it likely that he would remember the names of all the undergraduates in the ,university who might have lodged with him twenty or thirty years before8 ,i whispered to my friend3 ,shall ,i ask him8 but she did not hear1 so even this small encouragement was denied me4 ,i was actually turning to leave the shop1 when resolution at length took the reins1 and ,i found myself asking3 ,is it true1 ,mr ,pound1 that you lived many years ago at ,no4 -- ,trumpington ,street8 ,quite true1 was the ready answer4 ,i went there in the year fifty-five4 7,i quote this from memory1 but it was in the fifties certainly47 ,i wanted to ask a question about a gentleman who may have lodged with you a good deal later than that--about seventy1 ,i should think4 ,and ,i mentioned the name of my friend4 ,mr ,pound's brow cleared at once1 and he looked up with a beaming smile4 ,mr ,forbes1 he said--why1 of course1 ,i remember him well4 ,he lodged with me over eighteen months4 ,then turning to his assistant1 he told him to go into the parlour and bring out the large photograph album4 ,there was my friend1 sure enough1 with his big dog--the very photograph ,i had of him1 given me in the early days of our acquaintance4 ,mr ,pound was full of reminiscences4 ,my friend had evidently been a prime favourite with him1 and it was some minutes before ,i could squeeze in my crucial question4 ,it seemed almost impossible to expect him to remember the exact rooms occupied by ,mr ,forbes1 considering there were two or three sets of rooms in the house1 in addition to several bedrooms which were let separately4 ,but even here ,mr ,pound's memory proved invaluable4 ,which room he slept in8 ,why1 of course1 ,i remember distinctly4 ,he had the large front sitting-room and the bedroom at the back of it2 over our living-room in those days4 ,so ,i was living in ,mr ,forbes' sitting-room1 and sleeping in the bedroom1 he had occupied for more than eighteen months4 ,my ,cambridgeshire friend was1 fortunately1 present as a witness that no word of mine had indicated this fact before ,mr ,pound corroborated my intuitive impression4 ,she said afterwards1 laughingly1 that ,mr ,myers would certainly think ,i had got up a special ghost story for him the moment ,i set foot in ,cambridge4 ,however this may be1 both he and ,professor ,sidgwick were greatly interested in it1 for1 as they explained1 there were fifty accounts of haunting by the dead to one such example of haunting by the living4 ,of course1 such a case presents innumerable difficulties2 still the salient fact remains1 that after a lapse of nearly thirty years ,i traced the rooms occupied by an old friend1 in a city ,i had never before entered1 and that this knowledge did not come to me by chance1 but as the result of a series of investigations1 started by me solely on account of the experiences that came to me in a house and in a room of which ,i had absolutely no previous knowledge4 ,those interested in these subjects will naturally ask3 ,do you suppose that the spirit of ,mr ,forbes came to you at the moment of your remarks to him and his to you8 ,if so1 was he conscious of any such experience8 ,i can answer this last question decidedly1 and in the negative2 for four years later1 circumstances brought me once more within the orbit of ,mr ,forbes' life4 ,he was then living in the north of ,england1 and he and his wife and ,i have discussed the question more than once4 ,we can only suppose that the impression of his presence did in some way cling to the surroundings2 that my sleeping there1 even in complete ignorance of his tenancy1 enabled me1 as a sensitive1 to pick up this special influence from many others presumably present2 and that the memories of the past galvanised the impression into some sort of temporary astral existence4 ,the entity to whom ,i seemed to be speaking was doubtless not the ,judge ,forbes of later life1 but some distorted image of his earlier days of disappointed and often reproachful affection4 ,when ,mr ,myers suggested that ,i should get ,mr ,pound to sign a paper mentioning that he had told me that ,mr ,forbes had occupied these special rooms twenty-seven years previously1 the latter did so readily1 only remarking that he had naturally concluded that ,i knew my friend had lodged with him4 ,pound will 'smell a rat' if ,i go1 said ,mr ,myers4 ,so ,i went myself1 and thus the story was made evidentially complete4 ,,chapter ,x ,,further ,,experiences ,,in ,,america ,my second visit to ,america was paid in the year of the ,diamond ,jubilee1 #ahig4 ,after wintering in the ,west ,indies1 ,i went on to ,america in the spring1 chiefly with the view of meeting ,mrs ,piper for the first time1 and securing a few sittings with her if possible4#e #e ,the portion of this chapter referring to ,mrs ,piper and her ,controls is published by kind permission of ,mr ,ralph ,shirley1 editor of ,the ,occult ,review1 in which my article under this heading appeared in ,march #aijf4 ,i was writing some articles for ,borderland at the time1 and ,mr ,stead was specially anxious for me to take this opportunity of sampling the famous ,american sensitive4 ,this proved no easy task4 ,my visit to ,boston1 unfortunately1 occurred at the very time when an organised attempt was being made by the ,american branch of the ,society for ,psychical ,research to get into some sort of evidential communication with the late ,mr ,stainton ,moses through his controls ,imperator1 ,rector1 etc4 ,in vain ,i wrote to ,dr ,hodgson 7to whom ,i carried letters of introduction7 telling him of my chief reason for visiting ,america a second time4 ,even the plea that ,i had known ,mr ,stainton ,moses in earth life1 and that we had several intimate friends in common1 was of no avail4 ,dr ,hodgson expressed regrets1 but assured me that no sittings could be allowed under existing circumstances1 and that it was impossible to make any exception to this rule4 ,we seemed to have arrived at a cul-de-sac1 when a bright idea struck me4 ,why not ask the ,,unseen themselves for a decision in the matter8 ,i wrote again1 therefore1 to ,dr ,hodgson1 suggesting this idea1 and mentioning that ,i should arrive in ,boston on a certain date1 and could be found at the ,hotel ,bellevue in that city4 ,the next day but one after my arrival1 and quite early in the morning1 ,dr ,hodgson came to call upon me4 ,it was my first sight of that genial and delightful personality4 ,at the very moment of shaking hands1 he said cheerily1 and with a look of half-rueful amusement at his own discomfiture3 ,well1 you've got to come6 ,they insist upon it1 so there is nothing more to be said4 ,my preconceived ideas of a critical1 elderly1 and white-haired professor1 taking himself very seriously1 were dissipated on the spot2 and this was the beginning of a sincere and loyal friendship between us which lasted for nine years on this sphere1 and will last1 ,i trust and believe1 through whatever forms of existence may succeed to this one4 ,we made arrangements at once for my joining ,dr ,hodgson next morning at ,arlington ,heights1 where my first sitting with ,mrs ,piper took place1 and where ,i met for the first time this refined and interesting-looking woman4 ,i was told that with the advent of the ,imperator and ,stainton ,moses' controls1 the character of ,mrs ,piper's mediumship had undergone a complete change4 ,the former communications through the voice ceased1 and gave place to automatic writing1 except at the moment of return to the physical body1 when a chance sentence or two might be uttered during the transition period1 but that these were not always intelligible to the listener4 ,mrs ,piper's arm and hand became curiously dead and limp when unconsciousness set in2 the blood departed1 leaving it as white and helpless as that of a corpse4 ,by degrees this dead look disappeared4 ,the blood flowed once more through the veins1 and as ,i noticed this change1 the hand moved gropingly towards the pencil held out by ,dr ,hodgson1 and finally grasped it4 ,the latter's long practice and infinite patience were invaluable in making out the often rather illegible script4 ,the hospitality he gave to all attempts at definite communications1 however vague and shadowy at first2 the infinite patience with which he repeated again and again a question not fully comprehended--all this1 combined with intelligent criticism1 alert1 dispassionate judgment and balance of mind1 made an investigator of psychic phenomena very rarely to be met in a world where most of us evince in a marked degree les dfauts de nos qualits4 ,to combine sympathy1 patience1 and receptivity with cool and critical judgment is well-nigh impossible for ordinary men and women4 ,dr ,richard ,hodgson certainly solved the problem to a very remarkable extent4 ,the first thing that struck me in the two sittings ,i had with ,mrs ,piper1 was the hopeless breakdown of the ,thought ,transference ,theory1 as accounting for the automatic writing4 ,the ostensible reason for my presence at ,arlington ,heights was the idea entertained by the controls that1 having known ,mr ,stainton ,moses in earth life1 ,i might be able to facilitate his communications4 ,i hope this may have been the case1 but if so1 it was certainly not due to any power of ,thought ,transference ,i may have possessed4 ,again and again ,i asked for names of friends we had known in common1 but nearly always in vain4 ,even when1 in despair of getting these normally1 ,i concentrated my mind consciously on some short and easy name1 the latter was not given4 ,yet next day some of these names would appear spontaneously on the script1 when my mind was entirely occupied by other subjects4 ,references were made to ,mr ,moses' lack of appreciation for music1 and he asked whether our mutual friend ,mrs ,stratton still played ,,liszt4 ,he also referred to his visiting the ,strattons1 and finding them playing duets together1 in ,london4 ,on my return to town ,mrs ,stratton fully endorsed the fact that ,mr ,moses disliked music 7this was unknown to me71 but she denied emphatically that she and her husband ever played duets in his presence4 ,mr ,stratton1 however1 corrected this impression1 and reminded her of several occasions when ,mr ,moses had come to them from ,university ,college1 found them at the piano1 and being on very intimate terms1 had begged they would finish the passage or movement2 and on one or two occasions this had been done4 ,these slight but evidential incidents1 forgotten by ,mrs ,stratton herself1 and unknown to me1 were conveyed quite correctly in the automatic script through ,mrs ,piper--three thousand miles across the ,atlantic--and nearly six years after the death of ,mr ,stainton ,moses4 ,the most convincing test upon these occasions1 however1 was the reference to a ,mrs ,lane--the lady to whom ,mr ,moses had been engaged when he passed away4 ,very few of his friends knew of this engagement1 even in ,england4 ,dr ,hodgson1 who had never met ,stainton ,moses in earth life1 had naturally not heard of it4 ,it was only by chance that ,i knew anything of the matter1 and this merely through once meeting the lady at ,mrs ,stratton's house some time after ,mr ,moses had died4 ,on that occasion ,mrs ,lane had a young daughter with her2 ,i knew nothing of any other members of the family4 ,during my second visit to ,mrs ,piper ,i mentioned meeting this lady--already a dim memory with me--and the control at once asked if ,i had met a sister also4 ,i answered ,no1 remarking that a young daughter had been with her4 ,the writing at once continued in these words3 ,well1 now ,i am giving you this as a test3 she has a sister1 and one who has been the cause of the deepest sorrow of her life4 ,you will find this is true when you go back to ,england4 ,these words were amply justified4 ,on applying to ,mrs ,stratton for information1 she denied the possibility of there being any truth in the test4 ,she said3 ,i have come to know ,mrs ,lane very intimately since you met her here4 ,i don't believe she has any sister2 anyway1 ,i am quite sure she would have told me if a sister had caused her such sorrow as you mention4 ,i persevered1 however1 in getting at the truth of the matter by writing to ,mrs ,lane herself 7an almost entire stranger71 and asking if she cared to hear the references to herself in the ,piper records2 if so1 would she come and lunch with me8 ,she came1 and when ,i reached the passage about the sister1 expecting that she would endorse ,mrs ,stratton's denial1 ,i noticed1 to my great surprise1 that her eyes filled suddenly with tears1 and that she was literally unable to speak through emotion4 ,the tears ran down her cheeks1 when at length she said in a broken voice3 ,that is the most convincing test he could have given me6 ,no6 ,i have never mentioned that sister1 even to ,mrs ,stratton1 kind and good as she has been 7by this time ,i had spoken of ,mrs ,stratton's denial of the sister's existence74 ,i could not speak of her to anyone4 ,she was the cause of the greatest sorrow in my life2 but no one upon earth knew this except ,mr ,stainton ,moses4 ,i was engaged to him at the time1 and he was the natural person to turn to in my deep tribulation4 ,no one else ever heard of the circumstances4 ,at this second sitting of mine ,mr ,stainton ,moses spoke also of a valuable watch he had possessed1 and expressed some regret that it had not been given to ,mrs ,lane at the time of his death4 ,i knew nothing at all about any watch of his1 but on appealing to one of his executors1 an old friend of mine1 found there was such a watch1 which had been a presentation one1 and was of considerable value4 ,upon the death of ,mr ,moses it had been given 7quite with the approval of ,mrs ,lane7 to the son of a very old and esteemed friend4 ,this executor also told me1 as a curious coincidence1 that when ,i was staying with the excitable sensitive in ,sussex ,gardens1 mentioned in a previous chapter1 and he and his wife had come to tea with me one afternoon 7to be introduced to this remarkable lady71 she had given him a similar message about the same watch1 purporting to come from ,stainton ,moses4 ,i remember perfectly well having asked ,mr and ,mrs ,harrington to come to tea with me one afternoon to meet my eccentric landlady1 and ,i also remember his having a long talk with her whilst his wife and ,i were immersed in our own conversation4 ,but ,i heard no details of this talk4 ,he had merely said how much interested he had been in meeting ,mrs ,peters1 and that she evidently had some mediumistic power4 ,it was certainly curious that the watch should have been mentioned1 first in ,sussex ,gardens1 ,london1 and six years later in ,arlington ,heights1 ,boston1 and that on each occasion the same wish with regard to it should have been expressed6 ,during this ,arlington ,heights sitting 7the second one71 ,mr ,moses also referred to an ,,ms41 of which ,i knew nothing at the time4 ,this allusion also was verified by his other executor1 the late ,mr ,alaric ,watts1 upon my return to ,england4 99 99 99 99 99 ,during this visit to ,america ,i also came across a ,mr ,knapton ,thompson1 a hard-headed ,yorkshire man1 who had invented a new kind of smokeless combustion stove1 which must have been a good one1 for our shrewd ,american cousins were employing him to put up these stoves in several public buildings1 including the ,smithsonian ,institute in ,washington4 ,mr ,thompson combined psychic proclivities with his smokeless invention1 and had become greatly interested in the ,new ,york medium1 ,mrs ,stoddart ,gray1 who has been already mentioned in connection with my own investigations1 twelve years previous to my present visit4 ,he had written to tell ,mr ,stead of his experiences1 which included several in which the ,julia of ,julia's ,letters had purported to be present4 ,mr ,stead had turned this gentleman over to me by giving me an introduction1 accompanied by the request that ,i should see the man and report what ,i thought about him and his wonderful experiences4 ,so ,i asked ,mr ,thompson to call upon me1 and arranged to be present with him next day 7,saturday7 at ,mrs ,stoddart ,gray's circle4 ,i found that he had taken up his abode with the medium and her son during his short stays in ,new ,york1 with the openly expressed intention of finding out if there were any trickery behind the scenes4 ,he had1 however1 convinced himself of her bon fides1 and was deeply interested in the interviews he was able to obtain by means of these mediums1 with a daughter he had lost some years previously4 ,he was much pleased to find that ,i knew ,mrs ,gray already and could also testify to some very remarkable phenomena occurring to me at her house4 ,so ,i met him there next afternoon1 with every expectation of a good sitting4 ,these hopes1 however1 were entirely destroyed owing to the presence of a noisy1 vulgar man1 whom they called the ,whisky ,king4 ,he made the most inane remarks1 cracked stupid jokes1 antagonised every respectable person in the room1 ,i should suppose2 and as all this took place without a word of protest from the lady of the house1 one can only conclude that she considered it worth her while to endure his vulgarities4 ,certainly the afternoon was spoilt for the rest of us1 and ,i remarked upon this to a very pleasant1 smart-looking young ,american lady when the sitting was over and we had retired to the reception-room to find wraps and galoshes1 etc4 ,oh yes2 wasn't he just exasperating8 she said1 with ready sympathy4 ,she looked much too young and smart and good-looking for the ordinary type of investigator1 and ,i could not refrain from asking how she had come into this galre4 ,she explained her position readily1 and it was very interesting to me4 ,she was a young married lady1 and had first been brought to the house1 six months before1 by a cousin of hers who was staying with them in ,new ,york1 and thought the experience might be amusing4 ,we just came in for a joke1 she said2 but something happened which interested me so much that ,i have come again several times1 and until to-day have always had an interesting time4 ,then she told me about her first sitting4 ,i had noticed upon her ungloved hand a very beautiful scarabus1 set in fine gold1 and evidently by an artist in the craft4 ,yes1 it is a ,tiffany setting1 she observed1 seeing my eyes drawn to it4 ,she took off the ring1 and gave it into my hands4 ,that ring is really the cause of my being here to-day1 she continued4 ,the scarabus was given to me some years ago by ,professor---- 7she gave the name of a well-known ,american ,egyptologist74 ,he made a great pet of me when ,i was a child1 and ,i begged it from him4 ,when ,i was going to be married last year he insisted upon having it set for me by ,tiffany as a wedding present1 and he then told me there was no doubt at all about its being a genuine antique4 ,he had come across it many years before by a curious chance when travelling in ,egypt1 and had been assured that it was a genuine ,cleopatra relic4 ',i can't answer for that1' he said1 laughing1 'but it is certainly many centuries old4 ,i have no doubt it is genuine so far as age goes4' ,well1 the night my cousin and ,i came here together ,i did not take off my gloves until after we had gone in to the sance room1 so no one could have seen my ring--and you know ,mrs ,gray's sittings always begin in the dark8 ,i took my gloves off when ,i found we had to sit in a circle holding hands1 and one of the first materialisations was announced to be that of ,cleopatra4 7,i had seen ,cleopatra more than once in #ahhf1 in the same house--,e4 ,k4 ,b47 ,she rushed across the room in the complete darkness1 seized my right hand1 amongst all the hands in a circle of twenty people or more1 almost tore this special ring from my finger1 and said in a tone of indescribable grief and longing3 ',mine6 ,mine6 ,ah1 ,chem6 ,,chem6' ,this was sufficiently startling1 even apart from the mention of ,chem1 as the ancient name for ,egypt1 in a milieu of this kind6 ,the ring was faithfully restored later in the evening2 and the young lady who owned it had been sufficiently impressed by the circumstances to confide them to her kind professor1 and also to pay more than one visit to ,mrs ,stoddart ,gray since the episode had occurred1 which was just six months before our meeting there4 ,during this second visit to ,america ,i made the acquaintance1 and1 ,i trust ,i may say1 gained the friendship1 of ,miss ,lilian ,whiting1 so well known by many thousands of grateful readers4 ,we saw a great deal of each other in ,boston1 and during one of my long chats with her in her pretty sitting-room at the ,brunswick ,hotel1 she told me of the visit of ,lady ,henry ,somerset and ,miss ,frances ,willard to that city1 some years before our conversation4 ,miss ,whiting also mentioned a friend who had accompanied these two ladies1 and who had been taken ill1 and had died very suddenly in the hospital at ,boston4 ,i never met the lady1 said ,miss ,whiting1 but ,miss ,willard and ,lady ,henry told me they had been obliged to leave their friend behind owing to an attack of influenza1 and asked me to call upon her someday4 ,i went a day or two later1 carrying some fruit and newspapers with me4 ,the matron1 whom ,i knew well1 said her patient was doing splendidly1 and was likely to be leaving in a few days1 but that as ,i was a stranger1 it would perhaps be better for me not to come in and see her that afternoon4 ,so ,i left my little gifts1 and was shocked next day to hear of her sudden and quite unexpected death4 ,by-the-by1 ,i believe she was ,stead's ',julia'--,i am not sure about this1 but somebody told me so lately4 ,miss ,whiting then mentioned the lady's name1 which ,i withhold1 as ,mr ,stead still makes use of it as a test when strangers profess to be in communication with ,julia4 ,the day following the sance just described as taking place in ,new ,york1 ,mr ,knapton ,thompson called at my hotel to ask me to accompany him to ,mrs ,stoddart ,gray1 as he had arranged to have a short writing sance that afternoon4 ,the son was the agent as usual4 ,on this occasion he had an alphabet mounted on card1 and pointed to the letters in turn1 whilst his mother wrote them down as indicated4 ,thinking ,i would verify ,miss ,whiting's story if possible1 my first question was3 ,can ,stead's ,julia give me her surname8 ,julia ,o4 was spelt out1 and then the ,o was given again4 ,they often do that1 said ,mrs ,gray casually--begin the name over again1 ,i mean4 ,so it passed at that4 ,the rest of the letters corroborated the surname mentioned by ,miss ,whiting4 ,then ,i asked3 ,in what country did you pass away--,europe or ,america1 or elsewhere8 ,america was spelt out at once4 ,in what city8 ,boston4 ,was it in a private house1 a hospital1 a hotel1 or where did you die8 ,in a hospital was again spelt out4 ,how long ago8 ,five years was the answer4 ,i may note here that ,miss ,whiting had not mentioned the number of years1 only having said ,a few years ago when speaking of the event4 ,five years proved to be true4 ,my last question was3 ,what was your age when you passed over8 ,twenty-three was the answer4 ,this last1 ,i felt sure1 must be wrong4 ,miss ,whiting had not mentioned any age1 but it seemed to me unlikely that so young a woman should have been travelling round the country with two temperance lecturers4 ,when these answers were being given1 ,mrs ,gray's son1 the medium1 asked if he might put one hand on my wrist to come into magnetic conditions with me4 ,i agreed to this1 but said ,i should turn my eyes away from the alphabet1 lest my muscles should give him any unconscious indications4 ,when ,i sent these answers to ,mr ,stead on returning to ,england1 ,i wrote down ,julia ,o4 7ignoring the repetition of the ,o72 and in connection with the other answers1 told him1 of course1 of my previous conversation with ,miss ,whiting1 which reduced the whole episode to one of possible ,thought ,transference4 ,in answering me he said3 ,i am glad ,julia was able to give her name1 even if it were ,thought ,transference2 but1 as a matter of fact1 it is not her whole name which you received--she always signed her letters to me ',julia ,o4 ,o4444' ,this makes rather a good bit of evidence1 seeing that the second ,o had been given1 but discarded by ,mrs ,gray and myself as a repetition of the first letter of the surname6 ,to resume my experiences with ,mr ,knapton ,thompson4 ,in the evening of this writing incident ,mrs ,gray had another public sance1 at which ,i was again present1 ,mr ,thompson sitting on one side of me4 ,after some materialisations1 for other members of the circle had appeared1 ,mrs ,gray announced that ,stead's ,julia was present in the cabinet1 and wished to speak to me4 ,i went up at once1 and the form came out and stood in very fair light from the gas-burners4 ,she seized my hands with every appearance of delight and eagerness1 and her grasp was strong and tense4 ,it is my peculiarity always to notice hands very accurately4 ,they always seem to me to indicate character very closely2 and apart from this1 ,i am attracted by people who have well-shaped hands 7not necessarily small ones71 and find it very difficult to ignore clumsy or ugly fingers1 which1 unfortunately1 never escape my notice4 ,now the medium's hands were broad1 short1 and flabby1 as ,i had had plenty of opportunities of noting in the afternoon when he held my wrist4 ,the hands which grasped mine now were1 on the contrary1 well made1 small1 and rather narrow1 the true type of the ,american female hand4 ,mr ,thompson had come up also to greet ,julia1 and ,i whispered to him3 ,do ask ,julia if there was not a mistake about her age this afternoon4 ,no2 you ask the question yourself1 ,miss ,bates1 he answered4 ,so ,i said rather eagerly3 ,julia1 do tell us1 please1 if there was not a mistake this afternoon in your age--the answer was twenty-three4 ,is that correct8 ,a very emphatic shake of the head signifying ,no was the reply to this last question1 but no sounds proceeded from the lips4 ,disappointed by this1 ,i asked2 ,can you not speak to us8 ,she made a little gesture of rather helpless dissent2 and ,mrs ,gray1 who stood by1 explained that probably all her strength had gone to building up the materialised body sufficiently to make it visible to us4 ,julia bowed her head in assent to this1 and then1 still speechless1 retired once more behind the curtains4 ,i did not mention this appearance of ,julia when writing to ,mr ,stead on my return--,i was so anxiously hoping that she might have tried to impress the fact of having appeared to me1 upon his consciousness1 as a test2 but he said nothing about it in his first letters4 ,so ,i let the matter alone for a time1 determining to tell him some day1 but much disappointed by the usual failure in getting corroborative evidence4 ,a week later1 however1 at the end of a long letter on other subjects1 ,i put this short ,p4 ,s4 in a casual way to him3 ,did ,julia ever tell you that she had appeared to me in ,new ,york8 ,in answering my letter he replied--also in a ,p4 ,s43 ,by-the-by1 to answer your last query--yes4 ,julia told me weeks ago that she had appeared to you in ,new ,york1 but that she could not give you her age on that occasion1 because she was not accustomed to speaking through the embodiment4 ,now in sending the list of questions and answers to ,mr ,stead ,i had merely marked against the answer as to her age1 twenty-three1 that doubtless it was an error1 but ,i had never hinted to him that ,i had asked her to correct the error in ,new ,york1 or that she had been unable to speak on that occasion4 ,this again was a good bit of independent evidence4 ,i will now give a description of ,mr ,knapton ,thompson's interview with his daughter1 on the same evening that ,julia appeared to me4 ,i have already said that the magnet which drew ,mr ,thompson to these sances was the opportunity given to him of meeting and talking to a daughter who had passed away some years previously4 ,on this special evening the daughter materialised as usual1 and came out from the cabinet4 ,as ,mr ,thompson was sitting next to me at the time1 ,i could distinctly hear ,mrs ,gray whisper to him3 ,would you not like to take your daughter into the other room1 ,mr ,thompson8 ,it is rather crowded here to-night4 ,you would be quieter in there4 ,mr ,thompson got up at once1 and greeted the materialised form1 and they disappeared through the folding doors to the reception-room4 ,other matters of interest were occurring1 and ,i had quite forgotten the absence of ,mr ,thompson in the dimly lighted room 7in those days the light was always dim at first71 until ,i found he was again occupying the seat next to my own4 ,i had not noticed his return1 and asked him at once 'what he had done with his daughter4' ,a good half hour must have elapsed between his disappearance and return4 ,he said1 quite simply and as a matter of course3 ,oh1 she did not care to come back into this crowded room4 ,we had half-an-hour's chat1 and then she de-materialised in the other room1 and ,i returned alone4 ,i can only repeat that ,mr ,knapton ,thompson was a shrewd1 practical ,yorkshireman1 and a very successful man of business1 as was proved by the orders he received in ,america for the stoves he had invented4 ,he was certainly under the impression that he could be trusted to recognise his own daughter when allowed the privilege of half-an-hour's conversation with her1 tte--tte in a private room4 ,i cannot end this chapter without saying something about ,keely of ,philadelphia and his intuitional genius4 ,i had hoped to have the opportunity of meeting this wonderful man during my last stay in ,philadelphia1 ,u4,s4,a4 7,march #ahig71 but was disappointed in this expectation4 ,therefore1 on the outer plane1 my connection with ,keely never went beyond a single interview with his wife2 but this is a record of personal intuitions as well as of personal events1 and ,i know no one with regard to whom my intuitions--absolutely lacking in any physical ground of proof1 or even mental ground of comprehension--have been stronger or more obstinate4 ,at the time of my first visit to ,america1 so far back as #ahhe1 ,i had not the faintest conception of ,keely's work1 or what he claimed to have discovered or to be on the track of discovering4 ,i never heard his name mentioned without being told at the same time that he was either a silly madman or a conscious impostor1 and as ,i came with an entirely unprejudiced mind 7for ,i had never heard of ,keely before landing in ,america71 it would have been natural to accept this universal opinion4 ,yet something stronger than reason was always silently contradicting these assertions1 when made in my presence4 ,friends and acquaintances alike in those days laughed at ,keely's claims1 and denounced his boasted discovery as pure imposture4 ',tisn't6 ',tisn't6 ',tisn't6 that persistent little voice kept whispering in my ear all the time1 like a naughty1 obstinate child who contradicts from sheer ignorance--or was it a spiritual intuition8 ,time alone can answer that question2 anyway1 ,i kept my ideas to myself1 for they had no foundation in fact at the time of which ,i speak4 ,in #ahig the position for me was altered4 ,a sensible and dependable friend of mine--a well-known banker in ,philadelphia--described to me his experiences and those of other prominent citizens during a demonstration of ,mr ,keely's powers2 and the old insistent voice that spoke to my ignorance before1 spoke now to some glimmering understanding of the claim put forth4 ,this claim--even then jeered at by the world at large--had to wait shivering in the cold another nine years1 before ,mr ,frederic ,soddy clothed it in respectable scientific garb by speaking publicly of the possibilities in the future connected with atomic disintegration and consequent liberation of energy4 ,but the yelping curs of ,calumny that pursued ,keely during his lifetime are still upon the dead man's tracks4 ,his methods were fraud and imposture1 anyway2 ,his wires were tubes containing compressed air1 and so forth4 ,the ,m4,f4,h4 of this pack of hounds was the son of a lady whose name will always be honourably mentioned with that of ,keely as one of his most generous supporters4 ,the initial misfortune in the whole matter was the forming and starting of the ,keely ,motor ,company to utilise the discovery1 which should first have been placed under the protection of ,science4 ,ignorant and impatient shareholders thought only of their own material advantages and dividends4 ,they were ,keely's first enemies1 with their sensational and premature advertisements of results and #bjj horse-power engines ready to patent1 etc41 whilst the poor man was still struggling with his tremendous problem--i4e4 to control the force that he had discovered4 ,he attempted this first by confining it1 but it blew everything to atoms1 and his own fingers off into the bargain6 ,occultists--including ,madame ,blavatsky--always declared this latent atomic energy was a fact1 but that ,keely would never be allowed to demonstrate it1 for the world was not yet prepared for such a tremendous dynamic force to be let loose upon it1 and that the most serious abuses and disasters would follow1 if once he succeeded in bringing his discovery into practical working order4 ,they said it would be one of two things3 either ,keely's experiments in this direction would continue to fail in the crucial point necessary1 or that if he succeeded it would be his own death warrant1 lest any mischief should accrue from his making his methods public4 ,in view of these pronouncements1 the succeeding events in ,keely's career are interesting4 ,the ,times 7,u4,s4,a47 of #fth ,march #ahih contained the following announcement1 under ,keely's own signature3-- ,after twenty-five years' labour ,i have solved the problem of harnessing the ether 7which elsewhere he says is only the medium of the force he discovered7 and adapting it to commercial uses4 ,i have finished experimenting4--,my work is now completed4 7,signed7 ,,john ,w4 ,,keely4 ,on #ahth ,november of this same year he died4 ,within two months1 his generous friend and patron1 ,mrs ,blomfield ,moore1 followed him to another sphere4 ,keely's final discovery of the means of harnessing the ether1 as he calls it1 was through holding it in rotation instead of in confinement4 ,i am allowed to quote an extract from a private letter with regard to this statement4 ,this instrument ruptures the luminous envelopes of the hydrogen corpuscles1 liberating the mysterious substance1 which is put into such high rotation that it forms its own wall of confinement at #dbj1jjj revolutions per second1 as calculated4 ,independent of this rotation in the tube1 where it is projected1 it could be no more held in suspension than a ray of sunshine could be held in a darkened room4 ,i have been given to understand that a faithful account of everything that has occurred in connection with ,keely's discovery has been compiled1 and will be published when the time comes for the truth to be made known4 ,it is1 of course1 possible that this disclosure may be anticipated by the arrival of another crank and impostor of the ,keely type4 ,let us trust he may arise from within and not from without1 scientific circles1 and thus avoid his martyrdom6 ,meanwhile it may be interesting to quote from a published letter of ,lascelles-,scott1 the ,government physicist from ,forest ,gate1 who visited ,keely's workshop in the interests of ,science1 and who was allowed to cut and bring away with him pieces of the wire ,keely was using4 7,said to be tubes by the wiseacres67 ,the following is the essential portion of ,mr ,lascelles-,scott's letter4 ,i only omit courteous expressions of gratitude to the editor and to the institutions and individuals alike of the beautiful city of ,philadelphia where he was able to carry out his investigations4 ,letter from ,mr ,lascelles-,scott to the ,editor of ,the ,public ,ledger1 ,philadelphia4 ,the only corrections of sufficient importance1 to the general sense of my observations at the ,franklin ,institute last ,wednesday night1 to call for notice in your otherwise admirable report1 are the following3-- ,although my observations were only put forward as preliminary1 inasmuch as ,i have not yet completed the outlined programme ,i had in view1 no words actually used by me justified the expression that ,i had formed no very definite opinions4 ,on the contrary1 ,i stated more than once the very definite opinion that ,mr ,keely has demonstrated to me1 in a way which is absolutely unquestionable1 the existence of a force hitherto unknown4 7,the italics are mine4--,e4 ,k4 ,b47 ,the conditions under which the experiments were carried out 7as ,i distinctly stated7 were such as to preclude the possibility of the results obtained being due to any ordinary source of power1 evident or concealed4 ,moreover1 ,i satisfied myself that the rotation of the vibrodyne was neither due to1 nor accompanied by1 any traces of electricity or magnetism4 ,so far my opinion is and was expressed as being of the most definite kind possible4 444 ,i stated1 and the statement was greeted by the audience with great and prolonged applause1 that1 after a little adjustment of the ,sympathetic ,transmitter1 it was found that by the sounding of one of the small ,english tuning forks ,i had brought with me from the other side of the ,atlantic1 upon the said ,transmitter1 ,i could myself start the vibrodyne1 and cause it to revolve rapidly1 without ,mr ,keely's intervention1 and ,i exhibited to the meeting1 the fork actually used by me4--,thanking you in anticipation1 etc41 ,i am1 sir1 yours obediently1 ,w4 ,,lascelles-,,scott4 ,one would have supposed that this testimony1 in addition to that of other scientists and practical electricians1 would have sufficed to disintegrate ,atomic ,stupidity and ,calumny1 and liberate the forces of ,humility and ,sane ,investigation4 ,but prejudiced ,ignorance dies hard6 99 99 99 99 99 ,to end my chapter on a pleasanter note than this1 ,i will quote from a private letter which ,i have been privileged to read1 the beautiful words in which ,keely describes his own achievements4 ,i have no power that is not communicated to me in the same way that this machine receives its power3 through celestial radiation from the ,soul of ,matter1 the ,mind force of the ,creator1 whose instrument ,i am4 ,i know who is leading me and making all things work together for good4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,a ,,haunted ,,castle ,,in ,,ireland ,in the year #ahih ,i was spending a few days in ,castle ,rush1 which has been described by ,mr ,w4 ,t4 ,stead as the most haunted castle in ,ireland4 ,it is one of the few old ,irish castles still inhabited1 and is naturally haunted by the ghosts of the past in every meaning of the word4 ,at the time of my stay ,i was recovering from a severe illness1 and1 in fact1 was sent off to bed immediately upon arrival by my kind hostess1 who1 with true hospitality1 thought more of her guest's comfort than the conventionalities of life1 and would not hear of my lingering1 even to make acquaintance with my host1 on the dark autumnal evening of my arrival4 ,this had taken place after driving many miles and waiting for a dreary long time in the little inn of a small ,irish township4 ,my doctor would not hear of any railway travelling just then1 so the whole forty miles from my last stopping-place had to be negotiated between the carriages of my past and present hospitable hosts4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,i believe ,i slept in one of the haunted rooms1 but it looked cheerful enough when ,i entered from the gloom and darkness outside2 and a dainty little dinner sent up by my kind friends below1 and eaten when snugly tucked in between the sheets and resting on soft downy pillows1 was enough to drive all thoughts of ghostly visitors from my head4 ,i am thankful to say that ,i neither heard nor saw anything during my short visit1 and should not even have known that my room had had any evil reputation but for the visit of an eccentric and clever old lady1 who had been specially asked to the castle to meet me4 ,after luncheon we adjourned to my bedroom1 at her suggestion1 and she said casually3 ,ah1 you have this room1 ,i see4 ,it was terribly haunted once1 but ,i held a sort of little service here some time ago1 and cleared them all out4 ,i must explain that this good lady took a very optimistic view of her own capacities and powers in general1 and spoke--from the psychic point of view--with the honest pride that a flesh and blood charwoman might display on going over premises that she had thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned out6 ,one morning after breakfast1 my hostess1 ,mrs ,kent1 called to me to come quickly and see a curious sight4 ,it was a pouring wet day--one of those days when the heavens open and the rain descends in buckets6 ,i could see nothing more remarkable than the damp1 autumnal leaves1 the bare trees swaying in the wind-washed spaces1 and the pouring1 ceaseless rain4 ,don't you see that girl over there8 ,i looked again1 and did see a girl just emerging from a clump of beeches1 and carrying a small trunk upon her head4 ,what an extraordinary day to choose for travelling1 ,i said drily4 ,ah1 that is ,irish superstition6 rejoined my hostess4 ,that is my last kitchen-maid you see--she is walking seven miles1 with that trunk on her head1 sooner than wait a few hours1 when ,i could have sent her to the station4 ,is she mad8 was my natural comment4 ,oh no6 only desperately frightened4 ,she has not been here a week yet1 and she is much too terrified to be coherent4 ,all ,i can make out is that nothing on earth would induce her to spend another night at ,rush4 ,i could have sent her over to ,marley easily to-morrow morning at eight o'clock1 but she would not hear of it4 ,and whether she has really seen anything1 or only been frightened by the stories of the other servants1 ,i don't know4 ,anyway1 she has certainly the courage of her opinions1 and is prepared to suffer for them6 ,i would rather meet half-a-dozen ghosts than carry that trunk on my head seven miles in this pouring rain4 ,then turning round carelessly1 she remarked3 ,i suppose you have not seen or heard anything1 ,miss ,bates1 since you came8 ,i hope not1 for ,i am sure you are not strong enough for mundane visitors yet1 let alone the other kind4 ,we were passing through the handsome circular hall at the time1 and ,i said eagerly3 ,oh no6 ,thank goodness1 ,i've seen and heard nothing4 ,i don't think ,i should be allowed to see anything whilst ,i am so weak and poorly4 ,almost at the moment of saying these words something impelled me to place my hand upon a particular spot in the great stone wall by my side4 ,but there is something here ,i don't like1 ,i said1 tapping it--something uncanny--but ,i don't know what it is4 ,mrs ,kent made no remark2 and ,i thought no more of the circumstance until the following year1 when ,i was told by ,mr ,stead that ,mrs ,kent was over in ,england1 and had been lunching with him and asking for me4 ,she was giving me a most graphic account of the way you 'spotted' those skeletons at ,rush ,castle1 he said4 ,i was completely puzzled by this remark4 ,i had never spotted a single skeleton to my knowledge1 either at ,rush or elsewhere1 and ,i told him so2 but he persisted in saying that ,mrs ,kent had told him a very different story1 and that most certainly she had mentioned me as the percipient4 ,she must have mixed me up with somebody else1 was my final comment4 ,no doubt many people have queer experiences there1 and she might naturally make such a mistake4 ,well1 ,i gave her your address1 and she is writing to ask you to have tea with her at the club1 so you and she can fight it out there1 he said2 and the conversation drifted into other channels4 ,next afternoon ,i met ,mrs ,kent at her club1 and before leaving1 fortunately remembered the curious mistake about the skeletons ,i had spotted4 ,but you did 'spot' them1 she said1 laughing4 ,don't you remember my asking you if you had noticed anything curious1 or heard or seen anything1 during your visit8 ,at first you said ',thank goodness1 no6' ,but immediately afterwards you put your hand on a particular part of the circular hall1 and said3 ',there is something uncanny just here--something ,i don't like4' ,yes2 ,i remember all that4 ,but what of it8 ,you never told me anything about skeletons4 ,of course not--you were not in a condition of health to discuss such eerie questions just then4 ,all the same1 you had located the exact spot where only a week before your visit1 my husband's agent told him that two skeletons had been found bricked up6 ,she then explained that the agent had been on the estate for many years1 even before the death of the late owner of ,rush--her father-in-law4 ,having some business with her husband the week before my arrival1 this agent had casually mentioned that he and the former owner had found these skeletons in the very spot indicated by me1 about forty years previously1 and1 strange to relate1 had bricked them up again instead of burying them4 ,this last fact may account in part at least for the spooky reputation of ,castle ,rush4 ,all good psychics know that nothing disturbs a spirit so much as any informality about his funeral arrangements6 ,to return to my visit to ,castle ,rush4 ,some years previously ,i had met1 on an ,orient steamer sailing from ,ceylon to ,naples1 a brother of the owner of ,rush4 ,he was a sailor1 and as hard-headed and practical a man as it has ever been my lot to meet4 ,it was in no way through meeting him that my visit to ,rush came about1 but owing to my acquaintance with ,mrs ,kent and her family4 ,i had been greatly taken by the genial common-sense of this ,captain ,kent1 and was much grieved to hear of his death when ,i stayed with his sister-in-law4 ,it had occurred shortly before my visit1 and under sad circumstances4 ,on the surface he was certainly more lacking in sentiment than anyone ,i ever met1 but must have been capable of very deep affection4 ,when ,i met him he had only been married for a few months4 ,his wife died within two years of their marriage1 and going for a short holiday to ,castle ,rush soon afterwards1 he said to his sister-in-law3 ,i shall not live a year after her1 ,i know6 ,he was the last kind of man to make such a speech1 as both ,mrs ,kent and ,i observed when she mentioned it to me4 ,but he was quite right1 all the same1 she added4 ,he died just three days within the year from the time of his wife's death4 ,yet he was an exceptionally strong1 sturdy1 and wiry man at the time of his great sorrow4 ,from ,castle ,rush ,i was going to the south of ,ireland to visit relations at ,cork4 ,on the morning of my departure ,i was down in the drawing-room1 rather wondering why ,i had been brought to this old ,irish castle4 ,no special object seemed to have been achieved by my visit4 ,i did not even know then that ,i had discovered two skeletons6 ,in those days ,i found so often some train of circumstances--a borrowed book1 a stranger coming across my path1 some unexpected visit paid1 which were later found to have been factors in a special experience--that ,i was rather surprised to realise that ,i was leaving the most haunted castle in ,ireland and that nothing had happened4 ,but in the very moment of saying this to myself a curiously insistent impression came to me quite suddenly1 and out of the blue4 ,the impression was that the brother of my host1 ,captain ,kent1 was wishing very urgently to communicate something through me4 ,i did not feel equal to taking any message at the time--,i have already explained that ,i was only just recovering from a severe illness4 ,lunch and a long drive to the station and a weary railway journey lay before me1 so ,i determined to do nothing until ,i was safely established with my cousins near ,cork4 ,after a long1 cold1 and wet journey ,i arrived in pouring rain1 my train being more than a hour late4 ,the kind ,general who came to meet me was still patiently standing on the platform1 but one of the two cars he had engaged for me and my baggage had taken itself off6 ,as the rain was descending in water-spouts1 ,i need scarcely say it was the covered car which had driven away6 ,this meant a thorough wetting for my cousin and me4 ,how all the luggage 7including a large bicycle1 and two people1 in addition to the driver7 was ever piled up on that small outside ,irish car ,i have never been able to understand4 ,suffice it to say the miracle was performed1 and we drove up a hill at an angle of about forty-five degrees into the bargain6 ,clearly these were not ideal conditions for receiving automatic messages6 ,i was put to bed at once with hot bottles and hot soup1 and soon forgot my past troubles in a long refreshing sleep4 ,i was still in the invalid stage of breakfast in bed1 and when this had been cleared away1 the remembrance of ,captain ,kent flashed into my mind1 and ,i found pencil and papers at once1 in order to redeem my promise4 ,the message was rather a curious one1 and its opening sentence evidently referred to the eccentric old lady whom ,i have mentioned as being asked to meet me at luncheon at ,castle ,rush4 ,so far as ,i can remember them1 the words 7very characteristic of ,captain ,kent's genial but rather brusque style7 ran as follows3-- ,after speaking of the alleged hauntings at ,castle ,rush as having only too much foundation in fact1 he went on3 ,it's all rubbish1 that old woman saying she had cleared them all away6 ,nothing of the kind4 ,there are plenty of malicious spirits about still1 and now that an heir is coming to ,rush they are keener than ever to try and work some mischief4 ,no use saying anything to ,tom 7his brother74 ,he will only laugh1 and say it is all skittles4 ,but tell my little sister-in-law to ,,pray--,,pray--,,pray4 ,that is all they need and all she needs either4 ,now this was not exactly the message one cared to send to a rather recent acquaintance4 ,to begin with1 the reference to ,mrs ,kent's valued friend in the opening sentence was scarcely polite6 ,then again1 the prophecy of an heir to ,rush was one that ,i regretted should have been made1 as it would probably only lead to disappointment4 ,mrs ,kent's first child had been a little son1 from whose loss she had never recovered4 ,when ,i was staying at the castle1 two nice little girls1 old enough to come down to early dinner1 at our luncheon hour1 comprised the family4 ,another child was certainly expected to arrive about ,christmas-time 7my visit was paid in ,september71 but ,mrs ,kent herself was fully convinced that this would be another girl1 as she said rather sadly4 ,it seemed a pity to disturb her mind by raising false hopes4 ,but1 as usual1 ,i felt bound to send the message1 with the customary explanations and apologies4 ,mrs ,kent was greatly interested by it and by the ,,pray--,,pray--,,pray1 which1 as she explained to me1 had a very special meaning for her4 ,it had only struck me as an exceedingly unlikely message for the ,captain ,kent ,i had known1 to send to anyone4 ,i am glad to be able to record that the ,christmas gift did arrive in the shape of a baby boy1 heir to ,rush1 who is still alive and flourishing1 thank ,god6 ,i hear that he calls himself the master1 with a true ,irish brogue1 and lords it over his elder sisters in the regular chieftain style6 ,to this year belongs another strong impression of psychic atmosphere1 left in a room which ,i occupied in the south of ,england4 ,it was a most comfortable room1 with nothing in the least ghostly about it4 ,merely ,i had an unpleasant feeling that controversies and discussions had taken place in the room1 and that a want of harmony hung about it in consequence4 ,on mentioning this rather tentatively to the master of the house--a very orthodox clergyman--,i was told3 ,oh dear1 no6 ,nothing of the kind--you are certainly mistaken6 ,but when an opportunity arose ,i changed my room1 and felt very much more comfortable in consequence of doing so4 ,several times ,i had noticed on the hall table1 letters which had come by post addressed to another clergyman1 whose name ,i had not heard1 and who was certainly not staying in the house4 ,remarking upon this casually to a nice young governess one day1 she said at once that the gentleman in question had spent several months with ,mr and ,mrs ,dale in the ,vicarage1 but that he had died a few weeks before my arrival4 ,he slept in the room you had when you first came1 by-the-by4 ,i was so glad when you changed your room4 ,he was a clergyman1 ,i see1 was my next remark2 and ,i looked at the envelope which had led to this explanation4 ,yes2 he was in orders1 but he had become a complete agnostic for some years4 ,during the last few weeks of his life--when he had to keep his bed--,mr ,dale was always going up there1 and having long arguments and discussions with him2 but ,i don't suppose it did much good3 it only worried him very much4 ,he was too ill to listen to long arguments then1 and wanted just kind1 soothing words1 ,i should have thought4 ,as the girl retreated to the school-room ,i naturally pondered over this fresh testimony to the truth of psychic atmosphere4 ,no sensitive can question the fact1 but at present we know little or nothing of the laws which condition the fact4 ,my friend ,mr ,w4 ,t4 ,stead kindly allows me to mention another incident connected with personal experiences of mine in the year #ahih4 ,in the opening month of that year he lost a much-valued friend1 who had worked for him loyally1 both in his office and also with regard to some of his philanthropic schemes4 ,this lady in a fit of delirium1 incident upon a severe attack of illness1 threw herself out of a window in her flat4 ,a fortnight before this sad occurrence1 she had seen another resident in the same set of flats throw herself out of the window1 and ,mr ,stead has always feared that this acted as a suggestion upon her mind in delirium1 and led her to do the same thing4 ,her own account of the cause of her action differs somewhat from this impression1 as will be seen later4 ,mr ,stead was naturally greatly affected by ,mrs ,morris' sudden death and the circumstances attending it1 and having some of her hair cut off after her death1 he sent portions of it to at least twelve well-known clairvoyants1 hoping to receive some satisfactory solution of the mystery1 and also1 possibly1 a sign decided upon between him and this lady4 ,they were both interested in psychic matters1 and had agreed to believe in no communications from the other side purporting to come from one or other of them1 unless this preliminary sign were given4 ,mrs ,besant--an intimate friend of ,mr ,stead--was one of the oracles consulted1 and was very confident of being able to find out all details1 including the mystic sign4 ,but both she and ,mr ,leadbeater were as absolutely unsuccessful as less gifted mortals proved to be4 ,in spite of exceptional opportunities for coming in touch with the most noted psychics1 in spite of the valuable clue given by hair cut after death1 the test seemed quite hopeless1 since twelve of the best clairvoyants had been consulted1 and all had failed in turn4 ,a few weeks after hearing about this from ,mr ,stead1 ,i was invited by an old friend in ,london to meet at her house1 at luncheon1 ,miss ,rowan ,vincent1 a non-professional sensitive1 well known to many of my readers4 ,i had never seen this lady before1 and had little speech with her during the meal4 ,she was talking very earnestly to a military man--the son-in-law of our hostess--whilst the latter and ,i were having an interesting conversation to ourselves4 ,general ,maxwell1 having a train to catch1 did not accompany us to the drawing-room4 ,on arrival there ,miss ,rowan ,vincent said to me very kindly3 ,can ,i do anything for you now1 ,miss ,bates8 ,shall ,i try if ,i can see anything for you8 ,something induced me1 quite against my will1 to say3 ,do you ever get messages by writing1 ,miss ,vincent8 ,no2 ,i have never done so1 but ,i can try1 she answered rather eagerly4 ,how ,i bewailed my stupidity in making such a suggestion6 ,i had diverted her mind from her own special gift1 which was that of seeing a person's psychic surroundings1 and had switched her on to an entirely novel and untried experiment4 ,i had not even the excuse of being specially interested in automatic writing1 which was so easily obtained at home2 whereas ,i was greatly interested in seeing whether any of my other side friends could make themselves perceptible through this sensitive4 ,however1 the mischief was done past remedy4 ,the suggestion had taken firm root in ,miss ,rowan ,vincent's mind1 and she was not to be diverted from it4 ,so ,i resigned myself patiently to the results of my own foolish remark1 whilst she took pencil and paper and sat down expectantly4 ,soon she looked up1 the writing having already begun4 ,do you know any ,william8 ,there seems to be some message from a ,william1 as far as ,i can make out4 ,having had a favourite cousin of that name1 ,i told her it might be quite correct1 and ,i should be glad to receive any message that came4 ,a few moments passed1 and then ,miss ,vincent said1 in a puzzled tone3 ,it is not from ,william--the message is to some ,william--,i cannot understand it at all4 ,she pushed the paper rather impatiently towards me4 ,written upon it clearly but faintly were these words3 ,,dear ,,william1--,i want to explain to you how ,i came to fall out of that window--it was not my fault really--someone came up behind and pushed me out4 ,,ethel4 ,the signature was rather indistinct1 but quite unmistakable to me2 but then ,i knew the ,christian name of ,mr ,stead's friend1 and realised at once that she was taking this opportunity of sending a message to him4 ,i asked ,miss ,vincent what name was written at the bottom of the paper4 ,it looks like ,ethel1 she said1 but it is not very clear4 ,i will ask the spirit to write it again4 ,a very bold and unmistakable signature was at once given4 ,i concealed my excitement1 and said quietly to ,miss ,vincent3 ,i think ,i know from whom the message comes and for whom it is intended1 but to make quite sure it would be very satisfactory if the spirit could give through you a sign agreed upon by the sender and the recipient and unknown to everyone else4 ,well1 ,i will try1 said ,miss ,vincent at once4 ,she had scarcely touched the pencil when it began describing a circle4 ,there is no doubt about my having to make a circle1 she said1 laughing4 ,oh1 now ,i am to put a cross into it1 she added4 ,within a few seconds both these were given1 and to our great delight--as well as to his--the sign was recognised by ,mr ,stead as being the one agreed upon1 and which had hopelessly puzzled all the other mediums4 ,,chapter ,,xii #aijj-aija ,i must now note a curious episode connected with my friend ,judge ,forbes1 whose astral influence ,i had traced clinging to the rooms he once occupied in ,cambridge4 ,as before mentioned1 he had married1 and ,i had lost sight of him and his whole family for many years4 ,but we had several mutual friends1 through whom ,i had heard of the birth of his only son and only child1 and later of the boy being sent to ,eton1 and eventually entering the army4 ,this was very shortly before the breaking out of the ,south ,african ,war1 and the young fellow was one of many who were drafted from ,india1 after a few months' service there1 to help to defend their ,queen's possessions and their countrymen's lives and property in ,south ,africa4 ,later1 young ,forbes was shut up in ,ladysmith1 and one cold1 dismal day in ,january 7#fth ,january #aijj7 ,i was lying very ill in bed with a severe bronchial attack in the house of my eldest brother in ,hampshire1 when the latter came home one evening from the ,winchester ,club and told us of the celebrated sortie and the death of three young ,english officers4 ,the name of ,forbes of the ,royal ,rifles figured amongst these1 and ,i felt convinced that it must be the only child of my old friend4 ,without hesitation ,i prepared to write a few short lines of sympathy with the heart-broken father4 ,in vain my sister-in-law protested against my concluding at once that it must be the judge's son1 since other members of the family of the same name were known to be in the army4 ,i had not a moment's doubt that this was the boy already mentioned1 and even a silence of over twenty years seemed to present no difficulty in expressing one's deep sympathy1 in the face of such a sorrow4 ,the real drawback lay in my weak state of health and physical inability to write more than a few lines4 ,but in these ,i expressed a hope that in time my poor friend might come to realise that his boy was as much alive and as near to him as ever--perhaps nearer4 ,it will indicate how entirely all relations between us had been broken off for many years1 when ,i say that ,i did not even know the judge's private address1 and was forced to send my letter to his court4 ,in a day or two ,i received a very touching and grateful answer1 pathetic not only in its grief1 but even more in his frankly avowed inability to derive any consolation from the thoughts that my short note had suggested4 ,resignation to the inscrutable will of ,god was the keynote of the letter4 ,in some far-distant future he might be permitted once more to see his beloved son1 but meanwhile all was gloom and misery4 ,the episode was over4 ,i had expressed my sincere sympathy with an overwhelming sorrow1 ,i had received a most kind and appreciative answer--no more could be done in the matter4 ,this was my conclusion1 but evidently not the conclusion of young ,talbot ,forbes4 ,i had never seen this boy in my life1 nor his mother2 but ,i suppose my old friendship with his father1 and my deep sympathy with the latter1 enabled the son to approach me soon after he had passed into the next sphere4 ,anyway1 he made me conscious of his presence by my bedside during the greater part of the night following my receipt of his father's letter4 ,owing to my severe illness ,i was sleeping very little1 and once or twice in the night an attendant came in to make up my fire and keep the temperature of the room even1 so that ,i had ample opportunity for realising the presence of my hitherto unknown visitor4 ,those who know what hearing with the inner ear means will realise the method through which the following conversation took place1 so far as ,i can now recall it3-- ,,talbot4--,yes1 it is ,talbot ,forbes4 ,i want to speak to you4 ,please listen to me6 ,i want to tell you1 you must do more for them than this--you have to help them about me4 ,e4 ,k4 ,b4--,who do you mean by 'them'8 ,,talbot4--,my parents1 of course4 ,don't you understand what ,i am saying8 ,you have to do more for them--you must make them know ,i am close to them4 ,now ,i could only suppose that he wished me to write again to his father1 and explain more fully my own ideas on the subject of our departed friends4 ,as this would have involved a wearisome and almost certainly useless discussion on a topic which ,i had reason to know was very distasteful to the boy's father1 ,i said rather shortly1 and ,i am afraid with some of the petulance of an invalid3 ,oh1 do be quiet1 and leave me alone6 ,i have done all ,i can1 and there is no more to be said about it4 ,i am very sorry for you1 but ,i really can't help you in this4 ,i don't know your mother or what her views about it may be2 and as for your father--well1 ,i am not going to worry and torment him about ideas that he dislikes and disapproves of1 and just now1 too1 when he is so miserable6 ,no1 ,i won't do it1 not even if you come and worry me about it every night4 ,i was feeling ill and weary1 and longing for sleep1 and hoped this would be a quietus to my young friend4 ,not a bit of it6 ,his next remark was3 ,what does it matter what ,,you think or what you mean to do or not to do8 ,you have to help them1 not to think about your own feelings4 ,this was frank at anyrate1 but not altogether convincing4 ,soon afterwards1 tired out with the discussion1 ,i really did fall asleep1 and only woke a short time before my breakfast and daily budget of letters arrived4 ,amongst these letters was one in an unknown handwriting1 which proved to be from ,mrs ,forbes1 saying she had seen my letter to her husband1 and begging that ,i would tell her the grounds ,i had for my assurance that those we love are close to us after the great change we call death4 ,evidently the boy knew that this letter was coming to me1 and was trying to prepare me to answer it in such a way as should help him to convince his mother of his continued existence in her immediate presence4 ,as this case is one well known to the ,society for ,psychical ,research 7the lady ,i have called ,mrs ,forbes appearing on their records both as ,mrs ,scott and under the pseudonym ,i have borrowed from them71 it is unnecessary to go into further details4 ,suffice it to say that my nocturnal visitor was successful in his aim4 ,i answered his mother's letter as he wished4 ,this led to a long correspondence between us1 and to my making her acquaintance shortly afterwards and renewing my old friendship with her husband4 ,mrs ,forbes had several sittings with ,mrs ,thompson and other mediums1 became convinced of her son's presence with her1 and very soon was independent of outside assistance in communicating with him4 ,the judge also declared himself unable to resist the evidence1 but ,i don't think he ever quite honestly rejoiced in his convictions4 ,it is hard to eradicate prejudices and traditions after fifty years of age1 and the human element in his son's bright and happy messages always seemed to worry and perplex him a little4 ,he knows all about it now6 ,much as ,i deplore the earthly disappearance of such an old and faithful friend of my youth1 ,i can sincerely rejoice in thinking of him as once more united with his son1 in ways that will no longer appear to him unnatural or undesirable4 ,during the judge's lifetime1 and after the son's death1 ,i often stayed with him and his wife in their northern home4 ,mrs ,forbes used frequently to say3 ,it was ,talbot who brought us all three together1 we must remember6 ,,pekin ,,story ,it was during my first visit to ,judge and ,mrs ,forbes1 in the north of ,england1 that another curious experience came to me4 ,this happened on the #dth of ,july #aijj1 for ,i remember saying to ,mrs ,forbes next morning3 ,i shall remember the date from its being ,american ,independence ,day4 ,it was the year of the ,boxer rebellion in ,china1 when the ,pekin ,embassy was in a state of siege1 and by ,july almost all hope that any ,europeans would be saved from their dire peril had faded away4 ,the ,memorial ,service1 arranged by a too eager dignitary of the ,church to take place in ,st ,paul's1 had certainly been adjourned at the last moment2 but as days and weeks passed1 and the little garrison was still unrelieved1 very little hope was entertained4 ,in fact1 by ,july most people hoped and believed that their troubles must be already over1 through the merciful interposition of death4 ,a connection of mine1 whom ,i had known well when she was a child1 but had not seen for many years1 was shut up with her husband1 children1 and sister in the ,pekin ,embassy at the time4 ,thousands were lamenting her sad fate1 and ,i naturally amongst them2 but ,i wish to make clear that1 owing to the years that had elapsed since ,i had seen this special member of the family1 it was not in any sense a very personal sorrow1 nor was ,i then--nor am ,i now--aware of any special tie of affinity between this lady and myself4 ,i had gone to bed about eleven o'clock on the night of #dth ,july #aijj1 and had been in bed about half-an-hour1 without any attempt at going to sleep1 when suddenly ,i felt extremely alert in mind1 very much as ,miss ,porter described herself in the ,captain ,carbury episode4 ,almost immediately upon this feeling of mental alertness came the conviction that ,mabel ,m',leod 7as ,i will call her7 was in the room1 close to me1 and that she was in some dire and urgent need of help--instantaneous help1 ,i mean4 ,i could neither see nor hear on this occasion--,i only knew these facts through some power of intuition1 all the more remarkable because1 having made up my mind that all was over at the ,embassy1 ,i had not been thinking of her or of her fellow-sufferers for some days past4 ,my thoughts were fully engaged at the time with the grief of my host and hostess4 ,with the knowledge of ,mabel's presence came also the conviction that she was still alive--in the physical body--and that it was no excarnate spirit that was appealing to me for help4 ,the impression was so vivid that ,i called out instinctively3 ,what is it1 ,mabel8 ,what can ,i do for you8 ,there was no response1 either by outward or inner voice1 only the insistent appeal for help1 and knowledge of some imminent danger at hand for her4 ,i am trying to explain that something more than the usual hourly peril in which they must be living1 if on this side the veil1 was implied by the impression ,i received4 ,it was some acute and additional danger which threatened her at the moment4 ,feeling it was useless to waste time trying to find out by writing or other means what the exact nature of this danger might be1 ,i jumped out of bed as quickly as possible1 saying3 ,never mind trying to make me understand--,i will pray for you1 whatever it is6 ,so ,i knelt down1 and prayed most earnestly that this poor woman1 whose spirit had appealed for help at some dread crisis1 might be comforted1 and delivered from any dangers threatening her at the time4 ,i had been very comfortably tucked up in bed1 looking forward to the pleasant drowsiness which promises sleep1 and ,i am quite sure ,i should not have put myself to all this inconvenience without a very strong motive4 ,when ,i felt the poor1 tormented spirit was calmed and soothed by the atmosphere of prayer1 ,i returned to my bed1 and eventually fell asleep4 ,next morning ,i told ,mrs ,forbes of my experience1 making the remark quoted about the date4 ,the following week she and ,i were together at one of the meetings of the ,society for ,psychical ,research1 at the close of which1 in shaking hands with ,mr ,frederic ,myers1 ,i begged him to make a note of my experience and the date4 ,ah1 ,miss ,bates6 he said1 taking out a small note-book1 ,i will make a note of it1 but ,i fear there is not the remotest chance of any of them having been alive ten days ago4 ,then my experience goes for nothing1 ,i answered4 ,it was a living woman1 not an excarnate one1 who came to my bedside on the #dth ,july4 ,later1 when the ,embassy was relieved1 and this lady 7who had presented such a stiff upper lip to ,fortune7 was once more safe at home for a much-needed rest1 ,i found that she had gone through a special time of accentuated suffering just when ,i felt her presence in my room4 ,her husband was down with dysentery1 and she had not enough food either for him or for her poor little children1 and the strain was almost too great1 even for that brave soul4 ,of course1 she had been quite unconscious of any appeal to me4 ,but she has ,scottish as well as ,irish blood in her veins1 and this heredity may have enabled her subconscious self to sense my locality and to realise my power and will to help her in her desperate need4 ,truly it was a case of vain is the help of man1 or woman either6 ,but we know too little of spiritual laws to be able to deny off-hand the efficacy of any earnest prayer4 ,i saw ,mr ,myers make a note of the circumstance1 but1 unfortunately1 this cannot be found amongst his papers4 ,i asked ,mrs ,myers about it1 and she remembered distinctly her husband having mentioned the case to her when he returned home after that meeting1 but when ,i last saw her1 she had hunted amongst his papers in vain for the note which he made at the time4 99 99 99 99 99 ,early in ,january #aija1 the day after ,lord ,robert's triumphant procession through ,london1 ,i went to spend some weeks at an open-air cure in ,devonshire1 high up in the hills1 and in a bleak part of the county4 ,several severe illnesses had left me so supersensitive to colds and draughts that it seemed a vital necessity to take some such drastic step1 even at this inclement time of the year1 unless ,i were prepared to sink into a state of chronic invalidism1 and become a burden to myself and my neighbours for the rest of my natural life4 ,an old friend was second in command in this special establishment1 which she had asked me to recommend1 and a bright thought struck me that ,i might do my friend a good turn1 and myself also1 by spending a few weeks in the house4 ,i did not bargain1 however1 for the deep snow which fell on the very day after my arrival1 nor for the howling west winds1 which continued to blow during the whole of my stay4 ,in these parts1 the west wind corresponds with our eastern variety1 and is quite as cold and disagreeable4 ,nor were the surroundings inside of a very cheerful nature4 ,all the other patients 7six or seven7 were quite young girls1 and all more or less consumptive4 ,several of them were very attractive1 which made it seem all the more sad4 ,without exception1 all were1 or had been1 engaged to be married1 as the coping-stone to this tragedy of their lives6 ,in several cases the engagements had been broken off1 sometimes by mutual consent1 on the score of health4 ,in a few exceptions1 where love had proved stronger than prudence and common-sense1 it was equally melancholy to realise that the future could hold nothing but disappointment on the one side1 and a hopeless regret on the other4 ,under these circumstances it was perhaps only to be expected that my first impressions of the establishment should not be entirely couleur de rose4 ,yet the house itself was pleasant enough1 and the view from the drawing-room windows was simply magnificent1 including sea as well as moor4 ,curtainless windows1 with sashes thrown wide open1 and chilly linoleum to replace warm carpets1 were rather a trial to the uninitiated1 early in ,january1 with deep snow on the ground and fires none too plentiful4 ,in addition to these drawbacks ,i had another personal one4 ,coming in the middle of the winter1 it was naturally ,hobson's choice as regarded the bedrooms4 ,all the best and warmest aspects had been appropriated in the autumn1 and an ugly little room1 with cold1 west outlook and depressing1 mustard-coloured distempered walls1 fell to my lot4 ,yet even these facts did not sufficiently account for the extremely depressing effect of that room upon me4 ,has anyone died here lately8 was my first and natural query in a house of this kind4 ,i had heard the girls casually mention two gentlemen patients who had been in the house the previous year--one of these had gone into rooms in a neighbouring town with his nurse4 ,i did not hear what had become of the other one1 and had not sufficient curiosity to ask the question4 ,my friend reassured me by saying she was sure no one had died recently in my room4 ,she had only lately come to the house herself1 as ,i knew2 having been matron for some years of a small hospital in the country4 ,the second poor gentleman1 who was a patient here1 did die in the house1 ,i believe1 but that was months ago1 she said1 and ,i understand that he had ,laura ,pearce's room1 mentioning one of the girls1 who had a specially cheerful apartment4 ,it seemed quite natural that a sick man1 confined to his bed1 should occupy a large and sunny room1 so ,i thought no more of the matter4 ,still1 ,i was always conscious of an unpleasant and sad atmosphere in my own room1 and took occasion one day to ask the lady at the head of the establishment whether she knew anything of the predecessors in the house4 ,it struck me that the psychic atmosphere in my room might be connected with some of them4 ,miss ,hunter replied laughingly3 ,i can't tell you anything about them1 for the very good reason that they don't exist4 ,i am the first tenant of this house4 ,it was only built two years ago1 and remained vacant for the first twelve months4 ,then ,i told her very cautiously of my feeling about my room1 and that ,i had supposed it might have to do with someone who had slept there before she took the house4 ,two or three of the young girls were in the room at the time1 and it struck me that one of them--the one who was there for her second winter--looked a little surprised and interested2 but the matron passed off the subject with a few bantering words1 and again ,i had no suspicion of the truth4 ,six weeks passed1 and my last night in the house had arrived4 ,my nurse friend was in the habit of giving me massage twice a day1 before getting up in the morning and the last thing at night4 ,she left me on this occasion about ten-thirty ,p4,m41 expressing a hope that ,i should soon sleep1 and have a good night before my long journey next day4 ,not much doubt of that1 ,i murmured4 ,why1 ,i'm half asleep already6 ,and ,i turned round1 tired and yet soothed by the massage1 and soon fell into a deep and dreamless sleep4 ,several hours must have passed1 when ,i woke up1 trembling and terror-struck1 after passing through an experience which seems as vivid to me to-day as on that ,february night or early morning4 ,my heart was beating1 my limbs trembling1 beads of perspiration covered my face1 as ,i discovered later4 ,no wonder6 ,i had been through an experience from which few1 ,i imagine1 return to tell the tale4 ,for ,i had passed through every detail of dying1 and dying a very hard and difficult death4 ,body and soul were being literally torn apart1 in spite of the desperate effort to cling together1 and my spirit seemed to be launched into unknown depths of darkness and possible horror4 ,it was the feeling that ,i did not know where ,i was going nor what awaited me that seemed so terrible--this and the horrible fight for mastery between my poor body and soul and some unknown force that was inexorably set upon dividing them4 ,this1 so far as ,i can express it1 exactly describes the experience ,i had just gone through1 and from which ,i had awakened in such abject terror4 ,as the beating of my heart subsided1 and ,i could think more calmly1 ,i remembered with startling distinctness that in the very worst of the struggle ,i had been vainly endeavouring to say that text in the twenty-third ,psalm which begins3 ,though ,i walk through the valley of the shadow of death1 ,i will fear no evil2 for ,thou art with me3 ,thy rod and ,thy staff1 they comfort me4 ,i could say the first part of it quite easily1 but some fiendish enemy seemed bent upon preventing my saying the last sentence1 and in my terrible dream1 rescue and safety depended upon my getting to the end of the text4 ,i tried again and again1 always to be driven back in despair before the crucial words were uttered4 ,at last1 with a desperate effort1 ,i seemed to shake off the incubus which was weighing me down1 and ,i finished the words triumphantly1 and so loud that ,i had positively wakened myself up by shouting them out4 ,with returning memory ,i knew this had happened1 and hearing a door open and shut on the half landing below my room1 ,i thought for the moment that someone must have heard me1 and must be coming to see what was the matter4 ,i looked at my watch--just two-thirty ,a4,m4 ,no one appeared2 and to my relief ,i remembered that this was just the hour when either ,miss ,hunter or my friend went round to the invalids1 giving them milk or bovril1 in the night4 ,i had no inclination to seek out either of these ladies4 ,the horror was past1 and no one could undo what ,i had endured2 so ,i lay quiet1 and in course of time managed to go to sleep again1 not waking until the servant came into my room to light the fire at seven-thirty ,a4,m4 ,it happened to be a certain ,minnie on this occasion1 a very respectable young woman1 who had accompanied ,miss ,hunter when she gave up the matronship of a well-known hospital1 and who had therefore been with her since this establishment had been started4 ,my night's experience convinced me so absolutely that1 in spite of all that had been said1 the gentleman patient had died in this room1 and that ,i had just gone through his death agonies1 that instead of asking any question about it1 ,i said very quietly to ,minnie1 as she was on her knees lighting my fire3 ,the poor gentleman who died here last summer died in this room1 ,i find4 ,yes1 ma'am1 she said quietly1 not knowing1 as it turned out1 that any mystery had been made about the fact4 ,my personal friend was guiltless of any deceit1 for she had been told the story about ,laura ,pearce's room1 but the young girls confessed when ,i went down to breakfast that they had been specially warned not to let me know the true facts4 ,miss ,hunter did not appear at breakfast1 as she was suffering from a chill1 so ,i went to her bedroom to say good-bye before going up to ,london4 ,feeling naturally annoyed and rather shaken by my night's experience1 ,i said to her rather drily3 ,you need not have taken the trouble to deceive me about my room1 ,miss ,hunter1 nor to warn the girls to do the same4 ,i know that gentleman died there1 for ,i have just gone through his experiences4 ,and then ,i told her about my terrible night4 ,although forced to admit the facts1 ,miss ,hunter fought every inch of the ground1 so far as the painful experiences were concerned4 ,such an excellent man6 so interested in everything--a clergyman1 my dear ,miss ,bates1 and so good6 ,how could there be anything painful connected with his death8 etc4 etc4 ,i suggested that1 as ,christians1 we had the most overwhelming proof that holiness of life does not always preclude even mental suffering at death2 but she would not hear of this argument1 and doubtless considered it blasphemous4 ,by dint of questioning1 however1 ,i made two discoveries--first1 that the death was quite unexpected4 ,the man had only been a fortnight in the house1 and when ,i expressed surprise that he should have been moved there so late in a fatal illness1 she said unguardedly3 ,oh1 but he was very slightly ill when he came--it was more a preventive measure4 ,none of us had any idea that he was a dying man1 the symptoms developed so suddenly4 ,i also elicited another fact--i4e4 that this delightfully interesting personality so intellectual--so full of interest in everything 7to quote ,miss ,hunter's words71 had died at the age of forty1 in the very prime of life4 ,no wonder1 under the circumstances of so short an illness1 in the very zenith of life and enjoyment1 that body and soul should have been loath to separate1 and thus free the imprisoned spirit6 ,but ,miss ,hunter was adamant1 and would admit nothing4 ,just before leaving her1 it struck me that ,i had not yet told her about the text1 so ,i repeated that episode1 and then1 for the first time1 a startled look came into her eyes4 ,she was taken by surprise1 and said hastily3 ,that is extraordinary6 ,i was with him when he died in the night1 and he kept on asking for that text4 ,that is not so remarkable1 many might have asked for that text1 but ,i stopped once or twice after the first sentence1 and he kept on urging me3 ,say it to the end1 ,miss ,hunter6 ,say it to the end6 ,later the good lady even consented to write out the evidential points in this story1 which ,i sent at once to my friend ,dr ,richard ,hodgson4 ,immediately upon my return to ,london on this occasion1 ,i was attacked quite suddenly by a very acute form of rheumatism1 which laid me on my back--perfectly helpless--for several days4 ,when the doctor arrived1 his first question was3 ,have you had any special shock lately8 ,this particular form of rheumatism does not generally come on with so little warning unless there has been a previous shock4 ,i was about to deny this1 thinking he referred to unexpected news1 but with the memory of my ,devonshire experience so keen and clear1 ,i felt bound to tell him that ,i had certainly had a shock to my nerves twenty-four hours previously4 ,soon after this sudden and sharp attack of illness ,i found myself in ,portugal for the first time in my life4 ,i had gone there with an ,english friend--,mrs ,frampton--in order to be near connections who had lived in the country for many years4 ,a cousin and ,i spent a delightful afternoon in that ,cintra paradise of ,monserrat1 with ,general and ,mrs ,sartorius1 who were living there at the time of my visit to ,portugal4 ,i have heard that even this charming house could tell strange tales if only walls could speak4 ,it is easy to imagine that any spirits--carnate or discarnate--might deem it a privilege to haunt so exquisite a spot4 ,personally1 ,i can only testify to the hospitality of our kind host and hostess and the excellence of the spirit of ,robur1 which refreshed our weary bodies1 and made the walk back to the ,cintra ,hotel1 through the lovely woodland paths1 a thing of beauty and a joy for ever4 ,to return to ,lisbon4 ,my friend ,mrs ,frampton had never been present at any sort of psychic phenomena1 so we planned a little sitting for her during one of these ,lisbon evenings4 ,she and ,i descended in solemn state to the fine library of our host1 on the ground floor1 whilst his wife and sister elected to remain in the drawing-room upstairs4 ,a sister-in-law also begged to be excused from accompanying us1 and spent the whole time occupied by our sance1 in playing ,moody and ,sankey hymns1 doubtless hoping thereby to exorcise the evil spirits whom we should presumably evoke4 ,unfortunately1 she did not play loud enough to divert the attention of the ,portuguese cook1 who promptly gave warning next day1 saying she could not stand these devilish practices6 ,we had failed to realise that the very wall1 close to which our small table was placed1 divided the kitchen from the large ground-floor library1 so the poor woman doubtless sat with her ear well jammed up against this partition1 and considered every rap of the table leg on the floor1 a distinct footstep of the devil6 ,nothing more terrible happened to us that evening than being forced to look up our ,english history once more1 in ,hume and ,green's ,short ,history of the ,english ,people1 both of which volumes were close at hand4 ,for the whole sance might have been an easy lesson in ,english history1 with ,john1 ,duke of ,northumberland1 ,lady ,jane ,grey1 the ,earl of ,leicester1 and the famous ,elizabeth as its exponents4 ,all these purported to be with us that evening1 and ,i am bound to say that all dates and details mentioned1 which our middle-aged memories could not verify at the moment1 were in every case corroborated by reference to the library books later4 ,it was just before leaving ,england for ,portugal that ,i first met a lady 7with whom ,i have since become more intimate71 under rather exceptional circumstances--these latter were unknown to me at the time4 ,my brother1 ,colonel ,c4 ,e4 ,bates1 was living at this time 7#aija7 in rooms in ,cambridge ,terrace1 and the drawing-room floor was occupied by a ,miss ,isabel ,smith1 who was then only a name to us both4 ,his landlady had given him to understand that this lady had connections in ,india1 and was the niece of a ,general ,propert1 still on the active list1 and an old friend of my brother's in ,indian days4 ,the last ,sunday before starting for ,lisbon ,i called in as usual to spend the afternoon in ,cambridge ,terrace1 and found that the drawing-room lady had just been paying him a visit1 and had left him most enthusiastic4 ,this visit surprised me1 because my brother1 being a very great invalid1 had an inveterate dislike to meeting strangers1 with whom he generally found it difficult to carry on any lengthy conversation4 ,but this visitor had evidently been an exception4 ,my brother expressed some regret that ,i should have missed seeing her1 so to please him ,i suggested sending his valet upstairs with his compliments1 and asking if ,i might pay the lady a short visit1 should she be disengaged4 ,she came downstairs kindly1 a second time1 and we had a pleasant chat1 whilst my brother and an old ,indian brother officer carried on their conversation4 ,i left ,england a few days later1 and scarcely expected to see or hear any more of ,miss ,isabel ,smith4 ,fate1 however1 ordained otherwise4 ,some weeks elapsed1 and then ,i received a letter from my brother1 mentioning the curious circumstances that1 he had just heard1 had led to his making the acquaintance of this pleasant neighbour4 ,it is too long a story to write1 he concluded1 but ,i will tell you all about it next time we meet4 ,he did so1 and as his account exactly tallies with the one ,miss ,isabel ,smith 7now ,mrs ,finch7 has kindly written out for me for insertion in this volume1 ,i will quote the latter from her own words4 ,i must premise that ,miss ,smith turned out to be naturally clairvoyant and clair-audient1 rather to the disgust of my brother1 who considered himself superior to these superstitions4 ,her narrative is interesting not only in itself1 but because it is an object lesson in the curious hits and misses in psychic investigation4 ,in this case a spirit confessed to an impersonation2 but it was an impersonation of the brother of a man whom my brother had really known in ,india--a fact entirely apart from any possible knowledge on the part of ,miss ,smith1 who had never met my brother at the time of her adventure4 ,i will now give ,miss ,smith's narrative4 ,when at ,grindelwald in the winter #aijj-aija an excarnate entity came and spoke to me4 ,he seemed much interested in the ,south ,african campaign2 told me he had been a soldier1 first in the ,rifle ,brigade1 then in the ,indian army4 ,when ,i asked his name he said he was ,henry ,arthur ,chomley 7the name of a celebrated ambassador was the one given71 that he was a brother of ,sir ,frederic ,chomley1 and had been in the ,rifle ,brigade and in ,india1 and had passed over two or three years before4 ,when1 shortly afterwards1 ,i returned to ,cambridge ,terrace1 he realised the changed surroundings1 and asked where ,i was4 ,on learning ,i was in rooms he asked whether there was anyone else in the house1 and on my telling him there was a paralysed military man downstairs named ,bates1 he exclaimed ',what6 ,charlie ,bates8 ,i knew him very well in ,india--do ask him if he remembers me6' ,i said ,i did not know the gentleman1 but would certainly ask him if an opportunity should occur4 ,a few days after this1 a message was brought up to me from ,colonel ,bates1 asking for my uncle1 ,general ,propert's1 address in ,burmah4 ,this gave me the opening4 ,i wrote giving the required information1 and suggested that ,i might come and have a talk with him4 ,in my next conversation with ',colonel ,chomley' ,i told him all this1 and he again said3 ',mind you ask him about me6' ,i answered3 ',how can ,i1 when ,i don't know what ,colonel ,bates' ideas are on these subjects8 ,he might look on me as a dangerous lunatic6' ,colonel ,chomley remarked3 ',i think you will find that he is interested in psychic matters4' ,i discovered that this was true1 for on my first visit ,i saw a copy of the ,s4,p4,r4 ,proceedings lying on the table4 ,i found him interested1 but unable to get beyond the 'subliminal consciousness' theory4 ,a few days later ,i asked ,colonel ,bates if he had ever met a ,colonel ,henry ,arthur ,chomley in ,india4 ,he thought for a moment1 then said3 ',chomley8 ,why1 of course ,i knew a ,chomley1 but ,i don't know his ,christian name4 ,he was ,brigade ,major at ,meean ,meer1 and ,i took over the brigade from him1 and bought his horses1 etc4 ,where did you know him8' ,i then told him of the spirit who had given me the name of ,henry ,arthur ,chomley1 who said he had known him in ,india1 and had over and over again begged to be remembered to him4 ,the day following this conversation ,colonel ,bates sent me up his ,army ,list1 open1 and marked at the name of ,colonel ,walter ,chomley1 and a note explaining that it was not ,henry ,arthur1 but ,walter ,chomley whom he had known at ,meean ,meer4 ,i then asked ',henry ,arthur' if his name was ,walter or ,henry ,arthur4 ,he said3 ',henry ,arthur4 ,surely ,i ought to know my own name6' ,colonel ,bates told the story to you the next time you 7i4e4 ,e4 ,k4 ,bates7 came to see him1 and ,i remember we discussed it together when we met again4 ,shortly afterwards you wrote to tell me that you had looked up a ,debrett for #ahie1 and had there found ,colonel ,henry ,arthur ,chomley1 a brother of ,sir ,frederic ,chomley1 of the ,rifle ,brigade1 etc41 so that ,henry ,arthur ,chomley was evidently alive in that year1 and had been in the ,rifle ,brigade4 ,i was much pleased to get this corroborative evidence1 though the mistake in initials must have been ,colonel ,bates' error1 and apologised to ,colonel ,henry ,arthur ,chomley in the ,unseen4 ,a few weeks later1 however1 you wrote again1 and told me that you had been staying with a friend1 who drove you over to call upon ,colonel and ,mrs ,henry ,arthur ,chomley1 that he was a brother of ,sir ,frederic ,chomley1 and was certainly alive1 although not at home1 at the time of your visit6 ,this information startled me1 and my guide1 at my request1 went to look up the soi-disant ,colonel to find out what it all meant4 ,the latter then confessed to having taken a friend's name1 said a sudden impulse came over him when ,i first asked his name1 and having told one lie1 he felt bound to go on deceiving me1 but that he had known both ,colonel ,bates and ,colonel ,henry ,arthur ,chomley in ,india1 and that his own real name was ,anstruther6 ,this was ,miss ,smith's narrative4 ,now out of this curious jumble of true and false1 two points remain clear3 ,my brother had known a ,chomley in ,india1 and had succeeded him as ,brigade ,major at ,meean ,meer4 ,this ,chomley was a brother of ,sir ,frederic ,chomley1 the well-known diplomatist1 but his name was ,walter1 not ,henry ,arthur4 ,yet ,sir ,frederic had a brother named ,henry ,arthur1 and the impersonating ,anstruther had borrowed the wrong brother's name when trying to pose as the friend of ,colonel ,charles ,bates4 ,to make confusion worse confounded1 ,walter ,chomley was alive1 as well as ,henry ,arthur1 at the time of ,miss ,mabel ,smith's experiences1 for ,i have seen his death within the last eight months6 ,the second point is that1 personally1 my brother and ,i had reason to be grateful to the deceiving ,anstruther4 ,he was certainly the means of introducing a pleasant acquaintance to my brother and to me4 ,miss ,mabel ,smith's experience at ,grindelwald reminds me of one of my own in the same place during the following year4 ,i had gone there with a cousin1 who was eager for skating and tobogganing1 in ,january #aijb1 on my way to ,rome4 ,after a pleasant week at a charmingly quiet and comfortable hotel--the ,alpenrhe ,i think was the name--my cousin wished1 for purposes of policy1 to change over to a more famous1 but noisy and overcrowded one4 ,so on the evening of #crd ,february we found ourselves in this immense caravanserai1 having exchanged our large1 comfortable1 steam-heated rooms for small1 oblong apartments1 each provided with three doors as well as the window1 and a wood fire to be fed from small five-franc baskets1 and always going out at that6 ,there was deep snow on the ground and a heavy fog of snow falling when we made our change1 so that one was not in the most brilliant spirits2 and being suddenly thrust into the midst of a big1 heterogeneous company of strangers is never exhilarating4 ,our bedrooms1 though small and not specially comfortable1 were perfectly commonplace1 the very last milieu with which one would have associated any interesting experience4 ,the window of my room faced the door into the passage1 my bed lay between the two2 right and left of it were two other doors1 each communicating with other occupied rooms4 ,therefore ,i thought little the first night of noises and moving of furniture1 taking for granted that these must be occurring either right or left of me1 and that the clearness of the atmosphere accounted for my odd impression that a table and chair--between my bed and the window--were being moved4 ,the following night 7#dth ,february71 however1 this fact was indisputable4 ,i had heard both my neighbours retire to bed by ten ,p4,m41 as so many do who have been skating and tobogganing all day long4 ,i had sat up reading for half-an-hour beyond this1 and went to bed at eleven ,p4,m41 by which time there was perfect silence in the hotel1 as no special entertainment was going on4 ,very shortly1 this movement of the furniture began again1 unmistakably in my room this time4 ,curiously enough1 it did not frighten me at all nor suggest burglars 7a far greater terror to me than ghosts674 ,i cannot at this distance of time remember why the idea of ,mr ,myers should have come to me in connection with these noises2 but ,i am quite certain that ,i did think of him at the time1 and fully expected his name to be given1 when ,i asked if anyone wished to speak to me and were trying to attract my attention by moving the furniture about4 ,it was greatly to my surprise1 therefore1 that the name of ,gifford was given4 ,i may here note that this was the real name given to me4 ,he said he was a judge1 one who had lived fifty or sixty years previously1 that he had once unintentionally condemned an innocent man to be hanged1 and he was evidently still greatly perturbed about this1 and begged for my prayers4 ,all this put ,mr ,myers entirely out of my head--unfortunately1 as events proved4 ,i had some further talk with ,judge ,gifford1 but do not remember it in detail4 ,next morning ,i told my cousin of my experience1 and on the evening of the following day mentioned it in the presence of some neighbours at table d'hte who had introduced psychic subjects to us4 ,this gentleman and his wife were both impressed1 and yet incredulous1 and when my cousin laughingly declared that ,gifford had come to her the second night1 but that she told him she was too tired out to listen to him1 we all three supposed that she was turning the whole subject into ridicule4 ,this would have been quite characteristic of her1 although ,i have always thought she had some mediumistic faculty1 and was one of the many people whom ,i should advise to leave these matters alone4 ,i was the more convinced that she was merely chaffing on this occasion1 because when ,i warned our acquaintances of her powers of exaggeration in making fun of things1 she said nothing4 ,but when we had returned to our rooms that night she remarked quite quietly3 ,but he did come1 ,emmie6 ,when you said that at table d'hte about my exaggerating things1 ,i let it pass1 because very often it is true4 ,but what ,i said this evening was absolutely correct1 though perhaps it is as well those people should not believe it4 ,someone did come to my bedside last night1 and said3 ',i am ,gifford--will you listen to me8' ,and ,i said3 ',no2 not to-night4 ,i am too tired1' just as ,i told you4 ,i think poor ,gifford came again more than once to me2 but ,i had done all ,i could for him1 and explained this1 adding that he must now leave me alone1 which he did4 ,later my cousin returned to ,paris1 and ,i went on to ,rome1 where ,i received a letter from ,dr ,richard ,hodgson enclosing some ,piper script4 ,f4 ,w4 ,h4 ,myers communicating1 said that he had come to me on the evening of #dth ,february1 that ,i seemed to recognise him1 and that he thought he had got his message through to me1 and hoped that ,i should write to ,dr ,hodgson to that effect4 ,in answering ,dr ,hodgson's letter ,i denied the ,myers' episode in toto1 so far as my consciousness was concerned4 ,in fact1 the ,gifford incident put all else so entirely out of my mind that ,i fear ,i did not even mention to ,dr ,hodgson that my first thought that night had been connected with ,mr ,myers4 ,anyway1 the next letter from ,boston enclosed an account of a sitting1 where ,mr ,myers came and apologised for having misled ,dr ,hodgson about my recognition of him4 ,his words were almost literally as follows3-- ,i am extremely sorry1 my dear ,hodgson1 about that affair with ,miss ,bates4 ,i should not have thought of mentioning it to you had ,i not felt convinced that she recognised me4 ,her astral body was quite aware of my presence1 and ,i quite thought she had realised it on the physical plane 7the italics are mine74 ,it would seem that the ,myers' message was in the very act of transmission from my astral to my normal consciousness when this man ,gifford must have come1 switching off the telephone for ,mr ,myers1 and getting on to it himself4 ,probably his great distress of mind would have made him the stronger force of the two for the time being4 ,there must always be many disappointments of this kind in our research4 ,there is always something which so nearly succeeds and then just fails at last4 ,this must be the case where conditions are so fine and subtle and so easily disturbed1 and where our own ignorance of many necessary factors is so profound4 ,this makes it none the less disheartening at times6 ,later ,i made an attempt with my friend ,baroness ,rosenkrantz of ,rome to get a message through the other way--i4e4 from ,mr ,myers and myself to ,dr ,hodgson1 via ,mrs ,piper4 ,the ,baroness and ,i had a little sitting alone1 wrote one or two short messages with a couple of extracts from ,mr ,myers' own writings1 sealed up the envelope carefully1 and ,i forwarded it to ,dr ,hodgson4 ,but the test failed4 ,two years later ,dr ,hodgson spoke of the letter as being still intact4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,a ,,second ,,visit ,,to ,,india1 #aijc ,my second visit to ,india took place in the early months of #aijc1 and ,i approached it this time from ,burmah4 ,fielding ,hall's ,soul of a ,people had thrown its magic spell over me1 and ,miss ,greenlow and ,i were both anxious also to see the far-famed ,shw ,dagon ,temple4 ,i came to the conclusion from what ,i saw1 and still more from what ,i heard1 that ,mr ,fielding ,hall must have appealed sometimes to his imagination for his facts1 and allowed an exquisite poetical fancy to cast its glamour even over these4 ,but the beautiful ,golden ,temple of ,rangoon defies all powers of exaggeration4 ,we went there again and again1 and wandered amongst its endless small temples1 representing various forms of worship1 including even a ,chinese joss-house1 which is stamped upon my memory through a disaster1 which ,i have always connected with this special temple2 rank superstition though it be4 ,we had spent several weeks upon the ,irrawaddy ,river2 had wandered through beautiful1 dusty ,mandalay2 had explored ,bhamo and marvelled over the exquisite visions of fairy-like beauty1 painted anew for us morning and evening1 on this most glorious river2 and had finally returned to ,rangoon for a few days' rest before starting for ,calcutta4 ,it was an exquisite evening1 just before our departure1 when we went1 towards sunset1 to say farewell to the ,shw ,dagon4 ,at that hour it is to be seen at its best1 for the level rays of the ,eastern sun1 light up the golden cupola into startling and fairy-like magnificence4 ,having watched this glorious spectacle for some minutes1 the air grew chilly1 compared with the intense heat of the day1 and darkness was coming on apace as we turned to retrace our steps4 ,a few days before1 we had noticed a ,chinese joss-house1 standing in one corner of the huge elevated platform upon which the ,shw ,dagon rests4 ,in the maze of buildings1 and owing to the swiftly falling darkness1 we could not at once locate this temple2 and most unfortunately for me1 with the stupid persistence which such a failure sometimes brings1 both ,miss ,greenlow and ,i were determined to find it out before leaving the ,golden ,temple4 ,at last a joyous exclamation warned me that my friend had been successful in her quest4 ,the first time ,i had seen this joss-house ,i had run up the steps heedlessly1 but felt such an unpleasant influence on entering it that ,i came away at once1 and only regret not having been equally prudent a second time4 ,miss ,greenlow was gazing at some grotesque carvings in one corner of the temple1 still dimly visible1 and called out to me to come and look at them also4 ,very reluctantly ,i joined her1 and stood for a few minutes waiting1 till she was ready to leave4 ,there was something so gloomy1 so uncanny1 and depressing--,i must even say malignant--in the building at this twilight hour1 that ,i could stand the influence no longer1 and as ,miss ,greenlow seemed inclined to linger1 ,i hurried down the stone steps1 saying3 ,i can't stay in that place6 ,i will wait for you at the top of the marble stairs4 ,now these steps1 broken and dirty1 and lined by small booths selling every imaginable toy and bit of tinsel1 including small models of the various temples1 led by steep flights up and down from the huge platform of ground ,i have mentioned4 ,some small link-boys were crowding round as ,miss ,greenlow rejoined me1 clamouring to be allowed to light us down the steps--a very necessary precaution1 for the darkness was quickly replacing the exquisite sunset colouring4 ,i am1 as a rule1 rather a remarkably sure-footed person1 and the lanterns of the boys threw ample light upon the steps1 yet the first moment of my descent ,i was considerably surprised to find myself at the bottom of the first whole flight of hard marble steps6 ,i had no recollection of a slip even--one moment ,i was standing1 carefully prepared to descend2 the next ,i was lying on my back at the bottom of a long flight of steps1 with the link-boys gaping in astonishment4 ,they could not have been more astonished than ,i was6 ,the very swiftness of the fall was probably my salvation2 otherwise ,i think my spine must have been injured4 ,as it was1 ,i was very much hurt1 however2 the pain was intense for a time1 and the muscles of my back were so swollen that they stood up in ridges as big as a good-sized finger1 for some time after the escapade4 ,in fact1 it was quite six weeks before all local trouble was over1 and many more weeks before ,i had recovered from the unexpected shock4 ,i have had several falls in my life1 but never one other where there was absolutely no preliminary warning or sense of slipping1 however swift4 ,the experience was exactly that of being suddenly hurled down the steps by some outside force4 ,i can only add that ,i deeply deplored my unguarded words to ,miss ,greenlow1 when ,i told her ,i was sure there was some malignant spirit in the joss-house4 ,perhaps he wished politely to demonstrate the correctness of my remark4 ,the short voyage from ,rangoon to ,calcutta was made pleasant by the kindness of a ,european friend in ,rangoon1 who came to see us off1 and asked if he should introduce to me a little ,burmese lady1 very rich and very dvote1 who was on board with us1 going to ,calcutta to pay a visit to her husband1 who lived in that city4 ,she is one of our principal native residents1 my ,rangoon friend explained to me before introducing her4 ,she is also intensely interested in her ,buddhist religion1 and ,i think this may interest you1 from what you have told me of your investigations4 ,so the little lady was duly presented1 and thinking to open our conversation pleasantly1 ,i remarked that ,mr ,rowell had told me that she was much interested in religious questions1 and that although not a theosophist myself1 ,i numbered several of them amongst my friends4 ,but ,i found myself quite on the wrong tack4 ,she screwed up her little mouth1 as if tasting some nasty medicine1 and then said in excellent colloquial ,english3 ,oh1 they are no good at all4 ,they have muddled everything up1 and got it all wrong4 ,that is why we are beginning to write tracts and send out missionaries4 ,the great ,buddha made no propaganda2 neither did we for many1 many centuries4 ,we believe that people must grow into this knowledge2 but now when you ,western people come and take little bits of our system1 and piece them together all wrong--well1 then1 we are forced to show you what is the truth6 ,it is like a puzzle map1 and all you theosophists are trying to fit the pieces in1 wrong side upward4 ,and she finished with a merry and apologetic laugh1 remembering1 no doubt1 that ,i had spoken of having friends amongst these stupid muddlers6 ,she gave me quite a number of the tracts of which she had spoken1 setting forth the true ,buddhism1 and mostly printed in ,mandalay1 and ,i made a point of passing these on to some of the friends ,i had mentioned to her4 ,i can only trust they were appreciated1 and efficacious in reducing the confusion resulting from trying to adapt ,eastern mysticism to ,western consumption6 ,our conversation became still more interesting when ,i discovered that a mysterious fellow-passenger of ours on board the ,devonshire1 sailing from ,marseilles to ,rangoon1 had taken this voyage at the expense of the ,burmese lady1 and1 ,i am sorry to say1 had occasioned her a great and quite inexcusable disappointment4 ,this man1 whom ,i will call ,dr ,grne1 was a professor at a celebrated university in the south of ,europe1 and was certainly a scholar--if not a gentleman6 ,he had studied the ,buddhist writings very deeply1 and his name had been conveyed to this ,burmese lady as that of one eager to throw off all ties of kinship1 and retire--like the great ,buddha himself--from the world1 and find repose and enlightenment in a ,burmese monastery4 ,the only thing lacking in carrying out this excellent resolve was--as usual--money4 ,the native lady1 delighted to hear of so learned a gentleman1 and one holding such an honourable position in ,europe1 being converted to the tenets of her religion1 and thus wishing to give the best example of their influence upon him1 agreed joyfully to forward the funds for his journey and to make arrangements for his stay in ,rangoon before proceeding to ,mandalay1 where he was to be received as a ,buddhist priest after a certain course of initiation4 ,we had all remarked ,dr ,grne on board--partly because he was so thin and tall1 and walked the deck so persistently in fine weather or foul2 partly because he owned an exceptionally fine and long beard1 which parted and waved in the breeze as he passed to and fro in his lonely perambulations4 ,i never saw him speak to anyone on board except my own table companion1 ,dr ,gall1 the ,secretary of the ,church ,missionary ,society1 and a very interesting and intelligent man4 ,this latter was also a distinguished ,arabic scholar1 and had lent me some striking monographs he had written on the ,mohammedan faith1 striking both by the scholarship and breadth of view and tolerance1 which one does not generally associate with the ,society that he represented4 ,i had seen him more than once in the company of ,dr ,grne1 and when we reached ,colombo1 and read in the papers handed to us on broad that our ship contained the famous ,european professor who was journeying to ,mandalay to become a ,buddhist priest1 after a touching farewell with wife and children1 ,dr ,gall expressed both astonishment and incredulity4 ,he never said a word about it to me1 was his remark4 ,i know he has studied the ,buddhist religion very deeply1 and he is anxious to get access to some ,,mss41 which he hopes to find in ,burmah2 but that is not the same thing as becoming a priest4 ,i expect the papers have exaggerated the facts4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,dr ,grne certainly gave a lecture on ,buddhism in ,colombo on the day of our arrival1 for one of our fellow-passengers had the curiosity to be present1 but he1 also1 told me nothing had been said about the lecturer becoming a priest4 ,the matter did not specially interest me2 but on arrival at ,rangoon1 the only decent 787 hotel was crowded1 and most of us had to put up with a very inferior class of accommodation4 ,a few hours of this establishment sufficed for most of the passengers1 who promptly went up country or on the river2 but ,miss ,greenlow and ,i were obliged to spend three or four days in ,rangoon1 and ,dr ,grne was at first our only companion4 ,so1 of course1 we spoke to each other in self-defence4 ,he talked of his home life and university work1 and casually mentioned the death of his wife1 five years previously1 and the children who were awaiting him at home4 ,this certainly tallied more with ,dr ,gall's ideas than the sensational ,colombo newspaper account of his wife and children1 to whom1 like the great ,buddha1 he had bidden an eternal farewell6 ,naturally one did not touch upon this delicate subject1 but ,i asked him how long he expected to remain in ,rangoon4 ,to my surprise1 he said at once that his stay was quite uncertain--he might even be returning by the ,devonshire1 which was to sail within a week of her arrival4 ,it seemed a long and expensive journey to take for so short a stay2 but doubtless he had business reasons1 and the matter dropped from my mind4 ,when we returned1 three or four weeks later1 he was no longer in ,rangoon apparently1 and ,i did not expect to come upon his tracks again4 ,the ,burmese lady explained the ,grne mystery with some bitterness1 and no wonder6 ,having come out free1 upon the understanding with her1 already mentioned1 she had taken a room for him at the hotel1 and had busied herself in buying blankets and a carpet and other small luxuries1 to break the ,mandalay monastery to him as gently as possible4 ,when three days passed and he made no sign of moving on1 she quietly intimated that it might be as well to begin the new life without delay1 and said she had written to her brother1 himself a priest in the monastery1 to meet ,dr ,grne at ,mandalay and present him to the authorities at the monastery4 ,this must probably have been about the time that ,i asked him innocently how long he would be staying in ,rangoon4 ,his plan had doubtless been to go to ,mandalay in a dilettante sort of fashion1 and to live in the monastery for a time1 with the hope of getting access to some valuable and little known ,,mss42 but it did not suit his plans at all to be met at once by the brother of his benefactress1 and kept under the eye of this priest1 who knew exactly the circumstances under which he had been enabled to take the long journey from ,marseilles4 ,being evidently a prudent man1 he determined to seize the first opportunity for retreat from an impossible situation4 ,how he raised enough money for the return voyage is not known4 ,my ,burmese acquaintance thought he must have applied to one of the ,consulates1 and that his university position would doubtless ensure his raising a loan4 ,anyway1 he shipped himself surreptitiously once more on board the ,devonshire1 and arranged that the letter1 containing the usual excuse of a sudden telegram from ,marseilles announcing the unexpected death of a near relation1 should not be handed to his benefactress until the anchor was safely weighed4 ,it was not a pleasant story1 and treachery is no less perfidious for having an intellectual motive4 ,i felt glad that ,dr ,grne was not a fellow-countryman4 ,having disburdened herself on this one point of righteous indignation1 our little ,burmese lady became as bright and cheery as a child1 wearing her collection of pretty native dresses1 which could all have been packed easily into a fair-sized doll's trunk1 with singular grace and charm4 ,when the tender arrived to disembark us in ,calcutta1 her husband came with it1 and was speedily introduced4 ,we had tea with them a few days later in their handsome ,calcutta flat1 and this gave me the opportunity for a long and interesting talk with the husband1 who proved to be a most intelligent and open-minded man4 ,he spoke of ,fielding ,hall's delightful book with appreciation tinged by kindly amusement4 ,he has been many years in the country1 but he still judges us as a foreigner4 ,when ,i suggested that the judgment was at least very flattering to the ,burmese1 this ,burmese gentleman laughed1 and said3 ,flattering8 ,yes--but not always quite true4 ,one must see from inside1 not from outside1 to be quite true in one's judgments2 and no foreigner can see from outside4 ,it is a question of race and heredity1 not of having spent twenty or thirty years1 or even a lifetime1 in a foreign land4 ,i suggested that those who saw from inside only1 might also lack some essential factor in forming an accurate judgment4 ,he agreed heartily to this1 adding3 ,yes1 indeed4 ,the ideal critic must have lived neither too near nor too far--mentally as well as physically2 also he must have intuition4 ,now ,mr ,fielding ,hall is an artist as well as a poet1 but in judging my country he lets his intuition run riot sometimes1 as well as his imagination4 ,after reporting this conversation1 it is unnecessary to add that my ,burmese friend spoke ,english rather better than ,i did myself4 ,we then talked about the position of woman in ,burmah1 and how much this had been extolled and held up as a object lesson to the rest of the world4 ,if the position of woman is the true test of a nation's civilisation1 as has been so often affirmed1 then certainly ,burmah must be in the van of the nations6 ,yet this is scarcely borne out by facts4 ,i put this point as politely as ,i could1 and my mind was at once set at ease by the purely impersonal way in which he met my remark4 ,of course1 we are not in the van of the nations1 and yet it is quite true that our women have an exceptional position--quite a good enough one for an election cry for the ,woman's ,suffrage6 ,ah1 yes6 ,i have been in ,england1 he added1 with a merry twinkle in his little black eyes4 ,but you must realise that the unique position of woman with us is somewhat accidental4 ,it is not the result of philosophical or moral conviction on the part of our men2 it has been the natural outcome of circumstances1 and a question of expediency rather than of ethics4 ,so it was not really a 'test paper' for us at all6 ,our frequent wars in the past have taken the men out of their homes1 and the women1 at such times1 were left alone to cope with not only the domestic1 but the agricultural problems4 ,all business of this kind passed through their hands1 and in time they developed the qualities of industry1 good judgment and power of taking responsibility1 necessary for success in such a life4 ,then when the husbands came back and found everything going on so well and without trouble to themselves1 they were only too glad to fall in with the existing state of things4 ,we ,burmese are lazy fellows after all4 ,we can rise to a big call1 but if our women will look after our business for us1 we are quite content to smoke our pipes in peace and look on--and1 of course1 the one who makes the wheels go round is the one who really drives the coach4 ,believe me1 there is more of expediency than nobility in the attitude of our men towards our women1 and more of laziness than either1 perhaps6 ,but ,fielding ,hall would call this blasphemy1 ,i am afraid6 ,and so1 with a joking word1 our interesting talk came to an end1 leaving me with a sincere hope that ,i might some day meet again both the intelligent husband and the charming wife4 ,i found the air at ,simla quite marvellous for psychic possibilities1 and this was certainly a great surprise to me2 nor was it only a question of altitude and a dry atmosphere4 ,missouri and the ,dhera ,doon are celebrated for the purity of air and climate generally1 but the influences there were quite different4 ,even ,peshawar1 with its glorious crown of snow-capped mountains1 brought no special psychic atmosphere to me2 nor the ,khyber ,pass1 where ,i had thoroughly expected to be haunted by the horrors of the past2 nothing of the kind occurred4 ,the beauty of the day when we visited this historic pass was only to be matched by its own extreme natural beauty2 but no haunting memories hung round it for me4 ,perhaps a night passed in those rocky defiles might have brought some weird experience1 but no ,european would be allowed to woo adventure in this way1 even with the laudable desire for advance in psychological phenomena6 ,but ,i stayed there quite long enough to prove--for the hundredth time--that an attitude of expectation acts with me as a deterrent rather than encouragement1 where the ,unseen is in question4 ,i had heard so much of ,simla ,society and ,simla ,scandals1 and so little of ,simla ,beauty and ,loveliness6--in ,nature1 ,i mean--not ,human ,nature4 ,it is true we were there at the most exquisite time in the year1 when the air was still fresh and keen1 when the last snows and the first blooms of rhododendrons were greeting each other1 when the long stretches of valley1 brown and purple and emerald green1 lay like soft velvet in the immense distances towards the horizon line4 ,as ,i looked at all this1 day after day1 it seemed to me that ,simla1 without its crowds of social butterflies1 male and female1 and the dust and the flies1 and even the heat that they bring with them1 was one of the most exquisitely beautiful spots that the ,great ,creator ever thought out in ,his mind4 ,nowhere have ,i seen such a velvety effect of rolling hill and soft mountain-side2 such gorgeous atmospheric visions2 such a carnival of beauty and colour4 ,we must have seen ,simla at the most ideal time in the year1 or people must become blas and blinded to its intoxicating beauty1 thanks to tennis tournaments and ,government ,house receptions and the whole stupid ,social mill4 ,not even the beauties of ,kashmir have dimmed the memory of ,simla for me2 but ,i would not go there again1 and in the season1 for anything that could be offered to me4 ,all beauty is sacred1 and ,i guard jealously my sacred memory of the place1 known to so many merely as a byword for folly and flirtation4 ,some strange and curious experiences came to me there1 both in automatic writing and other ways2 but these are of too private a nature for publication4 ,and so1 with the beauty of ,simla and the romance of ,kashmir as jewels in my memory1 ,i must end my second visit to ,india4 ,it is said that pleasant as well as painful experiences are apt to run in threes4 ,i trust this may be the case4 ,if so1 it will mean that once again ,i shall tread upon ,indian soil4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,a ,,family ,,portrait ,,and ,,psychic ,,photography ,in the very heart of ,warwickshire there is a beautiful old half timber hall1 approached by a noble avenue of elms4 ,the hall has come down from father to son1 in the direct line1 for nearly six hundred years1 as the dates upon the front of the house testify4 ,the present ,squire is not only an old friend of my early youth1 but is connected through marriage1 and he and his wife and ,i have always been on very friendly terms4 ,he is the usual type of fox-hunting squire and county magistrate1 did good service during the ,south ,african ,war by raising a corps of ,yeomanry from the estate1 and going out with them to fight his country's battles1 and1 needless to say1 he received a hearty ovation from his wife and his county when he returned to them in safety4 ,he is devoted to his beautiful house and estate1 and is the last man to entertain fancies or superstitions in connection with either4 ,it is necessary to give these few words of explanation before relating an incident in my life for which ,i have always found it difficult to account1 except on the supposition that some germ of psychic sensitiveness may exist1 even under a hunting squire's pink coat and top-boots4 ,i have known ,greba ,hall since ,i was a child1 and all its quaint old family portraits1 especially those in the fine oak-panelled hall1 with the old-fashioned open fireplace and dogs of the fifteenth century4 ,but there were so many of these pictures massed together that ,i have never distinguished one from the other1 with the exception of the few immediate ancestors of my friend4 ,some years ago ,i was staying with a lady who lived about three miles from ,greba1 and we had driven over there to have tea with the ,squire's wife1 whom ,i will call ,mrs ,lyon4 ,the friend ,i have mentioned had become interested in psychic matters since my acquaintance with her1 and ,i had discovered that she possessed some psychometric capacity4 ,in the interests of non-psychic readers1 ,i may explain that psychometry is the science of learning to receive impressions and intuitions from the atmosphere surrounding any material object--a letter1 a ring1 a piece of pebble or shell1 and so forth4 ,we seem capable of impressing all material objects with our personality1 and naturally this is especially the case in letters written and signed by us4 ,the lady with whom ,i was then staying--,mrs ,fitz ,herbert--had tried receiving impressions from letters several times1 at my suggestion1 and always with more or less success4 ,we had been speaking of this with ,mrs ,lyon1 who was always very sympathetic1 and she suggested giving one of her own letters to ,mrs ,fitz ,herbert to be psychometrised4 ,the latter was sitting facing a door which led from the hall to an inner room1 and over this door hung the half-length portrait of an old gentleman1 whom ,i had never specially remarked before1 as the picture was hung rather high1 and there was nothing very characteristic about the face4 ,mrs ,fitz ,herbert glanced at the portrait once or twice as she held the letter1 and began her remarks upon the writer2 but ,i had no reason to suppose that the glance was other than casual and accidental4 ,she gave1 however1 a very remarkably accurate description 7as it turned out7 of ,mrs ,lyon's unknown friend1 both as to his character and the special and rather unique conditions of his life4 ,i was feeling naturally gratified that my pupil should have acquitted herself so well1 when she suddenly uttered a little expression of pain and complained of severe headache4 ,i knew that she suffered from these headaches at times1 and was therefore not surprised by her asking leave to ring for the pony carriage at once1 and we were soon on our way home4 ,mrs ,fitz ,herbert was driving the pony1 and as we turned out of the long elm avenue she murmured in a tone of relief3 ,how thankful ,i am to have got away from that old man6 ,i knew he was telling me what to say about that letter1 but afterwards he wanted to give me some message himself1 and ,i could not understand it1 and that is what made my head so bad4 ,then she explained1 seeing my bewilderment1 that she was referring to the old gentleman whose portrait hung over the door ,i have mentioned4 ,i suggested that we had better try to find out what the old man wanted to say1 and we arranged to do so that evening after dinner2 but as ,mr ,fitz ,herbert 7who had a very charming tenor voice7 elected to come in and sing to us1 the old gentleman's communication had to be postponed until the morning4 ,mrs ,fitz ,herbert and ,i sat down in the drawing-room the next day1 armed with pencils and paper1 so soon as her domestic duties were over4 ,she was most anxious that ,i should take the message1 but this seemed to me absurd1 considering that ,i had received no sort of impression about the picture and could not even recall the face4 ,so she took up the pencil very unwillingly1 and after some difficulty the name of ,richard ,lyon was given1 with the information that he had owned ,greba1 and had passed over to the next sphere about one hundred and thirty years previously4 ,but when it came to trying to find out what he wanted to say1 she professed herself quite unable to grasp it1 and passed the pencil determinedly over to me4 ,much to my surprise 7for ,i had seemed to have no link with the old man at all71 he was able to write through my hand with great ease4 ,he explained to me that he had been much devoted to the property1 had lived only to improve it in every possible way1 and that through his concentration of interest on this one subject his life had been a very limited one1 and that now he could not get away from the remembrance of his earth life and his beloved ,greba4 ,i suppose he is trying to explain that he is earth-bound1 suggested ,mrs ,fitz ,herbert4 ,yes2 that is just the truth1 was the eager response through my hand1 and it is so sad to think that my own descendants are the ones to keep me imprisoned in this way4 ,i am told that ,i could progress1 as they call it here1 and be much happier if ,i could only forget ,greba1 even for a time4 ,and it worries me to see things done so differently and not to be able to do anything myself for the old place4 ,there is no happiness for me here4 ,do ask them to set me free1 he continued rather pathetically4 ,but they don't want to hold you down1 ,i answered4 ,tell me how they do it and what you wish them to do4 ,the old man then explained the position very carefully and sensibly4 ,he admitted that his own deep love for his old property and surroundings and his failure in life to develop any other very deep affection1 was chiefly in fault1 but he added1 that his portrait being hung there1 in the hall of his descendants1 was also very unfortunate for him4 ,it drags me down--,i don't know why--but ,i am sure ,i could get away more easily if they would not keep that picture in the old hall4 ,a few more practical questions elicited the following instructions3--,he said the picture might remain in the county1 so long as it was not in any house owned by a ,lyon 7there were several members of the family in ,warwickshire72 or it might be sent to ,london or elsewhere1 and kept by members of the ,lyon family1 so long as they were not in the direct descent1 and did not live in his old county4 ,we drove over to ,greba that afternoon1 and took the message with us1 knowing there was no fear of encountering the gibes of my fox-hunting friend at three ,p4,m4 on any week day in the hunting season4 ,mrs ,lyon was extremely interested2 she not only endorsed the ,richard ,lyon and his dates1 but told us that he had done an immense deal for the property1 as her husband had often impressed upon her1 and that at his death1 about one hundred and thirty years before1 he had lain in state for three days in the very hall where we had taken our tea1 and where his picture now hung4 ,this was great encouragement1 so we put our heads together1 wondering how the poor old man's entreaty might be complied with4 ,mrs ,lyon remembered that several of the old portraits were shortly to be sent to a picture dealer in the neighbouring town 7some ten miles away7 to be cleaned1 but this special picture was not in need of restoration1 unfortunately4 ,still1 ,i could put it with the others1 and let it go to ,warwick1 and then tell the man not to do anything with it--but what would ,edward say8 ,can you imagine his allowing the picture to be taken down upon this evidence8 ,from an acquaintance with ,edward extending over large tracts of years1 ,i was forced to admit that even my robust imagination could not reach so far4 ,skittles6 or ,confounded cheek6 would be his mildest reply to such a request1 even from the friend of his youth6 ,i did not care to think how much further his indignation might carry him6 ,but ,i felt so strongly that something outside myself had inspired the message1 with its accurate instructions1 that at last ,i prevailed upon ,mrs ,lyon to promise she would mention the matter to her husband1 and thus leave the responsibility of refusal with him4 ,she did so1 and the refusal was all my fancy had painted--and more6 ,several months passed1 and the following spring ,i was once more in the neighbourhood1 staying with my own relations this time1 who were related also to the ,squire and his wife4 ,the first piece of news ,i received at dinner the night of my arrival was that the ,greba ,hall picture had been sent in to ,warwick6 ,i could hardly believe my ears4 ,my relatives could tell me nothing beyond the fact1 and advised my paying an early visit to ,greba ,hall during the absence of the master4 ,i did this1 and ,mrs ,lyon told me all she knew about the matter1 which was not very much4 ,after you were here last1 she said1 ,i spoke to ,edward as ,i promised1 and1 of course1 he laughed the whole thing to scorn1 and was very rude about our tomfoolery4 ,yes1 ,i know all about that1 ,i answered hastily4 ,but what happened afterwards--after ,i left ,warwickshire1 ,i mean8 ,that was the queerest part of it all1 she resumed4 ,a few days after you had gone away he stood under the picture one evening1 coming in from hunting and waiting for tea in the hall1 and said as he looked up at old ,richard ,lyon3 ',do you suppose ,i should allow your picture to be taken down--you who did so much for my property8 ,of course not6' ,this happened once or twice1 at intervals4 ,then he said nothing1 but ,i used to notice that he always looked up at the picture whenever he came into the hall or stood by the fireplace4 ,at last1 about three months ago1 he turned round suddenly1 and said3 ',when are you going to send those pictures to be cleaned8' ,now you know ,i had been keeping the other pictures back1 with a dim hope that ,edward might relent4 ,but ,i saw it was quite useless1 so ,i told him they were going next day4 ,to my intense surprise he said rather abruptly3 ',then send this picture with them1 and don't ask me any questions4' ,his wife took the hint1 and waited for no second bidding4 ,off went the picture to the ,warwick shop1 and there it remained for nearly six months4 ,when it came back eventually1 the ,squire was very triumphant on the subject1 but ,i was equally triumphant in pointing out that nothing could alter the fact that the picture had been sent away1 in spite of his earlier denunciations of our folly4 ,also ,i suggested that a good deal can happen in six months on either side of the veil1 and that no doubt poor old ,richard ,lyon had had ample opportunity to get free1 as he called it1 thanks to the unaccountable action of his descendant6 ,i have reserved this story for my last chapter for two reasons4 ,it happened within the last few years1 but ,i cannot remember the exact date1 and dare not inquire from my irascible hunting friend2 and also it did not specially link on to any of the previous incidents described4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i must now pass on to the autumn months of #aije1 which found me in ,eastbourne1 where ,i have various kind friends4 ,i had been going through a time of great anxiety1 owing to family reasons1 and went down to ,eastbourne with every prospect of finding rest and peace there4 ,i arrived on the #aath of ,november1 and the first few days amply justified my hopes4 ,then a feeling of the most intense depression came over me1 quite unexpected and unaccountable4 ,my family anxieties and responsibilities were happily over4 ,i had been able to make a wise1 and1 as it turned out1 most admirable choice1 in finding a fresh attendant for an invalid brother1 and there was nothing now to be done but to rest on my oars and be thankful that a most trying time--requiring infinite patience and tact--was over4 ,when this unaccountable depression came on so suddenly1 ,i put it down to reaction1 and expected it to pass away with returning strength1 after the heavy strain4 ,but it increased as the weeks passed on into ,december1 and did not lift until about eight ,a4,m4 on the morning of #bbnd ,december4 ,then ,i had one of the most vivid experiences of my life4 ,as suddenly as they had enveloped me some weeks before1 so did the heavy clouds now roll off1 leaving me with a sense of freedom and exaltation such as ,i have seldom experienced4 ,this sense of freedom and joy and happiness was so marked that ,i mentioned it at once to an intimate friend1 who came to see me that day after breakfast4 ,i said to her3 ,i can only describe it as if one had suddenly been let out of prison or taken from a dark1 dismal room into one with glorious sunshine streaming through the windows1 where the very sense of being alive is sufficient joy2 in fact1 ,i never felt so thoroughly alive before4 ,and the curious thing is that there is no apparent reason for this--nothing is changed--,i have not even had any specially pleasant letters4 ,life is just the same on the outer2 but on the inner8 ,well1 ,i cannot describe it6 ,but can't you account for it at all8 asked my friend1 who had been with me through all the depressing influences of the former weeks and was astounded1 as well as delighted1 by the inexplicable change in my spirits4 ,well1 it is the day after the shortest day1 ,i said1 laughing4 ,but it has never had such an extraordinary effect upon me before4 ,all day long this exuberant feeling of delight and happiness remained4 ,i had no specially spiritual or religious experience in connection with it1 but rather the happy feeling of confidence that a child might have1 who1 after wandering about in unknown lanes and thorny paths1 suddenly found himself transported1 with no effort of his own1 to the dear1 familiar house and loving home faces4 ,five days later1 in a private letter1 ,i read the first allusion to the death of ,dr ,richard ,hodgson4 ,it came to me in a letter from ,mrs ,forbes1 not as a fact1 but as an uncorroborated report1 which would probably be found incorrect4 ,there is nothing about it in ,the ,times this morning1 so ,i don't suppose it is true4 ,these were her exact words4 ,i don't think ,i ever really doubted the truth of it1 although it came as a bolt out of the blue4 ,only a few days previously1 a letter from an intimate friend of ,dr ,hodgson in ,america 7he had brought us together7 mentioned her having seen him lately and thinking he was really much depressed over his work and other matters1 though1 doubtless1 if ,i taxed him with this he would say it was quite untrue2 but ,i feel quite convinced that it is true4 ,these words had not at the time given me any clue to my own curious depression1 but when the first rumour of his death reached me1 ,i felt convinced that it was true1 and that ,i must have taken on his joyful conditions when he first found himself on the other side of the veil4 ,i can only surmise1 therefore1 that the weeks of my depression may have corresponded with feelings alluded to by his intimate friend2 although less intuitive1 if not less valued associates1 may have noticed nothing but his usual cheery and genial spirits4 ,a telegram sent to ,mr ,stead showed me clearly that my inquiry had been his first intimation of anything wrong4 ,then1 in despair of getting accurate information1 ,i wrote to ,sir ,oliver ,lodge1 who kindly responded at once1 confirming my worst fears4 ,he was good enough to send me later the particulars of the event1 supplied by ,professor ,william ,james4 ,it was a bitter blow for us1 but for him how joyous an awakening6 ,i am grateful for having had1 through personal experience1 even a dim reflection of that wonderful ,new ,life1 so overwhelming and so exuberant1 that its rays could reach to the hearts of some of those who had been honoured by his friendship4 ,on comparing notes ,i found that1 allowing for difference of time1 forty-eight hours must have elapsed between his physical departure and my experience of his awakening to new conditions4 ,there may be various ways of accounting for this4 ,the spirit may not have been wholly freed at once from its physical envelope1 but may have remained possibly1 in some condition of unconsciousness1 after the strangely sudden severance of the tie that binds body and soul together4 ,note4--,since the above was written1 ,i have received an explanation of the lapse of time between the passing of ,doctor ,hodgson1 #bjth ,december1 and my experience of #bbnd ,december #aije4 ,on #fth ,february #aijg ,i had the privilege of a sitting with ,miss ,mac,creadie1 who not only gave an accurate description of ,doctor ,hodgson's personal appearance1 and of his sudden call hence1 but added that this spirit wished to explain to me that he had not been able to get entirely away from the body for quite two days after physical death1 and that meanwhile he must have been in a state of trance4 ,miss ,mac,creadie did not know the name of the spirit whom she described so accurately1 and whose message was thus conveyed to me4--,e4 ,k4 ,b4 ,some time after ,dr ,hodgson left us1 a friend in ,london wrote to me that she had either just read or heard that he had made some communication1 to the effect that he was not very happy1 as he had regarded his work only from the intellectual point of view4 ,this seemed to me a most unlikely sort of message to come from such a man4 ,in such cases there is nothing like going to the fountain-head for information1 and this came to me in the following words1 which are1 ,i think1 characteristic and certainly sensible3-- ,my work was intellectual--how could ,i regard it from any other point of view8 ,that has nothing to do with the spiritual side of things4 ,my spiritual life was very latent1 it is true2 but it was sincere1 so far as it went1 and in this more favourable atmosphere1 the buds are unfolding1 and ,i am learning more and more of the love and wisdom which ,i always dimly saw and appreciated4 ,it is the attitude of mind which is all-important1 and my attitude1 though critical1 was never obstructive1 as you know4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i should like to say a few words now on the subject of superstitions4 ,we are all superstitious in various ways and upon different points--,i may laugh at your superstition because it does not happen to appeal to me1 but you may be quite sure you could find out my ,achilles ,heel if we lived together long enough4 ,the only difference between people is1 that some are honest about their superstitions and others--are not6 ,i met a lady not long ago at a foreign table d'hte who started our acquaintance by remarking that she was thankful to say she had not a single superstition4 ,before we had spent ten days under the same roof ,i discovered that she believed in portents and lucky stones and the whole bag of tricks1 and possessed the power of seeing people in their astral bodies4 ,this is to introduce my own strongest superstition1 which is a horror of seeing the new moon for the first time through glass4 ,breaking glass is almost as disastrous in my experience1 even if the article itself only costs a few pence4 ,now ,i do not for one moment suggest that either one or other is the cause of my subsequent misfortunes4 ,no one surely can be childish enough to suppose such a thing2 yet ,i have known sensible people labour this point in order to show me the folly of my ways--and thoughts4 ,again1 ,i am quite aware that some people may break as much glass or china as the proverbial bull1 and see the moon through the former medium every month of their lives1 and not be a penny the worse for it--beyond the amount of their breakages4 ,i only maintain that for me these two things are invariably the precursors of misfortune4 ,when people say to me3 ,how can a sensible woman like yourself be so foolish as to think such things8 ,i can only truthfully answer that ,i should be very much more foolish if so many years of my life had passed without my noticing the sequence of events4 ,but to explain the phenomena is quite another matter4 ,it seems to me quite reasonable that1 allowing the possibility of influences coming to us from the other side1 some sign--no matter how trivial--might be impressed upon us as a gentle warning to be prepared for disasters1 more or less severe4 ,another curious thing is this3 ,i have never found that avoiding seeing the moon through glass in any artificial way prevents disaster4 ,i used to let kind friends1 indulgent to my folly1 lead me blindfold up to the window1 carefully thrown open for my benefit4 ,i can remember a most elaborate scene of precaution once1 in an ,american railway carriage between ,philadelphia and ,boston1 when a charming ,american lady1 about to lecture on ,woman's ,suffrage1 and grateful to me for some points ,i had given her with regard to the woman's question in ,new ,zealand1 insisted upon having a heavy window pulled up by a negro attendant1 when she found out my little weakness4 ,it was all of no avail4 ,left alone1 ,i should most certainly have seen the moon through glass on that occasion1 and ,i felt1 even at the moment1 that ,i had not really altered anything by falling in with the kind ,american lady's suggestion4 ,in ,september #aijf ,i was going through a course of baths at ,buxton1 and on a certain ,sunday 7#bnd ,september7 ,i saw the moon through glass in my bedroom window in the most unmistakable way4 ,there was no friendly cloud1 no other twinkling light to throw the smallest shadow of doubt upon the fact4 ,there was much good-humoured laughter over my superstition in the house2 but ,i knew some trouble was on its way1 little dreaming that it was one which would alter my whole life4 ,on the ,wednesday morning 7#eth ,september7 ,i received the first intimation of what proved to be the last illness of a brother who has been mentioned in these pages already1 and who had been an invalid for nearly thirty years4 ,a point to be noticed is that on the ,sunday1 when the sign came to me1 he was in his usual health1 and even on ,monday went out for a long drive4 ,the first attack of angina pectoris only came on in the middle of the night of ,monday-,tuesday1 #crd to #dth ,september4 ,later1 when the disease had become acute1 and ,i was in the south of ,england1 living in hourly suspense1 and receiving telegrams and letters several times a day1 another curious incident occurred which has a bearing upon our subject4 ,as my readers are probably aware1 in this sad and painful illness the only proof of unselfish affection which one can give1 may be to keep away from the patient1 when you know that all is being done for him that skill and devotion can suggest4 ,the smallest agitation is almost certain to bring on a fresh attack of the terrible pain1 and so long as there is any hope of a rally1 or1 in fact1 any consciousness that can possibly result in increased suffering1 everyone should be kept away from the patient except those who are in actual and necessary attendance4 ,this naturally entails great mental distress and suffering upon those who are living from hour to hour1 in a state of tension and suspense4 ,after more than a fortnight of alternate hopes and fears1 the position became almost unendurable1 and ,i was making all preparations for a visit to the patient1 or at least to the house where he lay 7against my better judgment71 when letters and a telegram arrived imploring me not to come1 as a short visit from another relative had proved most disastrous in bringing on another attack of the terrible pain2 from which he never really rallied4 ,under these distressing circumstances1 there could be but one course open to me4 ,i was staying with my kind friends ,admiral and ,mrs ,usborne ,moore at this sad time1 and can never feel sufficiently grateful for their goodness to me and sympathy with my distress4 ,the ,admiral1 as many of us know1 is a most persevering student of psychic science1 and ,i think it was by his suggestion1 or at anyrate with his approval1 that ,i determined to pay a visit to a lady of whom he had spoken to me--,mrs ,arnold1 a daughter-in-law of ,sir ,edwin ,arnold--who is a gifted clairvoyant4 ,i went alone to the house1 that she might not be able to connect me with my host and hostess2 and the interview was a remarkable one4 ,there were many evidential points given1 which1 for family reasons1 it is impossible to publish4 ,she gave me the crystal ball to hold for a good five minutes1 in order that it might become impregnated by my influence2 and then she took it from me1 and began making a series of statements1 without pausing for a moment or attempting to fish1 to use a technical term4 ,these statements included my own life and studies and chief interests1 and the number and sex of my immediate family2 also the attitude of the various members towards myself1 and in each case the special statement was absolutely correct4 ,her first words were3 ,you are in great anxiety1 ,i see4 ,it is about the illness of an elderly man4 ,two people with whom you are in very intimate relations are ill1 ,i see1 but ,i will tell you now of the one you wish to hear about especially4 ,she went on to describe not only my brother's surroundings and illness at the time1 but also his permanent state of paralysis1 adding that he was now in the country1 for she saw green trees all round him and waving grass4 ,as my brother's life for many years had been spent entirely between ,london and the seaside1 this was a good bit of evidence4 ,as a matter of fact1 he was spending a few weeks in a country cottage for the first time in his life4 ,the single point where she failed was as to the time of his passing away4 ,she saw at once that the illness was one from which he could not permanently recover1 and gave the approximate time very tentatively4 ,we cannot see times exactly--they come only in symbols4 ,for instance1 ,i see now falling leaves2 it looks like an autumn scene1 and so ,i infer that means later on--perhaps ,october or ,november4 ,this1 as ,i have said1 was the only mistake in the whole interview4 ,my brother passed to the ,higher ,life on #bdth ,september4 ,when ,i saw his valet in town later1 ,i asked him about the trees1 and he explained that owing to the great heat1 the leaves were all over the ground1 and gave an autumnal look to everything4 ,most of us noticed the same appearance in ,london and elsewhere1 even quite early in ,september #aijf4 ,the second friend lying dangerously ill was a puzzle to me at the time2 but within five days of my brother's transition1 ,i heard of the death of ,judge ,forbes1 who was one of my most intimate friends1 as ,mrs ,arnold had truly observed4 ,his illness was a very short one2 but on comparing notes with members of his family ,i found that he had taken to his bed three days before my visit to ,mrs ,arnold1 and was already very seriously ill1 although ,i had no knowledge of the fact for more than a week after my interview with her4 ,before closing these personal records ,i must say a few words on the much vexed question of psychic photographs4 ,as my friend ,admiral ,usborne ,moore observes in a letter received from him as ,i write these words3 ,we are dealing with a great mystery here4 ,he is himself one of those who by persevering effort is helping us to solve the mystery4 ,it is certainly the branch of psychic science which promises the best results from an evidential point of view1 but it must be a case of each man his own photographer4 ,there is always a tendency in human nature to be over-credulous as to our own achievements1 and over-sceptical as to those of our neighbours4 ,so for many years probably1 we shall only accept our very own psychic photographs as quite genuine2 but when a sufficient number of people are convinced by their personal experiences in this line of research1 there will be some hope that the subject will go through the usual stages--7#a7 ,impossible and absurd2 7#b7 ,possible1 but very improbable2 7#c7 ,possible1 and not even abnormal2 7#d7 ,finally1 normal1 and ,just what we knew all about from the first6 ,meanwhile some of us have been experimenting1 with professional assistance1 and in these cases the question is not ,can such photographs be faked8 ,we all know nowadays that faking photographs is the easiest of all possible frauds4 ,i have spent many a half hour doing the faking myself1 with an amateur photographer1 by sitting for so many seconds in a chair and then vacating it in favour of some other spook6 ,no1 the whole question at present must be determined by our recognition or non-recognition of the photographs produced4 ,if ,mr ,boursnell or any other photographer can produce 7as he has done7 my old nurse1 who died twenty-three years ago1 and was never photographed in her life1 then we must find some other suggestion than that of common or garden faking as a solution of the mystery4 ,there she sits1 as in life1 with a little knitted shawl round her shoulders and the head of a tiny child upon her lap4 ,the eyes are closed1 and give a dead look to the face1 yet the features are to me quite unmistakable1 and no one knew the dear old woman so well as ,i did4 ,again1 ,i have in my little picture gallery1 an old and very well-known ,oxford professor1 in whose house ,i stayed many times4 ,quite unexpectedly he appeared on one of ,mr ,boursnell's plates last summer1 and although this special photograph is fainter than the one just described1 the likeness can only be denied by someone more anxious to be sceptical than truthful4 ,i compared the photograph with an engraving of the professor in much earlier life--which is to be found in the ,life published since he passed away--with an artist friend 7who had not known him74 ,we went over the features one by one1 and my friend said she noticed only one small difference1 the exact length of the upper lip1 and this1 she considered1 would be amply accounted for by the lapse of time between the two pictures and the slight lengthening of the upper lip owing to loss of teeth4 ,the professor passed away as an old man2 the picture engraved in the ,life represents him as he was at least twenty years before his death4 ,but the most interesting point to me in this photograph1 is the appearance on his lap of a much loved dog1 a rather large fox terrier named ,bob4 ,i had not noticed ,bob until a daughter of the professor pointed him out to me1 and now ,i cannot understand having missed him at first4 ,bob was not only the most important person in the ,oxford household1 but he was good enough to be very fond of me1 so it seems to me quite natural that he should have come with his master to pay me a visit4 ,i remember arriving at the house one dark winter's evening after an absence of over two years1 and ,bob's welcome to me was so ecstatic that he nearly knocked me down in a vain attempt to get his paws round my neck4 ,i heard the professor1 who was always rather jealous of ,bob's affections1 say in a whisper to his wife3 ,most touching thing ,i ever saw1 that dog's welcome when ,miss ,bates arrived6 ,dear ,bob6 ,i am so glad he can still come and see me1 with his dearly loved master4 ,another shuffle of the photographs brings to the top a sweet girlish face and figure1 sixteen summers or something less4 ,she appeared first upon a plate in the summer of #aije1 but so indistinctly as to the face that ,i could not recognise it4 ,a few months ago the same figure appeared again1 but quite clearly this time1 and involuntarily1 as ,i looked at it1 ,i exclaimed3 ,why1 of course1 it is ,lily ,blake6 ,now it is nearly thirty years since ,i met this charming child2 during my first visit to ,egypt4 ,she and her father 7a well-known physician7 and her aunt1 were spending a six weeks' holiday in ,cairo1 and ,i saw more of her than would otherwise have been the case1 because she was the playmate of another young girl--the child of friends of mine at ,shepheard's ,hotel4 ,lily was a sweet-looking1 delicate girl1 with soft1 sleepy blue eyes1 and was always dressed in a simple1 artistic fashion4 ,a few months after our return to ,england ,i saw in the papers the death of this pretty child2 for she was little more at the time4 ,i wrote a letter of condolence and sympathy1 which was at once answered by the aunt in very kind fashion2 and since then ,i have seen nothing to remind me of ,lily until this last year has brought her once more within my ken4 ,i am only too thankful to realise that any influence so pure and beautiful as hers1 may be around me sometimes in my daily life4 99 99 99 99 99 ,and now let me say1 in the words of our great novelist3 ,come1 children1 let us shut up the box and the puppets1 for our play is played out6 ,only ,i trust in this case we have managed to rise a little above the usual atmosphere of ,vanity ,fair4 ,surely the aim of all psychic research should be to give us a scientific1 as we have already1 thank ,god1 a spiritual1 foundation for the ,hope that is in us4 ,spirit photographs and spirit materialisations and abnormal visions or abnormal sounds amount to very little1 if we look upon them as an end in themselves1 and not as the symbols and the earnest of those greater things which ,eye hath not seen nor ear heard1 neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive4 ,i remember1 years ago1 in the course of a deeply interesting conversation with ,phillipps ,brooks1 the late ,bishop of ,massachusetts1 that ,i asked him what he thought about modern theosophy1 which was just then becoming a culte in his native town of ,boston4 ,there was a great deal of talk at the time about the new philosophy and the wonderful phenomena said to accompany its propaganda4 ,sir ,edwin ,arnold had written his ,light of ,asia1 and ,oliver ,wendell ,holmes had welcomed it with wondering awe1 as something approaching a new revelation4 ,and smaller people were talking about the historical ,blavatsky tea-cups1 and hidden heirlooms found in ,indian gardens1 and some of us were wondering how soon we should learn to fly1 and what would come next4 ,the bishop's answer to my question was so genial1 so characteristic1 and showed such divine common-sense6 ,it is not a question of flying1 he said4 ,i should like to fly as much as anybody2 and a queer sort of bird ,i should appear6 7,he was well over six feet1 and broad in proportion47 ,if you suddenly found you could fly1 he continued1 it would be absorbing on ,monday morning1 intensely interesting on ,tuesday1 interesting on ,wednesday1 and quite pleasant on ,thursday1 but by the end of the week it would be getting normal1 and you would want to discover some other new power4 ,no1 believe me1 the real question is not flying1 but ,,where you would fly1 and ,,what ,,you ,,would ,,do ,,when ,,you ,,got ,,there4 ,this sums up the case in a nut shell1 and seems to me only another way of saying3 ,don't forget the spiritual significance beneath the scientific symbol4 ,and ,i would add3 ,let us all join hands in the interesting and absorbing work of trying to make our symbols as scientific as we can1 by finding out the laws which govern them1 as well as all other things1 in this universe of ,love and ,law4 ,probably we are here to learn1 above all things else1 that ,love and ,law are ,,one4 99 99 99 99 99 ,many people have had far more remarkable experiences than mine4 ,for various good reasons ,i have carefully abstained from any attempt to cultivate1 or in any way increase1 the sensitiveness which is natural to me4 ,i can only assure my readers that my record has been absolutely accurate4 ,in many cases it would have been very easy to write up the stories into some far more dramatic form2 but by doing so the whole aim and object of my book would have been destroyed4 ,i wanted to trace the thread of what we at present consider abnormal1 through the whole skein of a single life1 hoping thereby to encourage others to do the same4 ,it is only by putting these things down1 if not for publication1 then in some diary or commonplace book1 that we can realise how far our normal life is1 even now and here1 interpenetrated by another plane of existence4 ,and so farewell to all kind readers who have followed me to the end of my personal record of curious events--curious chiefly by reason of our present imperfect knowledge4 ,,appendix ,i ,much has been said of the folly and triviality of all messages coming1 or purporting to come1 from the ,unseen4 ,i think here1 as elsewhere1 like clings to like1 and we get very much what we deserve2 or rather1 to put it in a more philosophical and ,emersonian way1 we receive what belongs to us4 ,emerson tells us in one of his most illuminating passages1 that everything which belongs to our spiritual estate is coming to us as quickly as it can travel4 ,all the winds of heaven1 all the waves of earth1 are bringing it to us1 and neither angel nor devil can prevent our taking what is ours or rejecting what is not ours4 ,this is a universal law1 and applies to automatic writing as to everything else4 ,emphatically we get what belongs to our spiritual estate4 ,therefore any casual and general remarks as to the foolishness of all automatic writing1 must of necessity be made by those who are ignorant of this spiritual law1 or whose experience of such messages is very limited4 ,i intend to give a few which ,i have myself received1 in the form of an ,appendix to my book4 ,with one exception1 they all come from a very dear friend1 who passed into the other sphere little more than a year ago under peculiarly happy circumstances4 ,i do not wish to give his name1 although it would add considerably to the interest of the narrative4 ,i shall therefore call him ,mr ,harry ,denton4 ,the messages will be given exactly in the form in which they were received1 and without any editing4 ,we never discussed theological ideas from any standpoint of creed2 but ,i imagine that my friend1 when here1 would have looked upon ,jesus ,christ as one of the many inspired teachers of the world1 and that his views were cosmic rather than religious--in any narrow sense--and certainly religious1 in the broad sense of the term1 rather than theological4 ,the first conversation 7for this is a better description of my friend's communications than the word message7 refers to my own attitude1 as compared with that of a lady friend of mine1 regarding ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,h4 ,d4--,i see a great stream of light round you1 ,kate1 and it seems to have come with your truer conception of ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is all right for your friend to say she prefers to put the matter aside and leave it alone4 ,that is just the best thing she can do2 in fact1 the only thing she can do at present4 ,the seed is still underground1 and the moment of emergence has not come4 ,to try and force it above ground just now1 would be fatal4 ,it would also be immature and uncalled for4 ,the old husks of man-made creeds must drop off gradually1 leaving the bud they protected intact1 not be torn off by an impatient hand4 ,so far her instinct seems to me a true one4 ,but the case is widely different for you4 ,the husks have fallen off1 as a matter of fact1 and the discomfort and sense of something wrong arose from your knowing that you were only striving desperately to clutch on to them1 when the fine1 strong bud was there1 able and ready to take its proper share of sunshine and rain1 and even to bear the cold winds of misrepresentation and misunderstanding if need be4 ,,quit ,,you ,,like ,,men1 ,,be ,,strong4 ,that is your lesson-book1 and you will never feel happy or content until you are learning it4 ,surely you must feel how much you have gained since you faced your own facts8 ,e4 ,k4 ,b4--,yes1 ,harry1 ,i do2 but ,i don't quite understand your position4 ,are you at the same point of view8 ,h4 ,d4--,no2 not yet4 ,it is all rather foreign to my previous notions4 ,i thought of ,jesus of ,nazareth as a great teacher--one of the great teachers of the world--but ,i had still to learn ,his unique position as regards our chain of worlds4 ,they tell me here that ,he was the first to attain to the full stature of the ,divine ,man as he existed in the thought of the ,absolute4 ,spiritual evolution is the process1 apparently the only process1 whereby a ,son of ,god in this sense can appear4 ,and ons of time have been necessary to produce this fine ,flower of ,humanity4 ,your own band are helping me to understand this4 ,having attained1 being the anointed ,one1 it is given to ,him to bring the whole race after ,him4 ,this is quite a different conception from my former one1 and the one held by most of those whom in old days we called ,unitarians4 ,you have had to unlearn1 or rather to drop1 some of the husks of old tradition which have been guarding the truth for you1 whereas ,i have still to come up to the truth2 but the point reached will be the same1 whether the approach to it is from north or south--do you see8 ,in ,christ ,jesus1 they tell me1 we are all new creatures1 as a matter of fact2 because1 consciously or unconsciously1 we are working together with ,him to realise and manifest ourselves1 as made after the ,image of ,god4 ,he is the example and the pledge for us4 ,st ,paul saw this1 of course1 and your present position illuminates his teaching for me enormously4 ,so ,i have much to thank you for1 ,kate4 ,it is easier to learn from those we know and trust1 than from strangers4 ,and1 moreover1 when we can learn from the loved ones on earth as well as through the loved ones here1 it makes the links in the golden chain complete1 and helps us to realise the unity and solidarity of our common existence1 in the ,father--with the ,son4 ,h4 ,d4 ,,ii ,another morning ,i had told ,h4 ,d4 that ,i had been reading an article in ,the ,nineteenth ,century--and ,after1 ,i think1 entitled ,an ,agnostic's ,progress1 and asked if he had sensed it through me at all4 ,h4 ,d4--,yes4 ,we will begin with that this morning4 ,i am very glad you read it1 for it is curiously like my own experiences in the same line4 ,since coming over here1 and thereby coming into such direct touch with you1 ,i have been able to grasp the key to much that puzzled me on the other side4 ,as my views became more spiritualised ,i saw there must be more truth in the ,christian religion than outsiders supposed1 and yet ,i knew it could not be absolutely true in the form in which it has been handed down4 ,that was for me unthinkable1 because ,i saw it would be a sudden and catastrophic incursion upon a cosmos of ,law and ,order4 ,it would mean ,god working in the highest departments of ,his ,creation1 as ,he is never seen to work in the lower ones4 ,and my faith in ,him prevented my entertaining such an idea6 ,schemes and plans of salvation belong to the comparative childhood of the race1 not to the full-grown spiritual man4 ,they are still in the fairy-tale stage1 holding a truth1 but acting only as the husk of the truth4 ,the unity of the race2 the necessity for self-sacrifice in realising that unity3 that by giving our life for our brothers we save our ,life1 which is that unity in which the brethren are included--all this ,i could accept in ,christ's teaching or the teaching of the ,apostles2 but the rest3 the detail1 the carefully arranged scheme of the ,atonement1 etc41 as dogmatic doctrines--all these seemed to me so obviously the desperate attempts of man at a certain stage of development to fit in spiritual facts with the most probable theories2 and to say that men who wrote of these things were inspired1 and therefore infallible1 was absurd4 ,even in my short life1 ,i had seen the world pass through several stages of belief and assimilate them in turn4 ,as a child1 ,i was told that ,god was angry with people for sinning and breaking ,his commandments1 and so ,jesus ,christ offered to come and die on the cross to appease ,his just wrath4 ,that seemed a great puzzle to me1 because1 although it might account for what happened before ,christ came and until ,he came1 ,i could not understand why ,god should go on letting people come into the world who would break ,his laws1 and make ,him still more angry for centuries and centuries4 ,that seemed to me1 as a child1 so unnecessary4 ,later ,i was told it was not ,god's anger but ,his sense of justice that had to be appeased and satisfied1 which was a distinct step in advance4 ,a little later1 however1 ,i read that this was not the hidden truth of the doctrine4 ,the religious world 7the thoughtful section of it7 now arrived at the idea that it was not ,god who needed to be satisfied or appeased in any of ,his attributes1 but ,,man1 and that ,,god--in the person of his ,son--came into the world to reconcile the world to ,him1 and not ,himself to the world4 ,this was a complete bouleversement of the whole situation1 though it came so gradually that few appreciated that fact4 ,the last suggestion appeared to me by far the most luminous4 ,in human life it is invariably the lower nature that needs to be reconciled and conciliated2 whilst the higher nature1 in proportion to its development1 is forgiving and tolerant and wide-minded1 and does not prate about its own high sense of justice requiring to be appeased4 ,the best type of man punishes a wrong-doer in order that he may learn to do better and leave off tormenting and wronging his fellow-creatures2 not to appease any instinct in his own breast1 for that would be egotism1 no matter how we might try to disguise the fact4 ,now if it would be a blot upon the best conceivable man to be egotistical1 a fortiori must it be upon ,god4 ,to conceive otherwise is to make ,god in the likeness of the lower and not the higher humanity4 ,i thought all that out very clearly4 ,still this crux remained for me1 that to be suddenly1 at any arbitrary moment in the world's history1 obliged1 as it were1 to send an absolutely divine part of ,himself into the world1 was the way a man would act faced by an unforeseen catastrophe1 but not the way in which ,god has acted throughout the rest of our history4 ,a succession of teachers1 enlightening the world by degrees1 and culminating in the ,,anointed ,son of ,god--the ,flower of ,humanity--this is entirely in line with the processes of ,nature and the laws of ,god1 so far as we know them4 ,all progress has its culminating point4 ons have passed to produce the most exquisite crystals1 the highest forms of vegetation1 of animals1 of men4 ,then came the slow processes of civilising and educating men2 the dim instincts of fear and propitiation1 merging1 by slow degrees1 in the first conceptions of ,love1 as something apart from desire1 and so forth4 ,was ,i to be expected to shut my eyes to all these known facts1 and bolt down the theories contained in one ,book1 written by human authors1 no matter how admirable8 ,i felt it was impossible4 ,then ,i remembered with relief that these very dogmas1 as a matter of fact1 were in so fluent a state1 that my own bare fifty years of living had seen at least four different high-water marks6 ,here again therefore1 under my very eyes1 was the universal law of progress working1 the moment it could work1 by being released from the swaddling-clothes of the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 which1 so far as it is orthodox1 is fossilised4 ,i saw also that the whole body of dissent had moved on1 taking up its pegs and planting them a little further on each time2 till a ,city temple1 with its widening theology1 was an established fact4 ,progress everywhere--slow1 but sure--and the pace getting quicker1 even in my short span6 ,still1 the uniqueness of ,jesus of ,nazareth and ,his influence over the nineteen centuries was a puzzle4 ,buddha's influence has lasted longer1 ,mahomet's almost as long 7the two cancel any way71 but ,i have always recognised an advance in the teaching of ,jesus ,christ4 ,he brought a fresh element1 in the personal note of the ,sonship with ,,god4 ,i was at this point when ,i came over here4 ,now through your mind ,i have been able to see1 and1 oddly enough1 to quicken in your soul1 the seed already planted there4 ,they tell me the illumination came to you years ago1 at ,oberammergau--no1 not when you were there for the ,passion ,play--four years earlier4 ,you took it in with your head then1 not with your heart4 ,old traditions were too strong1 ,i suppose1 and you had not made up the last little bit of your mind1 to be true to the convictions that had come to you through your prayers for light4 ,and so you have gone on1 see-sawing to and fro1 not really believing the old orthodox ideas1 but not courageously sweeping them away for yourself4 ,so although the key was in your hands1 you have not used it until now4 ,you have given me the key1 and ,i have been allowed1 as my ,new ,year's gift1 to fit it in the door4 ,this is how ,jesus ,christ has stood so long at the door of your heart and knocked4 ,he could only enter through the one door--namely1 that one opened in the highest point of your spiritual realisation4 ,i see now that ,he comes in at that door in each soul1 and1 as spiritual evolution unfolds in each heart1 so is the special position of that door shifted2 but the fact of ,his presence is the vital one6 ,it was not possible for ,him to do otherwise than hide ,his face1 as it were1 whilst you were barring ,his only door of access--i4e4 your true point of realisation4 ,it all seems so clear to me now4 ,and this is how ,he comes to so many in different guises4 ,he is the ,perfected ,manifestation of ,,god1 as the ,divine ,man--the ,flower of ,humanity4 ,but ,he can come into the heart in the narrowest creed1 so long as the holder of that creed is at his true point of growth and not trying to stifle ,god's gift of ever-advancing truth by cowardly want of trust1 or fear of being worse off in the end1 by being absolutely honest to himself and his own convictions in the present4 ,it has been a long message1 and you have taken much of it awkwardly1 but on the whole it represents what ,i wanted to say4 ,h4 ,d4 ,,iii ,h4 ,d4--,i feel now that you want to know what ,i meant by telling ,miss ,r4 it was the likeness to the old world which puzzled me here4 ,you see1 we have all imbibed traditional ideas with our mother's milk1 however much our intellects may have modified them4 ,instinct is stronger than intellect1 because it is more elemental4 ,the first thing that struck me was that truths which are latent on earth are made manifest here4 7,here comes an interpolation47 ,you can take my words so easily that we must guard against wasting time in mere verbosity4 ,i must teach you to condense more4 ,we must strike some sort of balance between my brevity and your amplification4 ,at present it is as well to get the instrument into proper working order before worrying too much over these details4 7,he then resumed47 ,it is as if you turned the old earth garment inside out1 and saw the very fabric of it1 which the earth looms have hitherto concealed by the warp and woof of the manufactured article4 ,for instance1 you are told on earth that you are making your own future conditions by right or wrong thinking4 ,here you see the absolute1 material results of right and wrong thinking1 just as if you were looking at two different patterns1 woven by two different workers4 ,i said material results1 because matter here is just as real as it was on earth1 and just as illusory1 in one sense1 in both spheres4 ,your matter is unreal to us4 ,our matter is unreal to you4 ,the truth is1 both are shadows cast by an antecedent reality on the ,screens of the ,universe4 ,the screens are the school-houses through which humanity learns its lessons4 ,don't be worried6 ,there is no real difficulty in using your hand2 it is only trying to compromise between your redundancy and my brevity4 ,earth is like a gallery of sculpture4 7,note by ,e4 ,k4 ,b4--,this simile had flashed through my brain1 and ,h4 ,d4 at once said3 ,yes1 that is very good2 you started it1 and ,i pick it up and apply it47 ,all the figures and groups are perfected and complete in their marble or bronze or terra-cotta1 as the case may be4 ,some groups or figures are noble1 others mediocre1 others again may be sensual and degrading1 but they have one quality in common--for good or bad1 they are ready made4 ,now go into the sculptor's studio1 having studied well in the great sculpture galleries of the world4 ,you go to the studio1 we will suppose1 as a pupil4 ,he puts a lump of clay into your hands1 and for the first time you are invited to model your own statues and figures1 to embody your own ideas in this clay1 which corresponds to thought stuff here4 ,you are even made to understand that your houses will only be worthily furnished by the work of your own hands4 ,here it is the work of your own hearts1 of your loving or unloving thoughts4 ,so the first lesson we learn over here is that ,,thought is not only ,creative ,power1 as you are often told on earth1 but it is also the very stuff out of which the creation must be moulded4 ,it is1 in very truth1 the clay of the modeller4 ,shakespeare said truly enough ,we are such stuff as dreams are made of1 but he was referring to our embodied selves4 ,the difference between the two worlds seems to me1 so far as ,i have arrived1 as the difference between the pupil in the sculpture gallery and in the experimental studio4 ,the chief part of the earth modelling is ready made--made by the racial thought stuff and the racial manipulation of it4 ,here1 for the first time1 we must turn to and take a hand in the work ourselves4 ,it would not be possible to give such individual power in any lower sphere than this1 for it would be misused1 and would lead to terrible tragedies4 ,you see some slight hints of this in what is called ,black ,magic--the wilful and intentional throwing of evil conditions on other people1 making hard and cruel images of them in the mind1 and so forth4 ,but all that is as child's play to what would happen if the absolute clay were put into their hands1 as it is here4 ,it is the difference between thinking out an ugly picture2 and painting it and hanging it up in a gallery2 for we have objectivity here as with you4 ,naturally what comes into objective existence has more power than what remains latent4 ,the latter can only influence exceptionally sensitive souls1 and that to a comparatively small extent1 whereas the former1 here as with you1 has a much farther range of influence4 ,so this sort of gunpowder is not given to us until we are old enough to know better than to burn our fingers with it1 in trying to make fireworks6 ,at the same time1 as all stages of evolution overlap1 it is inevitable that some hint of these possibilities should be already in your world4 ,woe be to those who misuse them6 ,you have taken enough for this morning4 ,h4 ,d4 ,,iv ,the friend ,i have called ,mr ,harry ,denton1 during his psychic researches1 came1 as many others have done1 very strongly under the influence of ,imperator1 the chief of the ,stainton ,moses controls4 ,i knew that this was the case1 especially during the last three or four years of my friend's life1 and ,i always rather resented the fact1 for the limitations of ,imperator have always appealed to me so strongly1 as to dim1 perhaps unduly1 his undoubted claims to appreciation4 ,i have read many of the private ,stainton ,moses' records 7thanks to my friendship with the executor1 with whom these journals were left71 and in all those referring to ,imperator's communications1 there was to my mind the same note of cock-sureness and mental tyranny4 ,there was too much of finality and self-assertion1 too much of ,thus saith the ,lord1 about ,imperator's remarks for my rebellious soul4 ,i could never be strongly impressed by any personality1 however admirable1 that so palpably exacted allegiance and unquestioning obedience4 ,these must be the unconscious tribute to the ,genius of ,holiness1 as to any other sort of genius2 never an enforced levy upon us4 ,so at least it seems to me4 ,certainly ,i would not escape one sort of priestcraft to set up another in its place1 whether the niche be filled by ,mrs ,besant or ,mrs ,eddy or ,mr ,sinnett1 or any other fallible fellow-creature4 ,not even ,imperator can strike me as infallible2 and his own evident belief in that direction does not affect the question4 ,it seemed to me rather to be deplored that ,mr ,denton1 with his wide outlook and cosmic conceptions1 should fall so strongly under any special influence1 even that of the admirable ,imperator6 ,so ,i was curious to know what his views were upon this subject from the other side of the veil4 ,i will now leave him to speak for himself4 ,h4 ,d4--,you want me to tell you just my position about the ,imperator group before and since ,i passed to this side8 ,that is easily done4 ,remember1 the teaching ,i got through ,imperator was practically the first spiritual teaching ,i ever had--the first ,i mean1 of course1 that ,i could assimilate1 because it appealed to my reason1 as well as to my sense of the fitness of things--and therefore ,i can never feel sufficiently grateful to him and his group2 and ,i see that they can teach many who would not be amenable to a more distinctly spiritual appeal4 ,imperator is a great force in his way2 a sort of plough that goes over the hard1 caked-up earth and throws it open to the sunshine and rain and all ,nature's beautiful influences1 to all the possibility of ,divine influences on the corresponding sphere4 ,but the limitation of ,imperator ,i see clearly now1 as you always appear to have done4 ,he is1 as you say1 too final and too dogmatic4 ,this is at once his weakness and his strength3 his weakness1 because it limits his own spiritual receptivity2 his strength1 because it focusses his power in dealing with materialistic minds4 ,a more spiritually true perspective in his communications would rule out half the souls to whom his appeal is made4 ,stainton ,moses has also progressed beyond the ,imperator influence1 and this is why the communications between them had become so clogged and so liable to error4 ,s4 ,m4 could not switch on to the old wires1 as in the days when his horizon was bounded by them4 ,this accounts1 ,i see1 for much of the misconception and apparent inconsistency of the remarks made through ,mrs ,piper1 but it was very disheartening for the investigator as time went on and the ,light became more and more clouded4 ,then there was the additional fact to be faced1 that ,mrs ,piper herself became1 psychically rather than physically1 exhausted1 and less able to be used from this side4 ,now ,i see you want to know about ,frank ,strong1 and what he said about sin existing only on your plane1 and how inconsistent this was with the previous teachings of ,stainton ,moses1 who was supposed to be speaking through ,frank's assistance4 ,it is so difficult to explain everything in black and white when there are so many shades of grey1 so many degrees and amounts to be considered4 ,it is like a question in mechanics4 ,with increased momentum you get an increased rate as multiplied by space4 ,i am not an expert1 but this is practically true4 ,in the same way1 spiritual perception acts with increased momentum4 ,all sin is failure in spiritual perception4 ,spiritual perception corresponds with the momentum of a falling body in mechanics4 ,only in ,divine mechanics it is a rising body2 but the same law holds good4 ,you say truly that an action can only be called sinful when the sinner knows the higher and deliberately turns to the lower4 ,that is true2 but it is only half a truth4 ,it is still the lack of knowledge that causes sin4 ,with the fulness of knowledge of the higher 7only another way of putting fulness of spiritual perception7 must come the righteousness of life4 ,it is the broken gleams1 the little knowledge1 which is truly a dangerous thing1 for it brings responsibility1 and therefore the capacity for sinning4 ,yet the choice between good and evil fully made1 is the schoolmaster to bring us to the full realisation of our nature as ,sons of ,god4 ,now when ,frank came over here1 he was so greatly impressed by the dynamic force of spiritual perception that for the time he lost all sense of proportion and accuracy of judgment4 ,compared with the old earth temptations1 those in his sphere seemed non-existent1 whilst the temptations to goodness were enormously increased4 ,what wonder that in the delightful sensation caused by his sense of moral and spiritual freedom from old shackles1 he should exclaim with youthful fervour3 ,sin is only possible in your sphere--it is unknown here6 ,any communications of which he formed the channel1 would of necessity be coloured by this dominant idea of his4 ,everything is a question of degree1 and he is learning that lesson now1 ,i find4 ,he says3 ,why do people in the earth life quote our words as if we were ,delphic ,oracles8 ,why1 indeed8 ,but ,i am afraid ,i did much the same whilst so strongly under the ,imperator influence4 ,e4 ,k4 ,b4--,why is ,imperator so slow in throwing off his own spiritual limitations8 ,h4 ,d4--,i can read your mind so easily4 ,it is quick and alert1 and has already answered its own question4 ,it is because he has a work to do on your plane amongst those who could not come in touch with a higher spiritual development4 ,there are spiritual as well as scientific martyrs1 you must remember2 and he is one of them4 ,but the ,divine ,economy works very beautifully here4 ,he is not conscious of any spiritual limitation1 and therefore he is happy in his work1 and the martyrdom ,i spoke of is unconscious4 ,when it becomes conscious1 with him it will mean that his present plane of work is finished1 and that he will be removed to another ,form so soon as he is prepared to teach there4 ,he is essentially a teacher1 and a valuable one1 for those who have not soared beyond his present perceptions4 ,it is all so much more simple and reasonable than you suppose4 ,it is these crusted old creeds that have misrepresented actual conditions1 and yet they also have been1 as ,imperator2 doing their own work amongst the people to whom they have acted as necessary stepping-stones4 ,that is enough for to-day2 take a rest now4 ,h4 ,d4 ,v ,the following conversation between ,mr ,denton and myself 7the last of the series which ,i propose to give7 took place1 ,i see1 at ,buxton1 #dth ,september #aijf4 ,there had been some correspondence in ,the ,daily ,telegraph about ,time as a fourth ,dimension1 and ,i asked my friend if he could say anything to me on the subject4 ,his reply was as follows3-- ,time is really a form of perception1 not a thing in itself--do you understand8 ,your limitation of perception you call ,time4 ,another limitation is called ,distance4 ,this also is an illusion1 or a limitation1 whichever you choose to call it4 ,the ,white ,ray is the ,absolute4 ,the spectroscope gives you the limitation which makes the colours perceptible to your human eyes4 ,for the one who is free from these limitations1 all colours exist and are present in consciousness at the same moment4 ,but they must be split up and observed severally to enter into the earth consciousness4 ,it is exactly the parallel of ,time4 ,events in ,time coincide with the colours in the ,ray4 ,all exist simultaneously for the one who is free from limitations4 ,all must be brought into sequence for the one who is bound by limitations4 ,this is really the key to so many puzzles1 and accounts for so many occult phenomena4 ,as we transcend the normal earth limits ever so little1 so do we develop these abnormal powers1 as they are called4 ,but here1 as everywhere1 the reality is just the converse of the apparent4 ,the true norm is the ,perfect ,ray--the ,ceaseless ,sound--the ,perfect ,vision2 and the abnormal is the limitation upon the earth1 or upon any succeeding plane1 short of the ,absolute4 ,but naturally we consider that normal which happens to be our standpoint for the moment4 ,already to me the earth limitations appear abnormal1 and my more extended capacities mark the norm of existence for me4 ,this must be the case naturally4 ,prevision would be more accurately termed ,whole vision--seeing the whole and not the tiny section4 ,in moments of intense joy or realisation of any kind1 ,time seems to cease1 and a moment may hold an ,eternity4 ,any absorbing emotion1 joyful or sorrowful1 may bring this experience4 ,for the moment you are out of yourselves4 ,this is literally true4 ,you are living in the next ,dimension4 ,time and ,space no longer exist for you4 ,most of you have had some such experience1 but of necessity it can be a flash only in the midst of your normal life4 ,ask me something now4 ,e4 ,k4 ,b4--,a man writing lately in ,the ,daily ,telegraph of ,time as a fourth ,dimension said something about the cube as being an infinite number of flat planes of infinite tenuity1 heaped up one over the other4 ,to the person who knew only length and breadth1 the cube would have no existence4 ,such a person would realise only an infinite number of planes in sequence4 ,yet they would all co-exist for the three-dimensional man of the present day4 ,the suggestion appeared to be that1 in exactly a similar way1 events which to the three-dimensional man can only be perceived normally in sequence1 would co-exist for a four-dimensional being4 ,this would mean practically the annihilation of ,time1 as giving sequence4 ,do you see ,truth in this idea1 and can you tell me if it extends also to ,space8 ,h4 ,d4--,certainly4 ,that is just what ,i meant as regards ,distance4 ,all limitations are mental1 as a matter of fact4 ,we have them here1 but infinitely fewer than in the old earth life4 ,mind has always been able to flash from pole to pole and to affect those at a distance1 because mind and distance occupy two different planes4 ,the latter is an earth limitation4 ,as the veil lifts a little1 even on your side1 so you become conscious that mind has these powers2 but the powers were always there4 ,it merely means that you have come up with your own mental capacities to some small degree4 ,e4 ,k4 ,b4--,is there any help here for my constant problem3 ,why should one's individual life be only now evolving in ,eternity8 ,do you see what ,i mean8 ,h4 ,d4--,yes2 but ,i hardly know the answer to that tremendous problem4 ,still1 ,i will try to suggest a few thoughts to you4 ,to be conscious of holiness and virtue we must have known its antithesis--evil and separation1 which are really synonymous4 ,separation from ,holiness is evil4 ,it is a condition1 a limitation4 ,it is to the ,divine ,essence just such a limitation as ,time is to the mortal4 ,separation is therefore the antecedent cause of all limitations4 ,these must exist where the ,wholeness or ,holiness is absent4 ,i must use the language of earth or you would not understand4 ,logically1 of course1 ,holiness can never be absent1 since it is the cause of all ,existence2 but it is apparently absent1 and this apparent absence1 this separation1 this evil in fact1 acts as a spectroscope4 ,it analyses1 and thus brings into our consciousness the ,white ,ray of the ,divine ,nature4 ,we can go no further than that4 ,the ,divine ,chemistry1 beyond this fact1 must remain a mystery1 probably for ages to come4 ,we cannot tell why things are thus arranged2 we only know that it is so4 ,as well ask why the ,white ,ray of ,light gives out its colours only through separating them4 ,but it is easier to speak of the co-ordination of events4 ,take your own suggestion of the cube--that will help us best4 ,take it that each life is a cube of planes1 of experiences4 ,these experiences are co-existent and knit together1 as firmly in the life of a human being as the many planes are co-existing1 and knit together in a mathematical cube4 ,you can dissect the cube and slice off infinitesimal small planes in sections4 ,so is the individual life sliced off into an infinite number of planes by the sequences of ,time 7our three-dimensional condition74 ,but these experiences--great or small1 important or trivial 7from your point of view7--exist in the cube of that person's earth pilgrimage1 as the colours exist in the ,white ,ray4 ,the ,ray may be split up into sequence1 but the colours belong to it all the same1 and by a perfectly seeing eye would be known and recognised without the help of the spectroscope4 ,the true seer is the one who sees the cube of your life2 before whom it is spread out1 without ,time ,separations1 into planes of experience4 ,this is the real secret of all foretelling4 ,such people1 when honest1 have some amount of access to the cube of earth life1 some more1 some less4 ,many mix up and confuse what they see2 but they do see beyond the plane section which ,time gives to the normal human being4 ,i think you have taken enough now4 ,i will only add that1 of course--as you know--there is nothing arbitrary in the cube of life1 as ,i have called it4 ,it is built up of necessary experiences and necessary consequences4 ,but it is built up by ,love and ,wisdom1 the two ,elements of the ,divine ,nature1 in which we live and move and have our being4 ,h4 ,d4 ,,vi ,the next selection that ,i shall give from my automatic script comes from an entirely different personality1 which can be sufficiently indicated by the initials ,e4 ,g4 ,e4 ,g4--,worship is a necessary part of each soul's training1 and we can only worship that which we feel to be above and beyond ourselves4 ,as we grow older and become more developed in spiritual consciousness1 so do we tend more and more to worship the inner and intangible1 rather than the outer and manifest4 ,so whilst the instinct of worship is always the same1 the objects and methods must continually change with our own advancing realisation and unfolding consciousness4 ,those limitations which once made for reverence are in time found to be cramping and to lead to superstition4 ,it is the same with the education of either children or of childish nations4 ,in both cases a display of power is necessary to command obedience1 because the childish mind can only apprehend from the outer1 and realise the existence of that which it sees physically demonstrated4 ,tell a child of tender years that to be naughty is to be unhappy1 and in ninety-nine cases out of one hundred he will neither understand nor believe you4 ,but take away his toys or his sweets or put him in a corner2 make him1 in fact1 physically aware of the truth that to be naughty is to bring unpleasant consequences upon himself1 and you have taken the only argument which he is capable of realising at a certain point of consciousness4 ,this is why certain nations1 at the child point of development1 must be treated as children4 ,they don't realise the appeal to the spiritual1 and will only misconceive you and your motives1 and read cowardice in your attempt to treat from a standpoint they have not reached4 ,it is the same with certain religions1 and this is the cause of much failure in mission work4 ,theosophy and ,roman ,catholicism appeal strongly to comparatively immature minds4 ,those who care more for form than for essence are always in the immature stage4 ,they love big words and mysterious sayings and doings4 ,to have something apart from others--whether it be happiness or knowledge--is their idea of bliss4 ,hence in most theosophists1 as in all ,roman ,catholic converts1 you find this note of immaturity and monopoly4 ,i say converts1 because those born in the ,roman ,catholic faith are on different ground4 ,their spiritual life may grow and develop in spite of the creed limitations into which ,fate has cast them1 but those who deliberately choose such limitations give the best possible proof of their own standpoint4 ,and the same may be said also of all strict creed religions4 ,they have their great and valuable uses1 as prison bars have their uses in a community which has not learnt to respect the rights and property of its neighbours4 ,withdraw these bars and you let loose upon society a pestilential crew of murderers and marauders4 ,relax the bars of creed and you will find the same result4 ,but as bars are not necessary for the advanced souls who recognise that to murder or defraud their fellow-creatures leads to their own misery1 apart from any detection or punishment1 so creeds are not necessary1 under a corresponding evolution of the spiritual instinct1 which tallies with the social and moral instincts noted above4 ,and as treadmills and oakum picking can be dismissed in the one case1 so can much of the theological machinery for the discipline and punishment of sinners against spiritual laws be dispensed with1 in the case of those who are1 spiritually speaking1 coming of age4 ,they come then into the full liberty of ,sons of ,god1 and shall be no more treated as servants1 but as sons1 as the ,apostle puts it4 ,this brings me to my special subject4 ,there are many things of great and transcending interest which we are obliged to keep secret from our younger children1 partly because they would fail to understand1 but still more because they would misunderstand1 and this to their own hurt and disadvantage2 not to speak of possible injury to others through them4 ,spiritual ,evolution is the true ,doctrine1 but it is not food for babes in spiritual life4 ,to have an unlimited series of advancing lives and advancing experiences unfolded before their eyes would not only dismay and bewilder1 but would also paralyse their energy for good1 and terribly augment their capacity for evil--for the not good4 ,until they are sufficiently versed in spiritual experience to realise the difference between purity and impurity1 good and evil1 ,god and the world1 fame and peace1 pleasure and happiness1 the peace which passes understanding and the false glamour of sensual passion and sensuous self-indulgence1 so long it is dangerous for them to know1 with absolute certainty1 the real facts of the case4 ,even the terrible and abhorrent pictures of an ,eternal ,hell1 of endless flames and of undying worms1 have had their uses4 ,in this form alone could the thoroughly immature mind be made to realise the discomfort and misery that would inevitably attend wrong-doing4 ,it was a truth1 although not a literal truth4 ,many literal truths convey a false impression to the immature mind1 whilst a symbolic truth may convey as true an impression as such a mind is capable of receiving4 ,the old ideas of ,heaven and ,hell are already doomed2 but other ideas1 equally untrue from the literal point of view1 still hold their own1 and will be more slowly eradicated4 ,it is well this should be so4 ,the world at large is not prepared yet to take this further step4 ,frequent examinations have been found useful and inevitable in school training1 both as a test of progress and still more as an encouragement4 ,if you tell a school of boys and girls in ,january that a grand examination will be held the following ,december1 do you suppose they will work as well and as diligently as if they knew there will be short examinations at ,easter and more important ones at midsummer8 ,again1 if you tell boys of ten years old1 who are learning a little history1 geography1 and arithmetic1 just in the ,rule of ,three and simple fractions1 with perhaps a little ,latin2 of the ,algebra and ,euclid and ,conic sections and higher ,mathematics1 and ,latin and ,greek verse and ,hebrew and ,philosophy1 which they must some day confront1 you will puzzle and paralyse their brains1 and leave only a sense of misery and revolt and helplessness1 which will quickly show forth in reckless despair1 even concerning the tasks which are well within their present capacity4 ,god1 in ,his ,infinite ,wisdom 7of which ours is the feeblest reflection71 acts in precisely the same way as wise fathers and wise teachers4 ,your earth is more or less of an infant school1 but before leaving it1 some of you must prepare for the higher classes and learn to take your own spiritual responsibilities4 ,it is seen that in these days of reaction and readjustment1 many minds are puzzled and perplexed by the old doctrines1 which they have outgrown1 and which were never more than the outer husk and protection for the inner kernel--the casket for the jewel of spiritual truth4 ,the one term of probation--the one chance for progress--the immediate ,heaven or ,hell--the ,great ,white ,throne of ,judgment1 instant and inevitable--all these correspond with the frequent examinations1 with the good and bad marks--the judging of the school work at the end of each term4 ,the only difference lies in the fact that the schoolboy knows he has other terms in front of him1 and we are all aware that this is a very unfortunate fact where an idle boy is concerned4 ,how often you may hear them say3 ,never mind6 ,i'm a bit behind now--but ,i have three years more--,i shall catch up later4 ,and this is probably just what they fail to do2 for with such characters it is always to-morrow that is to see the reformation which so often comes only when life has taught its hard lessons to the defaulter4 ,is it not apparent1 therefore1 that there has been wisdom and goodness in our very theological mistakes and illusions8 ,the opposition to spiritualistic teachings has its good and healthy side4 ,it is really the fierce antagonism of the undeveloped nature towards a truth it dimly apprehends to be ahead of its own development2 and1 tiresome as it seems1 and is from one point of view1 it is the best safeguard for the world at large4 ,unimaginable horrors would come to pass upon the earth were ,power as well as ,knowledge put into the hands of the crude and undeveloped4 ,it would be arming savages with ,winchester rifles and quick-firing guns4 ,never regret1 therefore1 this opposition1 even whilst fighting against it in individual cases4 ,both must grow together till the ,harvest--the ,tares and ,wheat1 the ,crude and the ,developed--and the former are the enormous majority4 ,this is the reason why all ,truth must be born into each world through a fight and an agony2 for it always comes as an advance upon normal conditions1 no matter in which sphere it may be4 ,and it is through the struggle that the ,victory comes and the ,light is born4 ,let people jeer and deride when they hear of a future life1 not so very different from your own2 of houses and lectures and boats and horses1 of pet animals1 and so forth4 ,those who jeer and deride or talk of blasphemy are still at the orthodox stage1 when it is well for them to know only of one school1 of one term1 of one chance1 and of an immediate and final judgment for the deeds done on earth4 ,others are old enough 7spiritually speaking7 to know the truth i4e4--that ,,god is in all1 of an infinite series of spheres1 through which each travelling soul must pass1 gaining ever fresh light1 growing ever into fresh knowledge and realisation of ,divine ,beauty and ,divine ,love2 spheres differing little externally from the one left behind1 but enormously in the capacities and qualities which by degrees the soul will unfold in the ,cosmic ,journey4 ,the outer will become more and more the result of the inner condition2 for the creative faculty1 scarcely born with you1 flourishes in the ascending spiral4 ,down here you are babes1 with your clothes made for you1 your bottles filled for you1 and dependent on others for the conditions of life1 but by degrees you will enter on the full responsibility and the full joy and glory of independent existence1 which yet will be unified--first into the life of the ,affinities--the ,true and completed ,being--and then into the life of that ,body of ,christ1 of which ,st ,paul speaks in his prophetic moments1 where there shall be neither ,greek nor ,jew1 ,barbarian1 ,scythian1 ,bond nor ,free1 but ,christos1 the glorified and crowned ,humanity1 shall be all in all--,,god ,,in ,,man2 the coping-stone of the ,building1 whose foundations were laid as ,,man 7the ,image and ,likeness of ,god7 ,,in ,,god4