,,there ,,is ,,no ,,death    ,works by  
,florence ,marryat    ,,published ,,in  
,,the ,,international ,,series4         
,,no4                                   
,,cts4       #he4 ,blindfold1           
#ej      #ace4 ,brave ,heart and ,true1 
#ej       #db4 ,mount ,eden1            
#cj       #ac4 ,on ,circumstantial      
,evidence1      #cj      #adh4 ,risen   
,dead1 ,the1                 #ej        
#gg4 ,scarlet ,sin1 ,a1                 
#ej      #aei4 ,there ,is ,no ,death1   
#ej        ,,there ,,is ,,no ,,death    
,,by    ,,florence ,,marryat            
,,author ,,of    ,,love',s ,,conflict1  
,,veronique1 ,,etc41 ,,etc4       ,there
 is no ,death--what seems so is         
transition4      ,this life of mortal   
breath      ,is but a suburb of the     
,life ,elysian      ,whose portal we    
call----,death4--,longfellow4      ,,new
 ,,york    ,,national ,,book ,,company  
#c1 #d1 #e ,,and #f ,,mission ,,place   
,copyright1 #ahia1    by    ,united     
,states ,book ,company     ,,there ,,is 

,,no ,,death4     ,,chapter ,i4         
,,family ,,ghosts4   ,it has been       
strongly impressed upon me for some     
years past to write an account of the   
wonderful experiences ,i have passed    
through in my investigation of the      
science of ,spiritualism4 ,in doing so  
,i intend to confine myself to recording
 facts4 ,i will describe the scenes ,i  
have witnessed with my own eyes1 and    
repeat the words ,i have heard with my  
own ears1 leaving the deduction to be   
drawn from them wholly to my readers4 ,i
 have no ambition to start a theory nor 
to promulgate a doctrine2 above all     
things ,i have no desire to provoke an  
argument4 ,i have had more than enough  
of arguments1 philosophical1 scientific1
 religious1 and purely aggressive1 to   
last a lifetime2 and were ,i called upon
 for my definition of the rest promised 
to the weary1 ,i should reply--a place  
where every man may hold his own        
opinion1 and no one is permitted to     
dispute it4  ,but though ,i am about to 

record a great many incidents that are  
so marvellous as to be almost           
incredible1 ,i do not expect to be      
disbelieved1 except by such as are      
capable of deception themselves4        
,they--conscious of their own           
infirmity--invariably believe that other
 people must be telling lies4 ,byron    
wrote1 ,he is a fool who denies that    
which he cannot disprove2 and though    
,carlyle gives us the comforting        
assurance that the population of ,great 
,britain consists chiefly of fools1 ,i  
pin my faith upon receiving credence    
from the few who are not so4  ,why      
should ,i be disbelieved8 ,when the late
 ,lady ,brassey published the ,cruise of
 the ,sunbeam1 and ,sir ,samuel and     
,lady ,baker related their experiences  
in ,central ,africa1 and ,livingstone   
wrote his account of the wonders he met 
with whilst engaged in the investigation
 of the source of the ,nile1 and ,henry 
,stanley followed up the story and added
 thereto1 did they anticipate the public

 turning up its nose at their           
narrations1 and declaring it did not    
believe a word they had written8 ,yet   
their readers had to accept the facts   
they offered for credence1 on their     
authority alone4 ,very few of them had  
even heard of the places described      
before2 scarcely one in a thousand      
could1 either from personal experience  
or acquired knowledge1 attest the truth 
of the description4 ,what was there--for
 the benefit of the general public--to  
prove that the ,sunbeam had sailed round
 the world1 or that ,sir ,samuel ,baker 
had met with the rare beasts1 birds1 and
 flowers he wrote of1 or that           
,livingstone and ,stanley met and spoke 
with those curious1 unknown tribes that 
never saw white men till they set eyes  
on them8 ,yet had any one of those      
writers affirmed that in his wanderings 
he had encountered a gold field of      
undoubted excellence1 thousands of      
fortune-seekers would have left their   
native land on his word alone1 and      

rushed to secure some of the glittering 
treasure4  ,why8 ,because the authors of
 those books were persons well known in 
society1 who had a reputation for       
veracity to maintain1 and who would have
 been quickly found out had they dared  
to deceive4 ,i claim the same grounds   
for obtaining belief4 ,i have a         
well-known name and a public reputation1
 a tolerable brain1 and two sharp eyes4 
,what ,i have witnessed1 others1 with   
equal assiduity and perseverance1 may   
witness for themselves4 ,it would demand
 a voyage round the world to see all    
that the owners of the ,sunbeam saw4 ,it
 would demand time and trouble and money
 to see what ,i have seen1 and to some  
people1 perhaps1 it would not be worth  
the outlay4 ,but if ,i have journeyed   
into the ,debateable ,land 7which so few
 really believe in1 and most are        
terribly afraid of71 and come forward   
now to tell what ,i have seen there1 the
 world has no more right to disbelieve  
me than it had to disbelieve ,lady      

,brassey4 ,because the general public   
has not penetrated ,central ,africa1 is 
no reason that ,livingstone did not do  
so2 because the general public has not  
seen 7and does not care to see7 what ,i 
have seen1 is no argument against the   
truth of what ,i write4 ,to those who do
 believe in the possibility of communion
 with disembodied spirits1 my story will
 be interesting perhaps1 on account of  
its dealing throughout in a remarkable  
degree with the vexed question of       
identity and recognition4 ,to the       
materialistic portion of creation who   
may credit me with not being a bigger   
fool than the remainder of the          
thirty-eight millions of ,great         
,britain1 it may prove a new source of  
speculation and research4 ,and for those
 of my fellow-creatures who possess no  
curiosity1 nor imagination1 nor desire  
to prove for themselves what they cannot
 accept on the testimony of others1 ,i  
never had1 and never shall have1        
anything in common4 ,they are the sort  

of people who ask you with a pleasing   
smile if ,irving wrote ,the ,charge of  
the ,light ,brigade1 and say they like  
,byron's ,sardanapalus very well1 but it
 is not so funny as ,our ,boys4  ,now1  
before going to work in right earnest1  
,i do not think it is generally known   
that my father1 the late ,captain       
,marryat1 was not only a believer in    
ghosts1 but himself a ghost-seer4 ,i am 
delighted to be able to record this fact
 as an introduction to my own           
experiences4 ,perhaps the ease with     
which such manifestations have come to  
me is a gift which ,i inherit from him1 
anyway ,i am glad he shared the belief  
and the power of spiritual sight with   
me4 ,if there were no other reason to   
make me bold to repeat what ,i have     
witnessed1 the circumstance would give  
me courage4 ,my father was not like his 
intimate friends1 ,charles ,dickens1    
,lord ,lytton1 and many other men of    
genius1 highly strung1 nervous1 and     
imaginative4 ,i do not believe my father

 had any nerves1 and ,i think he had    
very little imagination4 ,almost all his
 works are founded on his personal      
experiences4 ,his forte lay in a        
humorous description of what he had     
seen4 ,he possessed a marvellous power  
of putting his recollections into       
graphic and forcible language1 and the  
very reason that his books are almost as
 popular to-day as when they were       
written1 is because they are true       
histories of their time4 ,there is      
scarcely a line of fiction in them4 ,his
 body was as powerful and muscular as   
his brain4 ,his courage was             
indomitable--his moral courage as well  
as his physical 7as many people remember
 to their cost to this day71 and his    
hardness of belief on many subjects is  
no secret4 ,what ,i am about to relate  
therefore did not happen to some        
excitable1 nervous1 sickly              
sentimentalist1 and ,i repeat that ,i am
 proud to have inherited his            
constitutional tendencies1 and quite    

willing to stand judgment after him4  ,i
 have heard that my father had a number 
of stories to relate of supernatural 7as
 they are usually termed7 incidents that
 had occurred to him1 but ,i will       
content myself with relating such as    
were proved to be 7at the least7 very   
remarkable coincidences4 ,in my work1   
,the ,life and ,letters of ,captain     
,marryat1 ,i relate an anecdote of him  
that was entered in his private log1 and
 found amongst his papers4 ,he had a    
younger brother1 ,samuel1 to whom he was
 very much attached1 and who died       
unexpectedly in ,england whilst my      
father1 in command of ,h4 ,m4 ,s4       
,larne1 was engaged in the first        
,burmese war4 ,his men broke out with   
scurvy and he was ordered to take his   
vessel over to ,pulu ,pinang for a few  
weeks in order to get the sailors fresh 
fruit and vegetables4 ,as my father was 
lying in his berth one night1 anchored  
off the island1 with the brilliant      
tropical moonlight making everything as 

bright as day1 he saw the door of his   
cabin open1 and his brother ,samuel     
entered and walked quietly up to his    
side4 ,he looked just the same as when  
they had parted1 and uttered in a       
perfectly distinct voice1 ,fred6 ,i have
 come to tell you that ,i am dead6 ,when
 the figure entered the cabin my father 
jumped up in his berth1 thinking it was 
some one coming to rob him1 and when he 
saw who it was and heard it speak1 he   
leaped out of bed with the intention of 
detaining it1 but it was gone4 ,so vivid
 was the impression made upon him by the
 apparition that he drew out his log at 
once and wrote down all particulars     
concerning it1 with the hour and day of 
its appearance4 ,on reaching ,england   
after the war was over1 the first       
dispatches put into his hand were to    
announce the death of his brother1 who  
had passed away at the very hour when he
 had seen him in the cabin4  ,but the   
story that interests me most is one of  
an incident which occurred to my father 

during my lifetime1 and which we have   
always called ,the ,brown ,lady of      
,rainham4 ,i am aware that this         
narrative has reached the public through
 other sources1 and ,i have made it the 
foundation of a ,christmas story myself4
 ,but it is too well authenticated to be
 omitted here4 ,the last fifteen years  
of my father's life were passed on his  
own estate of ,langham1 in ,norfolk1 and
 amongst his county friends were ,sir   
,charles and ,lady ,townshend of        
,rainham ,hall4 ,at the time ,i speak   
of1 the title and property had lately   
changed hands1 and the new baronet had  
re-papered1 painted1 and furnished the  
,hall throughout1 and come down with his
 wife and a large party of friends to   
take possession4 ,but to their          
annoyance1 soon after their arrival1    
rumors arose that the house was haunted1
 and their guests began1 one and all    
7like those in the parable71 to make    
excuses to go home again4 ,sir ,charles 
and ,lady ,townshend might have sung1   

,friend after friend departs1 with due  
effect1 but it would have had none on   
the general exodus that took place from 
,rainham4 ,and it was all on account of 
a ,brown ,lady1 whose portrait hung in  
one of the bedrooms1 and in which she   
was represented as wearing a brown satin
 dress with yellow trimmings1 and a ruff
 around her throat--a very harmless1    
innocent-looking young woman4 ,but they 
all declared they had seen her walking  
about the house--some in the corridor1  
some in their bedrooms1 others in the   
lower premises1 and neither guests nor  
servants would remain in the ,hall4 ,the
 baronet was naturally very much annoyed
 about it1 and confided his trouble to  
my father1 and my father was indignant  
at the trick he believed had been played
 upon him4 ,there was a great deal of   
smuggling and poaching in ,norfolk at   
that period1 as he knew well1 being a   
magistrate of the county1 and he felt   
sure that some of these depredators were
 trying to frighten the ,townshends away

 from the ,hall again4 ,the last baronet
 had been a solitary sort of being1 and 
lead a retired life1 and my father      
imagined some of the tenantry had their 
own reasons for not liking the          
introduction of revelries and high jinks
 at ,rainham4 ,so he asked his friends  
to let him stay with them and sleep in  
the haunted chamber1 and he felt sure he
 could rid them of the nuisance4 ,they  
accepted his offer1 and he took         
possession of the room in which the     
portrait of the apparition hung1 and in 
which she had been often seen1 and slept
 each night with a loaded revolver under
 his pillow4 ,for two days1 however1 he 
saw nothing1 and the third was to be the
 limit of his stay4 ,on the third night1
 however1 two young men 7nephews of the 
baronet7 knocked at his door as he was  
undressing to go to bed1 and asked him  
to step over to their room 7which was at
 the other end of the corridor71 and    
give them his opinion on a new gun just 
arrived from ,london4 ,my father was in 

his shirt and trousers1 but as the hour 
was late1 and everybody had retired to  
rest except themselves1 he prepared to  
accompany them as he was4 ,as they were 
leaving the room1 he caught up his      
revolver1 in case we meet the ,brown    
,lady1 he said1 laughing4 ,when the     
inspection of the gun was over1 the     
young men in the same spirit declared   
they would accompany my father back     
again1 in case you meet the ,brown      
,lady1 they repeated1 laughing also4    
,the three gentlemen therefore returned 
in company4  ,the corridor was long and 
dark1 for the lights had been           
extinguished1 but as they reached the   
middle of it1 they saw the glimmer of a 
lamp coming towards them from the other 
end4 ,one of the ladies going to visit  
the nurseries1 whispered the young      
,townshends to my father4 ,now the      
bedroom doors in that corridor faced    
each other1 and each room had a double  
door with a space between1 as is the    
case in many old-fashioned country      

houses4 ,my father 7as ,i have said7 was
 in a shirt and trousers only1 and his  
native modesty made him feel            
uncomfortable1 so he slipped within one 
of the outer doors 7his friends         
following his example71 in order to     
conceal himself until the lady should   
have passed by4 ,i have heard him       
describe how he watched her approaching 
nearer and nearer1 through the chink of 
the door1 until1 as she was close enough
 for him to distinguish the colors and  
style of her costume1 he recognized the 
figure as the facsimile of the portrait 
of ,the ,brown ,lady4 ,he had his finger
 on the trigger of his revolver1 and was
 about to demand it to stop and give the
 reason for its presence there1 when the
 figure halted of its own accord before 
the door behind which he stood1 and     
holding the lighted lamp she carried to 
her features1 grinned in a malicious and
 diabolical manner at him4 ,this act so 
infuriated my father1 who was anything  
but lamb-like in disposition1 that he   

sprang into the corridor with a bound1  
and discharged the revolver right in her
 face4 ,the figure instantly            
disappeared--the figure at which for the
 space of several minutes three men had 
been looking together--and the bullet   
passed through the outer door of the    
room on the opposite side of the        
corridor1 and lodged in the panel of the
 inner one4 ,my father never attempted  
again to interfere with ,the ,brown     
,lady of ,rainham1 and ,i have heard    
that she haunts the premises to this    
day4 ,that she did so at that time1     
however1 there is no shadow of doubt4   
,but ,captain ,marryat not only held    
these views and believed in them from   
personal experience--he promulgated them
 in his writings4 ,there are many       
passages in his works which1 read by the
 light of my assertion1 prove that he   
had faith in the possibility of the     
departed returning to visit this earth1 
and in the theory of re-incarnation or  
living more than one life upon it1 but  

nowhere does he speak more plainly than 
in the following extract from the       
,phantom ,ship3--  ,think you1 ,philip1 
7says ,amine to her husband71 that this 
world is solely peopled by such dross as
 we are8--things of clay1 perishable and
 corruptible1 lords over beasts and     
ourselves1 but little better8 ,have you 
not1 from your own sacred writings1     
repeated acknowledgments and proofs of  
higher intelligences1 mixing up with    
mankind1 and acting here below8 ,why    
should what was then not be now1 and    
what more harm is there to apply for    
their aid now than a few thousand years 
ago8 ,why should you suppose that they  
were permitted on the earth then and not
 permitted now8 ,what has become of     
them8 ,have they perished8 ,have they   
been ordered back8 to where8--to heaven8
 ,if to heaven1 the world and mankind   
have been left to the mercy of the devil
 and his agents4 ,do you suppose that we
 poor mortals have been thus abandoned8 
,i tell you plainly1 ,i think not4 ,we  

no longer have the communication with   
those intelligences that we once had1   
because as we become more enlightened we
 become more proud and seek them not1   
but that they still exist a host of good
 against a host of evil1 invisibly      
opposing each other1 is my conviction4  
,one testimony to such a belief1 from   
the lips of my father1 is sufficient4   
,he would not have written it unless he 
had been prepared to maintain it4 ,he   
was not one of those wretched literary  
cowards who we meet but too often       
now-a-days1 who are too much afraid of  
the world to confess with their mouths  
the opinions they hold in their hearts4 
,had he lived to this time ,i believe he
 would have been one of the most        
energetic and outspoken believers in    
,spiritualism that we possess4 ,so much1
 however1 for his testimony to the      
possibility of spirits1 good and evil1  
revisiting this earth4 ,i think few will
 be found to gainsay the assertion that 
where he trod1 his daughter need not be 

ashamed to follow4  ,before the question
 of ,spiritualism1 however1 arose in    
modern times1 ,i had had my own little  
private experiences on the subject4     
,from an early age ,i was accustomed to 
see1 and to be very much alarmed at     
seeing1 certain forms that appeared to  
me at night4 ,one in particular1 ,i     
remember1 was that of a very short or   
deformed old woman1 who was very        
constant to me4 ,she used to stand on   
tiptoe to look at me as ,i lay in bed1  
and however dark the room might be1 ,i  
could always see every article in it1 as
 if illuminated1 whilst she remained    
there4  ,i was in the habit of          
communicating these visions to my mother
 and sisters 7my father had passed from 
us by that time71 and always got well   
ridiculed for my pains4 ,another of     
,flo's optical illusions1 they would    
cry1 until ,i really came to think that 
the appearances ,i saw were due to some 
defect in my eye-sight4 ,i have heard my
 first husband say1 that when he married

 me he thought he should never rest for 
an entire night in his bed1 so often did
 ,i wake him with the description of    
some man or woman ,i had seen in the    
room4 ,i recall these figures           
distinctly4 ,they were always dressed in
 white1 from which circumstance ,i      
imagined that they were natives who had 
stolen in to rob us1 until1 from        
repeated observation1 ,i discovered they
 only formed part of another and more   
enlarged series of my optical illusions4
 ,all this time ,i was very much afraid 
of seeing what ,i termed ghosts4 ,no    
love of occult science led me to        
investigate the cause of my alarm4 ,i   
only wished never to see the illusions  
again1 and was too frightened to remain 
by myself lest they should appear to me4
  ,when ,i had been married for about   
two years1 the head-quarters of my      
husband's regiment1 the #abth ,madras   
,native ,infantry1 was ordered to       
,rangoon1 whilst the left wing1         
commanded by a ,major ,cooper1 was sent 

to assist in the bombardment of ,canton4
 ,major ,cooper had only been married a 
short time1 and by rights his wife had  
no claim to sail with the head-quarters 
for ,burmah1 but as she had no friends  
in ,madras1 and was moreover expecting  
her confinement1 our colonel permitted  
her to do so1 and she accompanied us to 
,rangoon1 settling herself in a house   
not far from our own4 ,one morning1     
early in ,july1 ,i was startled by      
receiving a hurried scrawl from her1    
containing only these words1 ,come6     
come6 come6 ,i set off at once1 thinking
 she had been taken ill1 but on my      
arrival ,i found ,mrs4 ,cooper sitting  
up in bed with only her usual servants  
about her4 ,what is the matter8 ,i      
exclaimed4 ,mark is dead1 she answered  
me2 he sat in that chair 7pointing to   
one by the bedside7 all last night4 ,i  
noticed every detail of his face and    
figure4 ,he was in undress1 and he never
 raised his eyes1 but sat with the peak 
of his forage cap pulled down over his  

face4 ,but ,i could see the back of his 
head and his hair1 and ,i know it was   
he4 ,i spoke to him but he did not      
answer me1 and ,i am sure he is dead4   
,naturally1 ,i imagined this vision to  
have been dictated solely by fear and   
the state of her health4 ,i laughed at  
her for a simpleton1 and told her it was
 nothing but fancy1 and reminded her    
that by the last accounts received from 
the seat of war1 ,major ,cooper was     
perfectly well and anticipating a speedy
 reunion with her4 ,laugh as ,i would1  
however1 ,i could not laugh her out of  
her belief1 and seeing how low-spirited 
she was1 ,i offered to pass the night   
with her4 ,it was a very nice night     
indeed4 ,as soon as ever we had retired 
to bed1 although a lamp burned in the   
room1 ,mrs4 ,cooper declared that her   
husband was sitting in the same chair as
 the night before1 and accused me of    
deception when ,i declared that ,i saw  
nothing at all4 ,i sat up in bed and    
strained my eyes1 but ,i could discern  

nothing but an empty arm-chair1 and told
 her so4 ,she persisted that ,major     
,cooper sat there1 and described his    
personal appearance and actions4 ,i got 
out of bed and sat in the chair1 when   
she cried out1 ,don't1 don't6 ,you are  
sitting right on him6 ,it was evident   
that the apparition was as real to her  
as if it had been flesh and blood4 ,i   
jumped up again fast enough1 not feeling
 very comfortable myself1 and lay by her
 side for the remainder of the night1   
listening to her asseverations that     
,major ,cooper was either dying or dead4
 ,she would not part with me1 and on the
 third night ,i had to endure the same  
ordeal as on the second4 ,after the     
third night the apparition ceased to    
appear to her1 and ,i was permitted to  
return home4 ,but before ,i did so1     
,mrs4 ,cooper showed me her pocket-book1
 in which she had written down against  
the #hth1 #ith1 and #ajth of ,july this 
sentence3 ,mark sat by my bedside all   
night4  ,the time passed on1 and no bad 

news arrived from ,china1 but the mails 
had been intercepted and postal         
communication suspended4 ,occasionally1 
however1 we received letters by a       
sailing vessel4 ,at last came           
,september1 and on the third of that    
month ,mrs4 ,cooper's baby was born and 
died4 ,she was naturally in great       
distress about it1 and ,i was doubly    
horrified when ,i was called from her   
bedside to receive the news of her      
husband's death1 which had taken place  
from a sudden attack of fever at ,macao4
 ,we did not intend to let ,mrs4 ,cooper
 hear of this until she was             
convalescent1 but as soon as ,i         
re-entered her room she broached the    
subject4  ,are there any letters from   
,china8 she asked4 7,now this question  
was remarkable in itself1 because the   
mails having been cut off1 there was no 
particular date when letters might be   
expected to arrive from the seat of     
war47 ,fearing she would insist upon    
hearing the news1 ,i temporized and     

answered her1 ,we have received none4   
,but there is a letter for me1 she      
continued3 a letter with the            
intelligence of ,mark's death4 ,it is   
useless denying it4 ,i know he is dead4 
,he died on the #ajth of ,july4 ,and on 
reference to the official memorandum1   
this was found to be true4 ,major       
,cooper had been taken ill on the first 
day he had appeared to his wife1 and    
died on the third4 ,and this incident   
was the more remarkable1 because they   
were neither of them young nor          
sentimental people1 neither had they    
lived long enough together to form any  
very strong sympathy or accord between  
them4 ,but as ,i have related it1 so it 
occurred4     ,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,my     
,,first ,,seance4   ,i had returned from
 ,india and spent several years in      
,england before the subject of ,modern  
,spiritualism was brought under my      
immediate notice4 ,cursorily ,i had     
heard it mentioned by some people as a  
dreadfully wicked thing1 diabolical to  

the last degree1 by others as a most    
amusing pastime for evening parties1 or 
when one wanted to get some fun out of  
the table4 ,but neither description     
charmed me1 nor tempted me to pursue the
 occupation4 ,i had already lost too    
many friends4 ,spiritualism 7so it      
seemed to me7 must either be humbug or a
 very solemn thing1 and ,i neither      
wished to trifle with it or to be       
trifled with by it4 ,and after twenty   
years' continued experience ,i hold the 
same opinion4 ,i have proved            
,spiritualism not to be humbug1         
therefore ,i regard it in a sacred      
light4 ,for1 from whatever cause it may 
proceed1 it opens a vast area for       
thought to any speculative mind1 and it 
is a matter of constant surprise to me  
to see the indifference with which the  
world regards it4 ,that it exists is an 
undeniable fact4 ,men of science have   
acknowledged it1 and the churches cannot
 deny it4 ,the only question appears to 
be1 ,what is it1 and whence does the    

power proceed8 ,if 7as many clever      
people assert7 from ourselves1 then must
 these bodies and minds of ours possess 
faculties hitherto undreamed of1 and    
which we have allowed to lie culpably   
fallow4 ,if our bodies contain magnetic 
forces sufficient to raise substantial  
and apparently living forms from the    
bare earth1 which our eyes are          
clairvoyant enough to see1 and which can
 articulate words which our ears are    
clairaudient enough to hear--if1 in     
addition to this1 our minds can read    
each other's inmost thoughts1 can see   
what is passing at a distance1 and      
foretell what will happen in the future1
 then are our human powers greater than 
we have ever imagined1 and we ought to  
do a great deal more with them than we  
do4 ,and even regarding ,spiritualism   
from that point of view1 ,i cannot      
understand the lack of interest         
displayed in the discovery1 to turn     
these marvellous powers of the human    
mind to greater account4  ,to discuss   

it1 however1 from the usual meaning     
given to the word1 namely1 as a means of
 communication with the departed1 leaves
 me as puzzled as before4 ,all          
,christians acknowledge they have       
spirits independent of their bodies1 and
 that when their bodies die1 their      
spirits will continue to live on4       
,wherein1 then1 lies the terror of the  
idea that these liberated spirits will  
have the privilege of roaming the       
universe as they will8 ,and if they     
argue the impossibility of their return1
 they deny the records which form the   
only basis of their religion4 ,no       
greater proof can be brought forward of 
the truth of ,spiritualism than the     
truth of the ,bible1 which teems and    
bristles with accounts of it from       
beginning to end4 ,from the period when 
the ,lord ,god walked with ,adam and    
,eve in the garden of ,eden1 and the    
angels came to ,abram's tent1 and pulled
 ,lot out of the doomed city2 when the  
witch of ,endor raised up ,samuel1 and  

,balaam's ass spoke1 and ,ezekiel wrote 
that the hair of his head stood up      
because a spirit passed before him1 to  
the presence of ,satan with ,jesus in   
the desert1 and the reappearance of     
,moses and ,elias1 the resurrection of  
,christ ,himself1 and ,his talking and  
eating with ,his disciples1 and the     
final account of ,john being caught up  
to ,heaven to receive the               
,revelations--all is ,spiritualism1 and 
nothing else4 ,the ,protestant ,church  
that pins its faith upon the ,bible1 and
 nothing but the ,bible1 cannot deny    
that the spirits of mortal men have     
reappeared and been recognized upon this
 earth1 as when the graves opened at the
 time of the ,christ's crucifixion1 and 
many bodies of those that were dead     
arose and went into the city1 and were  
seen of many4 ,the ,catholic ,church    
does not attempt to deny it4 ,all her   
legends and miracles 7which are         
disbelieved and ridiculed by the        
,protestants aforesaid7 are founded on  

the same truth--the miraculous or       
supernatural return 7as it is styled7 of
 those who are gone1 though ,i hope to  
make my readers believe1 as ,i do1 that 
there is nothing miraculous in it1 and  
far from being supernatural it is only a
 continuation of ,nature4 ,putting the  
churches and the ,bible1 however1 on one
 side1 the ,history of ,nations proves  
it to be possible4 ,there is not a      
people on the face of the globe that has
 not its 7so-called7 superstitions1 nor 
a family hardly1 which has not          
experienced some proofs of spiritual    
communion with earth4 ,where learning   
and science have thrust all belief out  
of sight1 it is only natural that the   
man who does not believe in a ,god nor a
 ,hereafter should not credit the       
existence of spirits1 nor the           
possibility of communicating with them4 
,but the lower we go in the scale of    
society1 the more simple and childlike  
the mind1 the more readily does such a  
faith gain credence1 and the more       

stories you will hear to justify belief4
 ,it is just the same with religion1    
which is hid from the wise and prudent1 
and revealed to babes4  ,if ,i am met   
here with the objection that the term   
,spiritualism has been at times mixed up
 with so much that is evil as to become 
an offence1 ,i have no better answer to 
make than by turning to the irrefragable
 testimony of the ,past and ,present to 
prove that in all ages1 and of all      
religions1 there have been corrupt and  
demoralized exponents whose vices have  
threatened to pull down the fabric they 
lived to raise4 ,christianity itself    
would have been overthrown before now1  
had we been unable to separate its      
doctrine from its practice4  ,i held    
these views in the month of ,february1  
#ahgc1 when ,i made one of a party of   
friends assembled at the house of ,miss 
,elizabeth ,philip1 in ,gloucester      
,crescent1 and was introduced to ,mr4   
,henry ,dunphy of the ,morning ,post1   
both of them since gone to join the     

great majority4 ,mr4 ,dunphy soon got   
astride of his favorite hobby of        
,spiritualism1 and gave me an           
interesting account of some of the      
seances he had attended4 ,i had heard so
 many clever men and women discuss the  
subject before1 that ,i had begun to    
believe on their authority that there   
must be something in it1 but ,i held the
 opinion that sittings in the dark must 
afford so much liberty for deception1   
that ,i would engage in none where ,i   
was not permitted the use of my         
eyesight4  ,i expressed myself somewhat 
after this fashion to ,mr4 ,dunphy4 ,he 
replied1 ,then the time has arrived for 
you to investigate ,spiritualism1 for ,i
 can introduce you to a medium who will 
show you the faces of the dead4 ,this   
proposal exactly met my wishes1 and ,i  
gladly accepted it4 ,annie ,thomas      
7,mrs4 ,pender ,cudlip17 the novelist1  
who is an intimate friend of mine1 was  
staying with me at the time and became  
as eager as ,i was to investigate the   

phenomena4 ,we took the address ,mr4    
,dunphy gave us of ,mrs4 ,holmes1 the   
,american medium1 then visiting ,london1
 and lodging in ,old ,quebec ,street1   
,portman ,square1 but we refused his    
introduction1 preferring to go          
incognito4 ,accordingly1 the next       
evening1 when she held a public seance1 
we presented ourselves at ,mrs4 ,holmes'
 door2 and having first removed our     
wedding-rings1 and tried to look as     
virginal as possible1 sent up our names 
as ,miss ,taylor and ,miss ,turner4 ,i  
am perfectly aware that this medium was 
said afterwards to be untrustworthy4 ,so
 may a servant who was perfectly honest1
 whilst in my service1 leave me for a   
situation where she is detected in      
theft4 ,that does not alter the fact    
that she stole nothing from me4 ,i do   
not think ,i know a single medium of    
whom ,i have not 7at some time or other7
 heard the same thing1 and ,i do not    
think ,i know a single woman whom ,i    
have not also1 at some time or other1   

heard scandalized by her own sex1       
however pure and chaste she may imagine 
the world holds her4 ,the question      
affects me in neither case4 ,i value my 
acquaintances for what they are to me1  
not for what they may be to others2 and 
,i have placed trust in my media from   
what ,i individually have seen and      
heard1 and proved to be genuine in their
 presence1 and not from what others may 
imagine they have found out about them4 
,it is no detriment to my witness that  
the media ,i sat with cheated somebody  
else1 either before or after4 ,my       
business was only to take care that ,i  
was not cheated1 and ,i have never1 in  
,spiritualism1 accepted anything at the 
hands of others that ,i could not prove 
for myself4  ,mrs4 ,holmes did not      
receive us very graciously on the       
present occasion4 ,we were strangers to 
her--probably sceptics1 and she eyed us 
rather coldly4 ,it was a bitter night1  
and the snow lay so thick upon the      
ground that we had some difficulty in   

procuring a hansom to take us from      
,bayswater to ,old ,quebec ,street4 ,no 
other visitors arrived1 and after a     
little while ,mrs4 ,holmes offered to   
return our money 7ten shillings71 as she
 said if she did sit with us1 there     
would probably be no manifestations on  
account of the inclemency of the        
weather4 7,often since then ,i have     
proved her assertion to be true1 and    
found that any extreme of heat or cold  
is liable to make a seance a dead       
failure74  ,but ,annie ,thomas had to   
return to her home in ,torquay on the   
following day1 and so we begged the     
medium to try at least to show us       
something1 as we were very curious on   
the subject4 ,i am not quite sure what  
,i expected or hoped for on this        
occasion4 ,i was full of curiosity and  
anticipation1 but ,i am sure that ,i    
never thought ,i should see any face    
which ,i could recognize as having been 
on earth4 ,we waited till nine o'clock  
in hopes that a circle would be formed1 

but as no one else came1 ,mrs4 ,holmes  
consented to sit with us alone1 warning 
us1 however1 several times to prepare   
for a disappointment4 ,the lights were  
therefore extinguished1 and we sat for  
the usual preliminary dark seance1 which
 was good1 perhaps1 but has nothing to  
do with a narrative of facts1 proved to 
be so4 ,when it concluded1 the gas was  
re-lit and we sat for ,spirit ,faces4   
,there were two small rooms connected by
 folding doors4 ,annie ,thomas and ,i1  
were asked to go into the back room--to 
lock the door communicating with the    
landings1 and secure it with our own    
seal1 stamped upon a piece of tape      
stretched across the opening--to examine
 the window and bar the shutter         
inside--to search the room thoroughly1  
in fact1 to see that no one was         
concealed in it--and we did all this as 
a matter of business4 ,when we had      
satisfied ourselves that no one could   
enter from the back1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4     
,holmes1 ,annie ,thomas1 and ,i were    

seated on four chairs in the front room1
 arranged in a row before the folding   
doors1 which were opened1 and a square  
of black calico fastened across the     
aperture from one wall to the other4 ,in
 this piece of calico was cut a square  
hole about the size of an ordinary      
window1 at which we were told the spirit
 faces 7if any7 would appear4 ,there was
 no singing1 nor noise of any sort made 
to drown the sounds of preparation1 and 
we could have heard even a rustle in the
 next room4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,holmes      
talked to us of their various           
experiences1 until1 we were almost tired
 of waiting1 when something white and   
indistinct like a cloud of tobacco      
smoke1 or a bundle of gossamer1 appeared
 and disappeared again4  ,they are      
coming6 ,i am glad6 said ,mrs4 ,holmes4 
,i didn't think we should get anything  
to-night1--and my friend and ,i were    
immediately on the tiptoe of            
expectation4 ,the white mass advanced   
and retreated several times1 and finally

 settled before the aperture and opened 
in the middle1 when a female face was   
distinctly to be seen above the black   
calico4 ,what was our amazement to      
recognize the features of ,mrs4 ,thomas1
 ,annie ,thomas' mother4 ,here ,i should
 tell my readers that ,annie's father1  
who was a lieutenant in the ,royal ,navy
 and captain of the coastguard at       
,morston in ,norfolk1 had been a near   
neighbor and great friend of my father1 
,captain ,marryat1 and their children   
had associated like brothers and        
sisters4 ,i had therefore known ,mrs4   
,thomas well1 and recognized her at     
once1 as1 of course1 did her daughter4  
,the witness of two people is considered
 sufficient in law4 ,it ought to be     
accepted by society4 ,poor ,annie was   
very much affected1 and talked to her   
mother in the most incoherent manner4   
,the spirit did not appear able to      
answer in words1 but she bowed her head 
or shook it1 according as she wished to 
say yes or no4 ,i could not help feeling

 awed at the appearance of the dear old 
lady1 but the only thing that puzzled me
 was the cap she wore1 which was made of
 white net1 quilled closely round her   
face1 and unlike any ,i had ever seen   
her wear in life4 ,i whispered this to  
,annie1 and she replied at once1 ,it is 
the cap she was buried in1 which settled
 the question4 ,mrs4 ,thomas had        
possessed a very pleasant but very      
uncommon looking face1 with bright black
 eyes1 and a complexion of pink and     
white like that of a child4 ,it was some
 time before ,annie could be persuaded  
to let her mother go1 but the next face 
that presented itself astonished her    
quite as much1 for she recognized it as 
that of ,captain ,gordon1 a gentleman   
whom she had known intimately and for a 
length of time4 ,i had never seen       
,captain ,gordon in the flesh1 but ,i   
had heard of him1 and knew he had died  
from a sudden accident4 ,all ,i saw was 
the head of a good-looking1 fair1 young 
man1 and not feeling any personal       

interest in his appearance1 ,i occupied 
the time during which my friend         
conversed with him about olden days1 by 
minutely examining the working of the   
muscles of his throat1 which undeniably 
stretched when his head moved4 ,as ,i   
was doing so1 he leaned forward1 and ,i 
saw a dark stain1 which looked like a   
clot of blood1 on his fair hair1 on the 
left side of the forehead4  ,annie6 what
 did ,captain ,gordon die of8 ,i asked4 
,he fell from a railway carriage1 she   
replied1 and struck his head upon the   
line4 ,i then pointed out to her the    
blood upon his hair4 ,several other     
faces appeared1 which we could not      
recognize4 ,at last came one of a       
gentleman1 apparently moulded like a    
bust in plaster of ,paris4 ,he had a    
kind of smoking cap upon the head1 curly
 hair1 and a beard1 but from being      
perfectly colorless1 he looked so unlike
 nature1 that ,i could not trace a      
resemblance to any friend of mine1      
though he kept on bowing in my          

direction1 to indicate that ,i knew1 or 
had known him4 ,i examined this face    
again and again in vain4 ,nothing in it 
struck me as familiar1 until the mouth  
broke into a grave1 amused smile at my  
perplexity4 ,in a moment ,i recognized  
it as that of my dear old friend1 ,john 
,powles1 whose history ,i shall relate  
in extenso further on4 ,i exclaimed     
,powles1 and sprang towards it1 but with
 my hasty action the figure disappeared4
 ,i was terribly vexed at my imprudence1
 for this was the friend of all others  
,i desired to see1 and sat there1 hoping
 and praying the spirit would return1   
but it did not4 ,annie ,thomas' mother  
and friend both came back several times2
 indeed1 ,annie recalled ,captain       
,gordon so often1 that on his last      
appearance the power was so exhausted1  
his face looked like a faded sketch in  
water-colors1 but ,powles had vanished  
altogether4 ,the last face we saw that  
night was that of a little girl1 and    
only her eyes and nose were visible1 the

 rest of her head and face being        
enveloped in some white flimsy material 
like muslin4 ,mrs4 ,holmes asked her for
 whom she came1 and she intimated that  
it was for me4 ,i said she must be      
mistaken1 and that ,i had known no one  
in life like her4 ,the medium questioned
 her very closely1 and tried to put her 
out of court1 as it were4 ,still1 the   
child persisted that she came for me4   
,mrs4 ,holmes said to me1 ,cannot you   
remember anyone of that age connected   
with you in the spirit world8 ,no       
cousin1 nor niece1 nor sister1 nor the  
child of a friend8 ,i tried to remember1
 but ,i could not1 and answered1 ,no6 no
 child of that age4 ,she then addressed 
the little spirit4 ,you have made a     
mistake4 ,there is no one here who knows
 you4 ,you had better move on4 ,so the  
child did move on1 but very slowly and  
reluctantly4 ,i could read her          
disappointment in her eyes1 and after   
she had disappeared1 she peeped round   
the corner again and looked at me1      

longingly4 ,this was ,florence1 my dear 
lost child 7as ,i then called her71 who 
had left me as a little infant of ten   
days old1 and whom ,i could not at first
 recognize as a young girl of ten years4
 ,her identity1 however1 has been proved
 to me since1 beyond all doubt1 as will 
be seen in the chapter which relates my 
reunion with her1 and is headed ,my     
,spirit ,child4 ,thus ended the first   
seance at which ,i ever assisted1 and it
 made a powerful impression upon my     
mind4 ,mrs4 ,holmes1 in bidding us      
good-night1 said1 ,you two ladies must  
be very powerful mediums4 ,i never held 
so successful a seance with strangers in
 my life before4 ,this news elated      
us--we were eager to pursue our         
investigations1 and were enchanted to   
think we could have seances at home1 and
 as soon as ,annie ,thomas took up her  
residence in ,london1 we agreed to hold 
regular meetings for the purpose4 ,this 
was the seance that made me a student of
 the psychological phenomena1 which the 

men of the nineteenth century term      
,spiritualism4 ,had it turned out a     
failure1 ,i might now have been as most 
men are4 ,quien sabe8 ,as it was1 it    
incited me to go on and on1 until ,i    
have seen and heard things which at that
 moment would have seemed utterly       
impossible to me4 ,and ,i would not have
 missed the experience ,i have passed   
through for all the good this world     
could offer me4     ,,chapter ,,iii4    
,,curious ,,coincidences4   ,before ,i  
proceed to write down the results of my 
private and premeditated investigations1
 ,i am reminded to say a word respecting
 the permission ,i received for the     
pursuit of ,spiritualism4 ,as soon as ,i
 expressed my curiosity on the subject1 
,i was met on all sides with the        
objection that1 as ,i am a ,catholic1 ,i
 could not possibly have anything to do 
with the matter1 and it is a fact that  
the ,church strictly forbids all        
meddling with necromancy1 or communion  
with the departed4 ,necromancy is a     

terrible word1 is it not8 especially to 
such people as do not understand its    
meaning1 and only associate it with the 
dead of night and charmed circles1 and  
seething caldrons1 and the arch fiend1  
in propria persona1 with two horns and a
 tail4 ,yet it seems strange to me that 
the ,catholic ,church1 whose very       
doctrine is overlaid with ,spiritualism1
 and who makes it a matter of belief    
that the ,saints hear and help us in our
 prayers and the daily actions of our   
lives1 and recommends our kissing the   
ground every morning at the feet of our 
guardian angel1 should consider it      
unlawful for us to communicate with our 
departed relatives4 ,i cannot see the   
difference in iniquity between speaking 
to ,john ,powles1 who was and is a dear 
and trusted friend of mine1 and ,saint  
,peter of ,alcantara1 who is an old man 
whom ,i never saw in this life4 ,they   
were both men1 both mortal1 and are both
 spirits4 ,again1 surely my mother who  
was a pious woman all her life1 and is  

now in the other world1 would be just as
 likely to take an interest in my       
welfare1 and to try and promote the     
prospect of our future meeting1 as      
,saint ,veronica ,guiliani1 who is my   
patron4 ,yet were ,i to spend half my   
time in prayer before ,saint ,veronica's
 altar1 asking her help and guidance1 ,i
 should be doing right 7according to the
 ,church71 but if ,i did the same thing 
at my mother's grave1 or spoke to her at
 a seance1 ,i should be doing wrong4    
,these distinctions without a difference
 were hard nuts to crack1 and ,i was    
bound to settle the matter with my      
conscience before ,i went on with my    
investigations4  ,it is a fact that ,i  
have met quite as many ,catholics as    
,protestants 7especially of the higher  
classes7 amongst the investigators of   
,spiritualism1 and ,i have not been     
surprised at it1 for who could better   
understand and appreciate the beauty of 
communications from the spirit world    
than members of that ,church which      

instructs us to believe in the communion
 of saints1 as an ever-present1 though  
invisible mystery4 ,whether my ,catholic
 acquaintances had received permission  
to attend seances or not1 was no concern
 of mine1 but ,i took good care to      
procure it for myself1 and ,i record it 
here1 because rumors have constantly    
reached me of people having said behind 
my back that ,i can be no ,catholic     
because ,i am a spiritualist4  ,my      
director at that time was ,father       
,dalgairn1 of the ,oratory at ,brompton1
 and it was to him ,i took my           
difficulty4 ,i was a very constant press
 writer and reviewer1 and to be unable  
to attend and report on spiritualistic  
meetings would have seriously militated 
against my professional interests4 ,i   
represented this to the ,father1 and    
7although under protest7 ,i received his
 permission to pursue the research in   
the cause of science4 ,he did more than 
ease my conscience4 ,he became          
interested in what ,i had to tell him on

 the subject1 and we had many           
conversations concerning it4 ,he also   
lent me from his own library the lives  
of such saints as had heard voices and  
seen visions1 of those in fact who 7like
 myself7 had been the victims of        
,optical ,illusions4 ,amongst these ,i  
found the case of ,saint                
,anne-,catherine of ,emmerich1 so like  
my own1 that ,i began to think that ,i  
too might turn out to be a saint in     
disguise4 ,it has not come to pass yet1 
but there is no knowing what may happen4
  ,she used to see the spirits floating 
beside her as she walked to mass1 and   
heard them asking her to pray for them  
as they pointed to les taches sur leurs 
robes4 ,the musical instruments used to 
play without hands in her presence1 and 
voices from invisible throats sound in  
her ears1 as they have done in mine4 ,i 
have only inserted this clause1 however1
 for the satisfaction of those ,catholic
 acquaintances with whom ,i have sat at 
seances1 and who will probably be the   

first to exclaim against the publication
 of our joint experiences4 ,i trust they
 will acknowledge1 after reading it1    
that ,i am not worse than themselves1   
though ,i may be a little bolder in     
avowing my opinions4  ,before ,i began  
this chapter1 ,i had an argument with   
that friend of mine called ,self 7who   
has but too often worsted me in the     
,battle of ,life71 as to whether ,i     
should say anything about table-rapping 
or tilting4 ,the very fact of so common 
an article of furniture as a table1 as  
an agent of communication with the      
unseen world1 has excited so much       
ridicule and opens so wide a field for  
chicanery1 that ,i thought it would be  
wiser to drop the subject1 and confine  
myself to those phases of the science or
 art1 or religion1 or whatever the      
reader may like to call it1 that can be 
explained or described on paper4 ,the   
philosophers of the nineteenth century  
have invented so many names for the     
cause that makes a table turn           

round--tilt--or rap--that ,i feel quite 
unable 7not being a philosopher7 to cope
 with them4 ,it is magnetic force or    
psychic force1--it is unconscious       
cerebration or brain-reading--and it is 
exceedingly difficult to tell the       
outside world of the private reasons    
that convince individuals that the      
answers they receive are not emanations 
from their own brains4 ,i shall not     
attempt to refute their reasonings from 
their own standpoint4 ,i see the        
difficulties in the way1 so much so that
 ,i have persistently refused for many  
years past to sit at the table with     
strangers1 for it is only a lengthened  
study of the matter that can possibly   
convince a person of its truth4 ,i      
cannot1 however1 see the extreme folly  
myself of holding communication 7under  
the circumstances7 through the raps or  
tilts of a table1 or any other object4  
,these tiny indications of an influence 
ulterior to our own are not necessarily 
confined to a table4 ,i have received   

them through a cardboard box1 a         
gentleman's hat1 a footstool1 the       
strings of a guitar1 and on the back of 
my chair1 even on the pillow of my bed4 
,and which1 amongst the philosophers ,i 
have alluded to1 could suggest a simpler
 mode of communication8  ,i have put the
 question to clever men thus3 ,suppose  
yourself1 after having been able to     
write and talk to me1 suddenly deprived 
of the powers of speech and touch1 and  
made invisible1 so that we could not    
understand each other by signs1 what    
better means than by taps or tilts on   
any article1 when the right word or     
letter is named1 could you think of by  
which to communicate with me8  ,and my  
clever men have never been able to      
propose an easier or more sensible plan1
 and if anybody can suggest one1 ,i     
should very much like to hear of it4    
,the following incidents all took place 
through the much-ridiculed tipping of   
the table1 but managed to knock some    
sense out of it nevertheless4 ,on       

looking over the note book which ,i     
faithfully kept when we first held      
seances at home1 ,i find many tests of  
identity which took place through my own
 mediumship1 and which could not        
possibly have been the effects of       
thought-reading4 ,i devote this chapter 
to their relation4 ,i hope it will be   
observed with what admirable caution ,i 
have headed it4 ,i have a few drops of  
,scotch blood in me by the mother's     
side1 and ,i think they must have aided 
me here4 ,curious coincidences4 ,why1   
not the most captious and unbelieving   
critic of them all can find fault with  
so modest and unpretending a title4     
,everyone believes in the occasional    
possibility of curious coincidences4    
,it was not until the month of ,june1   
#ahgc1 that we formed a home circle1 and
 commenced regularly to sit together4   
,we became so interested in the pursuit1
 that we used to sit every evening1 and 
sometimes till three and four o'clock in
 the morning1 greatly to our detriment1 

both mental and physical4 ,we seldom sat
 alone1 being generally joined by two or
 three friends from outside1 and the    
results were sometimes very startling1  
as we were a strong circle4 ,the        
memoranda of these sittings1 sometimes  
with one party and sometimes with       
another1 extend over a period of years1 
but ,i shall restrict myself to relating
 a few incidents that were verified by  
subsequent events4  ,the means by which 
we communicated with the influences     
around us was the usual one4 ,we sat    
round the table and laid our hands upon 
it1 and ,i 7or anyone who might be      
selected for the purpose7 spelled over  
the alphabet1 and raps or tilts occurred
 when the desired letter was reached4   
,this in reality is not so tedious a    
process as it may appear1 and once used 
to it1 one may get through a vast amount
 of conversation in an hour by this     
means4 ,a medium is soon able to guess  
the word intended to be spelt1 for there
 are not so many after all in use in    

general conversation4  ,some one had    
come to our table on several occasions1 
giving the name of ,valerie1 but        
refusing to say any more1 so we thought 
she was an idle or frivolous spirit1 and
 had been in the habit of driving her   
away4 ,one evening1 on the #ast of      
,july1 however1 our circle was augmented
 by ,mr4 ,henry ,stacke1 when ,valerie  
was immediately spelled out1 and the    
following conversation ensued4 ,mr4     
,stacke said to me1 ,who is this8 and ,i
 replied carelessly1 ,o6 she's a little 
devil6 ,she never has anything to say4  
,the table rocked violently at this1 and
 the taps spelled out4  ,je ne suis pas 
diable4  ,hullo6 ,valerie1 so you can   
talk now6 ,for whom do you come8        
,monsieur ,stacke4  ,where did you meet 
him8  ,on the ,continent4  ,whereabouts8
  ,between ,dijon and ,macon4  ,how did 
you meet him8  ,in a railway carriage4  
,what where you doing there8  ,here she 
relapsed into ,french1 and said1  ,ce   
m'est impossible de dire4  ,at this     

juncture ,mr4 ,stacke observed that he  
had never been in a train between ,dijon
 and ,macon but once in his life1 and if
 the spirit was with him then1 she must 
remember what was the matter with their 
fellow-passenger4  ,mais oui1 oui--il   
etait fou1 she replied1 which proved to 
be perfectly correct4 ,mr4 ,stacke also 
remembered that two ladies in the same  
carriage had been terribly frightened1  
and he had assisted them to get into    
another4 ,valerie continued1 ,priez pour
 moi4  ,pourquoi1 ,valerie8  ,parce que 
j'ai beaucoup peche4  ,there was an     
influence who frequented our society at 
that time and called himself ,charlie4  
,he stated that his full name had been  
,stephen ,charles ,bernard ,abbot1--that
 he had been a monk of great literary   
attainments--that he had embraced the   
monastic life in the reign of ,queen    
,mary1 and apostatized for political    
reasons in that of ,elizabeth1 and been 
earth bound in consequence ever since4  
,charlie asked us to sing one night1 and

 we struck up the very vulgar refrain of
 ,champagne ,charlie1 to which he       
greatly objected1 asking for something  
more serious4  ,i began1 ,ye banks and  
braes o' bonnie ,doon4  ,why1 that's as 
bad as the other1 said ,charlie4 ,it was
 a ribald and obscene song in the reign 
of ,elizabeth4 ,the drunken roysterers  
used to sing it in the street as they   
rolled home at night4  ,you must be     
mistaken1 ,charlie6 ,it's a well-known  
,scotch air4  ,it's no more ,scotch than
 ,i am1 he replied4 ,the ,scotch say    
they invented everything4 ,it's a tune  
of the time of ,elizabeth4 ,ask ,brinley
 ,richards4  ,having the pleasure of the
 acquaintance of that gentleman1 who was
 the great authority on the origin of   
,national ,ballads1 ,i applied to him   
for the information1 and received an    
answer to say that ,charlie was right1  
but that ,mr4 ,richards had not been    
aware of the fact himself until he had  
searched some old ,,mss4 in the ,british
 ,museum for the purpose of ascertaining

 the truth4  ,i was giving a sitting    
once to an officer from ,aldershot1 a   
cousin of my own1 who was quite prepared
 to ridicule every thing that took      
place4 ,after having teased me into     
giving him a seance1 he began by        
cheating himself1 and then accused me of
 cheating him1 and altogether tired out 
my patience4 ,at last ,i proposed a     
test1 though with little hope of        
success4  ,let us ask ,john ,powles to  
go down to ,aldershot1 ,i said1 and     
bring us word what your brother officers
 are doing4  ,o1 yes6 by ,jove6 ,capital
 idea6 ,here6 you fellow ,powles1 cut   
off to the camp1 will you1 and go to the
 barracks of the #hdth1 and let us know 
what ,major ,r---- is doing4 ,the       
message came back in about three        
minutes4 ,major ,r---- has just come in 
from duty1 spelt out ,powles4 ,he is    
sitting on the side of his bed1 changing
 his uniform trousers for a pair of grey
 tweed4  ,i'm sure that's wrong1 said my
 cousin1 because the men are never      

called out at this time of the day4  ,it
 was then four o'clock1 as we had been  
careful to ascertain4 ,my cousin        
returned to camp the same evening1 and  
the next day ,i received a note from him
 to say1 ,that fellow ,powles is a      
brick4 ,it was quite right4 ,r---- was  
unexpectedly ordered to turn out his    
company yesterday afternoon1 and he     
returned to barracks and changed his    
things for the grey tweed suit exactly  
at four o'clock4  ,but ,i have always   
found my friend ,powles 7when he will   
condescend to do anything for strangers1
 which is seldom7 remarkably correct in 
detailing the thoughts and actions of   
absentees1 sometimes on the other side  
of the globe4  ,i went one afternoon to 
pay an ordinary social call on a lady   
named ,mrs4 ,w----1 and found her       
engaged in an earnest conversation on   
,spiritualism with a stout woman and a  
commonplace man--two as material looking
 individuals as ever ,i saw1 and who    
appeared all the more so under a sultry 

,august sun4 ,as soon as ,mrs4 ,w----   
saw me1 she exclaimed1 ,o6 here is ,mrs4
 ,ross-,church4 ,she will tell you all  
about the spirits4 ,do1 ,mrs4           
,ross-,church1 sit down at the table and
 let us have a seance4  ,a seance on a  
burning1 blazing afternoon in ,august1  
with two stolid and uninteresting1 and  
worse still1 uninterested looking       
strangers1 who appeared to think ,mrs4  
,w---- had a bee in her bonnet4 ,i      
protested--,i reasoned--,i pleaded--all 
in vain4 ,my hostess continued to urge1 
and society places the guest at the     
mercy of her hostess4 ,so1 in an evil   
temper1 ,i pulled off my gloves1 and    
placed my hands indifferently on the    
table4 ,the following words were at once
 rapped out--  ,i am ,edward ,g----4    
,did you ever pay ,johnson the seventeen
 pounds twelve you received for my      
saddlery8  ,the gentleman opposite to me
 turned all sorts of colors1 and began  
to stammer out a reply1 whilst his wife 
looked very confused4 ,i asked the      

influence1 ,who are you8 ,it replied1   
,he knows6 ,his late colonel6 ,why      
hasn't ,johnson received that money8    
,this is what ,i call an awkward        
coincidence1 and ,i have had many such  
occur through me--some that have driven 
acquaintances away from the table1      
vowing vengeance against me1 and racking
 their brains to discover who had told  
me of their secret peccadilloes4 ,the   
gentleman in question 7whose name even  
,i do not remember7 confessed that the  
identity and main points of the message 
were true1 but he did not confide to us 
whether ,johnson had ever received that 
seventeen pounds twelve4  ,i had a      
beautiful ,english greyhound1 called    
,clytie1 a gift from ,annie ,thomas to  
me1 and this dog was given to straying  
from my house in ,colville ,road1       
,bayswater1 which runs parallel to      
,portobello ,road1 a rather             
objectionable quarter1 composed of      
inferior shops1 one of which1 a fried   
fish shop1 was an intolerable nuisance1 

and used to fill the air around with its
 rich perfume4 ,on one occasion ,clytie 
stayed away from home so much longer    
than usual1 that ,i was afraid she was  
lost in good earnest1 and posted bills  
offering a reward for her4 ,charlie came
 to the table that evening and said1    
,don't offer a reward for the dog4 ,send
 for her4  ,where am ,i to send8 ,i     
asked4  ,she is tied up at the fried    
fish shop in ,portobello ,road4 ,send   
the cook to see4  ,i told the servant in
 question that ,i had heard the         
greyhound was detained at the fish shop1
 and sent her to inquire4 ,she returned 
with ,clytie4 ,her account was1 that on 
making inquiries1 the man in the shop   
had been very insolent to her1 and she  
had raised her voice in reply2 that she 
had then heard and recognized the sharp1
 peculiar bark of the greyhound from an 
upper storey1 and1 running up before the
 man could prevent her1 she had found   
,clytie tied up to a bedstead with a    
piece of rope1 and had called in a      

policeman to enable her to take the dog 
away4 ,i have often heard the assertion 
that ,spiritualism is of no practical   
good1 and1 doubtless1 it was never      
intended to be so1 but this incident    
was1 at least1 an exception to the rule4
  ,when abroad1 on one occasion1 ,i was 
asked by a ,catholic ,abbe to sit with  
him4 ,he had never seen any             
manifestations before1 and he did not   
believe in them1 but he was curious on  
the subject4 ,i knew nothing of him     
further than that he was a priest1 and a
 ,jesuit1 and a great friend of my      
sister's1 at whose house ,i was staying4
 ,he spoke ,english1 and the            
conversation was carried on in that     
language4 ,he had told me beforehand    
that if he could receive a perfectly    
private test1 that he should never doubt
 the truth of the manifestations again4 
,i left him1 therefore1 to conduct the  
investigation entirely by himself1 ,i   
acting only as the medium between him   
and the influence4 ,as soon as the table

 moved he put his question direct1      
without asking who was there to answer  
it4  ,where is my chasuble8  ,now a     
priest's chasuble1 ,i should have said1 
must be either hanging in the sacristy  
or packed away at home1 or been sent    
away to be altered or mended4 ,but the  
answer was wide of all my speculations4 
,at the bottom of the ,red ,sea4  ,the  
priest started1 but continued--  ,who   
put it there8  ,elias ,dodo4  ,what was 
his object in doing so8  ,he found the  
parcel a burthen1 and did not expect any
 reward for delivering it4  ,the ,abbe  
really looked as if he had encountered  
the devil4 ,he wiped the perspiration   
from his forehead1 and put one more     
question4  ,of what was my chasuble     
made8  ,your sister's wedding dress4    
,the priest then explained to me that   
his sister had made him a chasuble out  
of her wedding dress--one of the forms  
of returning thanks in the ,church1 but 
that after a while it became old        
fashioned1 and the ,bishop1 going his   

rounds1 ordered him to get another4 ,he 
did not like to throw away his sister's 
gift1 so he decided to send the old     
chasuble to a priest in ,india1 where   
they are very poor1 and not so          
particular as to fashion4 ,he confided  
the packet to a man called ,elias ,dodo1
 a sufficiently singular name1 but      
neither he nor the priest he sent it to 
had ever heard anything more of the     
chasuble1 or the man who promised to    
deliver it4  ,a young artist of the name
 of ,courtney was a visitor at my house4
 ,he asked me to sit with him alone1    
when the table began rapping out a      
number of consonants--a farrago of      
nonsense1 it appeared to me1 and ,i     
stopped and said so4 ,but ,mr4          
,courtney1 who appeared much interested1
 begged me to proceed4 ,when the        
communication was finished1 he said to  
me1 ,this is the most wonderful thing ,i
 have ever heard4 ,my father has been at
 the table talking to me in ,welsh4 ,he 
has told me our family motto1 and all   

about my birth-place and relations in   
,wales4 ,i said1 ,i never heard you were
 a ,welshman4 ,yes6 ,i am1 he replied1  
my real name is ,powell4 ,i have only   
adopted the name of ,courtney for       
professional purposes4  ,this was all   
news to me1 but had it not been1 ,i     
cannot speak ,welsh4  ,i could multiply 
such cases by the dozen1 but that ,i    
fear to tire my readers1 added to which 
the majority of them were of so strictly
 private a nature that it would be      
impossible to put them into print4 ,this
 is perhaps the greatest drawback that  
one encounters in trying to prove the   
truth of ,spiritualism4 ,the best tests 
we receive are when the very secrets of 
our hearts1 which we have not confided  
to our nearest friends1 are revealed to 
us4 ,i could relate 7had ,i the         
permission of the persons most          
interested7 the particulars of a        
well-known law suit1 in which the       
requisite evidence1 and names and       
addresses of witnesses1 were all given  

though my mediumship1 and were the cause
 of the case being gained by the side   
that came to me for information4 ,some  
of the coincidences ,i have related in  
this chapter might1 however1 be ascribed
 by the sceptical to the mysterious and 
unknown power of brain reading1 whatever
 that may be1 and however it may come1  
apart from mediumship1 but how is one to
 account for the facts ,i shall tell you
 in my next chapter4     ,,chapter ,,iv4
  ,,embodied ,,spirits4   ,i was having 
a sitting one day in my own house with a
 lady friend1 named ,miss ,clark1 when a
 female spirit came to the table and    
spelt out the name ,tiny4  ,who are you8
 ,i asked1 and for whom do you come8  ,i
 am a friend of ,major ,m----           
7mentioning the full name71 and ,i want 
your help4  ,are you any relation to    
,major ,m----8  ,i am the mother of his 
child4  ,what do you wish me to do for  
you8  ,tell him he must go down to      
,portsmouth and look after my daughter4 
,he has not seen her for years4 ,the old

 woman is dead1 and the man is a        
drunkard4 ,she is falling into evil     
courses4 ,he must save her from them4   
,what is your real name8  ,i will not   
give it4 ,there is no need4 ,he always  
called me ',tiny4'  ,how old is your    
daughter4  ,nineteen6 ,her name is      
,emily6 ,i want her to be married4 ,tell
 him to promise her a wedding trousseau4
 ,it may induce her to marry4  ,the     
influence divulged a great deal more on 
the subject which ,i cannot write down  
here4 ,it was an account of one of those
 cruel acts of seduction by which a     
young girl had been led into trouble in 
order to gratify a man's selfish lust1  
and astonished both ,miss ,clark and    
myself1 who had never heard of such a   
person as ,tiny before4 ,it was too     
delicate a matter for me to broach to   
,major ,m---- 7who was a married man1   
and an intimate friend of mine71 but the
 spirit came so many times and implored 
me so earnestly to save her daughter1   
that at last ,i ventured to repeat the  

communication to him4 ,he was rather    
taken aback1 but confessed it was true1 
and that the child1 being left to his   
care1 had been given over to the charge 
of some common people at ,portsmouth1   
and he had not enquired after it for    
some time past4 ,neither had he ever    
heard of the death of the mother1 who   
had subsequently married1 and had a     
family4 ,he instituted inquiries1       
however1 at once1 and found the         
statement to be quite true1 and that the
 girl ,emily1 being left with no better 
protection than that of the drunken old 
man1 had actually gone astray1 and not  
long after she was had up at the police 
court for stabbing a soldier in a       
public-house--a fit ending for the      
unfortunate offspring of a man's selfish
 passions4 ,but the strangest part of   
the story to the uninitiated will lie in
 the fact that the woman whose spirit   
thus manifested itself to two utter     
strangers1 who knew neither her history 
nor her name1 was at the time alive1 and

 living with her husband and family1 as 
,major ,m---- took pains to ascertain4  
,and now ,i have something to say on the
 subject of communicating with the      
spirits of persons still in the flesh4  
,this will doubtless appear the most    
incomprehensible and fanatical assertion
 of all1 that we wear our earthly garb  
so loosely1 that the spirits of people  
still living in this world can leave the
 body and manifest themselves either    
visibly or orally to others in their    
normal condition4 ,and yet it is a fact 
that spirits have so visited myself 7as 
in the case ,i have just recorded71 and 
given me information of which ,i had not
 the slightest previous idea4 ,the      
matter has been explained to me after   
this fashion--that it is not really the 
spirit of the living person who         
communicates1 but the spirit1 or        
control1 that is nearest to him3 in     
effect what the ,church calls his       
guardian angel1 and that this guardian  
angel1 who knows his inmost thoughts and

 desires better even than he knows them 
himself1 is equally capable of speaking 
in his name4 ,this idea of the matter   
may shift the marvel from one pair of   
shoulders to another1 but it does not do
 away with it4 ,if ,i can receive       
information of events before they occur 
7as ,i will prove that ,i have71 ,i     
present a nut for the consideration of  
the public jaw1 which even the          
scientists will find difficult to crack4
 ,it was at one time my annual custom to
 take my children to the sea-side1 and  
one summer1 being anxious to ascertain  
how far the table could be made to act  
without the aid of unconscious          
cerebration1 ,i arranged with my        
friends1 ,mr4 ,helmore and ,mrs4        
,colnaghi1 who had been in the habit of 
sitting with us at home1 that we should 
continue to sit at the sea-side on      
,tuesday evenings as theretofore1 and   
they should sit in ,london on the       
,thursdays1 when ,i would try to send   
them messages through ,charlie1 the     

spirit ,i have already mentioned as     
being constantly with us4  ,the first   
,tuesday my message was1 ,ask them how  
they are getting on without us1 which   
was faithfully delivered at their table 
on the following ,thursday4 ,the return 
message from them which ,charlie spelled
 out for us on the second ,tuesday1 was3
 ,tell her ,london is a desert without  
her1 to which ,i emphatically1 if not   
elegantly1 answered1 ,fiddle-de-dee6 ,a 
few days afterwards ,i received a letter
 from ,mr4 ,helmore1 in which he said1  
,i am afraid ',charlie' is already tired
 of playing at postman1 for to all our  
questions about you last ,thursday1 he  
would only rap out1 ',fiddle-de-dee4'   
,the circumstance to which this little  
episode is but an introduction happened 
a few days later4 ,mr4 ,colnaghi and    
,mr4 ,helmore1 sitting together as usual
 on ,thursday evening1 were discussing  
the possibility of summoning the spirits
 of living persons to the table1 when   
,charlie rapped three times to intimate 

they could4  ,will you fetch some one   
for us1 ,charlie8  ,yes4  ,whom will you
 bring8  ,mrs4 ,ross-,church4  ,how long
 will it take you to do so8  ,fifteen   
minutes4  ,it was in the middle of the  
night when ,i must have been fast       
asleep1 and the two young men told me   
afterwards that they waited the results 
of their experiment with much           
trepidation1 wondering 7,i suppose7 if  
,i should be conveyed bodily into their 
presence and box their ears well for    
their impertinence4 ,exactly fifteen    
minutes afterwards1 however1 the table  
was violently shaken and the words were 
spelt out4 ,i am ,mrs4 ,ross-,church4   
,how dared you send for me8 ,they were  
very penitent 7or they said they were71 
but they described my manner as most    
arbitrary1 and said ,i went on          
repeating1 ,let me go back6 ,let me go  
back6 ,there is a great danger hanging  
over my children6 ,i must go back to my 
children6 7,and here ,i would remark par
 parenthese1 and in contradiction of the

 guardian angel theory1 that ,i have    
always found that whilst the spirits of 
the departed come and go as they feel   
inclined1 the spirits of the living     
invariably beg to be sent back again or 
permitted to go1 as if they were chained
 by the will of the medium47 ,on this   
occasion ,i was so positive that ,i made
 a great impression on my two friends1  
and the next day ,mr4 ,helmore sent me a
 cautiously worded letter to find out if
 all was well with us at ,charmouth1 but
 without disclosing the reason for his  
curiosity4  ,the facts are1 that on the 
morning of ,friday1 the day after the   
seance in ,london1 my seven children and
 two nurses were all sitting in a small 
lodging-house room1 when my             
brother-in-law1 ,dr4 ,henry ,norris1    
came in from ball practice with the     
volunteers1 and whilst exhibiting his   
rifle to my son1 accidentally discharged
 it in the midst of them1 the ball      
passing through the wall within two     
inches of my eldest daughter's head4    

,when ,i wrote the account of this to   
,mr4 ,helmore1 he told me of my visit to
 ,london and the words ,i had spelt out 
on the occasion4 ,but how did ,i know of
 the occurrence the night before it took
 place8 ,and if ,i--being asleep and    
unconscious--did not know of it1        
,charlie must have done so4  ,my aerial 
visits to my friends1 however1 whilst my
 body was in quite another place1 have  
been made still more palpable than this4
 ,once1 when living in the ,regent's    
,park1 ,i passed a very terrible and    
painful night4 ,grief and fear kept me  
awake most of the time1 and the morning 
found me exhausted with the emotion ,i  
had gone through4 ,about eleven o'clock 
there walked in1 to my surprise1 ,mrs4  
,fitzgerald 7better known as a medium   
under her maiden name of ,bessie        
,williams71 who lived in the ,goldhawk  
,road1 ,shepherd's ,bush4 ,i couldn't   
help coming to you1 she commenced1 for  
,i shall not be easy until ,i know how  
you are after the terrible scene you    

have passed through4 ,i stared at her4  
,whom have you seen8 ,i asked4 ,who has 
told you of it8 ,yourself1 she replied4 
,i was waked up this morning between two
 and three o'clock by the sound of      
sobbing and crying in the front garden4 
,i got out of bed and opened the window1
 and then ,i saw you standing on the    
grass plat in your night-dress and      
crying bitterly4 ,i asked you what was  
the matter1 and you told me so and so1  
and so and so4 ,and here followed a     
detailed account of all that had        
happened in my own house on the other   
side of ,london1 with the very words    
that had been used1 and every action    
that had happened4 ,i had seen no one   
and spoken to no one between the        
occurrence and the time ,mrs4           
,fitzgerald called upon me4 ,if her     
story was untrue1 who had so minutely   
informed her of a circumstance which it 
was to the interest of all concerned to 
keep to themselves8  ,when ,i first     
joined ,mr4 d',oyley ,carte's ,patience 

,company in the provinces1 to play the  
part of ,lady ,jane1 ,i understood ,i   
was to have four days' rehearsal4       
,however1 the lady whom ,i succeeded1   
hearing ,i had arrived1 took herself    
off1 and the manager requested ,i would 
appear the same night of my arrival4    
,this was rather an ordeal to an artist 
who had never sung on the operatic stage
 before1 and who was not note perfect4  
,however1 as a matter of obligation1 ,i 
consented to do my best1 but ,i was very
 nervous4 ,at the end of the second act1
 during the balloting scene1 ,lady ,jane
 has to appear suddenly on the stage1   
with the word ,away6 ,i forget at this  
distance of time whether ,i made a      
mistake in pitching the note a third    
higher or lower4 ,i know it was not out 
of harmony1 but it was sufficiently     
wrong to send the chorus astray1 and    
bring my heart up into my mouth4 ,it    
never occurred after the first night1   
but ,i never stood at the wings again   
waiting for that particular entrance but

 ,i girded my loins together1 as it     
were1 with a kind of dread lest ,i      
should repeat the error4 ,after a while 
,i perceived a good deal of whispering  
about me in the company1 and ,i asked   
poor ,federici 7who played the colonel7 
the reason of it1 particularly as he had
 previously asked me to stand as far    
from him as ,i could upon the stage1 as 
,i magnetized him so strongly that he   
couldn't sing if ,i was near him4 ,well6
 do you know1 he said to me in answer1  
that a very strange thing occurs        
occasionally with reference to you1     
,miss ,marryat4 ,while you are standing 
on the stage sometimes1 you appear      
seated in the stalls4 ,several people   
have seen it beside myself4 ,i assure   
you it is true4  ,but when do you see   
me8 ,i enquired with amazement4  ,it's  
always at the same time1 he answered1   
just before you run on at the end of the
 second act4 ,of course it's only an    
appearance1 but it's very queer4 ,i told
 him then of the strange feelings of    

distrust of myself ,i experienced each  
night at that very moment1 when my      
spirit seems to have preceded myself    
upon the stage4  ,i had a friend many   
years ago in ,india1 who 7like many     
other friends7 had permitted time and   
separation to come between us1 and      
alienate us from each other4 ,i had not 
seen him nor heard from him for eleven  
years1 and to all appearance our        
friendship was at an end4 ,one evening  
the medium ,i have alluded to above1    
,mrs4 ,fitzgerald1 who was a personal   
friend of mine1 was at my house1 and    
after dinner she put her feet up on the 
sofa--a very unusual thing for her--and 
closed her eyes4 ,she and ,i were quite 
alone in the drawing-room1 and after a  
little while ,i whispered softly1       
,bessie1 are you asleep8 ,the answer    
came from her control ,dewdrop1 a       
wonderfully sharp ,red ,indian girl4    
,no6 she's in a trance4 ,there's        
somebody coming to speak to you6 ,i     
don't want him to come4 ,he'll make the 

medium ill4 ,but it's no use4 ,i see him
 creeping round the corner now4  ,but   
why should it make her ill8 ,i argued1  
believing we were about to hold an      
ordinary seance4  ,because he's a live  
one1 he hasn't passed over yet1 replied 
,dewdrop1 and live ones always make my  
medium feel sick4 ,but it's no use4 ,i  
can't keep him out4 ,he may as well     
come4 ,but don't let him stay long4     
,who is he1 ,dewdrop8 ,i demanded       
curiously4  ,i don't know6 ,guess you   
will6 ,he's an old friend of yours1 and 
his name is ,george4 ,whereupon ,bessie 
,fitzgerald laid back on the sofa       
cushions1 and ,dewdrop ceased to speak4 
,it was some time before there was any  
result4 ,the medium tossed and turned1  
and wiped the perspiration from her     
forehead1 and pushed back her hair1 and 
beat up the cushions and threw herself  
back upon them with a sigh1 and went    
through all the pantomime of a man      
trying to court sleep in a hot climate4 
,presently she opened her eyes and      

glanced languidly around her4 ,her      
unmistakable actions and the name       
,george 7which was that of my friend1   
then resident in ,india7 had naturally  
aroused my suspicions as to the identity
 of the influence1 and when ,bessie     
opened her eyes1 ,i asked softly1       
,george1 is that you8 ,at the sound of  
my voice the medium started violently   
and sprung into a sitting posture1 and  
then1 looking all round the room in a   
scared manner1 she exclaimed1 ,where am 
,i8 ,who brought me here8 ,then catching
 sight of me1 she continued1 ,mrs4      
,ross-,church6--,florence6 ,is this your
 room8 ,o6 let me go6 ,do let me go6    
,this was not complimentary1 to say the 
least of it1 from a friend whom ,i had  
not met for eleven years1 but now that  
,i had got him ,i had no intention of   
letting him go1 until ,i was convinced  
of his identity4 ,but the terror of the 
spirit at finding himself in a strange  
place seemed so real and uncontrollable 
that ,i had the greatest difficulty in  

persuading him to stay1 even for a few  
minutes4 ,he kept on reiterating1 ,who  
brought me here8 ,i did not wish to     
come4 ,do let me go back4 ,i am so very 
cold 7shivering convulsively71 so very1 
very cold4  ,answer me a few questions1 
,i said1 and then you shall go4 ,do you 
know who ,i am8  ,yes1 yes1 you are     
,florence4  ,and what is your name8 ,he 
gave it at full length4 ,and do you care
 for me still8  ,very much4 ,but let me 
go4  ,in a minute4 ,why do you never    
write to me8  ,there are reasons4 ,i am 
not a free agent4 ,it is better as it   
is4  ,i don't think so4 ,i miss your    
letters very much4 ,shall ,i ever hear  
from you again8  ,yes6  ,and see you8   
,yes2 but not yet4 ,let me go now4 ,i   
don't wish to stay4 ,you are making me  
very unhappy4  ,if ,i could describe the
 fearful manner in which1 during this   
conversation1 he glanced every moment at
 the door1 like a man who is afraid of  
being discovered in a guilty action1 it 
would carry with it to my readers1 as it

 did to me1 the most convincing proof   
that the medium's body was animated by a
 totally different influence from her   
own4 ,i kept the spirit under control   
until ,i had fully convinced myself that
 he knew everything about our former    
friendship and his own present          
surroundings2 and then ,i let him fly   
back to ,india1 and wondered if he would
 wake up the next morning and imagine he
 had been laboring under nightmare4     
,these experiences with the spirits of  
the living are certainly amongst the    
most curious ,i have obtained4 ,on more 
than one occasion1 when ,i have been    
unable to extract the truth of a matter 
from my acquaintances ,i have sat down  
alone1 as soon as ,i believed them to be
 asleep1 and summoned their spirits to  
the table and compelled them to speak   
out4 ,little have they imagined         
sometimes how ,i came to know things    
which they had scrupulously tried to    
hide from me4 ,i have heard that the    
power to summons the spirits of the     

living is not given to all media1 but ,i
 have always possessed it4 ,i can do so 
when they are awake as well as when they
 are asleep1 though it is not so easy4  
,a gentleman once dared me to do this   
with him1 and ,i only conceal his name  
because ,i made him look ridiculous4 ,i 
waited till ,i knew he was engaged at a 
dinner-party1 and then about nine       
o'clock in the evening ,i sat down and  
summoned him to come to me4 ,it was some
 little time before he obeyed1 and when 
he did come1 he was eminently sulky4 ,i 
got a piece of paper and pencil1 and    
from his dictation ,i wrote down the    
number and names of the guests at the   
dinner-table1 also the dishes of which  
he had partaken1 and then in pity for   
his earnest entreaties ,i let him go    
again4 ,you are making me ridiculous1 he
 said1 everyone is laughing at me4  ,but
 why8 ,what are you doing8 ,i urged4  ,i
 am standing by the mantel-piece1 and ,i
 have fallen fast asleep1 he answered4  
,the next morning he came pell-mell into

 my presence4  ,what did you do to me   
last night8 he demanded4 ,i was at the  
,watts ,philips1 and after dinner ,i    
went fast asleep with my head upon my   
hand1 standing by the mantel-piece1 and 
they were all trying to wake me and     
couldn't4 ,have you been playing any of 
your tricks upon me8  ,i only made you  
do what you declared ,i couldn't1 ,i    
replied4 ,how did you like the white    
soup and the turbot1 and the            
sweetbreads1 etc41 etc4  ,he opened his 
eyes at my nefariously obtained         
knowledge1 and still more when ,i       
produced the paper written from his     
dictation4 ,this is not a usual custom  
of mine--it would not be interesting    
enough to pursue as a custom--but ,i am 
a dangerous person to dare to do        
anything4  ,the old friend whose spirit 
visited me through ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald had
 lost a sister to whom he was very      
tenderly attached before he made my     
acquaintance1 and ,i knew little of her 
beyond her name4 ,one evening1 not many 

months after the interview with him     
which ,i have recorded1 a spirit came to
 me1 giving the name of my friend's     
sister1 with this message1 ,my brother  
has returned to ,england1 and would like
 to know your address4 ,write to him to 
the ,club1 ,leamington1 and tell him    
where to find you4 ,i replied1 ,your    
brother has not written to me1 nor      
inquired after me for the last eleven   
years4 ,he has lost all interest in me1 
and ,i cannot be the first to write to  
him1 unless ,i am sure that he wishes   
it4  ,he has not lost all interest in   
you1 said the spirit2 he thinks of you  
constantly1 and ,i hear him pray for    
you4 ,he wishes to hear from you4  ,that
 may be true1 ,i replied1 but ,i cannot 
accept it on your authority4 ,if your   
brother really wishes to renew our      
acquaintance1 let him write and tell me 
so4  ,he does not know your address1 and
 ,i cannot get near enough to him to    
influence him4  ,then things must remain
 as they are1 ,i replied somewhat       

testily4 ,i am a public person4 ,he can 
find out my address1 if he chooses to do
 so4  ,the spirit seemed to reflect for 
a moment2 then she rapped out1 ,wait1   
and ,i will fetch my brother4 ,he shall 
come here himself and tell you what he  
thinks about it4 ,in a short time there 
was a different movement of the table1  
and the name of my old friend was given4
 ,after we had exchanged a few words1   
and ,i had told him ,i required a test  
of his identity1 he asked me to get a   
pencil and paper1 and write from his    
dictation4 ,i did as he requested1 and  
he dictated the following sentence1     
,long time1 indeed1 has passed since the
 days you call to mind1 but time1       
however long1 does not efface the past4 
,it has never made me cease to think of 
and pray for you as ,i felt you1 too1   
did think of and pray for me4 ,write to 
the address my sister gave you4 ,i want 
to hear from you4  ,notwithstanding the 
perspicuity and apparent genuineness of 
this message1 it was some time before ,i

 could make up my mind to follow the    
directions it gave me4 ,my pride stood  
in the way to prevent it4 ,ten days     
afterwards1 however1 having received    
several more visits from the sister1 ,i 
did as she desired me1 and sent a note  
to her brother to the ,leamington ,club4
 ,the answer came by return of post1 and
 contained 7amongst others7 the         
identical words he had told me to write 
down4 ,will ,mr4 ,stuart ,cumberland1 or
 any other clever man1 explain to me    
what or who it was that had visited me  
ten days beforehand1 and dictated words 
which could hardly have been in my      
correspondent's brain before he received
 my letter8 ,i am ready to accept any   
reasonable explanation of the matter    
from the scientists1 philosophers1      
chemists1 or arguists of the world1 and 
,i am open to conviction1 when my sense 
convinces me1 that their reasoning is   
true4 ,but my present belief is1 that   
not a single man or woman will be found 
able to account on any ordinary grounds 

for such an extraordinary instance of   
unconscious cerebration4  ,being subject
 to optical illusions1 ,i naturally had 
several with regard to my spirit child1 
,florence1 and she always came to me    
clothed in a white dress4 ,one night1   
however1 when ,i was living alone in the
 ,regent's ,park1 ,i saw ,florence 7as  
,i imagined7 standing in the centre of  
the room1 dressed in a green riding     
habit slashed with orange color1 with a 
cavalier hat of grey felt on her head1  
ornamented with a long green feather and
 a gold buckle4 ,she stood with her back
 to me1 but ,i could see her profile as 
she looked over her shoulder1 with the  
skirt of her habit in her hand4 ,this   
being a most extraordinary attire in    
which to see ,florence1 ,i felt curious 
on the subject1 and the next day ,i     
questioned her about it4  ,florence6 ,i 
said1 why did you come to me last night 
in a green riding habit8  ,i did not    
come to you last night1 mother6 ,it was 
my sister ,eva4  ,good heavens6 ,i      

exclaimed1 is anything wrong with her8  
,no6 she is quite well4  ,how could she 
come to me then8  ,she did not come in  
reality1 but her thoughts were much with
 you1 and so you saw her spirit         
clairvoyantly4  ,my daughter ,eva1 who  
was on the stage1 was at that time      
fulfilling a stock engagement in        
,glasgow1 and very much employed4 ,i had
 not heard from her for a fortnight1    
which was a most unusual occurrence1 and
 ,i had begun to feel uneasy4 ,this     
vision made me more so1 and ,i wrote at 
once to ask her if all was as it should 
be4 ,her answer was to this effect3 ,i  
am so sorry ,i have had no time to write
 to you this week1 but ,i have been so  
awfully busy4 ,we play ',the ,colleen   
,bawn' here next week1 and ,i have had  
to get my dress ready for ',anne        
,chute4' ,it's so effective4 ,i wish you
 could see it4 ,a green habit slashed   
with orange1 and a grey felt hat with a 
long green feather and a big gold       
buckle4 ,i tried it on the other night1 

and it looked so nice1 etc41 etc4       
,well1 my darling girl had had her wish1
 and ,i had seen it4     ,,chapter ,v4  
,,optical ,,illusions4   ,as ,i have    
alluded to what my family termed my     
optical illusions1 ,i think it as well  
to describe a few of them1 which        
appeared by the context to be something 
more than a mere temporary disturbance  
of my visual organs4 ,i will pass over  
such as might be traced1 truly or       
otherwise1 to physical causes1 and      
confine myself to those which were      
subsequently proved to be the reflection
 of something that1 unknown to me1 had  
gone before4 ,in #ahge ,i was much      
engaged in giving dramatic readings in  
different parts of the country1 and ,i  
visited ,dublin for the first time in my
 life1 for that purpose1 and put up at  
the largest and best-frequented hotel   
there4 ,through the hospitality of the  
residents and the duties of my          
professional business1 ,i was engaged   
both day and night1 and when ,i did get 

to bed1 ,i had every disposition to     
sleep1 as the saying is1 like a top4    
,but there was something in the hotel   
that would not let me do so4 ,i had a   
charming bedroom1 cheerful1 bright and  
pretty1 and replete with every comfort1 
and ,i would retire to rest dead beat1  
and fall off to sleep at once1 to be    
waked perhaps half-a-dozen times a night
 by that inexplicable something 7or     
nothing7 that rouses me whenever ,i am  
about to enjoy an optical illusion1 and 
to see figures1 sometimes one1 sometimes
 two or three1 sometimes a whole group  
standing by my bedside and gazing at me 
with looks of the greatest astonishment1
 as much as to ask what right ,i had to 
be there4 ,but the most remarkable part 
of the matter to me was1 that all the   
figures were those of men1 and military 
men1 to whom ,i was too well accustomed 
to be able to mistake4 ,some were       
officers and others soldiers1 some were 
in uniform1 others in undress1 but they 
all belonged to the army1 and they all  

seemed to labor under the same feeling  
of intense surprise at seeing me in the 
hotel4 ,these apparitions were so       
life-like and appeared so frequently1   
that ,i grew quite uncomfortable about  
them1 for however much one may be used  
to see optical illusions1 it is not     
pleasant to fancy there are about twenty
 strangers gazing at one every night as 
one lies asleep4 ,spiritualism is1 or   
was1 a tabooed subject in ,dublin1 and  
,i had been expressly cautioned not to  
mention it before my new acquaintances4 
,however1 ,i could not keep entire      
silence on this subject1 and dining en  
famille one day1 with a hospitable      
family of the name of ,robinson1 ,i     
related to them my nightly experiences  
at the hotel4 ,father1 mother1 and son  
exclaimed simultaneously4 ,good         
gracious1 they said1 don't you know that
 that hotel was built on the site of the
 old barracks8 ,the house immediately   
behind it1 which formed part of the old 
building1 was vacated by its last       

tenants on account of its being haunted4
 ,every evening at the hour the soldiers
 used to be marched up to bed1 they     
heard the tramp1 tramp1 tramp of the    
feet ascending the staircase4  ,that may
 be1 ,i replied1 but they knew their    
house stood on the site of the barracks1
 and ,i didn't4  ,my eldest daughter was
 spending a holiday with me once after  
my second marriage1 and during the month
 of ,august4 ,she had been very much    
overworked1 and ,i made her lie in bed  
till noon4 ,one morning ,i had been to  
her room at that hour to wake her1 and  
on turning to leave it 7in the broad    
daylight1 remember71 ,i encountered a   
man on the landing outside her door4 ,he
 was dressed in a white shirt with black
 studs down the front1 and a pair of    
black cloth trousers4 ,he had dark hair 
and eyes1 and small features2           
altogether1 he struck me as having      
rather a sinister and unpleasant        
appearance4 ,i stood still1 with the    
open door in my hand1 and gazed at him4 

,he looked at me also for a minute1 and 
then turned and walked upstairs to an   
upper storey where the nursery was      
situated1 beckoning me1 with a jerk of  
his hand1 to follow him4 ,my daughter   
7remarking a peculiar expression in my  
eyes1 which ,i am told they assume on   
such occasions7 said1 ,mother6 what do  
you see8  ,only a spirit1 ,i answered1  
and he has gone upstairs4  ,now1 what is
 the good of seeing them in that way1   
said ,eva1 rather impatiently 7for this 
dear child always disliked and avoided  
,spiritualism71 and ,i was fain to      
confess that ,i really did not know the 
especial good of encountering a         
sinister-looking gentleman in shirt and 
trousers1 on a blazing noon in ,august4 
,after which the circumstance passed    
from my mind1 until recalled again4  ,a 
few months later ,i had occasion to     
change the children's nurse1 and the    
woman who took her place was an         
,icelandic girl named ,margaret         
,thommassen1 who had only been in       

,england for three weeks4 ,i found that 
she had been educated far above the     
average run of domestic servants1 and   
was well acquainted with the writings of
 ,swedenborg and other authors4 ,one day
 as ,i walked up the nursery stairs to  
visit the children in bed1 ,i           
encountered the same man ,i had seen    
outside my daughter's room1 standing on 
the upper landing1 as though waiting my 
approach4 ,he was dressed as before1 but
 this time his arms were folded across  
his breast and his face downcast1 as    
though he were unhappy about something4 
,he disappeared as ,i reached the       
landing1 and ,i mentioned the           
circumstance to no one4 ,a few days     
later1 ,margaret ,thommassen asked me   
timidly if ,i believed in the           
possibility of the spirits of the       
departed returning to this earth4 ,when 
,i replied that ,i did1 she appeared    
overjoyed1 and said she had never hoped 
to find anyone in ,england to whom she  
could speak about it4 ,she then gave me 

a mass of evidence on the subject which 
forms a large part of the religion of   
the ,icelanders4 ,she told me that she  
felt uneasy about her eldest brother1 to
 whom she was strongly attached4 ,he had
 left ,iceland a year before to become a
 waiter in ,germany1 and had promised   
faithfully that so long as he lived she 
should hear from him every month1 and   
when he failed to write she must        
conclude he was dead4 ,margaret told me 
she had heard nothing from him now for  
three months1 and each night when the   
nursery light was put out1 someone came 
and sat at the foot of her bed and      
sighed4 ,she then produced his          
photograph1 and to my astonishment ,i   
recognized at once the man who had      
appeared to me some months before ,i    
knew that such a woman as ,margaret     
,thommassen existed4 ,he was taken in a 
shirt and trousers1 just as ,i had seen 
him1 and wore the same repulsive 7to me7
 and sinister expression4 ,i then told  
his sister that ,i had already seen him 

twice in that house1 and she grew very  
excited and anxious to learn the truth4 
,in consequence ,i sat with her in hopes
 of obtaining some news of her brother1 
who immediately came to the table1 and  
told her that he was dead1 with the     
circumstances under which he had died1  
and the address where she was to write  
to obtain particulars4 ,and on ,margaret
 ,thommassen writing as she was         
directed1 she obtained the practical    
proofs of her brother's death1 without  
which this story would be worthless4    
,my sister ,cecil lives with her family 
in ,somerset1 and many years ago ,i went
 down there to visit her for the first  
time since she had moved into a new     
house which ,i had never seen before4   
,she put me to sleep in the guest       
chamber1 a large1 handsome room1 just   
newly furnished by ,oetzmann4 ,but ,i   
could not sleep in it4 ,the very first  
night some one walked up and down the   
room1 groaning and sighing close to my  
ears1 and he1 she1 or it especially     

annoyed me by continually touching the  
new stiff counterpane with a scrooping  
sound that set my teeth on edge1 and    
sent my heart up into my mouth4 ,i kept 
on saying1 ,go away6 ,don't come near   
me6 for its proximity inspired me with a
 horror and repugnance which ,i have    
seldom felt under similar circumstances4
 ,i did not say anything at first to my 
sister1 who is rather nervous on the    
subject of bogies1 but on the third     
night ,i could stand it no longer1 and  
told her plainly the room was haunted1  
and ,i wished she would put me in her   
dressing-room1 or with her servants1    
sooner than let me remain there1 as ,i  
could get no rest4 ,then the truth came 
out1 and she confessed that the last    
owner of the house had committed suicide
 in that very room1 and showed me the   
place on the boards1 underneath the     
carpet1 where the stain of his blood    
still remained4 ,a lively sort of room  
to sleep all alone in4  ,another sister 
of mine1 ,blanche1 used to live in a    

haunted house in ,bruges1 of which a    
description will be found in the chapter
 headed1 ,the ,story of the ,monk4      
,long1 however1 before the monk was     
heard of1 ,i could not sleep in her     
house on account of the disturbances in 
my room1 for which my sister used to    
laugh at me4 ,but even when my husband1 
,colonel ,lean1 and ,i stayed there     
together1 it was much the same4 ,one    
night ,i waked him to see the figure of 
a woman1 who had often visited me1      
standing at the foot of the bed4 ,she   
was quaintly attired in a sort of       
leathern boddice or jerkin1 laced up the
 front over a woollen petticoat of some 
dark color4 ,she wore a cap of ,mechlin 
lace1 with the large flaps at the side1 
adopted by ,flemish women to this day2  
her hair was combed tightly off her     
forehead1 and she wore a profusion of   
gold ornaments4  ,my husband could      
describe her as vividly as ,i did1 which
 proves how plainly the apparition must 
have shown itself4 ,i waked on several  

occasions to see this woman busy        
7apparently7 with the contents of an old
 carved oak armoir which stood in a     
corner of the room1 and which1 ,i       
suppose1 must have had something to do  
with herself4 ,my eldest son joined me  
at ,bruges on this occasion4 ,he was a  
young fellow of twenty1 who had never   
practised1 nor even enquired into       
,spiritualism--fresh from sea1 and about
 as free from fear or superstitious     
fancies as a mortal could be4 ,he was   
put to sleep in a room on the other side
 of the house1 and ,i saw from the first
 that he was grave about it1 but ,i did 
not ask him the reason1 though ,i felt  
sure1 from personal experience1 that he 
would hear or see something before long4
 ,in a few days he came to me and said--
  ,mother6 ,i'm going to take my        
mattress into the colonel's             
dressing-room to-night and sleep there4 
,i asked him why4 ,he replied1 ,it's    
impossible to stay in that room any     
longer4 ,i wouldn't mind if they'd let  

me sleep1 but they won't4 ,there's      
something walks about half the night1   
whispering and muttering1 and touching  
the bed-clothes1 and though ,i don't    
believe in any of your rubbishy spirits1
 ,i'll be 'jiggered' if ,i sleep there  
any longer4 ,so he was not jiggered     
7whatever that may be71 as he refused to
 enter the room again4  ,i cannot end   
this chapter more appropriately than by 
relating a very remarkable case of      
optical illusion which was seen by      
myself alone4 ,it was in the month of   
,july1 #ahhj1 and ,i had gone down alone
 to ,brighton for a week's quiet4 ,i had
 some important literary work to finish1
 and the exigencies of the ,london      
season made too many demands upon my    
time4 ,so ,i packed up my writing       
materials1 and took a lodging all to    
myself1 and set hard to work4 ,i used to
 write all day and walk in the evening4 
,it was light then till eight or nine   
o'clock1 and the ,esplanade used to be  
crowded till a late hour4 ,i was pushing

 my way1 on the evening of the #ith of  
,july1 through the crowd1 thinking of my
 work more than anything else1 when ,i  
saw1 as ,i fully thought1 my step-son1  
,francis ,lean1 leaning with his back   
against the palings at the edge of the  
cliff and smiling at me4 ,he was a      
handsome lad of eighteen who was        
supposed to have sailed in his ship for 
the ,brazils five months before4 ,but he
 had been a wild young fellow1 causing  
his father much trouble and anxiety1 and
 my first impression was one of great   
annoyance1 thinking naturally that1     
since ,i saw him there1 he had never    
sailed at all1 but run away from his    
ship at the last moment4 ,i hastened up 
to him1 therefore1 but as ,i reached his
 side1 he turned round quite            
methodically1 and walked quickly down a 
flight of steps that led to the beach4  
,i followed him1 and found myself       
amongst a group of ordinary seamen      
mending their nets1 but ,i could see    
,francis nowhere4 ,i did not know what  

to make of the occurrence1 but it never 
struck me that it was not either the lad
 himself or some one remarkably like    
him4 ,the same night1 however1 after ,i 
had retired to bed in a room that was   
unpleasantly brilliant with the         
moonlight streaming in at the window1 ,i
 was roused from my sleep by someone    
turning the handle of my door1 and there
 stood ,francis in his naval uniform1   
with the peaked cap on his head1 smiling
 at me as he had done upon the cliff4 ,i
 started up in bed intending to speak to
 him1 when he laid his finger on his    
lips and faded away4 ,this second vision
 made me think something must have      
happened to the boy1 but ,i determined  
not to say anything to my husband about 
it until it was verified4 ,shortly after
 my return to ,london1 we were going1 in
 company with my own son 7also a        
sailor71 to see his ship which was lying
 in the docks1 when1 as we were driving 
through ,poplar1 ,i again saw my stepson
 ,francis standing on the pavement1 and 

smiling at me4 ,that time ,i spoke4 ,i  
said to ,colonel ,lean1 ,i am sure ,i   
saw ,francis standing there4 ,do you    
think it is possible he may not have    
sailed after all8 ,but ,colonel ,lean   
laughed at the idea4 ,he believed it to 
be a chance likeness ,i had seen4 ,only 
the lad was too good-looking to have    
many duplicates in this world4 ,we      
visited the seaside after that1 and in  
,september1 whilst we were staying at   
,folkestone1 ,colonel ,lean received a  
letter to say that his son ,francis had 
been drowned by the upsetting of a boat 
in the surf of the ,bay of ,callao1 in  
the ,brazils1 on the #ith of ,july--the 
day ,i had seen him twice in ,brighton1 
two months before we heard that he was  
gone4     ,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,on         
,,scepticism4   ,there are two classes  
of people who have done more harm to the
 cause of ,spiritualism than the        
testimony of all the scientists has done
 good1 and those are the enthusiasts and
 the sceptics4 ,the first believe       

everything they see or hear4 ,without   
giving themselves the trouble to obtain 
proofs of the genuineness of the        
manifestations1 they rush impetuously   
from one acquaintance to the other1     
detailing their experience with so much 
exaggeration and such unbounded faith1  
that they make the absurdity of it      
patent to all4 ,they are generally      
people of low intellect1 credulous      
dispositions1 and weak nerves4 ,they bow
 down before the influences as if they  
were so many little gods descended from 
heaven1 instead of being1 as in the     
majority of instances1 spirits a shade  
less holy than our own1 who1 for their  
very shortcomings1 are unable to rise   
above the atmosphere that surrounds this
 gross and material world4 ,these are   
the sort of spiritualists whom ,punch   
and other comic papers have very justly 
ridiculed4 ,who does not remember the   
picture of the afflicted widow1 for whom
 the medium has just called up the      
departed ,jones8  ,jones1 she falters1  

are you happy8  ,much happier than ,i   
was down here1 growls ,jones4  ,o6 then 
you must be in heaven6  ,on the         
contrary1 quite the reverse1 is the     
reply4  ,who also has not sat a seance  
where such people have not made         
themselves so ridiculous as to bring the
 cause they profess to adore into       
contempt and ignominy4 ,yet to allow the
 words and deeds of fools to affect     
one's inward and private conviction of a
 matter would be tantamount to giving up
 the pursuit of everything in which     
one's fellow creatures can take a part4 
,the second class to which ,i           
alluded--the sceptics--have not done so 
much injury to ,spiritualism as the     
enthusiasts1 because they are as a rule1
 so intensely bigoted and hard-headed1  
and narrow-minded1 that they overdo     
their protestations1 and render them    
harmless4 ,the sceptic refuses to       
believe anything1 because he has found  
out one thing to be a fraud4 ,if one    
medium deceives1 all the mediums must   

deceive4 ,if one seance is a failure1   
none can be successful4 ,if he gains no 
satisfactory test of the presence of the
 spirits of the departed1 no one has    
ever gained such a test4 ,now1 such     
reason is neither just nor logical4     
,again1 a sceptic fully expects his     
testimony to be accepted and believed1  
yet he will never believe any truth on  
the testimony of another person4 ,and if
 he is told that1 given certain         
conditions1 he can see this or hear the 
other1 he says1 ,no6 ,i will see it and 
hear it without any conditions1 or else 
,i will proclaim it all a fraud4 ,in    
like manner1 we might say to a savage1  
on showing him a watch1 ,if you will    
keep your eye on those hands1 you will  
see them move round to tell the hours   
and minutes1 and he should reply1 ,i    
must put the watch into boiling         
water--those are my conditions--and if  
it won't go then1 ,i will not believe it
 can go at all4  ,i don't mind a man    
being a sceptic in ,spiritualism4 ,i    

don't see how he can help 7considering  
the belief in which we are reared7 being
 a sceptic1 until he has proved so      
strange a matter for himself4 ,but ,i do
 object to a man or a woman taking part 
in a seance with the sole intention of  
detecting deceit1 not when it has       
happened1 but before it has happened--of
 bringing an argumentative1 disputatious
 mind1 full of the idea that it is going
 to be tricked and humbugged into       
7perhaps7 a private circle who are      
sitting 7like ,rosa ,dartle7 simply for 
information1 and scattering all the     
harmony and good-will about him         
broadcast4 ,he couldn't do it to a human
 assembly without breaking up the party4
 ,why should he expect to be more kindly
 welcomed by a spiritual one8 ,i have   
seen an immense deal of courtesy shown  
under such circumstances to men whom ,i 
should have liked to see kicked         
downstairs4 ,i have seen them enter a   
lady's private drawing-room1 by         
invitation1 to witness manifestations   

which were never1 under any             
circumstances1 made a means of gain1 and
 have heard them argue1 and doubt1 and  
contradict1 until they have given their 
hostess and her friends the lie to their
 faces4 ,and the world in general would 
be quite ready to side with these       
7so-called7 gentlemen1 not because their
 word or their wisdom was better worth  
than that of their fellow guests1 but   
because they protested against the truth
 of a thing which it had made up its    
mind to be impossible4 ,i don't mind a  
sceptic myself1 as ,i said before1 but  
he must be unbiassed1 which few sceptics
 are4 ,as a rule1 they have decided the 
question at issue for themselves before 
they commence to investigate it4  ,i    
find that few people outside the pale of
 ,spiritualism have heard of the        
,dialectical ,society1 which was a      
scientific society assembled a few years
 ago for the sole purpose of enquiring  
into the truth of the matter4 ,it was   
composed of forty members1--ten lawyers1

 ten scientists1 ten clergymen1 and ten 
chemists 7,i think that was the         
arrangement71 and they held forty       
seances1 and the published report at the
 close of them was1 that not one of     
these men of learning and repute could  
find any natural cause for the wonders  
he had witnessed4 ,i know that there are
 a thousand obstacles in the way of     
belief4 ,the extraordinarily            
contradictory manner in which           
,protestants are brought up1 to believe 
in one and the same breath that spirits 
were common visitants to earth at the   
periods of which the ,bible treats1 but 
that it is impossible they can return to
 it now1 although the ,lord is the same 
yesterday1 to-day1 and for ever4 ,the   
conditions of darkness for the creation 
of materialized spirits1 and the        
resemblance they sometimes bear to the  
medium1 are two fearful                 
stumbling-blocks4 ,yet one must know    
that all things are created in the dark1
 and that even a seed cannot sprout if  

you let the light in upon it1 while as  
for the resemblance between the spirit  
and the medium1 from whom it takes the  
material being that enables it to       
appear1 if investigators would only     
persevere with their enquiries1 they    
would find1 as ,i have1 that that is a  
disappointment which has its remedy in  
,time4 ,when people call on me to       
explain such things1 ,i can only say    
that ,i know no more how they come than 
they do1 or that ,i know how ,i came1 a 
living1 sentient creature1 into the     
world4 ,besides 7as ,i have said        
before71 ,i write these pages to tell   
only what ,i have seen1 and not to argue
 how it came to pass that ,i saw it4  ,i
 have a little story to tell here which 
powerfully illustrates the foregoing    
remarks4 ,the lines1      ,a woman      
convinced against her will     ,is of   
the same opinion still1  might have been
 penned with as much truth of sceptics4 
,men who are sceptical1 i4e41 so        
thoroughly wrapt up in conceit of their 

powers of judgment and determination    
that it becomes impossible for them to  
believe themselves mistaken1 will deny  
the evidence of all their senses sooner 
than confess they may be in the wrong4  
,such an one may be a clever scientist  
or a shrewd man of business1 but he can 
never be a genius4 ,for genius is       
invariably humble of its own powers1    
and1 therefore1 open to conviction4 ,but
 the lesser minds1 who are only equal to
 grasping such details as may have been 
drummed into them by sheer force of     
study1 appear to have no capability of  
stretching beyond a certain limit4 ,they
 are hedged in and cramped by the       
opinions in which they have been reared1
 or that they have built up for         
themselves out of the petty material    
their brain affords them1 and have lost 
their powers of elasticity4 ,thus far   
shalt thou go and no further1 seems to  
be the fiat pronounced on too many men's
 reasoning faculties4 ,instead of       
believing the power of ,god and the     

resources of nature to be illimitable1  
they want to keep them within the little
 circle that encompasses their own      
brains4 ,i can't see it1 and therefore  
it cannot be4 ,there was a time when ,i 
used to take the trouble to try and     
convince such men1 but ,i have long     
ceased to do so4 ,it is quite           
indifferent to me what they believe or  
don't believe4 ,and with such minds1    
even if they were convinced of its      
possibility1 they would probably make no
 good use of spiritual intercourse4 ,for
 there is no doubt it can be turned to  
evil uses as well as to good4  ,some    
years ago ,i was on friendly terms with 
a man of this sort4 ,he was a doctor1   
accounted clever in his profession1 and 
,i knew him to be an able arguist1 and  
thought he had common sense enough not  
to eat his own words1 but the sequel    
proved that ,i was mistaken4 ,we had    
several conversations together on       
,spiritualism1 and as ,dr4 ,h---- was a 
complete disbeliever in the existence of

 a ,god and a future life1 ,i was       
naturally not surprised to find that he 
did not place any credence in the       
account ,i gave him of my spiritualistic
 experiences4 ,many medical men         
attribute such experiences entirely to a
 diseased condition of mind or body4    
,but when ,i asked ,dr4 ,h---- what he  
should think if he saw them with his own
 eyes1 ,i confess ,i was startled to    
hear him answer that he should say his  
eyes deceived him4 ,but if you heard    
them speak8 ,i continued4  ,i should    
disbelieve my ears4  ,and if you touched
 and handled them8  ,i should mistrust  
my sense of feeling4  ,then by what     
means1 ,i argued1 do you know that ,i am
 ,florence ,marryat8 ,you can only see  
me and hear me and touch me6 ,what is   
there to prevent your senses misleading 
you at the present moment8  ,but to this
 argument ,dr4 ,h---- only returned a   
pitying smile1 professing to think me1  
on this point at least1 too             
feeble-minded to be worthy of reply1 but

 in reality not knowing what on earth to
 say4 ,he often1 however1 recurred to   
the subject of ,spiritualism1 and on    
several occasions told me that if ,i    
could procure him the opportunity of    
submitting a test which he might himself
 suggest1 he should be very much obliged
 to me4 ,it was about this time that a  
young medium named ,william ,haxby1 now 
passed away1 went to live with ,mr4 and 
,mrs4 ,olive in ,ainger ,terrace1 and we
 were invited to attend a seance given  
by him4 ,mrs4 ,olive1 when giving the   
invitation1 informed me that ,mr4 ,haxby
 had been very successful in procuring  
direct writing in sealed boxes1 and she 
asked me1 if ,i wished to try the       
experiment1 to take a secured box1 with 
writing materials in it1 to the seance1 
and see what would happen to it4  ,here 
was1 ,i thought1 an excellent           
opportunity for ,dr4 ,h----'s test1 and 
,i sent for him and told him what had   
been proposed4 ,i urged him to prepare  
the test entirely by himself1 and to    

accompany me to the seance and see what 
occurred1--to all of which he readily   
consented4 ,indeed1 he became quite     
excited on the subject1 being certain it
 would prove a failure2 and in my       
presence he made the following          
preparations3--  ,i4 ,half a sheet of   
ordinary cream-laid note-paper and half 
a cedar-wood black lead pencil were     
placed in a jeweller's cardwood box4    
,,ii4 ,the lid of the box was carefully 
glued down all round to the bottom part4
  ,,iii4 ,the box was wrapt in white    
writing paper1 which was gummed over it4
  ,,iv4 ,it was tied eight times with a 
peculiar kind of silk made for tying up 
arteries1 and the eight knots were knots
 known to 7as ,dr4 ,h---- informed me7  
medical men only4  ,v4 ,each of the     
eight knots was sealed with sealing-wax1
 and impressed with ,dr4 ,h----'s crest 
seal1 which he always wore on his       
watch-chain4  ,,vi4 ,the packet was     
again folded in brown paper1 and sealed 
and tied to preserve the inside from    

injury4  ,when ,dr4 ,h---- had finished 
it1 he said to me1 ,if the spirits 7or  
anybody7 can write on that paper without
 cutting the silk1 ,i will believe      
whatever you wish4 ,i asked1 ,are you   
quite sure that the packet could not be 
undone without your detecting it8 ,his  
answer was--,that silk is not to be     
procured except from a medical man2 it  
is manufactured expressly for the tying 
of arteries2 and the knots ,i have made 
are known only to medical men4 ,they are
 the knots we use in tying arteries4    
,the seal is my own crest1 which never  
leaves my watch-chain1 and ,i defy      
anyone to undo those knots without      
cutting them1 or to tie them again1 if  
cut4 ,i repeat--if your friends can     
make1 or cause to be made1 the smallest 
mark on that paper1 and return me the   
box in the condition it now is1 ,i will 
believe anything you choose4 ,and ,i    
confess ,i was very dubious of the      
result myself1 and almost sorry that ,i 
had subjected the doctor's incredulity  

to so severe a test4  ,on the evening   
appointed we attended the seance1 ,dr4  
,h---- taking the prepared packet with  
him4 ,he was directed to place it under 
his chair1 but he tied a string to it   
and put it under his foot1 retaining the
 other end of the string in his hand4   
,the meeting was not one for favorably  
impressing an unbeliever in             
,spiritualism4 ,there were too many     
people present1 and too many strangers4 
,the ordinary manifestations1 to my     
mind1 are worse than useless1 unless    
they have been preceded by extraordinary
 ones2 so that the doctor returned home 
more sceptical than before1 and ,i      
repented that ,i had taken him there4   
,one thing had occurred1 however1 that  
he could not account for4 ,the packet   
which he had kept1 as he thought1 under 
his foot the whole time1 was found1 at  
the close of the meeting1 to have       
disappeared4 ,another gentleman had     
brought a sealed box1 with paper and    
pencil in it1 to the seance2 and at the 

close it was opened in the presence of  
all assembled1 and found to contain a   
closely written letter from his deceased
 wife4 ,but the doctor's box had        
evaporated1 and was nowhere to be found4
 ,the door of the room had been locked  
all the time1 and we searched the room  
thoroughly1 but without success4 ,dr4   
,h---- was naturally triumphant4  ,they 
couldn't undo my knots and my seals1 he 
said1 exulting over me1 and so they     
wisely did not return the packet4 ,both 
packets were of course taken from the   
room during the sitting by some         
confederate of the medium4 ,the other   
one was easily managed1 and put back    
again--mine proved unmanageable1 and so 
they have retained it4 ,i knew it would 
be so6  ,and he twinkled his eyes at me 
as much as to say1 ,i have shut you up4 
,you will not venture to describe any of
 the marvels you have seen to me after  
this4 ,of course the failure did not    
discompose me1 nor shake my belief4 ,i  
never believed spiritual beings to be   

omnipotent1 omnipresent1 nor omniscient4
 ,they had failed before1 and doubtless 
they would fail again4 ,but if an       
acrobatic performer fails to turn a     
double somersault on to another man's   
head two or three times1 it does not    
falsify the fact that he succeeds on the
 fourth occasion4 ,i was sorry that the 
test had been a failure1 for ,dr4       
,h----'s sake1 but ,i did not despair of
 seeing the box again4 ,and at the end  
of a fortnight it was left at my house  
by ,mr4 ,olive1 with a note to say that 
it had been found that morning on the   
mantel-piece in ,mr4 ,haxby's bedroom1  
and he lost no time in returning it to  
me4 ,it was wrapt in the brown paper1   
tied and sealed1 apparently just as we  
had carried it to the seance in ,ainger 
,terrace2 and ,i wrote at once to ,dr4  
,h---- announcing its return1 and asking
 him to come over and open it in my     
presence4 ,he came1 took the packet in  
his hand1 and having stripped off the   
outer wrapper1 examined it carefully4   

,there were four tests1 it may be       
remembered1 applied to the packet4  ,i4 
,the arterial silk1 procurable only from
 a medical man4  ,,ii4 ,the knots to be 
tied only by medical men4  ,,iii4 ,dr4  
,h----'s own crest1 always kept on his  
watch chain1 as a seal4  ,,iv4 ,the lid 
of the cardboard box1 glued all round to
 the bottom part4  ,as the doctor       
scrutinized the silk1 the knots1 and the
 seals1 ,i watched him narrowly4  ,are  
you quite sure1 ,i asked1 that it is the
 same paper in which you wrapt it8  ,i  
am quite sure4  ,and the same silk8     
,quite sure4  ,your knots have not been 
untied8  ,i am positive that they have  
not4  ,nor your seal been tampered with8
  ,certainly not6 ,it is just as ,i     
sealed it4  ,be careful1 ,dr4 ,h----1 ,i
 continued4 ,remember ,i shall write    
down all you say4  ,i am willing to     
swear to it in a court of justice1 he   
replied4  ,then will you open the       
packet8  ,dr4 ,h---- took the scissors  
and cut the silk at each seal and knot1 

then tore off the gummed white writing  
paper 7which was as fresh as when he had
 put it on71 and tried to pull open the 
card-board box4 ,but as he could not do 
this in consequence of the lid being    
glued down1 he took out his penknife and
 cut it all round4 ,as he did so1 he    
looked at me and said1 ,mark my words4  
,there will be nothing written on the   
paper4 ,it is impossible6  ,he lifted   
the lid1 and behold the box was empty6  
,the half sheet of notepaper and the    
half cedar wood pencil had both entirely
 disappeared4 ,not a crumb of lead1 nor 
a shred of paper remained behind4 ,i    
looked at the doctor1 and the doctor    
looked completely bewildered4  ,well6 ,i
 said1 interrogatively4  ,he shifted    
about--grew red--and began to bluster4  
,what do you make of it8 ,i asked4 ,how 
do you account for it8  ,in the easiest 
way in the world1 he replied1 trying to 
brave it out4 ,it's the most transparent
 deception ,i ever saw4 ,they've kept   
the thing a fortnight and had time to do

 anything with it4 ,a child could see   
through this4 ,surely your bright wits  
can want no help to an explanation4  ,i 
am not so bright as you give me credit  
for1 ,i answered4 ,will you explain your
 meaning to me8  ,with pleasure4 ,they  
have evidently made an invisible slit in
 the joining of the box cover1 and with 
a pair of fine forceps drawn the paper  
through it1 bit by bit4 ,for the pencil1
 they drew that by the same means to the
 slit and then pared it1 little by      
little1 with a lancet1 till they could  
shake out the fragments4  ,that must    
have required very careful manipulation1
 ,i observed4  ,naturally4 ,but they've 
taken a fortnight to do it in4  ,but how
 about the arterial silk8 ,i said4      
,they must have procured some from a    
surgeon4  ,and your famous knots8  ,they
 got some surgeon to tie them6  ,but    
your crest and seal8  ,oh6 they must    
have taken a facsimile of that in order 
to reproduce it4 ,it is very cleverly   
done1 but quite explicable6  ,but you   

told me before you opened the packet    
that you would take your oath in a court
 of justice it had not been tampered    
with4  ,i was evidently deceived4  ,and 
you really believe1 then1 that an       
uneducated lad like ,mr4 ,haxby would   
take the trouble to take impressions of 
seals and to procure arterial silk and  
the services of a surgeon1 in order1 not
 to mystify or convert you1 but to      
gratify me1 whose box he believes it to 
be4  ,i am sure he has done so6  ,but   
just now you were equally sure he had   
not done so4 ,why should you trust your 
senses in one case more than in the     
other8 ,and if ,mr4 ,haxby has played a 
trick on me1 as you suppose1 why did you
 not discover the slit when you examined
 the box1 before opening8  ,because my  
eyes misled me6  ,then after all1 ,i    
concluded1 the best thing you can say of
 yourself is that you--a man of reputed 
science1 skill1 and sense1 and with a   
strong belief in your own powers--are   
unable to devise a test in which you    

shall not be outwitted by a person so   
inferior to yourself in age1 intellect  
and education as young ,haxby4 ,but ,i  
will give you another chance4 ,make up  
another packet in any way you like4     
,apply to it the severest tests which   
your ingenuity can devise1 or other men 
of genius can suggest to you1 and let me
 give it to ,haxby and see if the       
contents can be extracted1 or tampered  
with a second time4  ,it would be       
useless1 said ,dr4 ,h----4 ,if they were
 extracted through the iron panels of a 
fireproof safe1 ,i would not believe it 
was done by any but natural means4      
,because you do not wish to believe1 ,i 
argued4  ,you are right1 he confessed1  
,i do not wish to believe4 ,if you      
convinced me of the truth of            
,spiritualism1 you would upset all the  
theories ,i have held for the best part 
of my life4 ,i don't believe in a ,god1 
nor a soul1 nor a future existence1 and 
,i would rather not believe in them4 ,we
 have quite enough trouble1 in my       

opinion1 in this life1 without looking  
forward to another1 and ,i would rather 
cling to my belief that when we die we  
have done with it once and for ever4    
,so there ended my attempt to convince  
,dr4 ,h----1 and ,i have often thought  
since that he was but a type of the     
genus sceptic4 ,in this world1 we mostly
 believe what we want to believe1 and   
the thought of a future troubles us in  
proportion to the lives we lead here4   
,it must often strike spiritualists 7who
 mostly look forward to the day of their
 departure for another world1 as a      
schoolboy looks forward to the          
commencement of the holidays7 as a very 
strange thing1 that people1 as a rule1  
evince so little curiosity on the       
subject of ,spiritualism4 ,the idea of  
the spirits of the departed returning to
 this world to hold communication with  
their friends may be a new and startling
 one to them1 but the very wonder of it 
would make one expect to see them evince
 a little interest in a matter which    

concerns us all4 ,yet the generality of 
,carlyle's ,british millions either     
pooh-pooh the notion as too utterly     
ridiculous for their exalted minds to   
entertain1 or inform you1 with superior 
wisdom1 that if ,spiritualism is true1  
they cannot see the use of it1 and have 
no craving for any further knowledge4   
,if these same people expected to go to 
,canada or ,australia in a few months'  
time1 how eagerly they would ask        
questions concerning their future home1 
and procure the best information on what
 to do1 whilst they remained in         
,england1 in order to fit themselves for
 the journey and the change4  ,but a    
journey to the other world--to the many 
worlds which perhaps await us--a certain
 proof that we shall live again 7or     
rather1 that we shall never die but need
 only time and patience and well-living 
here to reunite us to the dear one gone 
before7--that is a subject not worthy of
 our trying to believe--of not          
sufficient importance for us to take the

 trouble of ascertaining4 ,i pity from  
my soul the men and women who have no   
dead darling buried in their hearts whom
 they know they shall meet in a home of 
,god's own choosing when this life ends4
  ,the old1 cold faiths have melted away
 beneath the sun of ,progress4 ,we can  
no longer be made to believe1 like      
little children1 in a shadowy indefinite
 ,heaven where the saints sit on damp   
clouds with harps in their hands forever
 singing psalms and hymns and heavenly  
songs4 ,that sort of existence could be 
a ,heaven to none1 and to most it would 
be a ,hell4 ,we do not accept it now1   
any more than we do the other place1    
with its typical fire and brimstone1 and
 pitch-forking devils with horns and    
tails4 ,but what has ,religion given us 
instead8 ,those whose common-sense will 
not permit them to believe in the       
parson's ,heaven and ,hell generally    
believe 7like ,dr4 ,h----7 in nothing at
 all4 ,but ,spiritualism1 earnestly and 
faithfully followed1 leaves us in no    

doubt4 ,spiritualists know where they   
are going to4 ,the spheres are almost as
 familiar to them as this earth--it is  
not too much to say that many live in   
them as much as they do here1 and often 
they seem the more real1 as they are the
 more lasting of the two4 ,spiritualists
 are in no manner of doubt who their    
eyes will see when opening on another   
phase of life4 ,they do not expect to be
 carried straight up into ,abraham's    
bosom1 and lie snugly there1 whilst     
revengeful demons are torturing those   
who were1 perhaps1 nearest and dearest  
to them down below4 ,they have a better 
and more substantial religion than      
that--a revelation that teaches them    
that the works we do in the flesh must  
bear their fruit in the spirit1 and that
 no tardy deathbed repentance1 no crying
 out for mercy because ,justice is upon 
us1 like an unruly child howling as soon
 as the stick is produced for           
chastisement--will avail to wipe off the
 sins we have indulged in upon earth4   

,they know their expiation will be a    
bitter one1 yet not without ,hope1 and  
that they will be helped1 as well as    
help others1 in the upward path that    
leads to ultimate perfection4 ,the      
teaching of ,spiritualism is such as    
largely to increase belief in our       
,divine ,father's love1 our ,saviour's  
pity1 and the angels' ministering help4 
,but it does more than this1 more than  
any religion has done before4 ,it       
affords the proof--the only proof we    
have ever received1 and our finite      
natures can accept--of a future         
existence4 ,the majority of ,christians 
hope and trust1 and say they believe4   
,it is the ,spiritualist only that      
knows4  ,i think that the marvellous    
indifference displayed by the crowd to  
ascertain these truths for themselves   
must be due1 in a large number of       
instances1 to the unnatural but         
universal fear which is entertained of  
,death and all things connected with it4
 ,the same people who loudly declaim    

again the possibility of seeing a ghost1
 shudder at the idea of doing so4 ,the  
creature whom they have adored and      
waited on with tenderest devotion passes
 away1 and they are afraid to enter the 
room where his body lies4 ,that which   
they clung to and wept over yesterday1  
they fear to look at or touch to-day1   
and the idea that he would return and   
speak to them would inspire them with   
horror4 ,but why afraid of an           
impossibility8 ,their very fears should 
teach them that there is a cause4 ,from 
numerous notes made on the subject ,i   
have invariably found that those who    
have had the opportunity of testing the 
reality of ,spiritualism1 and either    
rejected or denied it1 have been        
selfish1 worldly1 and cold-hearted      
people who neither care1 nor are cared  
for1 by those who have passed on to     
another sphere4 ,plenty of love is sure 
to bring you plenty of proof4 ,the      
mourners1 who have lost sight of what is
 dearest to them1 and would give all    

they possess for one more look at the   
face they loved so much1 or one more    
tone of the voice that was music to     
their ears1 are only too eager and      
grateful to hear of a way by which their
 longings may be gratified1 and would   
take any trouble and go to any expense  
to accomplish what they desire4  ,it is 
this intense yearning to speak again    
with those that have left us1 on the    
part of the bereaved1 that has led to   
chicanery on the part of media in order 
to gratify it4 ,wherever money is to be 
made1 unfortunately cheating will step  
in2 but because some tradesmen will sell
 you brass for gold is no reason to vote
 all jewellers thieves4 ,the account of 
the raising of ,samuel by the witch of  
,endor is an instance that my argument  
is correct4 ,the witch was evidently an 
impostor1 for she had no expectation of 
seeing ,samuel1 and was frightened by   
the apparition she had evoked2 but      
,spiritualism must be a truth1 because  
it was ,samuel himself who appeared and 

rebuked ,saul for calling him back to   
this earth4 ,what becomes1 in the face  
of this story1 of the impassable gulf   
between the earthly and spiritual       
spheres8 ,that atheists who believe in  
nothing should not believe in           
,spiritualism is credible1 natural1 and 
consistent4 ,but that ,christians should
 reject the theory is tantamount to     
acknowledging that they found their     
hopes of salvation upon a lie4 ,there is
 no way of getting out of it4 ,if it be 
impossible that the spirits of the      
departed can communicate with men1 the  
,bible must be simply a collection of   
fabulous statements2 if it be wrong to  
speak with spirits1 all the men whose   
histories are therein related were      
sinners1 and the ,almighty helped them  
to sin2 and if all the spirits who have 
been heard and seen and touched in      
modern times are devils sent on earth to
 lure us to our destruction1 how are we 
to distinguish between them and the     
,greatest ,spirit of all1 who walked    

with mortal ,adam and ,eve in the garden
 of ,eden4 ,o6 yes6 ,i think ,i hear    
somebody cry1 but that was in the       
,bible2 as if the ,bible were a period  
or a place4 ,and did it ever strike you 
that there is something else recorded in
 the ,bible8 ,and ,he did not many      
miracles there because of their         
unbelief4 ,and yet ,christ came to call 
not the righteous but the sinners to    
repentance4 ,surely1 then1 the          
unbelieving required the conviction of  
the miracles more than those who knew   
,him to be ,god4 ,yet there ,he did them
 not1 because of their unbelief1 because
 their scepticism produced a condition  
in which miracles could not be wrought4 
,and yet the nineteenth century is      
surprised because a sceptic1 whose      
jarring element upsets all union and    
harmony1 is not an acceptable addition  
to a spiritual meeting1 and that the    
miracles of the present--gross and      
feeble1 compared to those of the past1  
because worked by grosser material      

though grosser agents--ceased to be     
manifested when his unbelief intrudes   
itself upon them4     ,,chapter ,,vii4  
,,the ,,story ,,of ,,john ,,powles4     
,on the #dth of ,april1 #ahfj1 there    
died in ,india a young officer in the   
#abth ,regiment ,m4,n4,i41 of the name  
of ,john ,powles4 ,he was an intimate   
friend of my first husband for several  
years before his death1 and had         
consequently become intimate with me2   
indeed1 on several occasions he shared  
our house and lived with us on the terms
 of a brother4 ,i was very young at that
 time and susceptible to influence of   
all sorts--extremely nervous1 moreover1 
on the subject of ghosts1 and yet       
burning with curiosity to learn         
something of the other world--a topic   
which it is most difficult to induce    
anybody to discuss with you4 ,people    
will talk of dress1 or dinner1 or their 
friend's private affairs--of anything1  
in fact1 sooner than ,death and         
,immortality and the world to come which

 we must all inevitably enter4 ,even    
parsons--the legalized exponents of what
 lies beyond the grave--are no          
exceptions to the rule4 ,when the       
bereaved sufferer goes to them for      
comfort1 they shake their heads and hope
 and trust1 and say ,god's mercy has no 
limits1 but they cannot give him one    
reasonable proof to rest upon that      
,death is but a name4 ,john ,powles1    
however1 though a careless and          
irreligious man1 liked to discuss the   
,unseen4 ,we talked continually on the  
subject1 even when he was apparently in 
perfect health1 and he often ended our  
conversation by assuring me that should 
he die first 7and he always prophesied  
truly that he should not reach the age  
of thirty7 he would 7were such a thing  
possible7 come back to me4 ,i used to   
laugh at the absurdity of the idea1 and 
remind him how many friends had made the
 same promise to each other and never   
fulfilled it4 ,for though ,i firmly     
believed that such things had been1 ,i  

could not realize that they would ever  
happen to me1 or that ,i should survive 
the shock if they did4 ,john ,powles'   
death at the last was very sudden1      
although the disease he died of was of  
long standing4 ,he had been under the   
doctor's hands for a few days when he   
took an unexpected turn for the worse1  
and my husband and myself1 with other   
friends1 were summoned to his bedside to
 say good-bye to him4 ,when ,i entered  
the room he said to me1 ,so you see it  
has come at last4 ,don't forget what ,i 
said to you about it4 ,they were his    
last intelligible words to me1 though   
for several hours he grasped my dress   
with his hand to prevent my leaving him1
 and became violent and unmanageable if 
,i attempted to quit his side4 ,during  
this time1 in the intervals of his      
delirium1 he kept on entreating me to   
sing a certain old ballad1 which had    
always been a great favorite with him1  
entitled ,thou art gone from my gaze4 ,i
 am sure if ,i sung that song once      

during that miserable day1 ,i must have 
sung it a dozen times4 ,at last our poor
 friend fell into convulsions which     
recurred with little intermission until 
his death1 which took place the same    
evening4  ,his death and the manner of  
it caused me a great shock4 ,he had been
 a true friend to my husband and myself 
for years1 and we both mourned his loss 
very sincerely4 ,that1 and other        
troubles combined1 had a serious effect 
upon my health1 and the doctors advised 
my immediate return to ,england4 ,when  
an officer dies in ,india1 it is the    
custom to sell all his minor effects by 
auction4 ,before this took place1 my    
husband asked me if there was anything  
belonging to ,john ,powles that ,i      
should like to keep in remembrance of   
him4 ,the choice ,i made was a curious  
one4 ,he had possessed a dark green silk
 necktie1 which was a favorite of his1  
and when it became soiled ,i offered to 
turn it for him1 when it looked as good 
as new4 ,whereupon he had worn it so    

long that it was twice as dirty as      
before1 so ,i turned it for him the     
second time1 much to the amusement of   
the regiment4 ,when ,i was asked to     
choose a keepsake of him1 ,i said1 ,give
 me the green tie1 and ,i brought it to 
,england with me4  ,the voyage home was 
a terrible affair4 ,i was suffering     
mentally and physically1 to such a      
degree that ,i cannot think of the time 
without a shudder4 ,john ,powles' death1
 of course1 added to my distress1 and   
during the many months that occupied a  
voyage by long sea1 ,i hoped and        
expected that his spirit would appear to
 me4 ,with the very strong belief in the
 possibility of the return to earth of  
the departed--or rather1 ,i should say1 
with my strong belief in my belief--,i  
lay awake night after night1 thinking to
 see my lost friend1 who had so often   
promised to come back to me4 ,i even    
cried aloud to him to appear and tell me
 where he was1 or what he was doing1 but
 ,i never heard or saw a single thing4  

,there was silence on every side of me4 
,ten days only after ,i landed in       
,england ,i was delivered of a daughter1
 and when ,i had somewhat recovered my  
health and spirits--when ,i had lost the
 physical weakness and nervous          
excitability1 to which most medical men 
would have attributed any mysterious    
sights or sounds ,i might have          
experienced before--then ,i commenced to
 know and to feel that ,john ,powles was
 with me again4 ,i did not see him1 but 
,i felt his presence4 ,i used to lie    
awake at night1 trembling under the     
consciousness that he was sitting at my 
bedside1 and ,i had no means of         
penetrating the silence between us4     
,often ,i entreated him to speak1 but   
when a low1 hissing sound came close to 
my ear1 ,i would scream with terror and 
rush from my room4 ,all my desire to see
 or communicate with my lost friend had 
deserted me4 ,the very idea was a       
terror4 ,i was horror-struck to think he
 had returned1 and ,i would neither     

sleep alone nor remain alone4 ,i was    
advised to try a livelier place than    
,winchester 7where ,i then resided71 and
 a house was taken for me at ,sydenham4 
,but there1 the sense of the presence of
 ,john ,powles was as keen as before1   
and so1 at intervals1 ,i continued to   
feel it for the space of several        
years--until1 indeed1 ,i became an      
inquirer into ,spiritualism as a        
science4  ,i have related in the chapter
 that contains an account of my first   
seance1 that the only face ,i recognized
 as belonging to me was that of my      
friend ,john ,powles1 and how excited ,i
 became on seeing it4 ,it was that      
recognition that brought back all my old
 longing and curiosity to communicate   
with the inhabitants of the ,unseen     
,world4 ,as soon as ,i commenced        
investigations in my home circle1 ,john 
,powles was the very first spirit who   
spoke to me through the table1 and from 
that time until the present ,i have     
never ceased to hold communion with him4

 ,he is very shy1 however1 7as he was1  
whilst with us7 of conversing before    
strangers1 and seldom intimates his     
presence except ,i am alone4 ,at such   
times1 however1 he will talk by the hour
 of all such topics as interested him   
during his earth life4  ,soon after it  
became generally known that ,i was      
attending seances1 ,i was introduced to 
,miss ,showers1 the daughter of ,general
 ,showers of the ,bombay ,army4 ,this   
young lady1 besides being little more   
than a child--,i think she was about    
sixteen when we met--was not a          
professional medium4 ,the seances to    
which her friends were invited to       
witness the extraordinary manifestations
 that took place in her presence were   
strictly private4 ,they offered         
therefore an enormous advantage to      
investigators1 as the occurrences were  
all above suspicion1 whilst ,miss       
,showers was good enough to allow       
herself to be tested in every possible  
way4 ,i shall have occasion to refer    

more particularly to ,miss ,showers'    
mediumship further on--at present1      
therefore1 ,i will confine myself to    
those occasions which afforded proofs of
 ,john ,powles' presence4  ,mrs4 and    
,miss ,showers were living in apartments
 when ,i visited them1 and there was no 
means nor opportunity of deceiving their
 friends1 even had they had any object  
in doing so4 ,i must add also1 that they
 knew nothing of my ,indian life nor    
experiences1 which were things of the   
past long before ,i met them4 ,at the   
first sitting ,miss ,showers gave me for
 spirit faces1 she merely sat on a chair
 behind the window curtains1 which were 
pinned together half-way up1 so as to   
leave a ,v-shaped opening at the top4   
,the voice of ,peter 7,miss ,showers'   
principal control7 kept talking to us   
and the medium from behind the curtains 
all the time1 and making remarks on the 
faces as they appeared at the opening4  
,presently he said to me1 ,mrs4         
,ross-,church1 here's a fellow says his 

name is ,powles1 and he wants to speak  
to you1 only he doesn't like to show    
himself because he's not a bit like what
 he used to be4 ,tell him not to mind   
that1 ,i answered1 ,i shall know him    
under any circumstances4 ,well6 if he   
was anything like that1 he was a beauty1
 exclaimed ,peter2 and presently a face 
appeared which ,i could not1 by any     
stretch of imagination1 decide to       
resemble in the slightest degree my old 
friend4 ,it was hard1 stiff and         
unlifelike4 ,after it had disappeared1  
,peter said1 ,powles says if you'll come
 and sit with ,rosie 7,miss ,showers7   
often1 he'll look quite like himself    
by-and-by1 and of course ,i was only too
 anxious to accept the invitation4  ,as 
,i was setting out another evening to   
sit with ,miss ,showers1 the thought    
suddenly occurred to me to put the green
 necktie in my pocket4 ,my two daughters
 accompanied me on that occasion1 but ,i
 said nothing to them about the necktie4
 ,as soon as we had commenced1 however1 

,peter called out1 ,now1 ,mrs4          
,ross-,church1 hand over that necktie4  
,powles is coming4 ,what necktie8 ,i    
asked1 and he answered1 ,why ,powles'   
necktie1 of course1 that you've got in  
your pocket4 ,he wants you to put it    
round his neck4 ,the assembled party    
looked at me inquisitively as ,i        
produced the tie4 ,the face of ,john    
,powles appeared1 very different from   
the time before1 as he had his own      
features and complexion1 but his hair   
and beard 7which were auburn during     
life7 appeared phosphoric1 as though    
made of living fire4 ,i mounted on a    
chair and tied the necktie round his    
throat1 and asked him if he would kiss  
me4 ,he shook his head4 ,peter called   
out1 ,give him your hand4 ,i did so1 and
 as he kissed it1 his moustaches burned 
me4 ,i cannot account for it4 ,i can    
only relate the fact4 ,after which he   
disappeared with the necktie1 which ,i  
have never seen since1 though we        
searched the little room for it         

thoroughly4  ,the next thing ,i have to 
relate about ,john ,powles is so        
startling that ,i dread the criticism it
 will evoke2 but if ,i had not startling
 stories to tell1 ,i should not consider
 them worth writing down4 ,i left my    
house in ,bayswater one ,sunday evening 
to dine with ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,george     
,neville in ,regent's ,park ,terrace1 to
 have a seance afterwards with ,miss    
,showers4 ,there was a large company    
present1 and ,i was placed next to ,miss
 ,showers at table4 ,during dinner she  
told me complainingly that her mother   
had gone to ,norwood to spend the night1
 and she 7,rosie7 was afraid of sleeping
 alone1 as the spirits worried her so4  
,in a moment it flashed across me to ask
 her to return to ,bayswater and sleep  
with me1 for ,i was most desirous of    
testing her powers when we were alone   
together4 ,miss ,showers accepted my    
invitation1 and we arranged that she    
should go home with me4 ,after dinner1  
the guests sat for a seance1 but to     

everybody's surprise and disappointment1
 nothing occurred4 ,it was one o'clock  
in the morning when ,miss ,showers and  
,i entered a cab to return to           
,bayswater4 ,we had hardly started when 
we were greeted with a loud peal of     
laughter close to our ears4 ,what's the 
matter1 ,peter8 demanded ,miss ,showers4
 ,i can't help laughing1 he replied1 to 
think of their faces when no one        
appeared6 ,did you suppose ,i was going 
to let you waste all your power with    
them1 when ,i knew ,i was going home    
with you and ,mrs4 ,ross-,church8 ,i    
mean to show you what a real good seance
 is to-night4  ,when we reached home ,i 
let myself in with a latchkey4 ,the     
house was full1 for ,i had seven        
children1 four servants1 and a married  
sister staying with me2 but they were   
all in bed and asleep4 ,it was cold     
weather1 and when ,i took ,miss ,showers
 into my bedroom a fire was burning in  
the grate4 ,my sister was occupying a   
room which opened into mine2 but ,i     

locked her door and my own1 and put the 
keys under my pillow4 ,miss ,showers and
 ,i then undressed and got into bed4    
,when we had extinguished the gas1 we   
found the room was1 comparatively       
speaking1 light1 for ,i had stirred the 
fire into a blaze1 and a street lamp    
just opposite the window threw bars of  
light through the venetian blinds1 right
 across the ceiling4 ,as soon as ,miss  
,showers had settled herself in bed1 she
 said1 ,i wonder what ,peter is going to
 do1 and ,i replied1 ,i hope he won't   
strip off the bed-clothes4 ,we were     
lying under four blankets1 a            
counterpane1 and an eider-down duvet1   
and as ,i spoke1 the whole mass rose in 
the air1 and fell over the end of the   
bed1 leaving us quite unprotected4 ,we  
got up1 lit a candle1 and made the bed  
again1 tucking the clothes well in all  
round1 but the minute we laid down the  
same thing was repeated4 ,we were rather
 cross the second time1 and abused      
,peter for being so disagreeable1 upon  

which the voice declared he wouldn't do 
it any more1 but we shouldn't have      
provoked him to try4 ,i said1 ,you had  
much better shew yourself to us1 ,peter4
 ,that is what ,i want you to do4 ,he   
replied1 ,here ,i am1 my dear1 close to 
you6 ,i turned my head1 and there stood 
a dark figure beside the bed1 whilst    
another could be plainly distinguished  
walking about the room4 ,i said1 ,i     
can't see your face1 and he replied1    
,i'll come nearer to you6 ,upon this the
 figure rose in the air until it hung   
suspended1 face downward1 over the bed4 
,in this position it looked like a huge 
bat with outspread wings4 ,it was still 
indistinct1 except as to substance1 but 
,peter said we had exhausted all the    
phosphorus in our bodies by the long    
evening we had spent1 and left him      
nothing to light himself up with4 ,after
 a while he lowered himself on to the   
bed1 and lay between ,miss ,showers and 
myself on the outside of the duvet4 ,to 
this we greatly objected1 as he was very

 heavy and took up a great deal of room2
 but it was some time before he would go
 away4  ,during this manifestation1 the 
other spirit1 whom ,peter called the    
,pope1 kept walking about and touching  
everything in the room1 which was full  
of ornaments2 and ,peter called out     
several times1 ,take care1 ,pope6 take  
care6 ,don't break ,mrs4 ,ross-,church's
 things4 ,the two made so much noise    
that they waked my sister in the        
adjoining room1 and she knocked at the  
door1 asking in an alarmed voice1       
,florence6 whom have you there8 ,you    
will wake the whole house4 ,when ,i     
replied1 ,never mind1 it's only spirits1
 she gave one fell shriek and dived     
under her bed-clothes4 ,she maintains to
 this day that she fully believed the   
steps and voices to be human4 ,at last  
the manifestations became so rapid1 as  
many as eight and ten hands touching us 
at once1 that ,i asked ,miss ,showers if
 she would mind my tying hers together4 
,she was very amiable and consented     

willingly4 ,i therefore got out of bed  
again1 and having securely fastened her 
hands in the sleeves of the nightdress  
she wore1 ,i sewed them with needle and 
thread to the mattress4 ,miss ,showers  
then said she felt sleepy1 and with her 
back to me--a position she was obliged  
to maintain on account of her hands     
being sewn down--she apparently dropt   
off to sleep1 though ,i knew            
subsequently she was in a trance4  ,for 
some time afterwards nothing occurred1  
the figures had disappeared1 the voices 
ceased1 and ,i thought the seance was   
over4 ,presently1 however1 ,i felt a    
hand laid on my head and the fingers    
began to gently stroke and pull the     
short curls upon my forehead4 ,i        
whispered1 ,who is this8 and the answer 
came back1 ,don't you know me8 ,i am    
,powles6 ,at last--at last--after a     
silence of ten years ,i see you and     
speak with you again1 face to face4 ,how
 can ,i tell this is your hand8 ,i said4
 ,peter might be materializing a hand in

 order to deceive me4 ,the hand         
immediately left my head and the back of
 it passed over my mouth1 when ,i felt  
it was covered with short hair4 ,i then 
remembered how hairy ,john ,powles'     
hands had become from exposure to the   
,indian sun whilst shooting1 and how ,i 
had nicknamed him ,esau in consequence4 
,i recollected also that he had         
dislocated the left wrist with a cricket
 ball4 ,let me feel your wrist1 ,i said1
 and my hand was at once placed on the  
enlarged bone4 ,i want to trace your    
hand to where it springs from1 ,i next  
suggested2 and on receiving permission  
,i felt from the fingers and wrist to   
the elbow and shoulder1 where it        
terminated in the middle of ,miss       
,showers' back4 ,still ,i was not quite 
satisfied1 for ,i used to find it very  
hard to believe in the identity of a    
person ,i had cared for4 ,i was so      
terribly afraid of being deceived4 ,i   
want to see your face1 ,i continued4 ,i 
cannot show you my face to-night1 the   

voice replied1 but you shall feel it2   
and the face1 with beard and moustaches1
 was laid for a moment against my own4  
,then the hand was replaced on my hair1 
and whilst it kept on pulling and       
stroking my curls1 ,john ,powles' own   
voice spoke to me of everything that had
 occurred of importance when he and ,i  
were friends on earth4 ,fancy1 two      
people who were intimately associated   
for years1 meeting alone after a long   
and painful separation1 think of all the
 private things they would talk about   
together1 and you will understand why ,i
 cannot write down the conversation that
 took place between us that night here4 
,in order to convince me of his         
identity1 ,john ,powles spoke of all the
 troubles ,i had passed through and was 
then enduring--he mentioned scenes1 both
 sad and merry1 which we had witnessed  
together2 he recalled incidents which   
had slipped my memory1 and named places 
and people known only to ourselves4 ,had
 ,i been a disbeliever in ,spiritualism1

 that night must have made a convert of 
me4 ,whilst the voice1 in the           
well-remembered tones of my old friend1 
was speaking1 and his hand wandered     
through my hair1 ,miss ,showers         
continued to sleep1 or to appear to     
sleep1 with her back towards me1 and her
 hands sewn into her nightdress sleeves1
 and the sleeves sewn down to the bed4  
,but had she been wide awake and with   
both hands free1 she could not have     
spoken to me in ,john ,powles'          
unforgotten voice of things that had    
occurred when she was an infant and     
thousands of miles away4 ,and ,i affirm 
that the voice spoke to me of things    
that no one but ,john ,powles could     
possibly have known4 ,he did not fail to
 remind me of the promise he had made1  
and the many times he had tried to      
fulfil it before1 and he assured me he  
should be constantly with me from that  
time4 ,it was daylight before the voice 
ceased speaking1 and then both ,miss    
,showers and ,i were so exhausted1 we   

could hardly raise our heads from the   
pillows4 ,i must not forget to add that 
when we did open our eyes again upon    
this work-a-day world1 we found there   
was hardly an article in the room that  
had not changed places4 ,the pictures   
were all turned with their faces to the 
wall--the crockery from the washstand   
was piled in the fender--the ornaments  
from the mantel-piece were on the       
dressing-table--in fact1 the whole room 
was topsy-turvy4  ,when ,mr4 ,william   
,fletcher gave his first lecture in     
,england1 in the ,steinway ,hall1 my    
husband1 ,colonel ,lean1 and ,i1 went to
 hear him4 ,we had never seen ,mr4      
,fletcher before1 nor any of his family1
 nor did he know we were amongst the    
audience4 ,our first view of him was    
when he stepped upon the platform1 and  
we were seated quite in the body of the 
hall1 which was full4 ,it was ,mr4      
,fletcher's custom1 after his lecture   
was concluded1 to describe such visions 
as were presented to him1 and he only   

asked in return that if the people and  
places were recognized1 those who       
recognized them would be brave enough to
 say so1 for the sake of the audience   
and himself4 ,i can understand that     
strangers who went there and heard      
nothing that concerned themselves would 
be very apt to imagine it was all       
humbug1 and that those who claimed a    
knowledge of the visions were simply    
confederates of ,mr4 ,fletcher4 ,but    
there is nothing more true than that    
circumstances alter cases4 ,i entered   
,steinway ,hall as a perfect stranger1  
and as a press-writer1 quite prepared to
 expose trickery if ,i detected it4 ,and
 this is what ,i heard4 ,after ,mr4     
,fletcher had described several persons 
and scenes unknown to me1 he took out a 
handkerchief and began to wipe his face1
 as though he were very warm4  ,i am no 
longer in ,england1 now1 he said4 ,the  
scene has quite changed1 and ,i am taken
 over the sea1 thousands of miles away1 
and ,i am in a chamber with all the     

doors and windows open4 ,oh6 how hot it 
is6 ,i think ,i am somewhere in the     
tropics4 ,o6 ,i see why ,i have been    
brought here6 ,it is to see a young man 
die6 ,this is a death chamber4 ,he is   
lying on a bed4 ,he looks very pale1 and
 he is very near death1 but he has only 
been ill a short time4 ,his hair is a   
kind of golden chestnut color1 and he   
has blue eyes4 ,he is an ,englishman1   
and ,i can see the letter ',p' above his
 head4 ,he has not been happy on earth1 
and he is quite content to die4 ,he     
pushes all the influences that are round
 his bed away from him4 ,now ,i see a   
lady come and sit down beside him4 ,he  
holds her hand1 and appears to ask her  
to do something1 and ,i hear a strain of
 sweet music4 ,it is a song he has heard
 in happier times1 and on the breath of 
it his spirit passes away4 ,it is to    
this lady he seems to come now4 ,she is 
sitting on my left about half way down  
the hall4 ,a little girl1 with her hands
 full of blue flowers1 points her out to

 me4 ,the little girl holds up the      
flowers1 and ,i see they are woven into 
a resemblance of the letter ,f4 ,she    
tells me that is the initial letter of  
her mother's name and her own4 ,and ,i  
see this message written4  ',to my      
dearest friend1 for such you ever were  
to me from the beginning4 ,i have been  
with you through all your time of trial 
and sorrow1 and ,i am rejoiced to see   
that a happier era is beginning for you4
 ,i am always near you4 ,the darkness is
 fast rolling away1 and happiness will  
succeed it4 ,pray for me1 and ,i shall  
be near you in your prayers4 ,i pray    
,god to bless you and to bless me1 and  
to bring us together again in the summer
 land4'  ,and ,i see the spirit pointing
 with his hand far away1 as though to   
intimate that the happiness he speaks of
 is only the beginning of some that will
 extend to a long distance of time4 ,i  
see this scene more plainly than any ,i 
have ever seen before4  ,these words    
were written down at the time they were 

spoken4 ,colonel ,lean and ,i were      
sitting in the very spot indicated by   
,mr4 ,fletcher1 and the little girl with
 the blue flowers was my spirit child1  
,florence1 whose history ,i shall give  
in the next chapter4 ,but my            
communications with ,john ,powles1      
though very extraordinary1 were not     
satisfactory to me4 ,i am the ,thomas1  
surnamed ,didymus1 of the spiritualistic
 world1 who wants to see and touch and  
handle before ,i can altogether believe4
 ,i wanted to meet ,john ,powles and    
talk with him face to face1 and it      
seemed such an impossibility for him to 
materialize in the light that1 after his
 two failures with ,miss ,showers1 he   
refused to try4 ,i was always worrying  
him to tell me if we should meet in the 
body before ,i left this world1 and his 
answer was always1 ,yes6 but not just   
yet6 ,i had no idea then that ,i should 
have to cross the ,atlantic before ,i   
saw my dear old friend again4           
,,chapter ,,viii4  ,,my ,,spirit        

,,child4   ,the same year that ,john    
,powles died1 #ahfj1 ,i passed through  
the greatest trouble of my life4 ,it is 
quite unnecessary to my narrative to    
relate what that trouble was1 nor how it
 affected me1 but ,i suffered terribly  
both in mind and body1 and it was       
chiefly for this reason that the medical
 men advised my return to ,england1     
which ,i reached on the #adth of        
,december1 and on the #cjth of the same 
month a daughter was born to me1 who    
survived her birth for only ten days4   
,the child was born with a most peculiar
 blemish1 which it is necessary for the 
purpose of my argument to describe4 ,on 
the left side of the upper lip was a    
mark as though a semi-circular piece of 
flesh had been cut out by a             
bullet-mould1 which exposed part of the 
gum4 ,the swallow also had been         
submerged in the gullet1 so that she had
 for the short period of her earthly    
existence to be fed by artificial means1
 and the jaw itself had been so twisted 

that could she have lived to cut her    
teeth1 the double ones would have been  
in front4 ,this blemish was considered  
to be of so remarkable a type that ,dr4 
,frederick ,butler of ,winchester1 who  
attended me1 invited several other      
medical men1 from ,southampton and other
 places1 to examine the infant with him1
 and they all agreed that a similar case
 had never come under their notice      
before4 ,this is a very important factor
 in my narrative4 ,i was closely        
catechized as to whether ,i had suffered
 any physical or mental shock1 that     
should account for the injury to my     
child1 and it was decided that the      
trouble ,i had experienced was          
sufficient to produce it4 ,the case1    
under feigned names1 was fully reported 
in the ,lancet as something quite out of
 the common way4 ,my little child1 who  
was baptized by the name of ,florence1  
lingered until the #ajth of ,january1   
#ahfa1 and then passed quietly away1 and
 when my first natural disappointment   

was over ,i ceased to think of her      
except as of something which might have 
been1 but never would be again4 ,in this
 world of misery1 the loss of an infant 
is soon swallowed up in more active     
trouble4 ,still ,i never quite forgot my
 poor baby1 perhaps because at that time
 she was happily the one dead lamb of my
 little flock4 ,in recounting the events
 of my first seance with ,mrs4 ,holmes1 
,i have mentioned how a young girl much 
muffled up about the mouth and chin     
appeared1 and intimated that she came   
for me1 although ,i could not recognize 
her4 ,i was so ignorant of the life     
beyond the grave at that period1 that it
 never struck me that the baby who had  
left me at ten days old had been growing
 since our separation1 until she had    
reached the age of ten years4 ,i could  
not interpret ,longfellow 7whom ,i      
consider one of the sublimest           
spiritualists of the age7 as ,i can now4
      ,day after day we think what she  
is doing1       ,in those bright realms 

of air3     ,year after year1 her tender
 steps pursuing1       ,behold her grown
 more fair4                 4 4 4 4 4   
,not as a child shall we again behold   
her3       ,for when1 with rapture wild1
     ,in our embraces we again enfold   
her1       ,she will not be a child2    
,but a fair maiden in her father's      
mansion1       ,clothed with celestial  
grace4     ,and beautiful with all the  
soul's expansion1       ,shall we behold
 her face6             99       99      
99       99       99  ,the first seance 
made such an impression on my mind that 
two nights afterwards ,i again presented
 myself 7this time alone7 at ,mrs4      
,holmes' rooms to attend another4 ,it   
was a very different circle on the      
second occasion4 ,there were about      
thirty people present1 all strangers to 
each other1 and the manifestations were 
proportionately ordinary4 ,another      
professional medium1 a ,mrs4 ,davenport1
 was present1 as one of her controls1   
whom she called ,bell1 had promised1 if 

possible1 to show her face to her4 ,as  
soon1 therefore1 as the first spirit    
face appeared 7which was that of the    
same little girl that ,i had seen       
before71 ,mrs4 ,davenport exclaimed1    
,there's ',bell1' ,why6 ,i said1 that's 
the little nun we saw on ,monday4 ,o6   
no6 that's my ',bell1' persisted ,mrs4  
,davenport4 ,but ,mrs4 ,holmes took my  
side1 and was positive the spirit came  
for me4 ,she told me she had been trying
 to communicate with her since the      
previous seance4 ,i know she is nearly  
connected with you1 she said4 ,have you 
never lost a relation of her age8       
,never6 ,i replied2 and at that         
declaration the little spirit moved     
away1 sorrowfully as before4  ,a few    
weeks after ,i received an invitation   
from ,mr4 ,henry ,dunphy 7the gentleman 
who had introduced me to ,mrs4 ,holmes7 
to attend a private seance1 given at his
 own house in ,upper ,gloucester ,place1
 by the well-known medium ,florence     
,cook4 ,the double drawing-rooms were   

divided by velvet curtains1 behind which
 ,miss ,cook was seated in an arm-chair1
 the curtains being pinned together     
half-way up1 leaving a large aperture in
 the shape of a ,v4 ,being a complete   
stranger to ,miss ,cook1 ,i was         
surprised to hear the voice of her      
control direct that ,i should stand by  
the curtains and hold the lower parts   
together whilst the forms appeared      
above1 lest the pins should give way1   
and necessarily from my position ,i     
could hear every word that passed       
between ,miss ,cook and her guide4 ,the 
first face that showed itself was that  
of a man unknown to me2 then ensued a   
kind of frightened colloquy between the 
medium and her control4 ,take it away4  
,go away6 ,i don't like you4 ,don't     
touch me--you frighten me6 ,go away6 ,i 
heard ,miss ,cook exclaim1 and then her 
guide's voice interposed itself1 ,don't 
be silly1 ,florrie4 ,don't be unkind4   
,it won't hurt you1 etc41 and           
immediately afterwards the same little  

girl ,i had seen at ,mrs4 ,holmes' rose 
to view at the aperture of the curtains1
 muffled up as before1 but smiling with 
her eyes at me4 ,i directed the         
attention of the company to her1 calling
 her again my little nun4 ,i was        
surprised1 however1 at the evident      
distaste ,miss ,cook had displayed      
towards the spirit1 and when the seance 
was concluded and she had regained her  
normal condition1 ,i asked her if she   
could recall the faces she saw under    
trance4 ,sometimes1 she replied4 ,i told
 her of the little nun1 and demanded the
 reason of her apparent dread of her4 ,i
 can hardly tell you1 said ,miss ,cook2 
,i don't know anything about her4 ,she  
is quite a stranger to me1 but her face 
is not fully developed1 ,i think4 ,there
 is something wrong about her mouth4    
,she frightens me4  ,this remark1 though
 made with the utmost carelessness1 set 
me thinking1 and after ,i had returned  
home1 ,i wrote to ,miss ,cook1 asking   
her to inquire of her guides who the    

little spirit was4  ,she replied as     
follows3  ,dear ,mrs4 ,ross-,church1 ,i 
have asked ',katie ,king1' but she      
cannot tell me anything further about   
the spirit that came through me the     
other evening than that she is a young  
girl closely connected with yourself4   
,i was not1 however1 yet convinced of   
the spirit's identity1 although ,john   
,powles constantly assured me that it   
was my child4 ,i tried hard to          
communicate with her at home1 but       
without success4 ,i find in the         
memoranda ,i kept of our private seances
 at that period several messages from   
,powles referring to ,florence4 ,in one 
he says1 ,your child's want of power to 
communicate with you is not because she 
is too pure1 but because she is too     
weak4 ,she will speak to you some day4  
,she is not in heaven4 ,this last       
assertion1 knowing so little as ,i did  
of a future state1 both puzzled and     
grieved me4 ,i could not believe that an
 innocent infant was not in the         

,beatific ,presence--yet ,i could not   
understand what motive my friend could  
have in leading me astray4 ,i had yet to
 learn that once received into ,heaven  
no spirit could return to earth1 and    
that a spirit may have a training to    
undergo1 even though it has never       
committed a mortal sin4 ,a further      
proof1 however1 that my dead child had  
never died was to reach me from a       
quarter where ,i least expected it4 ,i  
was editor of the magazine ,london      
,society at that time1 and amongst my   
contributors was ,dr4 ,keningale ,cook1 
who had married ,mabel ,collins1 the now
 well-known writer of spiritualistic    
novels4 ,one day ,dr4 ,cook brought me  
an invitation from his wife 7whom ,i had
 never met7 to spend ,saturday to       
,monday with them in their cottage at   
,redhill1 and ,i accepted it1 knowing   
nothing of the proclivities of either of
 them1 and they knowing as little of my 
private history as ,i did of theirs4    
,and ,i must take this opportunity to   

observe that1 at this period1 ,i had    
never made my lost child the subject of 
conversation even with my most intimate 
friends4 ,the memory of her life and    
death1 and the troubles that caused it1 
was not a happy one1 and of no interest 
to any but myself4 ,so little1          
therefore1 had it been discussed amongst
 us that until ,florence reappeared to  
revive the topic1 my elder children were
 ignorant that their sister had been    
marked in any way differently from      
themselves4 ,it may1 therefore1 be      
supposed how unlikely it was that utter 
strangers and public media should have  
gained any inkling of the matter4 ,i    
went down to ,redhill1 and as ,i was    
sitting with the ,keningale ,cooks after
 dinner1 the subject of ,spiritualism   
came on the tapis1 and ,i was informed  
that the wife was a powerful trance     
medium1 which much interested me1 as ,i 
had not1 at that period1 had any        
experience of her particular class of   
mediumship4 ,in the evening we sat      

together1 and ,mrs4 ,cook having become 
entranced1 her husband took shorthand   
notes of her utterances4 ,several old   
friends of their family spoke through   
her1 and ,i was listening to them in the
 listless manner in which we hear the   
conversation of strangers1 when my      
attention was aroused by the medium     
suddenly leaving her seat1 and falling  
on her knees before me1 kissing my hands
 and face1 and sobbing violently the    
while4 ,i waited in expectation of      
hearing who this might be1 when the     
manifestations as suddenly ceased1 the  
medium returned to her seat1 and the    
voice of one of her guides said that the
 spirit was unable to speak through     
excess of emotion1 but would try again  
later in the evening4 ,i had almost     
forgotten the circumstance in listening 
to other communications1 when ,i was    
startled by hearing the word ,mother6   
sighed rather than spoken4 ,i was about 
to make some excited reply1 when the    
medium raised her hand to enjoin        

silence1 and the following communication
 was taken down by ,mr4 ,cook as she    
pronounced the words4 ,the sentences in 
parentheses are my replies to her4      
,mother6 ,i am ',florence4' ,i must be  
very quiet4 ,i want to feel ,i have a   
mother still4 ,i am so lonely4 ,why     
should ,i be so8 ,i cannot speak well4  
,i want to be like one of you4 ,i want  
to feel ,i have a mother and sisters4 ,i
 am so far away from you all now4  7,but
 ,i always think of you1 my dear dead   
baby47  ,that's just it--your baby4 ,but
 ,i'm not a baby now4 ,i shall get      
nearer4 ,they tell me ,i shall4 ,i do   
not know if ,i can come when you are    
alone4 ,it's all so dark4 ,i know you   
are there1 but so dimly4 ,i've grown all
 by myself4 ,i'm not really unhappy1 but
 ,i want to get nearer you4 ,i know you 
think of me1 but you think of me as a   
baby4 ,you don't know me as ,i am4      
,you've seen me1 because in my love ,i  
have forced myself upon you4 ,i've not  
been amongst the flowers yet1 but ,i    

shall be1 very soon now2 but ,i want my 
mother to take me there4 ,all has been  
given me that can be given me1 but ,i   
cannot receive it1 except in so far---- 
,here she seemed unable to express      
herself4  7,did the trouble ,i had      
before your birth affect your spirit1   
,florence87  ,only as things cause each 
other4 ,i was with you1 mother1 all     
through that trouble4 ,i should be      
nearer to you1 than any child you have1 
if ,i could only get close to you4  7,i 
can't bear to hear you speak so sadly1  
dear4 ,i have always believed that you1 
at least1 were happy in ,heaven47  ,i am
 not in ,heaven6 ,but there will come a 
day1 mother--,i can laugh when ,i say   
it--when we shall go to heaven together 
and pick blue flowers--blue flowers4    
,they are so good to me here1 but if    
your eye cannot bear the daylight you   
cannot see the buttercups and daisies4  
,i did not learn till afterwards that in
 the spiritual language blue flowers are
 typical of happiness4 ,the next        

question ,i asked her was if she thought
 she could write through me4  ,i don't  
seem able to write through you1 but why1
 ,i know not4  7,do you know your       
sisters1 ,eva and ,ethel87  ,no6 no6 in 
a weary voice4 ,the link of sisterhood  
is only through the mother4 ,that kind  
of sisterhood does not last1 because    
there is a higher4  7,do you ever see   
your father87  ,no6 he is far1 far away4
 ,i went once1 not more4 ,mother1 dear1 
he'll love me when he comes here4       
,they've told me so1 and they always    
tell truth here6 ,i am but a child1 yet 
not so very little4 ,i seem composed of 
two things--a child in ignorance and a  
woman in years4 ,why can't ,i speak at  
other places8 ,i have wished and tried6 
,i've come very near1 but it seems so   
easy to speak now4 ,this medium seems so
 different4  7,i wish you could come to 
me when ,i am alone1 ,florence47  ,you  
shall know me6 ,i will come1 mother1    
dear4 ,i shall always be able to come   
here4 ,i do come to you1 but not in the 

same way4  ,she spoke in such a         
plaintive1 melancholy voice that ,mrs4  
,cook1 thinking she would depress my    
spirits1 said1 ,don't make your state   
out to be sadder than it really is4 ,her
 reply was very remarkable4  ,i am1 as  
,i am6 ,friend6 when you come here1 if  
you find that sadness is1 you will not  
be able to alter it by plunging into    
material pleasures4 ,our sadness makes  
the world we live in4 ,it is not deeds  
that make us wrong4 ,it is the state in 
which we were born4 ,mother6 you say ,i 
died sinless4 ,that is nothing4 ,i was  
born in a state4 ,had ,i lived1 ,i      
should have caused you more pain than   
you can know4 ,i am better here4 ,i was 
not fit to battle with the world1 and   
they took me from it4 ,mother6 you won't
 let this make you sad4 ,you must not4  
7,what can ,i do to bring you nearer to 
me87  ,i don't know what will bring me  
nearer1 but ,i'm helped already by just 
talking to you4 ,there's a ladder of    
brightness--every step4 ,i believe ,i've

 gained just one step now4 ,o6 the      
,divine teachings are so mysterious4    
,mother6 does it seem strange to you to 
hear your 'baby' say things as if she   
knew them8 ,i'm going now4 ,good-bye6   
,and so ,florence went4 ,the next voice 
that spoke was that of a guide of the   
medium1 and ,i asked her for a personal 
description of my daughter as she then  
appeared4 ,she replied1 ,her face is    
downcast4 ,we have tried to cheer her1  
but she is very sad4 ,it is the state in
 which she was born4 ,every physical    
deformity is the mark of a condition4 ,a
 weak body is not necessarily the mark  
of a weak spirit1 but the prison of it1 
because the spirit might be too         
passionate otherwise4 ,you cannot judge 
in what way the mind is deformed because
 the body is deformed4 ,it does not     
follow that a canker in the body is a   
canker in the mind4 ,but the mind may be
 too exuberant--may need a canker to    
restrain it4  ,i have copied this       
conversation1 word for word1 from the   

shorthand notes taken at the time of    
utterance2 and when it is remembered    
that neither ,mrs4 ,keningale ,cook nor 
her husband knew that ,i had lost a     
child--that they had never been in my   
house nor associated with any of my     
friends--it will at least be            
acknowledged1 even by the most          
sceptical1 that it was a very remarkable
 coincidence that ,i should receive such
 a communication from the lips of a     
perfect stranger4 ,only once after this 
did ,florence communicate with me       
through the same source4 ,she found     
congenial media nearer home1 and        
naturally availed herself of them4 ,but 
the second occasion was almost more     
convincing than the first4 ,i went one  
afternoon to consult my solicitor in the
 strictest confidence as to how ,i      
should act under some very painful      
circumstances1 and he gave me his       
advice4 ,the next morning as ,i sat at  
breakfast1 ,mrs4 ,cook1 who was still   
living at ,redhill1 ran into my room    

with an apology for the                 
unceremoniousness of her visit1 on the  
score that she had received a message   
for me the night before which ,florence 
had begged her to deliver without delay4
 ,the message was to this effect3 ,tell 
my mother that ,i was with her this     
afternoon at the lawyer's1 and she is   
not to follow the advice given her1 as  
it will do harm instead of good4 ,mrs4  
,cook added1 ,i don't know to what      
',florence' alludes1 of course1 but ,i  
thought it best1 as ,i was coming to    
town1 to let you know at once4  ,the    
force of this anecdote does not lie in  
the context4 ,the mystery is contained  
in the fact of a secret interview having
 been overheard and commented upon4 ,but
 the truth is1 that having greater      
confidence in the counsel of my visible 
guide than in that of my invisible one1 
,i abided by the former1 and regretted  
it ever afterwards4  ,the first         
conversation ,i held with ,florence had 
a great effect upon me4 ,i knew before  

that my uncontrolled grief had been the 
cause of the untimely death of her body1
 but it had never struck me that her    
spirit would carry the effects of it    
into the unseen world4 ,it was a warning
 to me 7as it should be to all mothers7 
not to take the solemn responsibility of
 maternity upon themselves without being
 prepared to sacrifice their own        
feelings for the sake of their children4
 ,florence assured me1 however1 that    
communion with myself in my improved    
condition of happiness would soon lift  
her spirit from its state of depression1
 and consequently ,i seized every       
opportunity of seeing and speaking with 
her4 ,during the succeeding twelve      
months ,i attended numerous seances with
 various media1 and my spirit child 7as 
she called herself7 never failed to     
manifest through the influence of any   
one of them1 though1 of course1 in      
different ways4 ,through some she       
touched me only1 and always with an     
infant's hand1 that ,i might recognize  

it as hers1 or laid her mouth against   
mine that ,i might feel the scar upon   
her lip2 through others she spoke1 or   
wrote1 or showed her face1 but ,i never 
attended a seance at which she omitted  
to notify her presence4 ,once at a dark 
circle1 held with ,mr4 ,charles         
,williams1 after having had my dress and
 that of my next neighbor1 ,lady        
,archibald ,campbell1 pulled several    
times as if to attract our attention1   
the darkness opened before us1 and there
 stood my child1 smiling at us like a   
happy dream1 her fair hair waving about 
her temples1 and her blue eyes fixed on 
me4 ,she was clothed in white1 but we   
saw no more than her head and bust1     
about which her hands held her drapery4 
,lady ,archibald ,campbell saw her as   
plainly as ,i did4 ,on another occasion 
,mr4 ,william ,eglinton proposed to me  
to try and procure the spirit-writing on
 his arm4 ,he directed me to go into    
another room and write the name of the  
friend ,i loved best in the spirit world

 upon a scrap of paper1 which ,i was to 
twist up tightly and take back to him4  
,i did so1 writing the name of ,john    
,powles4 ,when ,i returned to ,mr4      
,eglinton1 he bared his arm1 and holding
 the paper to the candle till it was    
reduced to tinder1 rubbed his flesh with
 the ashes4 ,i knew what was expected to
 ensue4 ,the name written on the paper  
was to reappear in red or white letters 
on the medium's arm4 ,the sceptic would 
say it was a trick of thought-reading1  
and that1 the medium knowing what ,i had
 written1 had prepared the writing      
during my absence4 ,but to his surprise 
and mine1 when at last he shook the     
ashes from his arm1 we read1 written in 
a bold1 clear hand1 the words--,florence
 is the dearest1 as though my spirit    
child had given me a gentle rebuke for  
writing any name but her own4 ,it seems 
curious to me now to look back and      
remember how melancholy she used to be  
when she first came back to me1 for as  
soon as she had established an unbroken 

communication between us1 she developed 
into the merriest little spirit ,i have 
ever known1 and though her childhood has
 now passed away1 and she is more       
dignified and thoughtful and womanly1   
she always appears joyous and happy4    
,she has manifested largely to me       
through the mediumship of ,mr4 ,arthur  
,colman4 ,i had known her1 during a dark
 seance with a very small private circle
 7the medium being securely held and    
fastened the while7 run about the room1 
like the child she was1 and speak to and
 kiss each sitter in turn1 pulling off  
the sofa and chair covers and piling    
them up in the middle of the table1 and 
changing the ornaments of everyone      
present--placing the gentlemen's        
neckties round the throats of the       
ladies1 and hanging the ladies' earrings
 in the buttonholes of the gentlemen's  
coats--just as she might have done had  
she been still with us1 a happy1 petted 
child1 on earth4 ,i have known her come 
in the dark and sit on my lap and kiss  

my face and hands1 and let me feel the  
defect in her mouth with my own4 ,one   
bright evening on the #ith of ,july--my 
birthday--,arthur ,colman walked in     
quite unexpectedly to pay me a visit1   
and as ,i had some friends with me1 we  
agreed to have a seance4 ,it was        
impossible to make the room dark1 as the
 windows were only shaded by venetian   
blinds1 but we lowered them1 and sat in 
the twilight4 ,the first thing we heard 
was the voice of ,florence              
whispering--,a present for dear mother's
 birthday1 when something was put into  
my hand4 ,then she crossed to the side  
of a lady present and dropped something 
into her hand1 saying1 ,and a present   
for dear mother's friend6 ,i knew at    
once by the feel of it that what        
,florence had given me was a chaplet of 
beads1 and knowing how often1 under     
similar circumstances1 articles are     
merely carried about a room1 ,i         
concluded it was one which lay upon my  
drawing-room mantel-piece1 and said as  

much4 ,i was answered by the voice of   
,aimee1 the medium's nearest control4   
,you are mistaken1 she said1 ',florence'
 has given you a chaplet you have never 
seen before4 ,she was exceedingly       
anxious to give you a present on your   
birthday1 so ,i gave her the beads which
 were buried with me4 ,they came from my
 coffin4 ,i held them in my hand4 ,all  
,i ask is1 that you will not shew them  
to ,arthur until ,i give you leave4 ,he 
is not well at present1 and the sight of
 them will upset him4  ,i was greatly   
astonished1 but1 of course1 ,i followed 
her instructions1 and when ,i had an    
opportunity to examine the beads1 ,i    
found that they really were strangers to
 me1 and had not been in the house      
before4 ,the present my lady friend had 
received was a large1 unset topaz4 ,the 
chaplet was made of carved wood and     
steel4 ,it was not till months had      
elapsed that ,i was given permission to 
show it to ,arthur ,colman4 ,he         
immediately recognized it as the one he 

had himself placed in the hands of      
,aimee as she lay in her coffin1 and    
when ,i saw how the sight affected him1 
,i regretted ,i had told him anything   
about it4 ,i offered to give the beads  
up to him1 but he refused to receive    
them1 and they remain in my possession  
to this day4  ,but the great climax that
 was to prove beyond all question the   
personal identity of the spirit who     
communicated with me1 with the body ,i  
had brought into the world1 was yet to  
come4 ,mr4 ,william ,harrison1 the      
editor of the ,spiritualist 7who1 after 
seventeen years' patient research into  
the science of ,spiritualism1 had never 
received a personal proof of the return 
of his own friends1 or relations7 wrote 
me word that he had received a message  
from his lately deceased friend1 ,mrs4  
,stewart1 to the effect that if he would
 sit with the medium1 ,florence ,cook1  
and one or two harmonious companions1   
she would do her best to appear to him  
in her earthly likeness and afford him  

the test he had so long sought after4   
,mr4 ,harrison asked me1 therefore1 if  
,i would join him and ,miss             
,kidlingbury--the secretary to the      
,british ,national ,association of      
,spiritualists--in holding a seance with
 ,miss ,cook1 to which ,i agreed1 and we
 met in one of the rooms of the         
,association for that purpose4 ,it was a
 very small room1 about #h feet by #af  
feet1 was uncarpeted and contained no   
furniture1 so we carried in three       
cane-bottomed chairs for our            
accommodation4 ,across one corner of the
 room1 about four feet from the floor1  
we nailed an old black shawl1 and placed
 a cushion behind it for ,miss ,cook to 
lean her head against4 ,miss ,florence  
,cook1 who is a brunette1 of a small1   
slight figure1 with dark eyes and hair  
which she wore in a profusion of curls1 
was dressed in a high grey merino1      
ornamented with crimson ribbons4 ,she   
informed me previous to sitting1 that   
she had become restless during her      

trances lately1 and in the habit of     
walking out amongst the circle1 and she 
asked me as a friend 7for such we had by
 that time become7 to scold her well    
should such a thing occur1 and order her
 to go back into the cabinet as if she  
were a child or a dog2 and ,i promised  
her ,i would do so4 ,after ,florence    
,cook had sat down on the floor1 behind 
the black shawl 7which left her grey    
merino skirt exposed71 and laid her head
 against the cushion1 we lowered the gas
 a little1 and took our seats on the    
three cane chairs4 ,the medium appeared 
very uneasy at first1 and we heard her  
remonstrating with the influences for   
using her so roughly4 ,in a few minutes1
 however1 there was a tremulous movement
 of the black shawl1 and a large white  
hand was several times thrust into view 
and withdrawn again4 ,i had never seen  
,mrs4 ,stewart 7for whom we were        
expressly sitting7 in this life1 and    
could not1 therefore1 recognize the     
hand2 but we all remarked how large and 

white it was4 ,in another minute the    
shawl was lifted up1 and a female figure
 crawled on its hands and knees from    
behind it1 and then stood up and        
regarded us4 ,it was impossible1 in the 
dim light and at the distance she stood 
from us1 to identify the features1 so   
,mr4 ,harrison asked if she were ,mrs4  
,stewart4 ,the figure shook its head4 ,i
 had lost a sister a few months         
previously1 and the thought flashed     
across me that it might be her4 ,is it  
you1 ,emily8 ,i asked2 but the head was 
still shaken to express a negative1 and 
a similar question on the part of ,miss 
,kidlingbury1 with respect to a friend  
of her own1 met with the same response4 
,who can it be8 ,i remarked curiously to
 ,mr4 ,harrison4  ,mother6 don't you    
know me8 sounded in ,florence's         
whispering voice4 ,i started up to      
approach her1 exclaiming1 ,o6 my darling
 child6 ,i never thought ,i should meet 
you here6 ,but she said1 ,go back to    
your chair1 and ,i will come to you6 ,i 

reseated myself1 and ,florence crossed  
the room and sat down on my lap4 ,she   
was more unclothed on that occasion than
 any materialized spirit ,i have ever   
seen4 ,she wore nothing on her head1    
only her hair1 of which she appears to  
have an immense quantity1 fell down her 
back and covered her shoulders4 ,her    
arms were bare and her feet and part of 
her legs1 and the dress she wore had no 
shape or style1 but seemed like so many 
yards of soft thick muslin1 wound round 
her body from the bosom to below the    
knees4 ,she was a heavy weight--perhaps 
ten stone--and had well-covered limbs4  
,in fact1 she was then1 and has appeared
 for several years past1 to be1 in point
 of size and shape1 so like her eldest  
sister ,eva1 that ,i always observe the 
resemblance between them4 ,this seance  
took place at a period when ,florence   
must have been about seventeen years    
old4  ,florence1 my darling1 ,i said1 is
 this really you8 ,turn up the gas1 she 
answered1 and look at my mouth4 ,mr4    

,harrison did as she desired1 and we all
 saw distinctly that peculiar defect on 
the lip with which she was born--a      
defect1 be it remembered1 which some of 
the most experienced members of the     
profession had affirmed to be so rare as
 never to have fallen under their notice
 before4 ,she also opened her mouth that
 we might see she had no gullet4 ,i     
promised at the commencement of my book 
to confine myself to facts1 and leave   
the deduction to be drawn from them to  
my readers1 so ,i will not interrupt my 
narrative to make any remarks upon this 
incontrovertible proof of identity4 ,i  
know it struck me dumb1 and melted me   
into tears4 ,at this juncture ,miss     
,cook1 who had been moaning and moving  
about a good deal behind the black      
shawl1 suddenly exclaimed1 ,i can't     
stand this any longer1 and walked out   
into the room4 ,there she stood in her  
grey dress and crimson ribbons whilst   
,florence sat on my lap in white        
drapery4 ,but only for a moment1 for    

directly the medium was fully in view1  
the spirit sprung up and darted behind  
the curtain4 ,recalling ,miss ,cook's   
injunctions to me1 ,i scolded her       
heartily for leaving her seat1 until she
 crept back1 whimpering1 to her former  
position4 ,the shawl had scarcely closed
 behind her before ,florence reappeared 
and clung to me1 saying1 ,don't let her 
do that again4 ,she frightens me so4    
,she was actually trembling all over4   
,why1 ,florence1 ,i replied4 ,do you    
mean to tell me you are frightened of   
your medium8 ,in this world it is we    
poor mortals who are frightened of the  
spirits4 ,i am afraid she will send me  
away1 mother1 she whispered4 ,however1  
,miss ,cook did not disturb us again1   
and ,florence stayed with us for some   
time longer4 ,she clasped her arms round
 my neck1 and laid her head upon my     
bosom1 and kissed me dozens of times4   
,she took my hand and spread it out1 and
 said she felt sure ,i should recognize 
her hand when she thrust it outside the 

curtain1 because it was so much like my 
own4 ,i was suffering much trouble at   
that time1 and ,florence told me the    
reason ,god had permitted her to show   
herself to me in her earthly deformity  
was so that ,i might be sure that she   
was herself1 and that ,spiritualism was 
a truth to comfort me4 ,sometimes you   
doubt1 mother1 she said1 and think your 
eyes and ears have misled you2 but after
 this you must never doubt again4 ,don't
 fancy ,i am like this in the spirit    
land4 ,the blemish left me long ago4    
,but ,i put it on to-night to make you  
certain4 ,don't fret1 dear mother4      
,remember ,i am always near you4 ,no one
 can take me away4 ,your earthly        
children may grow up and go out into the
 world and leave you1 but you will      
always have your spirit child close to  
you4 ,i did not1 and cannot1 calculate  
for how long ,florence remained visible 
on that occasion4 ,mr4 ,harrison told me
 afterwards that she had remained for   
nearly twenty minutes4 ,but her         

undoubted presence was such a stupendous
 fact to me1 that ,i could only think   
that she was there--that ,i actually    
held in my arms the tiny infant ,i had  
laid with my own hands in her           
coffin--that she was no more dead than  
,i was myself1 but had grown to be a    
woman4 ,so ,i sat1 with my arms tight   
round her1 and my heart beating against 
hers1 until the power decreased1 and    
,florence was compelled to give me a    
last kiss and leave me stupefied and    
bewildered by what had so unexpectedly  
occurred4 ,two other spirits            
materialized and appeared after she had 
left us1 but as neither of them was     
,mrs4 ,stewart1 the seance1 as far as   
,mr4 ,harrison was concerned1 was a     
failure4 ,i have seen and heard         
,florence on numerous occasions since   
the one ,i have narrated1 but not with  
the mark upon her mouth1 which she      
assures me will never trouble either of 
us again4 ,i could fill pages with      
accounts of her pretty1 caressing ways  

and her affectionate and sometimes      
solemn messages2 but ,i have told as    
much of her story as will interest the  
general reader4 ,it has been wonderful  
to me to mark how her ways and mode of  
communication have changed with the     
passing years4 ,it was a simple child   
who did not know how to express itself  
that appeared to me in #ahgc4 ,it is a  
woman full of counsel and tender warning
 that comes to me in #ahij4 ,but yet she
 is only nineteen4 ,when she reached    
that age1 ,florence told me she should  
never grow any older in years or        
appearance1 and that she had reached the
 climax of womanly perfection in the    
spirit world4 ,only to-night--the night 
before ,christmas ,day--as ,i write her 
story1 she comes to me and says1        
,mother6 you must not give way to sad   
thoughts4 ,the ,past is past4 ,let it be
 buried in the blessings that remain to 
you4  ,and amongst the greatest of those
 blessings ,i reckon my belief in the   
existence of my spirit-child4           

,,chapter ,,ix4  ,,the ,,story ,,of     
,,emily4   ,my sister ,emily was the    
third daughter of my late father1 and   
several years older than myself4 ,she   
was a handsome woman--strictly speaking1
 perhaps1 the handsomest of the family1 
and quite unlike the others4 ,she had   
black hair and eyes1 a pale complexion1 
a well-shaped nose1 and small1 narrow   
hands and feet4 ,but her beauty had     
slight detractions--so slight1 indeed1  
as to be imperceptible to strangers1 but
 well known to her intimate friends4    
,her mouth was a little on one side1 one
 shoulder was half an inch higher than  
the other1 her fingers were not quite   
straight1 nor her toes1 and her hips    
corresponded with her shoulders4 ,she   
was clever1 with a versatile1 all-round 
talent1 and of a very happy and         
contented disposition4 ,she married ,dr4
 ,henry ,norris of ,charmouth1 in       
,dorset1 and lived there many years     
before her death4 ,she was an excellent 
wife and mother1 a good friend1 and a   

sincere ,christian2 indeed1 ,i do not   
believe that a more earnest1            
self-denying1 better woman ever lived in
 this world4 ,but she had strong        
feelings1 and in some things she was    
very bigoted4 ,one was ,spiritualism4   
,she vehemently opposed even the mention
 of it1 declared it to be diabolical1   
and never failed to blame me for        
pursuing such a wicked and unholy       
occupation4 ,she was therefore about the
 last person whom ,i should have        
expected to take advantage of it to     
communicate with her friends4  ,my      
sister ,emily died on the #bjth of      
,april1 #ahge4 ,her death resulted from 
a sudden attack of pleurisy1 and was    
most unexpected4 ,i was sitting at an   
early dinner with my children on the    
same day when ,i received a telegram    
from my brother-in-law to say1 ,emily   
very ill2 will telegraph when change    
occurs1 and ,i had just despatched an   
answer to ask if ,i should go down to   
,charmouth1 or could be of any use1 when

 a second message arrived1 ,all is over4
 ,she died quietly at two o'clock4      
,those who have received similar shocks 
will understand what ,i felt4 ,i was    
quite stunned1 and could not realize    
that my sister had passed away from us1 
so completely unanticipated had been the
 news4 ,i made the necessary            
arrangements for going down to her      
funeral1 but my head was filled with    
nothing but thoughts of ,emily the      
while1 and conjectures of how she had   
died and of what she had died 7for that 
was1 as yet1 unknown to me71 and what   
she had thought and said2 above all1    
what she was thinking and feeling at    
that moment4 ,i retired to rest with my 
brain in a whirl1 and lay half the night
 wide awake1 staring into the darkness1 
and wondering where my sister was4 ,now 
was the time 7if any7 for my cerebral   
organs to play me a trick1 and conjure  
up a vision of the person ,i was        
thinking of4 ,but ,i saw nothing2 no    
sound broke the stillness2 my eyes      

rested only on the darkness4 ,i was     
quite disappointed1 and in the morning  
,i told my children so4 ,i loved my     
sister ,emily dearly1 and ,i hoped she  
would have come to wish me good-bye4 ,on
 the following night ,i was exhausted by
 want of sleep and the emotion ,i had   
passed through1 and when ,i went to bed 
,i was very sleepy4 ,i had not been long
 asleep1 however1 before ,i was waked   
up--,i can hardly say by what--and there
 at my bedside stood ,emily1 smiling at 
me4 ,when ,i lost my little ,florence1  
,emily had been unmarried1 and she had  
taken a great interest in my poor baby1 
and nursed her during her short         
lifetime1 and1 ,i believe1 really       
mourned her loss1 for 7although she had 
children of her own7 she always wore a  
little likeness of ,florence in a locket
 on her watch-chain4 ,when ,emily died  
,i had of course been for some time in  
communication with my spirit-child1 and 
when my sister appeared to me that      
night1 ,florence was in her arms1 with  

her head resting on her shoulder4 ,i    
recognized them both at once1 and the   
only thing which looked strange to me   
was that ,emily's long black hair was   
combed right back in the ,chinese       
fashion1 giving her forehead an         
unnaturally high appearance4 ,this      
circumstance made the greater impression
 on me1 because we all have such high   
foreheads with the hair growing off the 
temples that we have never been able to 
wear it in the style ,i speak of4 ,with 
this exception my sister looked         
beautiful and most happy1 and my little 
girl clung to her lovingly4 ,emily did  
not speak aloud1 but she kept on looking
 down at ,florence1 and up at me1 whilst
 her lips formed the words1 ,little     
,baby1 which was the name by which she  
had always mentioned my spirit-child4   
,in the morning ,i mentioned what ,i had
 seen to my elder girls1 adding1 ,i     
hardly knew dear ,aunt ,emily1 with her 
hair scratched back in that fashion4    
,this apparition happened on the        

,wednesday night1 and on the ,friday    
following ,i travelled down to          
,charmouth to be present at the funeral1
 which was fixed for ,saturday4 ,i found
 my sister ,cecil there before me4 ,as  
soon as we were alone1 she said to me1  
,i am so glad you came to-day4 ,i want  
you to arrange dear ,emily nicely in her
 coffin4 ,the servants had laid her out 
before my arrival1 and she doesn't look 
a bit like herself4 ,but ,i haven't the 
nerve to touch her4 ,it was late at     
night1 but ,i took a candle at once and 
accompanied ,cecil to the death-chamber4
 ,our sister was lying1 pale and calm1  
with a smile upon her lips1 much as she 
had appeared to me1 and with all her    
black hair combed back from her         
forehead4 ,the servants had arranged it 
so1 thinking it looked neater4 ,it was  
impossible to make any alteration till  
the morning1 but when our dear sister   
was carried to her grave1 her hair      
framed her dead face in the wavy curls  
in which it always fell when loose2 a   

wreath of flowering syringa was round   
her head1 a cross of violets on her     
breast1 and in her waxen1               
beautifully-moulded hands1 she held     
three tall1 white lilies4 ,i mention    
this because she has come to me since   
with the semblance of these very flowers
 to ensure her recognition4 ,after the  
funeral1 my brother-in-law gave me the  
details of her last illness4 ,he told me
 that on the ,monday afternoon1 when her
 illness first took a serious turn and  
she became 7as he said7 delirious1 she  
talked continually to her father1       
,captain ,marryat 7to whom she had been 
most reverentially attached71 and who1  
she affirmed1 was sitting by the side of
 the bed4 ,her conversation was         
perfectly rational1 and only disjointed 
when she waited for a reply to her own  
remarks4 ,she spoke to him of ,langham  
and all that had happened there1 and    
particularly expressed her surprise at  
his having a beard1 saying1 ,does hair  
grow up there1 father8 ,i was the more  

impressed by this account1 because ,dr4 
,norris1 like most medical men1         
attributed the circumstance entirely to 
the distorted imagination of a wandering
 brain4 ,and yet my father 7whom ,i have
 never seen since his death7 has been   
described to me by various clairvoyants1
 and always as wearing a beard1 a thing 
he never did during his lifetime1 as it 
was the fashion then for naval officers 
to wear only side whiskers4 ,in all his 
pictures he is represented as clean     
shorn1 and as he was so well known a    
man1 one would think that 7were they    
dissembling7 the clairvoyants1 in       
describing his personal characteristics1
 would follow the clue given by his     
portraits4  ,for some time after my     
sister ,emily's death ,i heard nothing  
more of her1 and for the reasons ,i have
 given1 ,i never expected to see her    
again until we met in the spirit-world4 
,about two years after her death1       
however1 my husband1 ,colonel ,lean1    
bought two tickets for a series of      

seances to be held in the rooms of the  
,british ,national ,association of      
,spiritualists under the mediumship of  
,mr4 ,william ,eglinton4 ,this was the  
first time we had ever seen or sat with 
,mr4 ,eglinton1 but we had heard a great
 deal of his powers1 and were curious to
 test them4 ,on the first night1 which  
was a ,saturday1 we assembled with a    
party of twelve1 all complete strangers1
 in the rooms ,i have mentioned1 which  
were comfortably lighted with gas4 ,mr4 
,eglinton1 who is a young man inclined  
to stoutness1 went into the cabinet1    
which was placed in the centre of us1   
with spectators all round it4 ,the      
cabinet was like a large cupboard1 made 
of wood and divided into two parts1 the 
partition being of wire-work1 so that   
the medium might be padlocked into it1  
and a curtain drawn in front of both    
sides4 ,after a while1 a voice called   
out to us not to be frightened1 as the  
medium was coming out to get more power1
 and ,mr4 ,eglinton1 in a state of      

trance and dressed in a suit of evening 
clothes1 walked out of the cabinet and  
commenced a tour of the circle4 ,he     
touched every one in turn1 but did not  
stop until he reached ,colonel ,lean1   
before whom he remained for some time1  
making magnetic passes down his face and
 figure4 ,he then turned to re-enter the
 cabinet1 but as he did so1 some one    
moved the curtain from inside and ,mr4  
,eglinton actually held the curtain to  
one side to permit the materialized form
 to pass out before he went into the    
cabinet himself4 ,the figure that       
appeared was that of a woman clothed in 
loose white garments that fell to her   
feet4 ,her eyes were black and her long 
black hair fell over her shoulders4 ,i  
suspected at the time who she was1 but  
each one in the circle was so certain   
she came for him or for her1 that ,i    
said nothing1 and only mentally asked if
 it were my sister that ,i might receive
 a proof of her identity4 ,on the       
following evening 7,sunday7 ,colonel    

,lean and ,i were sitting together1 when
 ,emily came to the table to assure us  
that it was she whom we had seen1 and   
that she would appear again on ,monday  
and show herself more clearly4 ,i asked 
her to think of some means by which she 
could prove her identity with the spirit
 that then spoke to us1 and she said1 ,i
 will hold up my right hand4 ,colonel   
,lean cautioned me not to mention this  
promise to any one1 that we might be    
certain of the correctness of the test4 
,accordingly1 on the ,monday evening we 
assembled for our second seance with    
,mr4 ,eglinton1 and the same form       
appeared1 and walking out much closer to
 us1 held up the right hand4 ,colonel   
,lean1 anxious not to be deceived by his
 own senses1 asked the company what the 
spirit was doing4 ,cannot you see8 was  
the answer4 ,she is holding up her hand4
 ,on this occasion ,emily came with all 
her old characteristics about her1 and  
there would have been no possibility of 
mistaking her 7at least on my part7     

without the proof she had promised to   
give us4  ,the next startling assurance 
we received of her proximity happened in
 a much more unexpected manner4 ,we were
 staying1 in the autumn of the following
 year1 at a boarding-house in the ,rue  
de ,vienne at ,brussels1 with a large   
party of ,english visitors1 none of whom
 we had ever seen till we entered the   
house4 ,amongst them were several girls1
 who had never heard of ,spiritualism   
before1 and were much interested in     
listening to the relation of our        
experiences on the subject4 ,one evening
 when ,i was not well1 and keeping my   
own room1 some of these young ladies got
 hold of ,colonel ,lean and said1 ,oh6  
do come and sit in the dark with us and 
tell us ghost stories4 ,now sitting in  
the dark and telling ghost stories to   
five or six nice looking girls is an    
occupation few men would object to1 and 
they were all soon ensconced in the dark
 and deserted salle-a-manger4 ,amongst  
them was a young girl of sixteen1 ,miss 

,helen ,hill1 who had never shown more  
interest than the rest in such matters4 
,after they had been seated in the dark 
for some minutes1 she said to ,colonel  
,lean1 ,do you know1 ,i can see a lady  
on the opposite side of the table quite 
distinctly1 and she is nodding and      
smiling at you4 ,the colonel asked what 
the lady was like4 ,she is very nice    
looking1 replied the girl1 with dark    
eyes and hair1 but she seems to want me 
to notice her ring4 ,she wears a ring   
with a large blue stone in it1 of such a
 funny shape1 and she keeps on twisting 
it round and round her finger1 and      
pointing to it4 ,oh6 now she has got up 
and is walking round the room4 ,only    
fancy6 she is holding up her feet for me
 to see4 ,they are bare and very white1 
but her toes are crooked6 ,then ,miss   
,hill became frightened and asked them  
to get a light4 ,she declared that the  
figure had come up1 close to her1 and   
torn the lace off her wrists4 ,and when 
the light was procured and her dress    

examined1 a frill of lace that had been 
tacked into her sleeve that morning had 
totally disappeared4 ,the young ladies  
grew nervous and left the room1 and     
,colonel ,lean1 thinking the description
 ,helen ,hill had given of the spirit   
tallied with that of my sister ,emily1  
came straight up to me and surprised me 
by an abrupt question as to whether she 
had been in the habit of wearing any    
particular ring 7for he had not seen her
 for several years before her death74 ,i
 told him that her favorite ring was an 
uncut turquoise--so large and uneven    
that she used to call it her potato4    
,had she any peculiarity about her feet8
 he went on1 eagerly4 ,why do you wish  
to know8 ,i said4 ,she had crooked toes1
 that is all4 ,good heavens6 he         
exclaimed1 then she has been with us in 
the salle-a-manger4 ,i have never met   
,miss ,hill since1 and ,i am not in a   
position to say if she has evinced any  
further possession of clairvoyant power2
 but she certainly displayed it on that 

occasion to a remarkable degree2 for she
 had never even heard of the existence  
of my sister ,emily1 and was very much  
disturbed and annoyed when told that the
 apparition she had described was       
reality and not imagination4            
,,chapter ,x4  ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the 
,,green ,,lady4   ,the story ,i have to 
tell now happened a very short time ago1
 and every detail is as fresh in my mind
 as if ,i had heard and seen it         
yesterday4 ,mrs4 ,guppy-,volckman has   
been long known to the spiritualistic   
world as a very powerful medium1 also as
 taking a great private interest in     
,spiritualism1 which all media do not4  
,her means justify her1 too1 in         
gratifying her whims2 and hearing that a
 certain house in ,broadstairs was      
haunted1 she became eager to ascertain  
the truth4 ,the house being empty1 she  
procured the keys from the landlord1 and
 proceeded on a voyage of discovery     
alone4 ,she had barely recovered1 at the
 time1 from a most dangerous illness1   

which had left a partial paralysis of   
the lower limbs behind it2 it was       
therefore with considerable difficulty  
that she gained the drawing-room of the 
house1 which was on the first floor1 and
 when there she abandoned her crutches1 
and sat down on the floor to recover    
herself4 ,mrs4 ,volckman was now        
perfectly alone4 ,she had closed the    
front door after her1 and she was       
moreover almost helpless1 as it was with
 great difficulty that she could rise   
without assistance4 ,it was on a        
summer's evening towards the dusky hour1
 and she sat on the bare floor of the   
empty house waiting to see what might   
happen4 ,after some time 7,i tell this  
part of the story as ,i received it from
 her lips7 she heard a rustling or      
sweeping sound1 as of a long silk train 
coming down the uncarpeted stairs from  
the upper storey4 ,the room in which she
 sat communicated with another1 which   
led out upon the passage1 and it was not
 long before the door between these two 

apartments opened and the figure of a   
woman appeared4 ,she entered the room in
 which ,mrs4 ,volckman sat1 very        
cautiously1 and commenced to walk round 
it1 feeling her way along the walls as  
though she were blind or tipsy4 ,she was
 dressed in a green satin robe that     
swept behind her--round the upper part  
of her body was a kind of scarf of      
glistening white material1 like silk    
gauze--and on her head was a black      
velvet cap1 or coif1 from underneath    
which her long black hair fell down her 
back4 ,mrs4 ,volckman1 although used all
 her life to manifestations and         
apparitions of all sorts1 told me she   
had never felt so frightened at the     
sight of one before4 ,she attempted to  
rise1 but feeling her incapability of   
doing so quickly1 she screamed with     
fear4 ,as soon as she did so1 the woman 
turned round and ran out of the room1   
apparently as frightened as herself4    
,mrs4 ,volckman got hold of her         
crutches1 scrambled to her feet1 found  

her way downstairs1 and reached the     
outside of the house in safety4 ,most   
people would never have entered it      
again4 ,she1 on the contrary1 had an    
interview with the landlord1 and        
actually1 then and there1 purchased a   
lease of the house and entered upon     
possession1 and as soon as it was       
furnished and ready for occupation1 she 
invited a party of friends to go down   
and stay with her at ,broadstairs1 and  
make the acquaintance of the ,green     
,lady1 as we had christened her4        
,colonel ,lean and ,i were amongst the  
visitors1 the others consisting of ,lady
 ,archibald ,campbell1 ,miss ,shaw1     
,mrs4 ,olive1 ,mrs4 ,bellew1 ,colonel   
,greck1 ,mr4 ,charles ,williams1 and    
,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,henry ,volckman1 which1 
with our host and hostess1 made up a    
circle of twelve4 ,we assembled there on
 a bright day in ,july1 and the house1  
with its large rooms and windows facing 
the sea1 looked cheerful enough4 ,the   
room in which ,mrs4 ,volckman had seen  

the apparition was furnished as a       
drawing-room1 and the room adjoining it1
 which was divided by a portiere only   
from the larger apartment1 she had      
converted for convenience sake into her 
bedroom4 ,the first evening we sat it   
was about seven o'clock1 and so light   
that we let down all the venetians1     
which1 however1 did little to remedy the
 evil4 ,we had no cabinet1 nor curtains1
 nor darkness1 for it was full moon at  
the time1 and the dancing1 sparkling    
waves were quite visible through the    
interstices of the venetians4 ,we simply
 sat round the table1 holding hands in  
an unbroken circle and laughing and     
chatting with each other4 ,in a few     
minutes ,mrs4 ,volckman said something  
was rising beside her from the carpet1  
and in a few more the ,green ,lady was  
visible to us all standing between the  
medium and ,mr4 ,williams4 ,she was just
 as she had been described to us1 both  
in dress and appearance1 but her face   
was as white and as cold as that of a   

corpse1 and her eyes were closed4 ,she  
leaned over the table and brought her   
face close to each of us in turn1 but   
she seemed to have no power of speech4  
,after staying with us about ten        
minutes1 she sunk as she had risen1     
through the carpet1 and disappeared4    
,the next evening1 under precisely      
similar circumstances1 she came again4  
,this time she had evidently gained more
 vitality in a materialized condition1  
for when ,i urged her to tell me her    
name1 she whispered1 though with much   
difficulty1 ,julia6 and when ,lady      
,archibald observed that she thought she
 had no hands1 the spirit suddenly      
thrust out a little hand1 and grasped   
the curls on her forehead with a        
violence that gave her pain4            
,unfortunately1 ,mr4 ,williams'         
professional engagements compelled him  
to leave us on the following day1 and   
,mrs4 ,volckman had been too recently   
ill to permit her to sit alone1 so that 
we were not able to hold another seance 

for the ,green ,lady during our visit4  
,but we had not seen the last of her4   
,one evening ,mrs4 ,bellew and ,i were  
sitting in the bay window of the        
drawing-room1 just between the lights1  
and discussing a very private matter    
indeed1 when ,i saw 7as ,i thought7 my  
hostess maid raise the portiere that    
hung between the apartments and stand   
there in a listening attitude4 ,i       
immediately gave ,mrs4 ,volckman the    
hint4 ,let us talk of something else1 ,i
 said1 in a low voice4 ,jane is in your 
bedroom4 ,o6 no6 she's not1 was the     
reply4 ,but ,i saw her lift the         
portiere1 ,i persisted2 she has only    
just dropped it4 ,you are mistaken1     
replied my hostess1 for ,jane has gone  
on the beach with the child4 ,i felt    
sure ,i had not been mistaken1 but ,i   
held my tongue and said no more4 ,the   
conversation was resumed1 and as we were
 deep in the delicate matter1 the woman 
appeared for the second time4  ,mrs4    
,volckman1 ,i whispered1 ,jane is really

 there4 ,she has just looked in again4  
,my friend rose from her seat4 ,come    
with me1 she said1 and ,i will convince 
you that you are wrong4  ,i followed her
 into the bedroom1 where she showed me  
that the door communicating with the    
passage was locked inside4  ,now1 do you
 see1 she continued1 that no one but the
 ',green ,lady' could enter this room   
but through the one we are sitting in4  
,then it must have been the ',green     
,lady1' ,i replied1 for ,i assuredly saw
 a woman standing in the doorway4  ,that
 is likely enough1 said ,mrs4 ,volckman2
 but if she comes again she shall have  
the trouble of drawing back the         
curtains4  ,and thereupon she unhooped  
the portiere1 which consisted of two    
curtains1 and drew them right across the
 door4 ,we had hardly regained our seats
 in the bay window before the two       
curtains were sharply drawn aside1      
making the brass rings rattle on the    
rod1 and the ,green ,lady stood in the  
opening we had just passed through4     

,mrs4 ,volckman told her not to be      
afraid1 but to come out and speak to us2
 but she was apparently not equal to    
doing so1 and only stood there for a few
 minutes gazing at us4 ,i imprudently   
left my seat and approached her1 with a 
view to making overtures of friendship1 
when she dropped the curtains over her  
figure4 ,i passed through them          
immediately to the other side1 and found
 the bedroom empty and the door locked  
inside1 as before4     ,,chapter ,,xi4  
,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,monk4   ,a   
lady named ,uniacke1 a resident in      
,bruges1 whilst on a visit to my house  
in ,london1 met and had a seance with   
,william ,eglinton1 with which she was  
so delighted that she immediately       
invited him to go and stay with her     
abroad1 and as my husband and ,i were   
about to cross over to ,bruges to see my
 sister1 who also resided there1 we     
travelled in company--,mr4 ,eglinton    
living at ,mrs4 ,uniacke's home1 whilst 
we stayed with our own relations4 ,mrs4 

,uniacke was a medium herself1 and had  
already experienced some very noisy and 
violent demonstrations in her own house4
 ,she was1 therefore1 quite prepared for
 her visitor1 and had fitted up a spare 
room with a cabinet and blinds to the   
windows1 and everything that was        
necessary4 ,but1 somewhat to her        
chagrin1 we were informed at the first  
sitting by ,mr4 ,eglinton's control1    
,joey1 that all future seances were to  
take place at my sister's house instead4
 ,we were given no reason for the       
change2 we were simply told to obey it4 
,my sister's house was rather a peculiar
 one1 and ,i have already alluded to it1
 and some of the sights and sounds by   
which it was haunted1 in the chapter    
headed ,optical ,illusions4 ,the        
building is so ancient that the original
 date has been completely lost4 ,a stone
 set into one of the walls bore an      
inscription to the effect that it was   
restored in the year #afaf4 ,and an     
obsolete plan of the city shows it to   

have stood in its present condition in  
#aefb4 ,prior to that period1 however1  
probably about the thirteenth century1  
it is supposed1 with three houses on    
either side of it1 to have formed a     
convent1 but no printed record remains  
of the fact4 ,beneath it are            
subterraneous passages1 choked with     
rubbish1 which lead1 no one knows       
whither4 ,i had stayed in this house    
several times before1 and always felt   
unpleasant influences from it1 as ,i    
have related1 especially in a large room
 on the lower floor1 then used as a     
drawing-room1 but which is said to have 
formed1 originally1 the chapel to the   
convent4 ,others had felt the influence 
beside myself1 though we never had had  
reason to suppose that there was any    
particular cause for it4 ,when we       
expressed curiosity1 however1 to learn  
why ,joey desired us to hold our seance 
in my sister's house1 he told us that   
the medium had not been brought over to 
,bruges for our pleasure or edification1

 but that there was a great work to be  
done there1 and ,mrs4 ,uniacke had been 
expressly influenced to invite him over1
 that the purposes of a higher power    
than his own should be accomplished4    
,consequently1 on the following evening 
,mrs4 ,uniacke brought ,mr4 ,eglinton   
over to my sister's house1 and ,joey    
having been asked to choose a room for  
the sitting1 selected an entresol on the
 upper floor1 which led by two short    
passages to the bedrooms4 ,the bedroom  
doors being locked a dark curtain was   
hung at the entrance of one of these    
passages1 and ,joey declared it was a   
first-rate cabinet4 ,we then assembled  
in the drawing-room1 for the purposes of
 music and conversation1 for we intended
 to hold the seance later in the        
evening4 ,the party consisted only of   
the medium1 ,mrs4 ,uniacke1 my sister1  
my husband1 and myself4 ,after ,i had   
sung a song or two1 ,mr4 ,eglinton      
became restless and moved away from the 
piano1 saying the influence was too     

strong for him4 ,he began walking up and
 down the room1 and staring fixedly at  
the door1 before which hung a portiere4 
,several times he exclaimed with knitted
 brows1 ,what is the matter with that   
door8 ,there is something very peculiar 
about it4 ,once he approached it        
quickly1 but ,joey's voice was heard    
from behind the portiere1 saying1 ,don't
 come too near4 ,mr4 ,eglinton then     
retreated to a sofa1 and appeared to be 
fighting violently with some unpleasant 
influence4 ,he made the sign of the     
cross1 then extended his fingers towards
 the door1 as though to exorcise it3    
finally he burst into a mocking1        
scornful peal of laughter that lasted   
for some minutes4 ,as it concluded1 a   
diabolical expression came over his     
face4 ,he clenched his hands1 gnashed   
his teeth1 and commenced to grope in a  
crouching position towards the door4 ,we
 concluded he wished to get up to the   
room where the cabinet was1 and let him 
have his way4 ,he crawled1 rather than  

walked1 up the steep turret stairs1 but 
on reaching the top1 came to himself    
suddenly and fell back several steps4   
,my husband1 fortunately1 was just      
behind him and saved him from a fall4   
,he complained greatly of the influence 
and of a pain in his head1 and we sat at
 the table to receive directions4 ,in a 
few seconds the same spirit had taken   
possession of him4 ,he left the table   
and groped his way towards the bedrooms1
 listening apparently to every sound1   
and with his hand holding an imaginary  
knife which was raised every now and    
then as if to strike4 ,the expression on
 ,mr4 ,eglinton's face during this      
possession is too horrible to describe4 
,the worst passions were written as     
legibly there as though they had been   
labelled4 ,there was a short flight of  
stairs leading from the entresol to the 
corridor1 closed at the head by a padded
 door1 which we had locked for fear of  
accident4 ,when1 apparently in pursuit  
of his object1 the spirit led the medium

 up to this door and he found it        
fastened1 his moans were terrible4      
,half-a-dozen times he made his weary   
round of the room1 striving to get      
downstairs to accomplish some end1 and  
to return to us moaning and baffled4 ,at
 this juncture1 he was so exhausted that
 one of his controls1 ,daisy1 took      
possession of him and talked with us for
 some time4 ,we asked ,daisy what the   
spirit was like that had controlled ,mr4
 ,eglinton last1 and she said she did   
not like him--he had a bad face1 no hair
 on the top of his head1 and a long     
black frock4 ,from this we concluded he 
had been a monk or a priest4 ,when      
,daisy had finished speaking to us ,joey
 desired ,mr4 ,eglinton to go into the  
cabinet2 but as soon as he rose1 the    
same spirit got possession again and led
 him grovelling as before towards the   
bedrooms4 ,his guides therefore carried 
him into the cabinet before our eyes4   
,he was elevated far above our heads1   
his feet touching each of us in turn2 he

 was then carried past the unshaded     
window1 which enabled us to judge of the
 height he was from the ground1 and     
finally over a large table1 into the    
cabinet4  ,nothing1 however1 of         
consequence occurred1 and ,joey advised 
us to take the medium downstairs to the 
supper room4  ,accordingly we adjourned 
there1 and during supper ,mr4 ,eglinton 
appeared to be quite himself1 and       
laughed with us over what had taken     
place4 ,as soon as the meal was over1   
however1 the old restlessness returned  
on him1 and he began pacing up and down 
the room1 walking out every now and then
 into the corridor4 ,in a few minutes we
 perceived that the uneasy spirit again 
controlled him1 and we all followed4 ,he
 went steadily towards the drawing-room1
 but1 on finding himself pursued1 turned
 back1 and three times pronounced       
emphatically the word ,go4 ,he then     
entered the drawing-room1 which was in  
darkness1 and closed the door behind    
him1 whilst we waited outside4 ,in a    

little while he reopened it1 and        
speaking in quite a different voice1    
said ,bring a light6 ,i have something  
to say to you4 ,when we reassembled with
 a lamp we found the medium controlled  
by a new spirit1 whom ,joey afterwards  
told us was one of his highest guides4  
,motioning us to be seated1 he stood    
before us and said1 ,i have been        
selected from amongst the controls of   
this medium to tell you the history of  
the unhappy being who has so disturbed  
you this evening4 ,he is present now1   
and the confession of his crime through 
my lips will help him to throw off the  
earthbound condition to which it has    
condemned him4 ,many years ago1 the     
house in which we now stand was a       
convent1 and underneath it were four    
subterraneous passages running north1   
south1 east1 and west1 which            
communicated with all parts of the town4
 7,i must here state that ,mr4 ,eglinton
 had not previously been informed of any
 particulars relating to the former     

history of my sister's home1 neither    
were ,mrs4 ,uniacke or myself acquainted
 with it47  ,in this convent there lived
 a most beautiful woman--a nun1 and in  
one of the neighboring monasteries a    
priest who1 against the strict law of   
his ,church1 had conceived and nourished
 a passion for her4 ,he was an ,italian 
who had been obliged to leave his own   
country1 for reasons best known to      
himself1 and nightly he would steal his 
way to this house1 by means of one of   
the subterraneous passages1 and attempt 
to overcome the nun's scruples1 and make
 her listen to his tale of love2 but    
she1 strong in the faith1 resisted him4 
,at last1 maddened one day by her       
repeated refusals1 and his own guilty   
passion1 he hid himself in one of the   
northern rooms in the upper story of    
this house1 and watched there in the    
dark for her to pass him on her way from
 her devotions in the chapel2 but she   
did not come4 ,then he crept downstairs 
stealthily1 with a dagger hid beneath   

his robes1 and met her in the hall4 ,he 
conjured her again to yield to him1 but 
again she resisted1 and he stabbed her  
within the door on the very spot where  
the medium first perceived him4 ,her    
pure soul sought immediate consolation  
in the spirit spheres1 but his has been 
chained down ever since to the scene of 
his awful crime4 ,he dragged her body   
down the secret stairs 7which are still 
existent7 to the vaults beneath1 and hid
 it in the subterraneous passage4       
,after a few days he sought it again1   
and buried it4 ,he lived many years     
after1 and committed many other crimes1 
though none so foul as this4 ,it is his 
unhappy spirit that asks your prayers to
 help it to progress4 ,it is for this   
purpose that we were brought to this    
city1 that we might aid in releasing the
 miserable soul that cannot rest4  ,i   
asked1 ,by what name shall we pray for  
him8  ,pray for 'the distressed ,being4'
 ,call him by no other name4  ,what is  
your own name8  ,i prefer to be unknown4

 ,may ,god bless you all and keep you in
 the way of prayer and truth and from   
all evil courses1 and bring you to      
everlasting life4 ,amen4  ,the medium   
then walked up to the spot he had       
indicated as the scene of the murder1   
and knelt there for some minutes in     
prayer4  ,thus concluded the first      
seance at which the monk was introduced 
to us4 ,but the next day as ,i sat at   
the table with my sister only1 the name 
of ,hortense ,dupont was given us1 and  
the following conversation was rapped   
out4  ,who are you8  ,i am the nun4 ,i  
did love him4 ,i couldn't help it4 ,it  
is such a relief to think that he will  
be prayed for4  ,when did he murder you8
  ,in #adih4  ,what was his name8  ,i   
cannot tell you4  ,his age4             
,thirty-five6  ,and yours4              
,twenty-three4  ,are you coming to see  
us to-morrow8  ,i am not sure4  ,on that
 evening1 by ,joey's orders1 we         
assembled at seven4 ,mr4 ,eglinton did  
not feel the influence in the           

drawing-room that day1 but directly he  
entered the seance room1 he was         
possessed by the same spirit4 ,his      
actions were still more graphic than on 
the first occasion4 ,he watched from the
 window for the coming of his victim    
through the courtyard1 and then         
recommenced his crawling stealthy       
pursuit1 coming back each time from the 
locked door that barred his egress with 
such heart-rending moans that no one    
could have listened to him unmoved4 ,at 
last1 his agony was so great1 as he     
strove again and again1 like some dumb  
animal1 to pass through the walls that  
divided him from the spot he wished to  
visit1 whilst the perspiration streamed 
down the medium's face with the         
struggle1 that we attempted to make him 
speak to us4 ,we implored him in ,french
 to tell us his trouble1 and believe us 
to be his friends2 but he only pushed us
 away4 ,at last we were impressed to    
pray for him1 and kneeling down1 we     
repeated all the well-known ,catholic   

prayers4 ,as we commenced the ,de       
,profundis the medium fell prostrate on 
the earth1 and seemed to wrestle with   
his agony4 ,at the ,salve ,regina and   
,ave ,maria he lifted his eyes to heaven
 and clasped his hands1 and in the      
,pater ,noster he appeared to join4 ,but
 directly we ceased praying the evil    
passions returned1 and his face became  
distorted in the thirst for blood4 ,it  
was an experience that no one who had   
seen could ever forget4 ,at last my     
sister fetched a crucifix1 which we     
placed upon his breast4 ,it had not been
 there many seconds before a different  
expression came over his face4 ,he      
seized it in both hands1 straining it to
 his eyes1 lips1 and heart1 holding it  
from him at arm's length1 then          
passionately kissing it1 as we repeated 
the ,anima ,christi4 ,finally1 he held  
the crucifix out for each of us to kiss2
 a beautiful smile broke out on the     
medium's face1 and the spirit passed out
 of him4  ,mr4 ,eglinton awoke on that  

occasion terribly exhausted4 ,his face  
was as white as a sheet1 and he trembled
 violently4 ,his first words were3 ,they
 are doing something to my forehead4    
,burn a piece of paper1 and give me the 
ashes4 ,he rubbed them between his eyes1
 when the sign of the cross became      
distinctly visible1 drawn in deep red   
lines upon his forehead4 ,the controls  
then said1 exhausted as ,mr4 ,eglinton  
was1 we were to place him in the        
cabinet1 as their work was not yet done4
 ,he was accordingly led in trance to   
the arm-chair behind the curtain1 whilst
 we formed a circle in front of him4 ,in
 a few seconds the cabinet was          
illuminated1 and a cross of fire        
appeared outside of it4 ,this           
manifestation having been seen twice1   
the head and shoulders of a nun appeared
 floating outside the curtain4 ,her     
white coif and chin-piece were pinned   
just as the religieuses are in the habit
 of pinning them1 and she seemed very   
anxious to show herself1 coming close to

 each of us in turn1 and re-appearing   
several times4 ,her face was that of a  
young and pretty woman4 ,joey said1     
,that's the nun1 but you'll understand  
that this is only a preliminary trial1  
preparatory to a more perfect           
materialization4 ,i asked the apparition
 if she were the ,hortense ,dupont that 
had communicated through me1 and she    
nodded her head several times in        
acquiescence4 ,thus ended our second    
seance with the ,monk of ,bruges4  ,on  
the third day we were all sitting at    
supper in my sister's house at about ten
 o'clock at night1 when loud raps were  
heard about the room1 and on giving the 
alphabet1 ,joey desired us to go        
upstairs and sit1 and to have the door  
at the head of the staircase 7which we  
had hitherto locked for fear of         
accidents7 left open2 which we          
accordingly did4 ,as soon as we were    
seated at the table1 the medium became  
entranced1 and the same pantomime which 
,i have related was gone through4 ,he   

watched from the window that looked into
 the courtyard1 and silently groped his 
way round the room1 until he had crawled
 on his stomach up the stairs that led  
to the padded door4 ,when he found1     
however1 that the obstacle that had     
hitherto stood in his way was removed   
7by its being open7 he drew a long      
breath and started away for the winding 
turret staircase1 listening at the doors
 he passed to find out if he were       
overheard4 ,when he came to the stairs1 
in descending which we had been so      
afraid he might hurt himself1 he was    
carried down them in the most wonderful 
manner1 only placing his hand on the    
balustrades1 and swooping to the bottom 
in one flight4 ,we had placed a lamp in 
the hall1 so that as we followed him we 
could observe all his actions4 ,when he 
reached the bottom of the staircase he  
crawled on his stomach to the door of   
the drawing-room 7originally the chapel7
 and there waited and listened1 darting 
back into the shadow every time he      

fancied he heard a sound4 ,imagine our  
little party of four in that sombre old 
house1 the only ones waking at that time
 of night1 watching by the ghastly light
 of a turned-down lamp the acting of    
that terrible tragedy4 ,we held our     
breath as the murderer crouched by the  
chapel door1 opening it noiselessly to  
peep within1 and then1 retreating with  
his imaginary dagger in his hand1 ready 
to strike as soon as his victim         
appeared4 ,at last she seemed to come4  
,in an instant he had sprung to meet    
her1 stabbing her first in a            
half-stooping attitude1 and then1       
apparently1 finding her not dead1 he    
rose to his full height and stabbed her 
twice1 straight downwards4 ,for a moment
 he seemed paralyzed at what he had     
done1 starting back with both hands     
clasped to his forehead4 ,then he flung 
himself prostrate on the supposed body1 
kissing the ground frantically in all   
directions4 ,presently he woke to the   
fear of detection1 and raised the corpse

 suddenly in his arms4 ,he fell once    
beneath the supposed weight1 but        
staggering to his feet again1 seized and
 dragged it1 slipping on the stone floor
 as he went1 to the head of the         
staircase that led to the cellars below1
 where the mouth of one of the          
subterraneous passages was still to be  
seen4 ,the door at the head of this     
flight was modern1 and he could not undo
 the lock1 so1 prevented from dragging  
the body down the steps1 he cast himself
 again upon it1 kissing the stone floor 
of the hall and moaning4 ,at last he    
dragged himself on his knees to the spot
 of the murder1 and began to pray4 ,we  
knelt with him1 and as he heard our     
voices he turned on his knees towards us
 with outstretched hands4 ,i suggested  
that he wanted the crucifix again1 and  
went upstairs to fetch it1 when the     
medium followed me4 ,when ,i had found  
what ,i sought1 he seized it from me    
eagerly1 and carrying it to the window1 
whence he had so often watched1 fell    

down again upon his knees4 ,after       
praying for some time he tried to speak 
to us4 ,his lips moved and his tongue   
protruded1 but he was unable to         
articulate4 ,suddenly he seized each of 
our hands in turn in both of his own1   
and wrung them violently4 ,he tried to  
bless us1 but the words would not come4 
,the same beautiful smile we had seen   
the night before broke out over his     
countenance1 the crucifix dropped from  
his hands1 and he fell prostrate on the 
floor4 ,the next moment ,mr4 ,eglinton  
was asking us where he was and what on  
earth had happened to him1 as he felt so
 queer4 ,he declared himself fearfully  
exhausted1 but said he felt that a great
 calm and peace had come over him       
notwithstanding the weakness1 and he    
believed some great good had been       
accomplished4 ,he was not again         
entranced1 but ,joey ordered the light  
to be put out1 and spoke to us in the   
direct voice as follows3--  ,i've just  
come to tell you what ,i know you will  

be very glad to hear1 that through the  
medium's power1 and our power1 and the  
great power of ,god1 the unhappy spirit 
who has been confessing his crime to you
 is freed to-night from the heaviest    
part of his burden--the being           
earth-chained to the spot4 ,i don't mean
 to say that he will go away at once to 
the spheres1 because he's got a lot to  
do still to alter the conditions under  
which he labors1 but the worst is over4 
,this was the special work ,mr4         
,eglinton was brought to ,bruges to do1 
and ,ernest and ,i can truly say that1  
during the whole course of our control  
of him1 we have never had to put forth  
our own powers1 nor to ask so earnestly 
for the help of ,god1 as in the last    
three days4 ,you have all helped in a   
good work1--to free a poor soul from    
earth1 and to set him on the right road1
 and we are grateful to you and to the  
medium1 as well as he4 ,he will be able 
to progress rapidly now until he reaches
 his proper sphere1 and hereafter the   

spirits of himself and the woman he     
murdered will work together to undo for 
others the harm they brought upon       
themselves4 ,she is rejoicing in her    
high sphere at the work we have done for
 him1 and will be the first to help and 
welcome him upward4 ,there are many more
 earth-bound spirits in this house and  
the surrounding houses who are suffering
 as he was1 though not to the same      
extent1 nor for the same reason4 ,but   
they all ask for and need your help and 
your prayers1 and this is the greatest  
and noblest end of ,spiritualism--to aid
 poor1 unhappy spirits to free          
themselves from earth and progress      
upwards4 ,after a while when this spirit
 can control the medium with calmness1  
he will come himself and tell you1      
through him1 all his history and how he 
came to fall4 ,meanwhile1 we thank you  
very much for allowing us to draw so    
much strength from you and helping us   
with your sympathy1 and ,i hope you will
 believe me always to remain1 your      

loving friend1 ,joey4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,this    
account1 with very little alteration1   
was published in the ,spiritualist      
newspaper1 ,august #bith1 #ahgi1 when   
the seances had just occurred4 ,there is
 a sequel to the story1 however1 which  
is almost as remarkable as itself1 and  
which has not appeared in print till    
now4 ,from ,bruges on this occasion my  
husband and ,i went to ,brussels1 where 
we diverted ourselves by means very     
dissimilar to anything so grave as      
,spiritualism4 ,there were many sales   
going on in ,brussels at that moment1   
and one of our amusements was to make a 
tour of the salerooms and inspect the   
articles put up for competition4 ,during
 one of these visits ,i was much taken  
by a large oil pointing1 in a massive   
frame1 measuring some six or seven feet 
square4 ,it represented a man in the    
dress of a ,franciscan monk--i4e41 a    
brown serge robe1 knotted with cords    
about the waist--kneeling in prayer with

 outstretched hands upon a mass of      
burning embers4 ,it was labelled in the 
catalogue as the picture of a ,spanish  
monk of the order of ,saint ,francis    
,xavier1 and was evidently a painting of
 some value4 ,i was drawn to go and look
 at it several days in succession before
 the sale1 and ,i told my husband that  
,i coveted its possession4 ,he laughed  
at me and said it would fetch a great   
deal more money than we could afford to 
give for it1 in which opinion ,i        
acquiesced4 ,the day of the sale1       
however1 found us in our places to watch
 the proceedings1 and when the picture  
of the monk was put up ,i bid a small   
sum for it4 ,col4 ,lean looked at me in 
astonishment1 but ,i whispered to him   
that ,i was only in fun1 and ,i should  
stop at a hundred francs4 ,the bidding  
was very languid1 however1 and to my    
utter amazement1 the picture was knocked
 down to me for seventy-two francs4 ,i  
could hardly believe that it was true4  
,directly the sale was concluded1 the   

brokers crowded round me to ask what ,i 
would take for the painting1 and they   
told me they had not thought of bidding 
until it should have reached a few      
hundred francs4 ,but ,i told them ,i had
 got my bargain1 and ,i meant to stick  
by it4 ,when we returned next day to    
make arrangements for its being sent to 
us1 the auctioneer informed us that the 
frame alone in which it had been sent   
for sale had cost three hundred francs1 
so that ,i was well satisfied with my   
purchase4 ,this occurrence took place a 
short time before we returned to        
,england1 where we arrived long before  
the painting1 which1 with many others1  
was left to follow us by a cheaper and  
slower route4  ,the ,sunday after we    
reached home 7having seen no friends in 
the meanwhile71 we walked into ,steinway
 ,hall to hear ,mr4 ,fletcher's lecture4
 ,at its conclusion he passed as usual  
into a state of trance1 and described   
what he saw before him4 ,in the midst of
 mentioning people1 places1 and         

incidents unknown to us1 he suddenly    
exclaimed3 ,now ,i see a very strange   
thing1 totally unlike anything ,i have  
ever seen before1 and ,i hardly know how
 to describe it4 ,a man comes before    
me--a foreigner--and in a dress         
belonging to some monastic order1 a     
brown robe of coarse cloth or flannel1  
with a rope round his waist and beads   
hanging1 and bare feet and a shaved     
head4 ,he is dragging a picture on to   
the platform1 a very large painting in a
 frame1 and it looks to me like a       
portrait of himself1 kneeling on a      
carpet of burning wood4 ,no6 ,i am      
wrong4 ,the man tells me the picture is 
not a portrait of himself1 but of the   
founder of his ,order1 and it is in the 
possession of some people in this hall  
to-night4 ,the man tells me to tell     
these people that it was his spirit that
 influenced them to buy this painting at
 some place over the water1 and he did  
so in order that they might keep it in  
remembrance of what they have done for  

him4 ,and he desires that they shall    
hang that picture in some room where    
they may see it every day1 that they may
 never forget the help which spirits on 
this earth may render by their prayers  
to spirits that have passed away4 ,and  
he offers them through me his heartfelt 
thanks for the assistance given him1 and
 he says the day is not far off when he 
shall pray for himself and for them1    
that their kindness may return into     
their own bosoms4         99       99   
99       99       99  ,the oil painting 
reached ,england in safety some weeks   
afterwards1 and was hung over the       
mantel-piece in our dining-room1 where  
it remained1 a familiar object to all   
our personal acquaintances4             
,,chapter ,,xii4  ,,the ,,mediumship    
,,of ,,miss ,,showers4   ,some time     
before ,i had the pleasure of meeting   
,miss ,showers1 ,i heard1 through       
friends living in the west of ,england1 
of the mysterious and marvellous powers 
possessed by a young lady of their      

acquaintance1 who was followed by voices
 in the air1 which held conversations   
with her1 and the owners of which were  
said to have made themselves visible4 ,i
 listened with curiosity1 the more so1  
as my informants utterly disbelieved in 
,spiritualism1 and thought the phenomena
 were due to trickery4 ,at the same time
 ,i conceived a great desire to see the 
girl of sixteen1 who1 for no gain or    
apparent object of her own1 was so      
clever as to mystify everyone around    
her2 and when she and her mother came to
 ,london1 ,i was amongst the first to   
beg for an introduction1 and ,i shall   
never forget the experiences ,i had with
 her4 ,she was the first private medium 
through whom my personal friends        
returned to converse with me2 and no one
 but a ,spiritualist can appreciate the 
blessing of spiritual communications    
through a source that is above the      
breath of suspicion4 ,i have already    
written at length about ,miss ,showers  
in ,the story of ,john ,powles4 ,she was

 a child1 compared to myself1 whose life
 had hardly commenced when mine was     
virtually over1 and neither she1 nor any
 member of her family1 had ever had an  
opportunity of becoming acquainted with 
even the names of my former friends4    
,yet 7as ,i have related7 ,john ,powles 
made ,miss ,showers his especial        
mouthpiece1 and my daughter ,florence   
7then a little child7 also appeared     
through her1 though at long intervals1  
and rather timidly4 ,her own controls1  
however1 or cabinet spirits 7as they    
call them in ,america7--i4e41 such      
spirits as are always about the medium1 
and help the strangers to               
appear--,peter1 ,florence1 ,lenore1 and 
,sally1 were very familiar with me1 and 
afforded me such facilities of testing  
their medium as do not often fall to the
 lot of inquirers4 ,indeed1 at one time1
 they always requested that ,i should be
 present at their seances1 so that ,i   
considered myself to be highly favored4 
,and ,i may mention here that ,miss     

,showers and ,i were so much en rapport 
that her manifestations were always much
 stronger in my presence4 ,we could not 
sit next each other at an ordinary tea  
or supper table1 when we had no thought 
of1 or desire to hold a seance1 without 
manifestations occurring in the full    
light4 ,a hand1 that did not belong to  
either of us1 would make itself apparent
 under the table-cloth between us--a    
hand with power to grasp ours--or our   
feet would be squeezed or kicked beneath
 the table1 or fingers would suddenly   
appear1 and whisk the food off our      
plates4 ,some of their jests were       
inconvenient4 ,i have had the whole     
contents of a tumbler1 which ,i was     
raising to my lips1 emptied over my     
dress4 ,it was generally known that our 
powers were sympathetic1 and at last    
,peter gave me leave1 or1 rather1       
ordered me to sit in the cabinet with   
,rosie1 whilst the manifestations went  
on outside4 ,he used to say he didn't   
care for me any more than if ,i had been

 a spirit myself4 ,one evening ,peter   
called me into the cabinet 7which was   
simply a large box cupboard at one end  
of the dining-room7 before the seance   
began1 and told me to sit down at the   
medium's feet and be a good girl and    
keep quiet4 ,miss ,showers was in a low 
chair1 and ,i sat with my arms resting  
on her lap4 ,she did not become         
entranced1 and we talked the whole time 
together4 ,presently1 without any       
warning1 two figures stood beside us4 ,i
 could not have said where they came    
from4 ,i neither saw them rise from the 
floor nor descend from the ceiling4     
,there was no beginning to their        
appearance4 ,in a moment they were      
simply there--,peter and ,florence 7not 
my child1 but ,miss ,showers' control of
 the same names74  ,peter sent ,florence
 out to the audience1 where we heard her
 speaking to them and their remarks upon
 her 7there being only a thin curtain   
hung before the entrance of the         
cabinet71 but he stayed with us himself4

 ,we could not see him distinctly in the
 dim light1 but we could distinctly hear
 and feel him4 ,he changed our ornaments
 and ribbons1 and pulled the hair-pins  
out of our hair1 and made comments on   
what was going on outside4 ,after a     
while ,florence returned to get more    
power1 and both spirits spoke to and    
touched us at the same time4 ,during the
 whole of this seance my arms rested on 
,miss ,showers' lap1 and she was awake  
and talking to me about the spirits4    
,one evening1 at a sitting at ,mr4      
,luxmore's house in ,hyde ,park ,square1
 the spirit ,florence had been walking  
amongst the audience in the lighted     
front drawing-room for a considerable   
time--even sitting at the piano and     
accompanying herself whilst she sung us 
a song in what she called the planetary 
language4 ,she greatly resembled her    
medium on that occasion1 and several    
persons present remarked that she did   
so4 ,i suppose the inferred doubt       
annoyed her1 for before she finally left

 us she asked for a light1 and a small  
oil lamp was brought to her which she   
placed in my hand1 telling me to follow 
her and look at her medium1 which ,i    
accordingly did4 ,florence led the way  
into the back drawing-room1 where ,i    
found ,miss ,showers reposing in an     
arm-chair4 ,the first sight of her      
terrified me4 ,for the purpose of making
 any change in her dress as difficult as
 possible1 she wore a high1             
tight-fitting black velvet frock1       
fastened at the back1 and high ,hessian 
boots1 with innumerable buttons4 ,but   
she now appeared to be shrunk to half   
her usual size1 and the dress hung      
loosely on her figure4 ,her arms had    
disappeared1 but putting my hands up the
 dress sleeves1 ,i found them diminished
 to the size of those of a little       
child--the fingers reaching only to     
where the elbows had been4 ,the same    
miracle had happened to her feet1 which 
only occupied half her boots4 ,she      
looked in fact like the mummy of a girl 

of four or six years old4 ,the spirit   
told me to feel her face4 ,the forehead 
was dry1 rough1 and burning hot1 but    
from the chin water was dropping freely 
on to the bosom of her dress4 ,florence 
said to me1 ,i wanted you to see her1   
because ,i know you are brave enough to 
tell people what you have seen4  ,there 
was a marked difference in the          
personality of the two influences       
,florence and ,lenore1 although both at 
times resembled ,miss ,showers1 and     
sometimes more than others4 ,florence   
was taller than her medium1 and a very  
beautiful woman4 ,lenore was much       
shorter and smaller1 and not so pretty1 
but more vivacious and pert4 ,by the    
invitation of ,mrs4 ,macdougal ,gregory1
 ,i attended several seances with ,miss 
,showers at her residence in ,green     
,street1 when these spirits appeared4   
,lenore was fond of saying that she     
wouldn't or couldn't come out unless ,i 
held her hand1 or put my arm round her  
waist4 ,to tell the truth1 ,i didn't    

care for the distinction1 for this      
influence was very peculiar in some     
things1 and to me she always appeared   
uncanny1 and to leave an unpleasant     
feeling behind her4 ,she was seldom     
completely formed1 and would hold up a  
foot which felt like wet clay1 and had  
no toes to it1 or not the proper        
quantity4 ,on occasions1 too1 there was 
a charnel-house smell about her1 as if  
she had been buried a few weeks and dug 
up again1 an odor which ,i have never   
smelt from any materialized spirit      
before or after4 ,one evening at ,mrs4  
,gregory's1 when ,lenore had insisted   
upon walking round the circle supported 
by my arm1 ,i nearly fainted from the   
smell4 ,it resembled nothing but that of
 a putrid corpse1 and when she returned 
to the cabinet1 ,i was compelled to     
leave the room and retch from the nausea
 it had caused me4 ,it was on this      
occasion that the sitters called ,lenore
 so many times back into the circle1    
that all the power was gone1 and she was

 in danger of melting away before their 
eyes4 ,still they entreated her to      
remain with them a little longer4 ,at   
last she grew impatient1 and complained 
to me of their unreasonableness4 ,she   
was then raised from the floor--actually
 floating just outside the curtain--and 
she asked me to put my hands up her     
skirts and convince myself that she was 
half-dematerialized4 ,i did as she told 
me1 and felt that she had no legs1      
although she had been walking round the 
room a few minutes before4 ,i could feel
 nothing but the trunk of a body1 which 
was completely lifted off the ground4   
,her voice1 too1 had grown faint and her
 face indistinct1 and in another moment 
she had totally disappeared4  ,one      
evening at ,mrs4 ,gregory's1 after the  
seance was concluded1 ,florence looked  
round the curtain and called to me to   
come inside of it4 ,i did so and found  
myself in total darkness4 ,i said1      
,what's the good of my coming here8 ,i  
can't see anything4 ,florence took me by

 one hand1 and answered1 ,i will lead   
you6 ,don't be afraid4 ,then some one   
else grasped my other hand1 and ,peter's
 voice said1 ,we've got you safe4 ,we   
want you to feel the medium4 ,the two   
figures led me between them to the sofa 
on which ,miss ,showers was lying4 ,they
 passed my hand all over her head and   
body4 ,i felt1 as before1 her hands and 
feet shrunk to half their usual size1   
but her heart appeared to have become   
proportionately increased4 ,when my hand
 was placed upon it1 it was leaping up  
and down violently1 and felt like a     
rabbit or some other live animal        
bounding in her bosom4 ,her brain was   
burning as before1 but her extremities  
were icy cold4 ,there was no doubt at   
all of the abnormal condition into which
 the medium had been thrown1 in order to
 produce these strong physical          
manifestations which were borrowed1 for 
the time being1 from her life1 and could
 never 7so they informed me7 put the    
whole of what they borrowed back again4 

,this seems to account for the          
invariable deterioration of health and  
strength that follows physical          
manifestations in both sexes4 ,these    
were the grounds alone on which they    
explained to me the fact that1 on       
several occasions1 when the materialized
 spirit has been violently seized and   
held apart from the medium1 it has been 
found to have become1 or been changed   
into the medium1 and always with injury 
to the latter--as in the case of        
,florence ,cook being seized by ,mr4    
,volckman and ,sir ,george ,sitwell4    
,mr4 ,volckman concluded because when he
 seized the spirit ,katie ,king1 he     
found he was holding ,florence ,cook1   
that the latter must have impersonated  
the former2 yet ,i shall tell you in its
 proper place how ,i have sat in the    
same room with ,katie ,king1 whilst     
,miss ,cook lay in a trance between us4 
,the medium nearly lost her life on the 
occasion alluded to1 from the sudden    
disturbance of the mysterious link that 

bound her to the spirit4 ,i have had it 
from the lips of the ,countess of       
,caithness1 who was one of the sitters1 
and stayed with ,miss ,cook till she was
 better1 that she was in convulsions the
 whole night after1 and that it was some
 time before they believed she would    
recover4 ,if a medium could simulate a  
materialized spirit1 it is hardly likely
 that she would 7or could7 simulate     
convulsions with a medical man standing 
by her bedside4 ,you see1 said ,miss    
,showers' ,florence1 whilst pointing out
 to me the decreased size of her medium 
under trance1 that ',rosie' is half her 
usual size and weight4 ,i have borrowed 
the other half from her1 which1 combined
 with contributions from the sitters1   
goes to make up the body in which ,i    
shew myself to you4 ,if you seize and   
hold me tight1 you are holding her1     
i4e41 half of her1 and you increase the 
action of the vital half to such a      
degree that1 if the two halves did not  
reunite1 you would kill her4 ,you see   

that ,i can detach certain particles    
from her organism for my own use1 and   
when ,i dematerialize1 ,i restore these 
particles to her1 and she becomes once  
more her normal size4 ,you only hurry   
the reunion by violently detaining me1  
so as to injure her4 ,but you might     
drive her mad1 or kill her in the       
attempt1 because the particles of brain1
 or body1 might become injured by such a
 violent collision4 ,if you believe ,i  
can take them from her 7as you see ,i   
do7 in order to render my invisible body
 visible to you1 why can't you believe  
,i can make them fly together again on  
the approach of danger4 ,and granted the
 one power1 ,i see no difficulty in     
acknowledging the other4  ,one day ,mrs4
 ,showers invited me to assist at a     
seance to be given expressly for friends
 living at a distance4 ,when ,i reached 
the house1 however1 ,i found the friends
 were unable to be present1 and the     
meeting was adjourned4 ,mrs4 ,showers   
apologized for the alteration of plan1  

but ,i was glad of it4 ,i had often sat 
with ,rosie in company with others1 and 
,i wanted to sit with her quite alone1  
or rather to sit with her in a room     
quite alone1 and see what would         
spontaneously occur1 without any        
solicitation on our parts4 ,we          
accordingly annexed the drawing-room for
 our sole use--locked the door1         
extinguished the lights1 and sat down on
 a sofa side by side1 with our arms     
round each other4 ,the manifestations   
that followed were not all nice ones4   
,they formed an experience to be passed 
through once1 but not willingly         
repeated1 and ,i should not relate them 
here1 excepting that they afford so     
strong a proof that they were produced  
by a power outside and entirely distinct
 from our own--a power1 which having    
once called into action1 we had no means
 of repressing4 ,we had sat in the dark 
for some minutes1 without hearing or    
seeing anything1 when ,i thoughtlessly  
called out1 ,now1 ,peter1 do your worst1

 and extending my arms1 singing1 ,come6 
for my arms are empty4 ,in a moment a   
large1 heavy figure fell with such force
 into my outstretched arms as to bruise 
my shoulder--it seemed like a form made 
of wood or iron1 rather than flesh and  
blood--and the rough treatment that     
ensued for both of us is almost beyond  
description4 ,it seemed as if the room  
were filled with materialized creatures1
 who were determined to let us know they
 were not to be trifled with4 ,our faces
 and hands were slapped1 our hair pulled
 down1 and our clothes nearly torn off  
our backs4 ,my silk skirt being separate
 from the bodice was torn off at the    
waistband1 and the trimming ripped from 
it1 and ,miss ,showers' muslin dress was
 also much damaged4 ,we were both       
thoroughly frightened1 but no           
expostulations or entreaties had any    
effect with our tormentors4 ,at the same
 time we heard the sound as of a        
multitude of large birds or bats        
swooping about the room4 ,the fluttering

 of wings was incessant1 and we could   
hear them scrooping up and down the     
walls4 ,in the midst of the confusion1  
,rosie was whisked out of my arms 7for  
fright had made us cling tighter than   
ever together7 and planted on the top of
 a table at some distance from me1 at   
which she was so frightened she began to
 cry1 and ,i called out1 ,powles1 where 
are you8 ,can't you stop them8 ,my      
appeal was heard4 ,peter's voice        
exclaimed1 ,hullo6 here's ,powles       
coming6 and all the noise ceased4 ,we   
heard the advent of my friend1 and in   
another moment he was smoothing down the
 ruffled hair and arranging the         
disordered dresses and telling me to    
light the gas and not be frightened4 ,as
 soon as ,i could ,i obeyed his         
directions and found ,rosie sitting     
doubled up in the centre of the table1  
but the rest of the room and furniture  
in its usual condition4 ,peter and his  
noisy crowd had vanished--so had        
,powles1 and there was nothing but our  

torn skirts and untidy appearance to    
prove that we had not been having an    
unholy dream4 ,peter is not a wicked    
spirit--far from it--but he is a very   
earthly and frivolous one4 ,but when we 
consider that nine-tenths of the spirits
 freed from the flesh are both earthly  
and frivolous 7if not worse71 ,i know   
not what right we have to expect to     
receive back angels in their stead4  ,at
 one time when my sister ,blanche 7who  
was very sceptical as to the possibility
 of the occurrences ,i related having   
taken place before me7 was staying in my
 house at ,bayswater1 ,i asked ,miss    
,showers if she would give us a seance  
in my own home1 to which she kindly     
assented4 ,this was an unusual          
concession on her part1 because1 in     
consequence of several accidents and    
scandals that had occurred from media   
being forcibly detained 7as ,i have just
 alluded to71 her mother was naturally  
averse to her sitting anywhere but in   
their own circle4 ,however1 on my       

promising to invite no strangers1 ,mrs4 
,showers herself brought her daughter to
 my house4 ,we had made no preparation  
for the seance except by opening part of
 the folding doors between the          
dining-room and study1 and hanging a    
curtain over the aperture4 ,but ,i had  
carefully locked the door of the study1 
so that there should be no egress from  
it excepting through the dining-room1   
and had placed against the locked door a
 heavy writing-table laden with books   
and ornaments to make assurance doubly  
sure4 ,we sat first in the drawing-room 
above1 where there was a piano4 ,the    
lights were extinguished1 and ,miss     
,showers sat down to the instrument and 
played the accompaniment to a very      
simple melody1 ,under the willow she's  
sleeping4 ,four voices1 sometimes alone 
and sometimes all together1 accompanied 
her own4 ,one was a baritone1 supposed  
to proceed from ,peter1 the second1 a   
soprano1 from ,lenore4 ,the third was a 
rumbling bass1 from an influence who    

called himself ,the ,vicar of ,croydon1 
and sung in a fat1 unctuous1 and        
conceited voice2 and the fourth was a   
cracked and quavering treble1 from      
another spirit called ,the ,abbess4     
,these were the voices1 ,mrs4 ,showers  
told me1 that first followed her        
daughter about the house in ,devonshire1
 and gained her such an unenviable      
notoriety there4 ,the four voices were  
perfectly distinct from one another1 and
 sometimes blended most ludicrously and 
tripped each other up in a way which    
made the song a medley--upon which each 
one would declare it was the fault of   
the other4 ,the ,vicar of ,croydon      
always required a great deal of         
solicitation before he could be induced 
to exhibit his powers1 but having once  
commenced1 it was difficult to make him 
leave off again1 whereas ,the ,abbess   
was always complaining that they would  
not allow her to sing the solos4 ,an    
infant's voice also sung some baby songs
 in a sweet childish treble1 but she was

 also very shy and seldom was heard1 in 
comparison with the rest4 ,all          
ventriloquism6 ,i hear some reader cry4 
,if so1 ,miss ,showers ought to have    
made a fortune in exhibiting her talent 
in public4 ,i have heard the best       
ventriloquists in the world1 but ,i     
never heard one who could produce four  
voices at the same time4  ,after the    
musical portion of the seance was over1 
we descended to the dining-room1 where  
the gas was burning1 and the medium     
passed through it to the secured study1 
where a mattress was laid upon the floor
 for her accommodation4 ,florence was   
the first to appear1 tall and beautiful 
in appearance1 and with upraised eyes   
like a nun4 ,she measured her height    
against the wall with me1 and we found  
she was the taller of the two by a      
couple of inches1--my height being five 
feet six1 the medium's five feet1 and   
the spirit's five feet eight1 an        
abnormal height for a woman4 ,lenore    
came next1 very short indeed1 looking   

like a child of four or six1 but she    
grew before our eyes1 until her head was
 on a level with mine4 ,she begged us   
all to observe that she had not got on  
,rosie's petticoat body4 ,she said she  
had borrowed it on one occasion1 and    
,mrs4 ,showers had recognized it1 and   
slipped upstairs in the middle of the   
seance and found it missing from her    
daughter's chest of drawers1 and that   
she had been so angry in consequence    
7fearing ,rosie's honor might be        
impeached7 that she said if ,lenore did 
not promise never to do so again1 she   
should not be allowed to assist at the  
seances at all4 ,so ,miss ,lenore1 in   
rather a pert and defiant mood1 begged  
,mrs4 ,showers to see that what she wore
 was her own property1 and not that of  
the medium4 ,she was succeeded on that  
occasion by a strange being1 totally    
different from the other two1 who called
 herself ,sally1 and said she had been a
 cook4 ,she was one of those            
extraordinary influences for whose      

return to earth one can hardly account2 
quick1 and clever1 and amusing as she   
could be1 but with an unrefined wit and 
manner1 and to all appearance1 more     
earthly-minded than ourselves4 ,but do  
we not often ask the same question with 
respect to those still existent here    
below8 ,what were they born for8 ,what  
good do they do8 ,why were they ever    
permitted to come8 ,god1 without whose  
permission nothing happens1 alone can   
answer it4  ,we had often to tease      
,peter to materialize and show himself1 
but he invariably refused1 or postponed 
the work to another occasion4 ,his      
excuse was that the medium being so     
small1 he could not obtain sufficient   
power from her to make himself appear as
 a big man1 and he didn't like to come1 
looking like a girl in a billycock hat4 
,i came once to ,mrs4 ,showers1 he said1
 and she declared ,i was ',rosie'       
dressed up1 and so ,i have resolved     
never to show myself again4 ,at the     
close of that seance1 however1 ,peter   

asked me to go into the study and see   
him wake the medium4 ,when ,i entered it
 and made my way up to the mattress1 ,i 
found ,miss ,showers extended on it in a
 deep sleep1 whilst ,peter1             
materialized1 sat at her feet4 ,he made 
me sit down next to him and take his    
hand and feel his features with my own  
hand4 ,then he proceeded to rouse ,rosie
 by shaking her and calling her by name1
 holding me by one hand1 as he did so4  
,as ,miss ,showers yawned and woke up   
from her trance1 the hand slipped from  
mine1 and ,peter evaporated4 ,when she  
sat up ,i said to her gently1 ,i am     
here6 ,peter brought me in and was      
sitting on the mattress by my side till 
just this moment4 ,ha1 ha6 laughed his  
voice close to my ear1 and ,i'm here    
still1 my dears1 though you can't see   
me4  ,who can account for such things8  
,i have witnessed them over and over    
again1 yet ,i am unable1 even to this   
day1 to do more than believe and wonder4
     ,,chapter ,,xiii4  ,,the           

,,mediumship ,,of ,,william ,,eglinton4 
,in the stones ,i have related of ,emily
 and ,the ,monk ,i have alluded freely  
to the wonderful powers exhibited by    
,william ,eglinton1 but the marvels     
there spoken of were by no means the    
only ones ,i have witnessed through his 
mediumship4 ,at the seance which        
produced the apparition of my sister    
,emily1 ,mr4 ,eglinton's control ,joey  
made himself very familiar4 ,joey is a  
remarkably small man--perhaps two-thirds
 lighter in weight than the medium--and 
looks more like a little jockey than    
anything else1 though he says he was a  
clown whilst in this world1 and claims  
to be the spirit of the immortal ,joe   
,grimaldi4 ,he has always appeared to us
 clothed in a tight-fitting white dress 
like a woven jersey suit1 which makes   
him look still smaller than he is4 ,he  
usually keeps up a continuous chatter1  
whether visible or invisible1 and is one
 of the cleverest and kindest controls  
,i know4 ,he is also very devotional1   

for which the public will perhaps give  
him as little credit now as they did    
whilst he was on earth4 ,on the first   
occasion of our meeting in the ,russell 
,street ,rooms he did not show himself  
until quite the last1 but he talked     
incessantly of and for the other spirits
 that appeared4 ,my sister was1 as ,i   
have said1 the first to show            
herself--then came an extraordinary     
apparition4 ,on the floor1 about three  
feet from the cabinet1 appeared a       
head--only the head and throat of a dark
 man1 with black beard and moustaches1  
surmounted by the white turban usually  
worn by natives4 ,it did not speak1 but 
the eyes rolled and the lips moved1 as  
if it tried to articulate1 but without  
success4 ,joey said the spirit came for 
,colonel ,lean1 and was that of a       
foreigner who had been decapitated4     
,colonel ,lean could not recognize the  
features2 but1 strange to say1 he had   
been present at the beheading of two    
natives in ,japan who had been found    

guilty of murdering some ,english       
officers1 and we concluded from ,joey's 
description that this must be the head  
of one of them4 ,i knelt down on the    
floor and put my face on a level with   
that of the spirit1 that ,i might assure
 myself there was no body attached to it
 and concealed by the curtain of the    
cabinet1 and ,i can affirm that it was a
 head only1 resting on the neck--that   
its eyes moved and its features worked1 
but that there was nothing further on   
the floor4 ,i questioned it1 and it     
evidently tried hard to speak in return4
 ,the mouth opened and the tongue was   
thrust out1 and made a sort of dumb     
sound1 but was unable to form any words1
 and after a while the head sunk through
 the floor and disappeared4 ,if this was
 not one of the pleasantest apparitions 
,i have seen1 it was one of the most    
remarkable4 ,there was no possibility of
 trickery or deception4 ,the decapitated
 head rested in full sight of the       
audience1 and had all the peculiarities 

of the native appearance and expression4
 ,after this the figures of two or three
 ,englishmen came1 friends of others of 
the audience--then ,joey said he would  
teach us how to make muslin4 ,he walked 
right outside the cabinet1 a quaint     
little figure1 not much bigger than a   
boy of twelve or thirteen1 with a young1
 old face1 and dressed in the white suit
 ,i have described4 ,he sat down by me  
and commenced to toss his hands in the  
air1 as though he were juggling with    
balls1 saying the while1 ,this is the   
way we make ladies' dresses4 ,as he did 
so1 a small quantity of muslin appeared 
in his hands1 which he kept on moving in
 the same manner1 whilst the flimsy     
fabric increased and increased before   
our eyes1 until it rose in billows of   
muslin above ,joey's head and fell over 
his body to his feet1 and enveloped him 
until he was completely hidden from     
view4 ,he kept on chattering till the   
last moment from under the heap of snowy
 muslin1 telling us to be sure and      

remember how he made ladies'            
dresses--when1 all of a sudden1 in the  
twinkling of an eye1 the heap of muslin 
rose into the air1 and before us stood  
the tall figure of ,abdullah1 ,mr4      
,eglinton's ,eastern guide4 ,there had  
been no darkness1 no pause to effect    
this change4 ,the muslin had remained on
 the spot where it was fabricated until 
,joey evaporated1 and ,abdullah rose up 
from beneath it4 ,now ,abdullah is not a
 spirit to be concealed easily4 ,he is  
six foot two--a great height for a      
native--and his high turban adds to his 
stature4 ,he is a very handsome man1    
with an aquiline nose and bright black  
eyes--a ,persian1 ,i believe1 by birth1 
and naturally dark in complexion4 ,he   
does not speak ,english1 but salaams    
continually1 and will approach the      
sitters when requested1 and let them    
examine the jewels1 of which he wears a 
large quantity in his turban and ears   
and round his throat1 or to show them   
and let them feel that he has lost one  

arm1 the stump being plainly discernible
 through his thin clothing4 ,abdullah   
possesses all the characteristics of the
 ,eastern nation1 which are unmistakable
 to one who1 like myself1 has been      
familiar with them in the flesh4 ,his   
features are without doubt those of a   
,persian2 so is his complexion4 ,his    
figure is long and lithe and supple1 as 
that of a cat1 and he can bend to the   
ground and rise again with the utmost   
ease and grace4 ,anybody who could      
pretend for a moment to suppose that    
,mr4 ,eglinton by making up could       
personate ,abdullah must be a fool4 ,it 
would be an impossibility1 even were he 
given unlimited time and assistance1 to 
dress for the character4 ,there is a    
peculiar boneless elasticity in the     
movements of a native which those who   
have lived in the ,east know that no    
,englishmen can imitate successfully4   
,abdullah's hand and feet also possess  
all the characteristics of his          
nationality1 being narrow1 long and     

nerveless1 although ,i have heard that  
he can give rather too good a grip with 
his one hand when he chooses to exert   
his power or to show his dislike to any 
particular sitter4 ,he has always1      
however1 shown the utmost urbanity      
towards us1 but he is not a particularly
 friendly or familiar spirit4 ,when     
,abdullah had retired on this occasion1 
,joey drew back the curtain that shaded 
the cabinet1 and showed us his medium   
and himself4 ,there sat ,mr4 ,eglinton  
attired in evening dress1 with the front
 of his shirt as smooth and spotless as 
when it left the laundress' hands1 lying
 back in his chair in a deep sleep1     
whilst little ,joey sat astride his     
knee1 his white suit contrasting        
strangely with his medium's black       
trousers4 ,whilst in this position he   
kissed ,mr4 ,eglinton several times1    
telling him to wake up1 and not look so 
sulky2 then1 having asked if we all saw 
him distinctly1 and were satisfied he   
was not the medium1 he bade ,god bless  

us1 and the curtains closed once more   
upon this incomprehensible scene4 ,mr4  
,eglinton subsequently became an        
intimate friend of ours1 and we often   
had the pleasure of sitting with him1   
but we never saw anything more wonderful
 7to my mind7 than we did on our first  
acquaintance4 ,when he accompanied us to
 ,bruges 7as told in the history of the 
,monk71 ,joey took great trouble to     
prove to us incontrovertibly that he is 
not an emanation1 or double1 of his     
medium1 but a creature completely       
separate and wholly distinct4 ,my       
sister's house being built on a very    
old-fashioned principle1 had all the    
bedrooms communicating with each other4 
,the entresol in which we usually       
assembled formed the connecting link to 
a series of six chambers1 all of which  
opened into each other1 and the entrance
 to the first and last of which was from
 the entresol4  ,we put ,mr4 ,eglinton  
into ,no4 #a1 locking the connecting    
door with ,no4 #b1 so that he had no    

exit except into our circle as we sat   
round the curtain1 behind which we      
placed his chair4 ,joey having shown    
himself outside the curtain1 informed us
 he was going through the locked door at
 the back into our bedrooms1 ,nos4 #b1  
#c and #d1 and would bring us something 
from each room4  ,accordingly1 in       
another minute we heard his voice in    
,no4 #b1 commenting on all he saw there2
 then he passed into ,no4 #c1 and so on1
 making a tour of the rooms1 until he   
appeared at the communicating door of   
,no4 #e1 and threw an article taken from
 each room into the entresol4 ,he then  
told us to lift the curtain and inspect 
the medium1 which we did1 finding him   
fast asleep in his chair1 with the door 
behind him locked4 ,joey then returned  
by the way he had gone1 and presented   
himself once more outside the cabinet1  
the key of the locked door being all the
 time in our possession4  ,ernest is    
another well-known control of ,mr4      
,eglinton's1 though he seldom appears1  

except to give some marvellous test or  
advice4 ,he is a very earnest1          
deep-feeling spirit1 like his name1 and 
his symbol is a cross of light2         
sometimes large and sometimes small1 but
 always bright and luminous4 ,ernest    
seldom shows his whole body4 ,it is     
generally only his face that is apparent
 in the midst of the circle1 a more     
convincing manifestation for the sceptic
 or inquirer than any number of bodies  
which are generally attributed to the   
chicanery of the medium4 ,ernest always 
speaks in the direct voice in a gentle1 
bass tone1 entirely distinct from       
,joey's treble1 and his appearance is   
usually indicative of a harmonious and  
successful meeting4 ,daisy1 a ,north    
,american ,indian girl1 is another      
control of ,william ,eglinton's1 but ,i 
have only heard her speak in trance4 ,i 
do not know which of these spirits it is
 who conducts the manifestations of     
writing on the arm1 with which ,mr4     
,eglinton is very successful2 sometimes 

it seems to be one1 and sometimes the   
other4 ,as he was sitting with our      
family at supper one evening1 ,i        
mentally asked ,joey to write something 
on some part of his body where his hand 
could not reach4 ,this was in order to  
prove that the writing had not been     
prepared by chemical means beforehand1  
as some people are apt to assert4 ,in a 
short time ,mr4 ,eglinton was observed  
to stop eating1 and grow very fidgety   
and look uncomfortable1 and on being    
questioned as to the cause1 he blushed  
and stammered1 and could give no answer4
 ,after a while he rose from table1 and 
asked leave to retire to his room4 ,the 
next morning he told us that he had been
 so uneasy at supper1 it had become     
impossible for him to sit it out2 that  
on reaching his room he had found that  
his back1 which irritated him as though 
covered with a rash1 had a sentence     
written across it1 of which he could    
only make out a few words by looking at 
it backwards in a glass2 and as there   

were only ladies in the house beside    
himself1 he could not call in an        
interpreter to his assistance4 ,one day1
 without consulting him1 ,i placed a    
small card and a tiny piece of black    
lead between the leaves of a volume of  
the ,leisure ,hour1 and asked him to    
hold the book with me on the dining     
table4 ,i never let the book out of my  
hand1 and it was so thick that ,i had   
difficulty afterwards in finding my card
 7from the corner of which ,i had torn a
 piece7 again4 ,mr4 ,eglinton sat with  
me in the daylight with the family      
about1 and all he did was to place his  
hand on mine1 which rested on the book4 
,the perspiration ran down his face     
whilst he did so1 but there was no other
 sign of power1 and1 honestly1 ,i did   
not expect to find any writing on my    
card4 ,when ,i had shaken it out of the 
leaves of the book1 however1 ,i found a 
letter closely written on it from my    
daughter ,florence to this effect3--    
,dear ,mama1--,i am so glad to be able  

to communicate with you again1      and 
to demonstrate by actual fact that ,i am
 really present4 ,of      course1 you   
quite understand that ,i do not write   
this myself4      ',charlie' is present 
with me1 and so are many more1 and we   
all      unite in sending you our love4 
,your daughter1 ,florence4  ,mr4        
,eglinton's mediumship embraces various 
phases of phenomena1 as may be gathered 
from his own relations of them1 and the 
testimony of his friends4 ,a narrative  
of his spiritual work1 under the title  
of ',twixt two ,worlds1 has been written
 and published by ,mr4 ,john ,t4        
,farmer1 and contains some exhaustive   
descriptions of1 and testimonies to1 his
 undoubtedly wonderful gifts4 ,in it    
appear several accounts written by      
myself1 and which1 for the benefit of   
such of my readers as have not seen the 
book in question1 ,i will repeat here4  
,the first is that of the ,monk1 given  
in extenso1 as ,i have given it in the  
eleventh chapter of this book4 ,the     

second is of a seance held on the #eth  
,september1 #ahhd4 ,the circle consisted
 of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,stewart1 ,colonel   
and ,mrs4 ,wynch1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4        
,russell-,davies1 ,mr4 ,morgan1 and     
,colonel ,lean and myself1 and was held 
in ,mr4 ,eglinton's private chambers in 
,quebec ,street4 ,we sat in the front   
drawing-room1 with one gas-burner       
alight1 and the door having been        
properly secured1 ,mr4 ,eglinton went   
into the back room1 which was divided by
 curtains from the front4 ,he had not   
left us a couple of minutes before a man
 stepped out through the portiere1 and  
walked right into the midst of us4 ,he  
was a large1 stout man1 and very dark1  
and most of the sitters remarked that he
 had a very peculiar smell4 ,no one     
recognized him1 and after appearing two 
or three times he left1 and was         
immediately succeeded by a woman1 very  
much like him1 who also had to leave us 
without any recognition4 ,these two     
spirits1 before taking a final leave1   

came out together1 and seemed to examine
 the circle curiously4 ,after a short   
interval a much smaller and slighter man
 came forward1 and darted in a peculiar 
slouching attitude round the circle4    
,colonel ,lean asked him to shake hands4
 ,he replied by seizing his hand1 and   
nearly dragging him off his seat4 ,he   
then darted across the room1 and gave a 
similar proof of his muscular power to  
,mr4 ,stewart4 ,but when ,i asked him to
 notice me1 he took my hand and squeezed
 it firmly between his own4 ,he had     
scarcely disappeared before ,abdullah1  
with his one arm and his six feet two of
 height1 stood before us1 and salaamed  
all round4 ,then came my daughter       
,florence1 a girl of nineteen by that   
time1 very slight and feminine in       
appearance4 ,she advanced two or three  
times1 near enough to touch me with her 
hand1 but seemed fearful to approach    
nearer4 ,but the next moment she        
returned1 dragging ,mr4 ,eglinton after 
her4 ,he was in deep trance1 breathing  

with difficulty1 but ,florence held him 
by the hand and brought him up to my    
side1 when he detached my hands from    
those of the sitters either side of me1 
and making me stand up1 he placed my    
daughter in my arms4 ,as she stood      
folded in my embrace1 she whispered a   
few words to me relative to a subject   
known to no one but myself1 and she     
placed my hand upon her heart1 that ,i  
might feel she was a living woman4      
,colonel ,lean asked her to go to him4  
,she tried and failed1 but having       
retreated behind the curtain to gather  
strength1 she appeared the second time  
with ,mr4 ,eglinton1 and calling        
,colonel ,lean to her1 embraced him4    
,this is one of the most perfect        
instances on record of a spirit form    
being seen distinctly by ten witnesses  
with the medium under gas4 ,the next    
materialization that appeared was for   
,mr4 ,stewart4 ,this gentleman was newly
 arrived from ,australia1 and a stranger
 to ,mr4 ,eglinton4 ,as soon as he saw  

the female form1 who beckoned him to the
 portiere to speak to her1 he exclaimed1
 ,my ,god6 ,pauline1 with such genuine  
surprise and conviction as were         
unmistakable4 ,the spirit then whispered
 to him1 and putting her arms round his 
neck1 affectionately kissed him4 ,he    
turned after a while1 and addressing his
 wife1 told her that the spirit bore the
 very form and features of their niece  
,pauline1 whom they had lost the year   
before4 ,mr4 ,stewart expressed himself 
entirely satisfied with the identity of 
his niece1 and said she looked just as  
she had done before she was taken ill4  
,i must not omit to say that the medium 
also appeared with this figure1 making  
the third time of showing himself in one
 evening with the spirit form4  ,the    
next apparition1 being the seventh that 
appeared1 was that of a little child    
apparently about two years old1 who     
supported itself in walking by holding  
on to a chair4 ,i stooped down1 and     
tried to talk to this baby1 but it only 

cried in a fretful manner1 as though    
frightened at finding itself with       
strangers1 and turned away4 ,the        
attention of the circle was diverted    
from this sight by seeing ,abdullah dart
 between the curtains1 and stand with   
the child in our view1 whilst ,mr4      
,eglinton appeared at the same moment   
between the two forms1 making a tria    
juncta in uno4  ,thus ended the seance4 
,the second one of which ,i wrote took  
place on the #bgth of the same month1   
and under very similar circumstances4   
,the circle this time consisted of ,mrs4
 ,wheeler1 ,mr4 ,woods1 ,mr4 ,gordon1   
,the ,honorable ,gordon ,sandeman1 my   
daughter ,eva1 my son ,frank1 ,colonel  
,lean1 and myself4 ,mr4 ,eglinton       
appeared on this occasion to find some  
difficulty in passing under control1 and
 he came out so frequently into the     
circle to gather power1 that ,i guessed 
we were going to have uncommonly good   
manifestations4 ,the voice of ,joey1    
too1 begged us under no circumstances   

whatever1 to lose hands1 as they were   
going to try something very difficult1  
and we might defeat their efforts at the
 very moment of victory4 ,when the      
medium was at last under control in the 
back drawing room1 a tall man1 with an  
uncovered head of dark hair1 and a large
 beard1 appeared and walked up to a lady
 in the company4 ,she was very much     
affected by the recognition of the      
spirit1 which she affirmed to be that of
 her brother4 ,she called him by name   
and kissed him1 and informed us1 that he
 was just as he had been in earth life4 
,her emotion was so great1 we thought   
she would have fainted1 but after a     
while she became calm again4 ,we next   
heard the notes of a clarionet4 ,i had  
been told that ,mr4 ,woods 7a stranger  
just arrived from the ,antipodes7 had   
lost a brother under peculiarly         
distressing circumstances1 and that he  
hoped 7though hardly expected7 to see   
his brother that evening4 ,it was the   
first time ,i had ever seen ,mr4 ,woods2

 yet so remarkable was the likeness     
between the brothers1 that when a spirit
 appeared with a clarionet in his hand1 
,i could not help knowing who it was1   
and exclaimed1 ,oh1 ,mr4 ,woods1 there  
is your brother6 ,the figure walked up  
to ,mr4 ,woods and grasped his hand4 ,as
 they appeared thus with their faces    
turned to one another1 they were        
strikingly alike both in feature and    
expression4 ,this spirit's head was also
 bare1 an unusual occurrence1 and       
covered with thick1 crisp hair4 ,he     
appeared twice1 and said distinctly1    
,god bless you6 each time to his        
brother4 ,mrs4 ,wheeler1 who had known  
the spirit in earth life1 was startled  
by the tone of the voice1 which she     
recognized at once2 and ,mr4 ,morgan1   
who had been an intimate friend of his  
in ,australia1 confirmed the            
recognition4 ,we asked ,mr4 ,woods the  
meaning of the clarionet1 which was a   
black one1 handsomely inlaid with       
silver4 ,he told us his brother had been

 an excellent musician1 and had won a   
similar instrument as a prize at some   
musical competition4 ,but1 he added     
wonderingly1 his clarionet is locked up 
in my house in ,australia4 ,my daughter 
,florence came out next1 but only a     
little way1 at which ,i was             
disappointed1 but ,joey said they were  
reserving the strength for a            
manifestation further on4 ,he then said1
 ,here comes a friend for ,mr4          
,sandeman1 and a man1 wearing the       
masonic badge and scarf1 appeared1 and  
made the tour of the circle1 giving the 
masonic grip to those of the craft      
present4 ,he was a good looking young   
man1 and said he had met some of those  
present in ,australia1 but no one seemed
 to recognize him4 ,he was succeeded by 
a male figure1 who had materialized on  
the previous occasion4 ,as he passed    
through the curtain1 a female figure    
appeared beside him1 bearing a very     
bright light1 as though to show him the 
way4 ,she did not come beyond the       

portiere1 but every one in the room saw 
her distinctly4 ,on account of the dress
 and complexion of the male figure1 we  
had wrongly christened him ,the         
,bedouin2 but my son1 ,frank ,marryat1  
who is a sailor1 now found out he was an
 ,east ,indian by addressing him in     
,hindustani1 to which he responded in a 
low voice4 ,some one asked him to take a
 seat amongst us1 upon which he seized a
 heavy chair in one hand and flourished 
it above his head4 ,he then squatted1   
native fashion1 on his haunches on the  
floor and left us1 as before1 by        
vanishing suddenly4  ,joey now announced
 that they were going to try the        
experiment of showing us how the spirits
 were made from the medium4 ,this was   
the crowning triumph of the evening4    
,mr4 ,eglinton appeared in the very     
midst of us in trance4 ,he entered the  
room backwards1 and as if fighting with 
the power that pushed him in1 his eyes  
were shut1 and his breath was drawn with
 difficulty4 ,as he stood thus1 holding 

on to a chair for support1 an airy mass 
like a cloud of tobacco smoke was seen  
on his left hip1 his legs became        
illuminated by lights travelling up and 
down them1 and a white film settled     
about his head and shoulders4 ,the mass 
increased1 and he breathed harder and   
harder1 whilst invisible hands pulled   
the filmy drapery out of his hip in long
 strips1 that amalgamated as soon as    
formed1 and fell to the ground to be    
succeeded by others4 ,the cloud         
continued to grow thicker1 and we were  
eagerly watching the process1 when1 in  
the twinkling of an eye1 the mass had   
evaporated1 and a spirit1 full formed1  
stood beside him4 ,no one could say how 
it had been raised in the very midst of 
us1 nor whence it came1 but it was      
there4 ,mr4 ,eglinton then retired with 
the new-born spirit behind the curtains1
 but in another moment he came 7or he   
was thrown out7 amongst us again1 and   
fell upon the floor4 ,the curtains      
opened again1 and the full figure of    

,ernest appeared and raised the medium  
by the hand4 ,as he saw him1 ,mr4       
,eglinton fell on his knees1 and ,ernest
 drew him out of sight4 ,thus ended the 
second of these two wonderful seances4  
,thus published reports of them were    
signed with the full names and addresses
 of those who witnessed them4  ,william 
,eglinton's powers embrace various      
phases of phenomena1 amongst which      
levitation is a common occurrence2      
indeed1 ,i do not think ,i have ever sat
 with him at a seance during which he   
has not been levitated4 ,i have seen him
 on several occasions rise1 or be       
carried1 into the air1 so that his head 
touched the ceiling1 and his feet were  
above the sitters' heads4 ,on one       
occasion whilst sitting with him a      
perfectly new manifestation was         
developed4 ,as each spirit came the name
 was announced1 written on the air in   
letters of fire1 which moved round the  
circle in front of the sitters4 ,as the 
names were those of friends of the      

audience and not of friends of ,mr4     
,eglinton1 and the phenomenon ended with
 a letter written to me in the same     
manner on private affairs1 it could not 
be attributed to a previously arranged  
trick4 ,i have accompanied ,mr4         
,eglinton1 in the capacity of           
interpreter1 to a professional seance in
 ,paris consisting of some forty        
persons1 not one of whom could speak a  
word of ,english whilst he was equally  
ignorant of foreign languages4 ,and ,i  
have heard ,french and ,german spirits  
return through him to converse with     
their friends1 who were radiant with joy
 at communicating with them again1      
whilst their medium could not 7had he   
been conscious7 have understood or      
pronounced a single word of all the news
 he was so glibly repeating4 ,i will    
conclude this testimony to his powers by
 the account of a sitting with him for  
slate writing--that much abused and most
 maligned manifestation4 ,because a few 
ignorant pig-headed people who have     

never properly investigated the science 
of ,spiritualism decide that a thing    
cannot be1 because it can't1 men of     
honor and truth are voted charlatans and
 tricksters1 and those who believe in   
them fools and blind4 ,the day will dawn
 yet when it will be seen which of the  
two classes best deserve the name4      
,some years ago1 when ,i first became   
connected in business with ,mr4 ,edgar  
,lee of the ,st4 ,stephen's ,review1 ,i 
found him much interested in the subject
 of ,spiritualism1 though he had never  
had an opportunity of investigating it1 
and through my introduction ,i procured 
him a test seance with ,william         
,eglinton4 ,we met one afternoon at the 
medium's house in ,nottingham ,place for
 that purpose1 and sat at an ordinary   
table in the back dining-room for       
slate-writing4 ,the slate used on the   
occasion 7as ,mr4 ,lee had neglected to 
bring his own slate as requested7 was   
one which was presented to ,mr4         
,eglinton by ,mr4 ,gladstone4 ,it       

consisted of two slates of medium size1 
set in mahogany frames1 with box hinges1
 and which1 when shut1 were fastened    
with a ,bramah lock and key4 ,on the    
table cloth was a collection of tiny    
pieces of different colored chalk4 ,in  
the front room1 which was divided from  
us by folding doors1 were some          
bookcases4 ,mr4 ,eglinton commenced by  
asking ,mr4 ,lee to go into the front   
room by himself1 and select1 in his     
mind's eye1 any book he chose as the one
 from which extracts should be given4   
,mr4 ,lee having done as he was told1   
returned to his former place beside us1 
without giving a hint as to which book  
he had selected4 ,mr4 ,gladstone's slate
 was then delivered over to him to clean
 with sponge and water2 that done1 he   
was directed to choose four pieces of   
chalk and place them between the slates1
 to lock them and retain the key4 ,the  
slates were left on the table in the    
sight of all2 ,mr4 ,lee's hand remained 
on them all the time4 ,all that ,mr4    

,eglinton did was to place his hand     
above ,mr4 ,lee's4  ,you chose1 ,i      
think1 he commenced1 four morsels of    
chalk--white1 blue1 yellow and red4     
,please say which word1 on which line1  
on which page of the book you selected  
just now1 the white chalk shall         
transcribe4  ,mr4 ,lee answered 7,i     
forget the exact numbers7 somewhat in   
this wise1 ,the #crd word on the #aeth  
line of the #ajbnd page1 he having1 it  
must be remembered1 no knowledge of the 
contents of the volume1 which he had not
 even touched with his hand4            
,immediately he had spoken1 a scratching
 noise was heard between the two slates4
 ,when it ceased1 ,mr4 ,eglinton put the
 same question with regard to the blue1 
yellow and red chalks1 which was        
similarly responded to4 ,he then asked  
,mr4 ,lee to unlock the slates1 read the
 words1 and then fetch the book he had  
selected1 and compare notes1 and in each
 instance the word had been given       
correctly4 ,several other experiments   

were then made1 equally curious1 the    
number of ,mr4 ,lee's watch1 which he   
had not taken from his pocket1 and which
 he said he did not know himself1 being 
amongst them4 ,then ,mr4 ,eglinton said 
to ,mr4 ,lee1 ,have you any friend in   
the spirit-world from whom you would    
like to hear8 ,if so1 and you will      
mentally recall the name1 we will try   
and procure some writing from him or    
her4 7,i must say here that these two   
were utter strangers to each other1 and 
had met for the first time that         
afternoon1 and indeed as will be seen by
 the context ,i had a very slight       
knowledge of ,mr4 ,edgar ,lee myself at 
that time47 ,mr4 ,lee thought for a     
moment1 and then replied that there was 
a dead friend of his from whom he should
 like to hear4 ,the cleaning and locking
 process was gone through again1 and the
 scratching re-commenced1 and when it   
concluded1 ,mr4 ,lee unlocked the slates
 and read a letter to this effect3--    
,my ,dear ,will1--,i am quite satisfied 

with your decision respecting      ,bob4
 ,by all means1 send him to the school  
you are thinking of4 ,he      will get  
on better there4 ,his education requires
 more pushing than      it gets at      
present4 ,thanks for all you have done  
for him4 ,god bless      you4--,your    
affectionate cousin1                    
,r4 ,tasker4  ,i do not pretend to give 
the exact words of this letter2 for     
though they were afterwards published1  
,i have not a copy by me4 ,but the gist 
of the experiment does not lie in the   
exactitude of the words4 ,when ,i saw   
the slate1 ,i looked at ,mr4 ,lee in    
astonishment4  ,who is it for8 ,i asked4
  ,it is all right1 he replied2 it is   
for me4 ,it is from my cousin1 who left 
his boy in my charge4 ,my real name is  
,william ,tasker4  ,now1 ,i had never   
heard it hinted before that ,edgar ,lee 
was only a nom de plume1 and the        
announcement came on me as a genuine    
surprise4 ,so satisfied was ,mr4        
,william ,tasker ,edgar ,lee with his   

experimental seance1 that he had the    
slate photographed and reproduced in the
 ,st4 ,stephen's ,review1 with an       
account of the whole proceedings1 which 
were sufficient to make any one stop for
 a moment in the midst of the world's   
harassing duties and think4             
,,chapter ,,xiv4  ,,the ,,mediumship    
,,of ,,arthur ,,colman4   ,arthur       
,colman was so intimate a friend of ,mr4
 ,eglinton's1 and so much associated    
with him in my thoughts in the days when
 ,i first knew them both1 that it seems 
only natural that ,i should write of him
 next4 ,his powers were more confined to
 materialization than ,eglinton's1 but  
in that he excelled4 ,he is the most    
wonderful materializing medium ,i ever  
met in ,england2 but of late years1     
owing to the injury it did him in his   
profession1 he has been compelled1 in   
justice to himself1 to give up sitting  
for physical manifestations1 and1       
indeed1 sitting at all1 except to oblige
 his friends4 ,i cannot but consider    

this decision on his part as a great    
public loss2 but until the public takes 
more interest in the next world than    
they do in this1 it will not make it    
worth the while of such as ,mr4 ,colman 
to devote their lives1 health and       
strength to their enlightenment4 ,for to
 be a good physical medium means        
literally to part1 little by little1    
with one's own life1 and no man can be  
expected to do so much for the love of a
 set of unbelievers and sceptics1 who   
will use up all his powers1 and then go 
home to call him a rogue and a cheat and
 a trickster4 ,if1 as ,i am persuaded1  
each one of us is surrounded by the     
influences we gather of our own         
free-will about us--the loving and      
noble-hearted by angels1 the selfish and
 unbelieving by devils--and we consider 
how the latter preponderate over the    
former in this world1 is it to be       
wondered at that most seances are       
conducted by an assemblage of evil      
spirits brought there by the sitters    

themselves8 ,sceptical1 blasphemous and 
sensual men and women collect together  
to try and find out the falsehood1 not  
the truth1 of ,spiritualism1 and are    
tricked by the very influences that     
attend their footsteps and direct their 
daily lives2 and therein lies the danger
 of ,spiritualism as a pursuit1 taken up
 out of curiosity rather than a desire  
to learn4 ,it gives increased power to  
the evil that surrounds ourselves1 and  
the devil that goes out of us returns   
with seven other devils worse than      
himself4 ,the drunkard1 who1 by giving  
rein to a weakness which he knows he    
should resist1 has attracted to him the 
spirits of drunkards gone before1 joins 
a seance1 and by the collaboration of   
forces1 as it were1 bestows increased   
power on the guides he has chosen for   
himself to lead him into greater evil4  
,this dissertation1 however1 called     
forth by the never-ceasing wonder ,i    
feel at the indifference of the world   
towards such sights as ,i have seen1 has

 led me further than ,i intended from   
the subject of my chapter4  ,arthur     
,colman is a young man of delicate      
constitution and appearance1 who was at 
one time almost brought down to death's 
door by the demands made by physical    
phenomena upon his strength2 but since  
he has given up sitting1 he has regained
 his health1 and looks quite a different
 person4 ,this fact proves of itself    
what a tax is laid upon the unfortunate 
medium for such manifestations4 ,since  
he has resolved1 however1 never to sit  
again1 ,i am all the more anxious to    
record what ,i have seen through him1   
probably for the last time4 ,when ,i    
first knew my husband ,colonel ,lean1 he
 had seen nothing of ,spiritualism1 and 
was proportionately curious1 and        
naturally a little sceptical on the     
subject1 or1 rather let me say1         
incredulous4 ,he was hardly prepared to 
receive all the marvels ,i told him of  
without proof2 and ,mr4 ,colman's guide1
 ,aimee1 was very anxious to convince   

him of their truth4 ,she arranged1      
therefore1 a seance at which he was to  
be present1 and which was to be held at 
the house of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,george     
,neville4 ,the party dined there        
together previously1 and consisted only 
of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,neville1 ,arthur     
,colman1 ,colonel ,lean1 and myself4 ,as
 we were in the drawing-room1 however1  
after dinner1 and before we had         
commenced the seance1 an ,american lady1
 who was but slightly known to any of   
us1 was announced4 ,we had particularly 
wished to have no strangers present1 and
 her advent proportionately annoyed us1 
but we did not know on what excuse to   
get rid of her4 ,she was a pushing sort 
of person2 and when ,mrs4 ,neville told 
her we were going to hold a seance1 as a
 sort of hint that she might take her   
leave1 it only made her resolve to stay2
 indeed1 she declared she had had a     
premonition of the fact4 ,she said that 
whilst in her own room that morning1 a  
figure had appeared standing by her bed1

 dressed in blue and white1 like the    
pictures of the ,virgin ,mary1 and that 
all day she had had an impression that  
she must spend the evening with the     
,nevilles1 and she should hear something
 more about it4 ,we could not get rid of
 the lady1 so we were obliged to ask her
 to remain and assist at the seance1    
which she had already made up her mind  
to do1 so we commenced our preparations4
 ,the two drawing-rooms communicated by 
folding doors1 which were opened1 and a 
portiere drawn across the opening4 ,in  
the back room we placed ,mr4 ,colman's  
chair4 ,he was dressed in a light grey  
suit1 which we secured in the following 
manner3--,his hands were first sewn     
inside the sleeves of the coat1 then his
 arms were placed behind his back1 and  
the coat sleeves sewn together to the   
elbow4 ,we then sewed his trouser legs  
together in the same way4 ,we then tied 
him round the throat1 waist and legs    
with white cotton1 which the least      
movement on his part would break1 and   

the ends of each ligament were sealed to
 the wall of the room with wax and      
stamped with my seal with ,florence     
,marryat on it4 ,considering him thus   
secure1 without any possibility of      
escape unless we discovered it1 we left 
him in the back room1 and arranged      
ourselves on a row of five chairs before
 the portiere in the front one1 which   
was lighted by a single gas-burner4 ,i  
sat at the head of the row1 then the    
,american lady1 ,mrs4 ,neville1 ,colonel
 ,lean and ,mr4 ,neville4 ,i am not sure
 how long we waited for the             
manifestations2 but ,i do not think it  
was many minutes before a female figure 
glided from the side of the curtain and 
took a vacant chair by my side4 ,i said1
 ,who is this8 and she whispered1       
,florence1 and laid her head down on my 
shoulder1 and kissed my neck4 ,i was    
turning towards her to distinguish her  
features more fully1 when ,i became     
aware that a second figure was standing 
in front of me1 and ,florence said      

,mother1 there is ,powles2 and at the   
same time1 as he bent down to speak to  
me1 his beard touched my face4 ,i had   
not had time to draw the attention of my
 friends to the spirits that stood by   
me1 when ,i was startled by hearing one 
exclamation after another from the      
various sitters4 ,the ,american lady    
called out1 ,there's the woman that came
 to me this morning4 ,mr4 ,neville said1
 ,that is my father1 and ,colonel ,lean 
was asking some one if he would not give
 his name1 ,i looked down the line of   
sitters4 ,before ,colonel ,lean there   
stood an old man with a long1 white     
beard2 a somewhat similar figure was in 
front of ,mr4 ,neville4 ,before the dark
 curtain appeared a woman dressed in    
blue and white1 like a nun2 and         
meanwhile1 ,florence and ,powles still  
maintained their station by my side4 ,as
 if this were not enough of itself to   
turn a mortal's brain1 the portiere was 
at the same moment drawn aside1 and     
there stood ,arthur ,colman in his grey 

suit1 freed from all his bonds1 but     
under the control of ,aimee1 who called 
out joyously to my husband1 ,now1       
,frank1 will you believe8 ,she dropped  
the curtain1 the apparitions glided or  
faded away1 and we passed into the back 
drawing-room1 to find ,mr4 ,colman still
 in trance1 just as we had left him1 and
 with all the seals and stitches intact4
 ,not a thread of them all was broken4  
,this is the largest number of spirits  
,i have ever seen at one time with one  
medium4 ,i have seen two materialized   
spirits at a time1 and even three1 from 
,mr4 ,williams and ,miss ,showers and   
,katie ,cook2 but on this occasion there
 were five apparent with the medium1 all
 standing together before us4 ,and this 
is the sort of thing that the majority  
of people do not consider it worth their
 while to take a little trouble to see4 
,i have already related how successfully
 ,florence used to materialize through  
this medium1 and numerous friends1      
utterly unknown to him1 have revisited  

us through his means4 ,his trance       
mediumship is as wonderful as his       
physical phenomena2 some people might   
think more so4 ,amongst others1 two     
spirits have come back to us through    
,mr4 ,colman1 neither of whom he knew in
 this life1 and both of whom are1 in    
their way1 too characteristic to be     
mistaken4 ,one is ,phillis ,glover the  
actress2 the other my stepson1 ,francis 
,lean1 who was drowned by an accident at
 sea4 ,phillis ,glover was a woman who  
led a very eventful life1 chiefly in    
,america1 and was a versatile genius in 
conversation1 as in everything else4    
,she was peculiar also1 and had a       
half-,yankee way of talking1 and a store
 of familiar sayings and anecdotes1     
which she constantly introduced into her
 conversation4 ,she was by no means an  
ordinary person whilst in this life1 and
 in order to imitate her manner and     
speech successfully1 one would need to  
be as clever a person as herself4 ,and1 
without wishing to derogate from the    

powers of ,mr4 ,colman's mind1 he knows1
 and ,i know1 that ,phillis ,glover was 
cleverer than either of us4 ,when her   
influence or spirit therefore returns   
through him1 it is quite unmistakable4  
,it is not only that she retains all her
 little tricks of voice and feature and 
manner 7which ,mr4 ,colman has never    
seen71 but she alludes to circumstances 
that took place in this life and people 
she was associated with here that he has
 never heard of4 ,more1 she will relate 
her old stories and anecdotes1 and sing 
her old songs1 and give the most        
incontrovertible tests of her identity1 
even to recalling facts and incidents   
that have entirely passed from our      
minds4 ,when she appears through him1 it
 is ,phillis ,glover we are sitting with
 again and talking with1 as familiarly  
as we did in the days gone by4 ,francis1
 in his way too1 is quite as remarkable4
 ,the circumstances of his death and the
 events leading to it were unknown to   
us1 till he related them through ,mr4   

,colman2 and he speaks to us of the     
contents of private letters1 and repeats
 conversations and alludes to           
circumstances and names that are known  
only to him and ourselves4 ,he had a    
peculiar manner also--quick and         
nervous--and a way of cutting his words 
short1 which his spirit preserves to the
 smallest particular1 and which furnish 
the strongest proofs possible of his    
identity to those who knew him here     
below4 ,but these are but a very few    
amongst the innumerable tests furnished 
by ,arthur ,colman's occult powers of   
the assured possibility of communicating
 with the spirits of those gone before  
us4     ,,chapter ,,xv4  ,,the          
,,mediumship ,,of ,,mrs4 ,,guppy        
,,volckman4   ,the mediumship of this   
lady is so well known1 and has been so  
universally attested1 that nothing ,i   
can write of could possibly add to her  
fame2 and as ,i made her acquaintance   
but a short time before she relinquished
 sitting for manifestations1 ,i have had

 but little experience of her powers1   
but such as ,i enjoyed were very        
remarkable4 ,i have alluded to them in  
the story of ,the ,green ,lady1 whose   
apparition was due solely to ,mrs4      
,guppy ,volckman's presence1 and on that
 occasion she gave us another wonderful 
proof of her mediumship4 ,a sheet was   
procured and held up at either end by   
,mr4 ,charles ,williams and herself4 ,it
 was held in the light1 in the centre of
 the room1 forming a white wall of about
 five feet high1 i4e41 as high as their 
arms could conveniently reach4 ,both the
 hands of ,mrs4 ,volckman and ,mr4      
,williams were placed outside the sheet1
 so that no trickery might be suspected 
through their being concealed4 ,in a    
short time the head of a woman appeared 
above the sheet1 followed by that of a  
man1 and various pairs of hands1 both   
large and small1 which bobbed up and    
down1 and seized the hands of the       
spectators1 whilst the faces went close 
to the media1 as if with the intention  

of kissing them4 ,this frightened ,mrs4 
,volckman1 so that she frequently       
screamed and dropped her end of the     
sheet1 which1 had there been any        
deception1 must inevitably have exposed 
it4 ,it seemed to make no difference to 
the spirits1 however1 who reappeared    
directly they had the opportunity1 and  
made her at last so nervous that she    
threw the sheet down and refused to hold
 it any more4 ,the faces were life-size1
 and could move their eyes and lips2 the
 hands were some as large as a man's1   
and covered with hair1 and others like  
those of a woman or child4 ,they had all
 the capability of working the fingers  
and grasping objects presented to them2 
whilst the four hands belonging to the  
media were kept in sight of the         
audience1 and could not have worked     
machinery even if they could have       
concealed it4  ,the first time ,i was   
introduced to ,mrs4 ,volckman 7then     
,mrs4 ,guppy7 was at a seance at her own
 house in ,victoria ,road1 where she had

 assembled a large party of guests1     
including several names well known in   
art and literature4 ,we sat in a        
well-lighted drawing-room1 and the party
 was so large that the circle round the 
table was three deep4 ,mrs4 ,mary       
,hardy1 the ,american medium 7since     
dead71 was present1 and the honors of   
the manifestations may be therefore1 ,i 
conclude1 divided between the two       
ladies4 ,the table1 a common deal one1  
made for such occasions1 with a round   
hole of about twenty inches in diameter 
in the middle of it1 was covered with a 
cloth that hung down1 and was nailed to 
the ground1 leaving only the aperture   
free4 7,i must premise that this cloth  
had been nailed down by a committee of  
the gentlemen visitors1 in order that   
there might be no suspicion of a        
confederate hidden underneath it47 ,we  
then sat round the table1 but without   
placing our hands on it4 ,in a short    
time hands began to appear through the  
open space in the table1 all sorts of   

hands1 from the woman's taper fingers   
and the baby's dimpled fist1 to the     
hands of old and young men1 wrinkled or 
muscular4 ,some of the hands had rings  
on the fingers1 by which the sitters    
recognized them1 some stretched         
themselves out to be grasped2 and some  
appeared in pairs1 clasped together or  
separate4 ,one hand took a glove from a 
sitter and put it on the other1 showing 
the muscular force it possessed by the  
way in which it pressed down each finger
 and then buttoned the glove4 ,another  
pair of hands talked through the dumb   
alphabet to us1 and a third played on a 
musical instrument4 ,i was leaning      
forward1 before ,i had witnessed the    
above1 peering inquisitively down the   
hole1 and saying1 ,i wonder if they     
would have strength to take anything    
down with them1 when a large hand       
suddenly appeared and very nearly took  
me down1 by seizing my nose as if it    
never meant to let go again4 ,at all    
events1 it took me a peg or two down1   

for ,i remember it brought the tears    
into my eyes with the force it          
exhibited4 ,after the hands had ceased  
to appear1 the table was moved away1 and
 we sat in a circle in the light4 ,mrs4 
,guppy did not wish to take a part in   
the seance1 except as a spectator1 so   
she retired to the back drawing-room    
with the ,baroness ,adelma ,vay and     
other visitors1 and left ,mrs4 ,hardy   
with the circle in the front4 ,suddenly1
 however1 she was levitated and carried 
in the sight of us all into the midst of
 our circle4 ,as she felt herself rising
 in the air1 she called out1 ,don't let 
go hands for ,heaven's sake4 ,we were   
standing in a ring1 and ,i had hold of  
the hand of ,prince ,albert of ,solms4  
,as ,mrs4 ,guppy came sailing over our  
heads1 her feet caught his neck and     
mine1 and in our anxiety to do as she   
had told us1 we gripped tight hold of   
each other1 and were thrown forward on  
our knees by the force with which she   
was carried past us into the centre4    

,this was a pretty strong proof to us1  
whatever it may be to others1 that our  
senses did not deceive us when we       
thought we saw ,mrs4 ,guppy over our    
heads in the air4 ,the influence that   
levitated her1 moreover1 placed her on a
 chair with such a bump that it broke   
the two front legs off4 ,as soon as     
,mrs4 ,guppy had rejoined us1 the order 
was given to put out the light and to   
wish for something4 ,we unanimously     
asked for flowers1 it being the middle  
of ,december1 and a hard frost4         
,simultaneously we smelt the smell of   
fresh earth1 and were told to light the 
gas again1 when the following           
extraordinary sight met our view4 ,in   
the middle of the sitters1 still holding
 hands1 was piled up on the carpet an   
immense quantity of mould1 which had    
been torn up apparently with the roots  
that accompanied it4 ,there were        
laurestinus1 and laurels1 and holly1 and
 several others1 just as they had been  
pulled out of the earth and thrown down 

in the midst of us4 ,mrs4 ,guppy looked 
anything but pleased at the state of her
 carpet1 and begged the spirits would   
bring something cleaner next time4 ,they
 then told us to extinguish the lights  
again1 and each sitter was to wish      
mentally for something for himself4 ,i  
wished for a yellow butterfly1 knowing  
it was ,december1 and as ,i thought of  
it1 a little cardboard box was put into 
my hand4 ,prince ,albert whispered to   
me1 ,have you got anything8 ,yes1 ,i    
said2 but not what ,i asked for4 ,i     
expect they have given me a piece of    
jewellery4 ,when the gas was re-lit1 ,i 
opened the box1 and there lay two yellow
 butterflies2 dead1 of course1 but none 
the less extraordinary for that4 ,i wore
 at that seance a tight-fitting1 high   
white muslin dress1 over a tight        
petticoat body4 ,the dress had no       
pocket1 and ,i carried my handkerchief1 
a fine cambric one1 in my hand4 ,when   
the seance was over1 ,i found this      
handkerchief had disappeared1 at which  

,i was vexed1 as it had been embroidered
 for me by my sister ,emily1 then dead4 
,i inquired of every sitter if they had 
seen it1 even making them turn out their
 pockets in case they had taken it in   
mistake for their own1 but it was not to
 be found1 and ,i returned home1 as ,i  
thought1 without it4 ,what was my       
surprise on removing my dress and       
petticoat bodice to find the            
handkerchief1 neatly folded into a      
square of about four inches1 between my 
stays and the garment beneath them2     
placed1 moreover1 over the smallest part
 of my waist1 where no fingers could    
have penetrated even had my dress been  
loose4 ,my woman readers may be able    
better than the men to appreciate the   
difficulty of such a manoeuvre by mortal
 means2 indeed it would have been quite 
impossible for myself or anybody else to
 place the handkerchief in such a       
position without removing the stays4    
,and it was folded so neatly also1 and  
placed so smoothly1 that there was not a

 crumple in the cambric4     ,,chapter  
,,xvi4  ,,the ,,mediumship ,,of         
,,florence ,,cook4   ,in writing of my  
own mediumship1 or the mediumship of any
 other person1 ,i wish it particularly  
to be understood that ,i do not intend  
my narrative to be1 by any means1 an    
account of all seances held under that  
control 7for were ,i to include         
everything that ,i have seen and heard  
during my researches into ,spiritualism1
 this volume would swell to             
unconscionable dimensions71 but only of 
certain events which ,i believe to be   
remarkable1 and not enjoyed by every one
 in like measure4 ,most people have read
 of the ordinary phenomena that take    
place at such meetings4 ,my readers1    
therefore1 will find no description here
 of marvels which--whether true or      
false--can be accounted for upon natural
 grounds4 ,miss ,florence ,cook1 now    
,mrs4 ,elgie ,corner1 is one of the     
media who have been most talked of and  
written about4 ,mr4 ,alfred ,crookes    

took an immense interest in her1 and    
published a long account of his         
investigation of ,spiritualism under her
 mediumship4 ,mr4 ,henry ,dunphy1 of the
 ,morning ,post1 wrote a series of      
papers for ,london ,society 7of which   
magazine ,i was then the editor71       
describing her powers1 and the proof she
 gave of them4 ,the first time ,i ever  
met ,florence ,cook was in his private  
house1 when my little daughter appeared 
through her 7vide ,the ,story of my     
,spirit ,child74 ,on that occasion1 as  
we were sitting at supper after the     
seance--a party of perhaps thirty       
people--the whole dinner-table1 with    
everything upon it1 rose bodily in the  
air to a level with our knees1 and the  
dishes and glasses swayed about in a    
perilous manner1 without1 however1      
coming to any permanent harm4 ,i was so 
much astonished at1 and interested by1  
what ,i saw that evening1 that ,i became
 most anxious to make the personal      
acquaintance of ,miss ,cook4 ,she was   

the medium for the celebrated spirit1   
,katie ,king1 of whom so much has been  
believed and disbelieved1 and the       
seances she gave at her parents' house  
in ,hackney for the purpose of seeing   
this figure alone used to be crowded by 
the cleverest and most scientific men of
 the day1 ,sergeants ,cox and           
,ballantyne1 ,mr4 ,s4 ,c4 ,hall1 ,mr4   
,alfred ,crookes1 and many others1 being
 on terms of the greatest intimacy with 
her4 ,mr4 ,william ,harrison1 of the    
,spiritualist paper1 was the one to     
procure me an introduction to the family
 and an entrance to the seances1 for    
which ,i shall always feel grateful to  
him4  ,for the benefit of the           
uninitiated1 let me begin by telling who
 ,katie ,king was supposed to be4 ,her  
account of herself was that her name was
 ,annie ,owens ,morgan2 that she was the
 daughter of ,sir ,henry ,morgan1 a     
famous buccaneer who lived about the    
time of the ,commonwealth1 and suffered 
death upon the high seas1 being1 in     

fact1 a pirate2 that she herself was    
about twelve years old when ,charles the
 ,first was beheaded2 that she married  
and had two little children2 that she   
committed more crimes than we should    
like to hear of1 having murdered men    
with her own hands1 but yet died quite  
young1 at about two or three and twenty4
 ,to all questions concerning the reason
 of her reappearance on earth1 she      
returned but one answer1 ,that it was   
part of the work given her to do to     
convince the world of the truth of      
,spiritualism4 ,this was the information
 ,i received from her own lips4 ,she had
 appeared to the ,cooks some years      
before ,i saw her1 and had become so    
much one of the family as to walk about 
the house at all times without alarming 
the inmates4 ,she often materialized and
 got into bed with her medium at night1 
much to ,florrie's annoyance2 and after 
,miss ,cook's marriage to ,captain      
,corner1 he told me himself that he used
 to feel at first as if he had married  

two women1 and was not quite sure which 
was his wife of the two4  ,the order of 
these seances was always the same4 ,miss
 ,cook retired to a back room1 divided  
from the audience by a thin damask      
curtain1 and presently the form of      
,katie ,king would appear dressed in    
white1 and walk out amongst the sitters 
in gaslight1 and talk like one of       
themselves4 ,florence ,cook 7as ,i      
mentioned before7 is a very small1      
slight brunette1 with dark eyes and dark
 curly hair and a delicate aquiline     
nose4 ,sometimes ,katie resembled her   
exactly2 at others1 she was totally     
different4 ,sometimes1 too1 she measured
 the same height as her medium2 at      
others1 she was much taller4 ,i have a  
large photograph of ,katie taken under  
limelight4 ,in it she appears as the    
double of ,florrie ,cook1 yet ,florrie  
was looking on whilst the picture was   
taken4 ,i have sat for her several times
 with ,mr4 ,crookes1 and seen the tests 
applied which are mentioned in his book 

on the subject4 ,i have seen ,florrie's 
dark curls nailed down to the floor1    
outside the curtain1 in view of the     
audience1 whilst ,katie walked about and
 talked with us4 ,i have seen ,florrie  
placed on the scale of a weighing       
machine constructed by ,mr4 ,crookes for
 the purpose1 behind the curtain1 whilst
 the balance remained in sight4 ,i have 
seen under these circumstances that the 
medium weighed eight stone in a normal  
condition1 and that as soon as the      
materialized form was fully developed1  
the balance ran up to four stone4       
,moreover1 ,i have seen both ,florrie   
and ,katie together on several          
occasions1 so ,i can have no doubt on   
the subject that they were two separate 
creatures4 ,still1 ,i can quite         
understand how difficult it must have   
been for strangers to compare the strong
 likeness that existed between the      
medium and the spirit1 without          
suspecting they were one and the same   
person4 ,one evening ,katie walked out  

and perched herself upon my knee4 ,i    
could feel she was a much plumper and   
heavier woman than ,miss ,cook1 but she 
wonderfully resembled her in features1  
and ,i told her so4 ,katie did not seem 
to consider it a compliment4 ,she       
shrugged her shoulders1 made a grimace1 
and said1 ,i know ,i am2 ,i can't help  
it1 but ,i was much prettier than that  
in earth life4 ,you shall see1 some     
day--you shall see4 ,after she had      
finally retired that evening1 she put   
her head out at the curtain again and   
said1 with the strong lisp she always   
had1 ,i want ,mrs4 ,ross-,church4 ,i    
rose and went to her1 when she pulled me
 inside the curtain1 when ,i found it   
was so thin that the gas shining through
 it from the outer room made everything 
in the inner quite visible4 ,katie      
pulled my dress impatiently and said1   
,sit down on the ground1 which ,i did4  
,she then seated herself in my lap1     
saying1 ,and now1 dear1 we'll have a    
good 'confab1' like women do on earth4  

,florence ,cook1 meanwhile1 was lying on
 a mattress on the ground close to us1  
wrapped in a deep trance4 ,katie seemed 
very anxious ,i should ascertain beyond 
doubt that it was ,florrie4 ,touch her1 
she said1 take her hand1 pull her curls4
 ,do you see that it is ,florrie lying  
there8 ,when ,i assured her ,i was quite
 satisfied there was no doubt of it1 the
 spirit said1 ,then look round this way1
 and see what ,i was like in earth life4
 ,i turned to the form in my arms1 and  
what was my amazement to see a woman    
fair as the day1 with large grey or blue
 eyes1 a white skin1 and a profusion of 
golden red hair4 ,katie enjoyed my      
surprise1 and asked me1 ,ain't ,i       
prettier than ,florrie now8 ,she then   
rose and procured a pair of scissors    
from the table1 and cut off a lock of   
her own hair and a lock of the medium's1
 and gave them to me4 ,i have them safe 
to this day4 ,one is almost black1 soft 
and silky2 the other a coarse golden    
red4 ,after she had made me this        

present1 ,katie said1 ,go back now1 but 
don't tell the others to-night1 or      
they'll all want to see me4 ,on another 
very warm evening she sat on my lap     
amongst the audience1 and ,i felt       
perspiration on her arm4 ,this surprised
 me2 and ,i asked her if1 for the time  
being1 she had the veins1 nerves1 and   
secretions of a human being2 if blood   
ran through her body1 and she had a     
heart and lungs4 ,her answer was1 ,i    
have everything that ,florrie has4 ,on  
that occasion also she called me after  
her into the back room1 and1 dropping   
her white garment1 stood perfectly naked
 before me4 ,now1 she said you can see  
that ,i am a woman4 ,which indeed she   
was1 and a most beautifully-made woman  
too2 and ,i examined her well1 whilst   
,miss ,cook lay beside us on the floor4 
,instead of dismissing me this time1    
,katie told me to sit down by the       
medium1 and1 having brought me a candle 
and matches1 said ,i was to strike a    
light as soon as she gave three knocks1 

as ,florrie would be hysterical on      
awaking1 and need my assistance4 ,she   
then knelt down and kissed me1 and ,i   
saw she was still naked4 ,where is your 
dress1 ,katie8 ,i asked4 ,oh that's     
gone1 she said2 ,i've sent it on before 
me4 ,as she spoke thus1 kneeling beside 
me1 she rapped three times on the floor4
 ,i struck the match almost             
simultaneously with the signal2 but as  
it flared up1 ,katie ,king was gone like
 a flash of lightning1 and ,miss ,cook1 
as she had predicted1 awoke with a burst
 of frightened tears1 and had to be     
soothed into tranquillity again4 ,on    
another occasion ,katie ,king was asked 
at the beginning of the seance1 by one  
of the company1 to say why she could not
 appear in the light of more than one   
gasburner4 ,the question seemed to      
irritate her1 and she replied1 ,i have  
told you all1 several times before1 that
 ,i can't stay under a searching light4 
,i don't know why2 but ,i can't1 and if 
you want to prove the truth of what ,i  

say1 turn up all the gas and see what   
will happen to me4 ,only remember1 it   
you do there will be no seance to-night1
 because ,i shan't be able to come back 
again1 and you must take your choice4   
,upon this assertion it was put to the  
vote if the trial should be made or not1
 and all present 7,mr4 ,s4 ,c4 ,hall was
 one of the party7 decided we would     
prefer to witness the effect of a full  
glare of gas upon the materialized form 
than to have the usual sitting1 as it   
would settle the vexed question of the  
necessity of gloom 7if not darkness7 for
 a materializing seance for ever4 ,we   
accordingly told ,katie of our choice1  
and she consented to stand the test1    
though she said afterwards we had put   
her to much pain4 ,she took up her      
station against the drawing-room wall1  
with her arms extended as if she were   
crucified4 ,then three gas-burners were 
turned on to their full extent in a room
 about sixteen feet square4 ,the effect 
upon ,katie ,king was marvellous4 ,she  

looked like herself for the space of a  
second only1 then she began gradually to
 melt away4 ,i can compare the          
dematerialization of her form to nothing
 but a wax doll melting before a hot    
fire4 ,first1 the features became       
blurred and indistinct2 they seemed to  
run into each other4 ,the eyes sunk in  
the sockets1 the nose disappeared1 the  
frontal bone fell in4 ,next the limbs   
appeared to give way under her1 and she 
sank lower and lower on the carpet like 
a crumbling edifice4 ,at last there was 
nothing but her head left above the     
ground--then a heap of white drapery    
only1 which disappeared with a whisk1 as
 if a hand had pulled it after her--and 
we were left staring by the light of    
three gas-burners at the spot on which  
,katie ,king had stood4  ,she was always
 attired in white drapery1 but it varied
 in quality4 ,sometimes it looked like  
long cloth2 at others like mull muslin  
or jaconet2 oftenest it was a species of
 thick cotton net4 ,the sitters were    

much given to asking ,katie for a piece 
of her dress to keep as a souvenir of   
their visit2 and when they received it1 
would seal it up carefully in an        
envelope and convey it home2 and were   
much surprised on examining their       
treasure to find it had totally         
disappeared4  ,katie used to say that   
nothing material about her could be made
 to last without taking away some of the
 medium's vitality1 and weakening her in
 consequence4 ,one evening1 when she was
 cutting off pieces of her dress rather 
lavishly1 ,i remarked that it would     
require a great deal of mending4 ,she   
answered1 ,i'll show you how we mend    
dresses in the ,spirit ,world4 ,she then
 doubled up the front breadth of her    
garment a dozen times1 and cut two or   
three round holes in it4 ,i am sure when
 she let it fall again there must have  
been thirty or forty holes1 and ,katie  
said1 ,isn't that a nice cullender8     
,she then commenced1 whilst we stood    
close to her1 to shake her skirt gently 

about1 and in a minute it was as perfect
 as before1 without a hole to be seen4  
,when we expressed our astonishment1 she
 told me to take the scissors and cut   
off her hair4 ,she had a profusion of   
ringlets falling to her waist that      
night4 ,i obeyed religiously1 hacking   
the hair wherever ,i could1 whilst she  
kept on saying1 ,cut more6 cut more6 not
 for yourself1 you know1 because you    
can't take it away4  ,so ,i cut off curl
 after curl1 and as fast as they fell to
 the ground1 the hair grew again upon   
her head4 ,when ,i had finished1 ,katie 
asked me to examine her hair1 to see if 
,i could detect any place where ,i had  
used the scissors1 and ,i did so without
 any effect4 ,neither was the severed   
hair to be found4 ,it had vanished out  
of sight4 ,katie was photographed many  
times1 by limelight1 by ,mr4 ,alfred    
,crookes1 but her portraits are all too 
much like her medium to be of any value 
in establishing her claim to a separate 
identity4 ,she had always stated she    

should not appear on this earth after   
the month of ,may1 #ahgd2 and           
accordingly1 on the #bast1 she assembled
 her friends to say ,good-bye to them1  
and ,i was one of the number4 ,katie had
 asked ,miss ,cook to provide her with a
 large basket of flowers and ribbons1   
and she sat on the floor and made up a  
bouquet for each of her friends to keep 
in remembrance of her4  ,mine1 which    
consists of lilies of the valley and    
pink geranium1 looks almost as fresh    
to-day1 nearly seventeen years after1 as
 it did when she gave it to me4 ,it was 
accompanied by the following words1     
which ,katie wrote on a sheet of paper  
in my presence3--       ,from ,annie    
,owen de ,morgan 7alias ',katie'7 to her
 friend ,florence      ,marryat         
,ross-,church4 ,with love4 ,pensez a    
moi4      ,may #bast1 #ahgd4  ,the      
farewell scene was as pathetic as if we 
had been parting with a dear companion  
by death4 ,katie herself did not seem to
 know how to go4 ,she returned again and

 again to have a last look1 especially  
at ,mr4 ,alfred ,crookes1 who was as    
attached to her as she was to him4 ,her 
prediction has been fulfilled1 and from 
that day1 ,florence ,cook never saw her 
again nor heard anything about her4 ,her
 place was shortly filled by another    
influence1 who called herself ,marie1   
and who danced and sung in a truly      
professional style1 and certainly as    
,miss ,cook never either danced or sung4
 ,i should not have mentioned the       
appearance of this spirit1 whom ,i only 
saw once or twice1 excepting for the    
following reason4 ,on one occasion ,miss
 ,cook 7then ,mrs4 ,corner7 was giving a
 public seance at the rooms of the      
,national ,british ,association of      
,spiritualists1 at which a certain ,sir 
,george ,sitwell1 a very young man1 was 
present1 and at which he declared that  
the medium cheated1 and that the spirit 
,marie was herself1 dressed up to       
deceive the audience4 ,letters appeared 
in the newspapers about it1 and the     

whole press came down upon              
,spiritualists1 and declared them all to
 be either knaves or fools4 ,these      
notices were published on the morning of
 a day on which ,miss ,cook was engaged 
to give another public seance1 at which 
,i was present4 ,she was naturally very 
much cut up about them4 ,her reputation 
was at stake2 her honor had been called 
into question1 and being a proud girl1  
she resented it bitterly4 ,her present  
audience was chiefly composed of        
friends2 but1 before commencing1 she put
 it to us whether1 whilst under such a  
stigma1 she had better not sit at all4  
,we1 who had all tested her and believed
 in her1 were unanimous in repudiating  
the vile charges brought against her1   
and in begging the seance should        
proceed4 ,florrie refused1 however1 to  
sit unless some one remained in the     
cabinet with her1 and she chose me for  
the purpose4 ,i was therefore tied to   
her securely with a stout rope1 and we  
remained thus fastened together for the 

whole of the evening4 ,under which      
conditions ,marie appeared1 and sung and
 danced outside the cabinet1 just as she
 had done to ,sir ,george ,sitwell      
whilst her medium remained tied to me4  
,so much for men who decide a matter    
before they have sifted it to the       
bottom4 ,mrs4 ,elgie ,corner has long   
since given up mediumship either private
 or public1 and lives deep down in the  
heart of ,wales1 where the babble and   
scandal of the city affect her no       
longer4 ,but she told me1 only last     
year1 that she would not pass through   
the suffering she had endured on account
 of ,spiritualism again for all the good
 this world could give her4             
,,chapter ,,xvii4  ,,the ,,mediumship   
,,of ,,katie ,,cook4   ,in the matter of
 producing physical phenomena the ,cooks
 are a most remarkable family1 all three
 daughters being powerful media1 and    
that without any solicitation on their  
part4 ,the second one1 ,katie1 is by no 
means the least powerful of the three1  

although she has sat more privately than
 her sister ,florence1 and not had the  
same scientific tests 7,i believe7      
applied to her4 ,the first time ,i had  
an opportunity of testing ,katie's      
mediumship was at the private rooms of  
,signor ,rondi1 in a circle of nine or  
ten friends4 ,the apartment was small   
and sparsely furnished1 being an        
artist's studio4 ,the gas was kept      
burning1 and before the sitting         
commenced the door was locked and strips
 of paper pasted over the opening       
inside4 ,the cabinet was formed of a    
window curtain nailed across one corner 
of the room1 behind which a chair was   
placed for the medium1 who is a         
remarkably small and slight girl--much  
slighter than her sister ,florence--with
 a thin face and delicate features4 ,she
 was dressed1 on this occasion1 in a    
tight-fitting black gown and ,hessian   
boots that buttoned half-way to her     
knee1 and which1 she informed me1 she   
always wore when sitting 7just as ,miss 

,showers did71 because they had each    
eighteen buttons1 which took a long time
 to fasten and unfasten4 ,the party sat 
in a semicircle1 close outside the      
curtain1 and the light was lowered1 but 
not extinguished4 ,there was no         
darkness1 and no holding of hands4 ,i   
mention these facts to show how very    
simple the preparations were4 ,in a few 
minutes the curtain was lifted1 and a   
form1 clothed in white1 who called      
herself ,lily1 was presented to our     
view4 ,she answered several questions   
relative to herself and the medium2 and 
perceiving some doubt on the part of    
some of the sitters1 she seated herself 
on my knee1 ,i being nearest the        
curtain1 and asked me to feel her body1 
and tell the others how differently she 
was made from the medium4 ,i had already
 realized that she was much heavier than
 ,katie ,cook1 as she felt like a heavy 
girl of nine or ten stone4 ,i then      
passed my hand up and down her figure4  
,she had full breasts and plump arms and

 legs1 and could not have been mistaken 
by the most casual observers for ,miss  
,cook4 ,whilst she sat on my knee1      
however1 she desired my husband and     
,signor ,rondi to go inside the curtain 
and feel that the medium was seated in  
her chair4 ,when they did so1 they found
 ,katie was only half entranced4 ,she   
thrust her feet out to view1 and said1  
,i am not ',lily2' feel my boots4 ,my   
husband had1 at the same moment1 one    
hand on ,miss ,cook's knee1 and the     
other stretched out to feel the figure  
seated on my lap4 ,there remained no    
doubt in his mind of there being two    
bodies there at the same time4          
,presently ,lily passed her hand over my
 dress1 and remarked how nice and warm  
it was1 and how she wished she had one  
on too4 ,i asked her1 ,are you cold8 and
 she said1 ,wouldn't you be cold if you 
had nothing but this white thing on8    
,half-jestingly1 ,i took my fur cloak1  
which was on a sofa close by1 and put it
 round her shoulders1 and told her to   

wear it4 ,lily seemed delighted4 ,she   
exclaimed1 ,oh1 how warm it is6 ,may ,i 
take it away with me8 ,i said1 ,yes1 if 
you will bring it back before ,i go     
home4 ,i have nothing else to wear1     
remember4 ,she promised she would1 and  
left my side4 ,in another moment she    
called out1 ,turn up the gas6 ,we did   
so4 ,lily was gone1 and so was my large 
fur cloak6 ,we searched the little room 
round for it4 ,it had entirely          
disappeared4 ,there was a locked        
cupboard in which ,signor ,rondi kept   
drawing materials4 ,i insisted on its   
being opened1 although he declared it   
had not been unlocked for weeks1 and we 
found it full of dust and drawing       
blocks1 but nothing else1 so the light  
was again lowered1 and the seance       
resumed4 ,in a short time the heavy     
cloak was flung1 apparently from the    
ceiling1 evidently from somewhere higher
 than my head1 and fell right over it4  
,i laid it again on the sofa1 and       
thought no more about it until ,i       

returned home4 ,i then found1 to my     
astonishment1 and considerably to my    
annoyance1 that the fur of my cloak     
7which was a new one7 was all coming    
out4 ,my dress was covered with it1 and 
from that day ,i was never able to wear 
the cloak again4 ,lily said she had     
de-materialized it1 to take it away4 ,of
 the truth of that assertion ,i had no  
proof1 but ,i am quite sure that she did
 not put it together again when she     
brought it back4 ,an army of moths      
encamped in it could not have damaged it
 more1 and ,i can vouch that until that 
evening the fur had been as perfect as  
when ,i purchased it4  ,i think my next 
sitting with ,katie ,cook was at a      
seance held in ,museum ,street1 and on  
the invitation of ,mr4 ,chas4           
,blackburn1 who is one of the most      
earnest friends of ,spiritualism1 and   
has expended a large amount of money in 
its research4 ,the only other guests    
were my husband1 and ,general and ,mrs4 
,maclean4 ,we sat round a small         

uncovered table with the gas burning and
 without a cabinet1 ,miss ,katie ,cook  
had a seat between ,general ,maclean and
 myself1 and we made sure of her        
proximity to us during the whole seance4
 ,in fact1 ,i never let go of her hand1 
and even when she wished to use her     
pocket-handkerchief1 she had to do it   
with my hand clinging to her own4       
,neither did she go into a trance4 ,we  
spoke to her occasionally during the    
sitting1 and she answered us1 though in 
a very subdued voice1 as she complained 
of being sick and faint4 ,in about      
twenty minutes1 during which the usual  
manifestations occurred1 the            
materialized form of ,lily appeared in  
the middle of the table1 and spoke to us
 and kissed us all in turn4 ,her face   
was very small1 and she was only formed 
to the waist1 but her flesh was quite   
firm and warm4 ,whilst ,lily occupied   
the table in the full sight of all the  
sitters1 and ,i had my hand upon ,miss  
,cook's figure 7for ,i kept passing my  

hand up and down from her face to her   
knees1 to make sure it was not only a   
hand ,i held71 some one grasped my chair
 from behind and shook it1 and when ,i  
turned my head and spoke1 in a moment   
one arm was round my neck and one round 
the neck of my husband1 who sat next to 
me1 whilst the voice of my daughter     
,florence spoke to us both1 and her long
 hair and her soft white dress swept    
over our faces and hands4 ,her hair was 
so abundant and long1 that she shook it 
out over my lap1 that ,i might feel its 
length and texture4 ,i asked ,florence  
for a piece of her hair and dress1 and  
scissors not being forthcoming1 ,lily   
materialized more fully1 and walked     
round from the other side of the table  
and cut off a piece of ,florence's dress
 herself with my husband's penknife1 but
 said they could not give me the hair   
that time4 ,the two spirits remained    
with us for1 perhaps1 half an hour or   
more1 whilst ,general ,maclean and ,i   
continued to hold ,miss ,cook a         

prisoner4 ,the power then failing1 they 
disappeared1 but every one present was  
ready to take his oath that two         
presences had been with us that never   
entered at the door4 ,the room was small
 and unfurnished1 the gas was burning1  
the medium sat for the whole time in our
 sight4 ,mrs4 ,maclean and ,i were the  
only other women present1 yet two girls 
bent over and kissed us1 spoke to us1   
and placed their bare arms on our necks 
at one and the same time4 ,there was    
again also a marked difference between  
the medium and the materializations4 ,i 
have already described her appearance4  
,both of these spirits had plump faces  
and figures1 my daughter ,florence's    
hands especially being large and firm1  
and her loose hair nearly down to her   
knees4  ,i had the pleasure of holding  
another seance with ,katie ,cook in the 
same rooms1 when a new manifestation    
occurred4 ,she is 7as ,i have said7 a   
very small woman1 with very short arms4 
,i am1 on the contrary1 a very large    

woman1 with very long arms1 yet the arm 
of the hand ,i held was elongated to    
such an extent that it reached the      
sitters on the other side of the table1 
where it would have been impossible for 
mine to follow it4 ,i should think the  
limb must have been stretched to thrice 
its natural length1 and that in the     
sight of everybody4 ,i sat again with   
,katie ,cook in her own house1 where1 if
 trickery is employed1 she had every    
opportunity of tricking us1 but the     
manifestations were much the same1 and  
certainly not more marvellous than those
 she had exhibited in the houses of     
strangers4 ,lily and ,florence both     
appeared at the same time1 under        
circumstances that admitted of no       
possibility of fraud4 ,my husband and ,i
 were accompanied on that occasion by   
our friends1 ,captain and ,mrs4 ,kendal1
 and the order of sitting round the     
table was as follows3--,myself1 ,katie1 
,captain ,k41 ,florence ,cook1 my       
husband1 ,mrs4 ,cook1 ,mrs4 ,kendal4    

,each member of the family1 it will be  
observed1 was held between two          
detectives1 and their hands were not    
once set free4 ,i must say also that the
 seance was a free one1 courteously     
accorded us on the invitation of ,mrs4  
,cook2 and if deception had been        
intended1 we and our friends might just 
as well have been left to sit with      
,katie alone1 whilst the other members  
of the family superintended the         
manifestation of the ghosts outside4    
,miss ,florence ,cook1 indeed 7,mrs4    
,corner71 objected at first to sitting  
with us1 on the score that her          
mediumship usually neutralized that of  
her sister1 but her mother insisted on  
her joining the circle1 lest any        
suspicion should be excited by her      
absence4 ,the ,cooks1 indeed1 are1 all  
of them1 rather averse to sitting than  
not1 and cordially agree in disliking   
the powers that have been thrust upon   
them against their own will4  ,these    
influences take possession of them1     

unfitting them for more practical work1 
and they must live4 ,this is1 ,i        
believe1 the sole reason that they have 
never tried to make money by the        
exercise of their mediumship4 ,but ,i1  
for one1 fully believe them when they   
tell me that they consider the fact of  
their being media as the greatest       
misfortune that has ever happened to    
them4 ,on the occasion of this last     
seance1 cherries and rosebuds were      
showered in profusion on the table      
during the evening4 ,these may easily be
 believed to have been secreted in the  
room before the commencement of the     
sitting1 and produced at the proper     
opportunity1 although the hands of      
everybody interested in their production
 were fast held by strangers4 ,but it is
 less easy to believe that a lady of    
limited income1 like ,mrs4 ,cook1 should
 go to such an expense for an unpaid    
seance1 for the purpose of making       
converts of people who were strangers to
 her4 ,mediumship pays very badly as it 

is4 ,i am afraid it would pay still     
worse if the poor media had to purchase 
the means for producing the phenomena1  
especially when1 in a town like ,london1
 they run 7as in this instance7 to      
hothouse fruit and flowers4  ,one more  
example of ,katie ,cook's powers and ,i 
have done4 ,we were assembled one       
evening by the invitation of ,mr4       
,charles ,blackburn at his house1 ,elgin
 ,crescent4 ,we sat in a small breakfast
 room on the basement floor1 so small1  
indeed1 for the size of the party1 that 
as we encircled a large round table1 the
 sitters' backs touched the wall on     
either side1 thus entirely preventing   
any one crossing the room whilst we were
 established there4 ,the only piece of  
furniture of any consequence in the     
room1 beside the chairs and table1 was a
 trichord cabinet piano1 belonging to   
,mrs4 ,cook 7who was keeping house at   
the time for ,mr4 ,blackburn71 and which
 she much valued4  ,katie ,cook sat     
amongst us as usual4 ,in the middle of  

the seance her control ,lily1 who was   
materialized1 called out1 ,keep hands   
fast4 ,don't let go1 whatever you do6   
,and at the same time1 without seeing   
anything 7for we were sitting in        
complete darkness71 we became conscious 
that something large and heavy was      
passing or being carried over our heads4
 ,one of the ladies of the party became 
nervous1 and dropped her neighbor's hand
 with a cry of alarm1 and1 at the same  
moment1 a weighty body fell with a      
fearful crash on the other side of the  
room4 ,lily exclaimed1 ,some one has let
 go hands1 and ,mrs4 ,cook called out2  
,oh6 it's my piano4 ,lights were struck1
 when we found the cabinet piano had    
actually been carried from its original 
position right over our heads to the    
opposite side of the room1 where it had 
fallen on the floor and been seriously  
damaged4 ,the two carved legs were      
broken off1 and the sounding board      
smashed in4 ,any one who had heard poor 
,mrs4 ,cook's lamentations over the ruin

 of her favorite instrument1 and the    
expense it would entail to get it       
restored1 would have felt little doubt  
as to whether she had been a willing    
victim to this unwelcome proof of her   
daughter's physical mediumship4         
,,chapter ,,xviii4  ,,the ,,mediumship  
,,of ,,bessie ,,fitzgerald4   ,one      
evening ,i went to have a cup of tea    
with my friend ,miss ,schonberg at      
,shepherd's ,bush1 when she proposed    
that we should go and have a seance with
 ,mrs4 ,henry ,jencken 7,kate ,fox71 who
 lived close by4 ,i hailed the idea1 as 
,i had heard such great things of the   
medium in question1 and never had an    
opportunity of testing them4            
,consequently1 ,i was proportionately   
disappointed when1 on sending round to  
her house to ask if she could receive us
 that evening1 we received a message to 
say that ,mr4 ,jencken1 her husband1 had
 died that morning1 and she could see no
 one4 ,miss ,schonberg and ,i           
immediately cast about in our minds to  

see what we should do with our time1 and
 she suggested we should call on ,mrs4  
,fitzgerald4 ,who is ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald8 
,i queried4 ,a wonderful medium1 replied
 my friend1 whom ,i met at ,mrs4        
,wilson's last week1 and who gave me    
leave to call on her4 ,let us go        
together4 ,and accordingly we set forth 
for ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald's residence in the
 ,goldhawk ,road4 ,i only mention these 
circumstances to show how utterly       
unpremeditated was my first visit to    
her4 ,we arrived at her house1 and were 
ushered into a sitting-room1 ,miss      
,schonberg only sending up her name4 ,in
 a few minutes the door opened1 and a   
small1 fair woman1 dressed in black     
velvet1 entered the room4 ,miss         
,schonberg saluted her1 and was about to
 tender some explanation regarding my   
presence there1 when ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald  
walked straight up to me and took my    
hand4 ,her eyes seemed to dilate and    
contract1 like the opening and shutting 
off of a light1 in a manner which ,i    

have often seen since1 and she uttered  
rapidly1 ,you have been married once2   
you have been married twice2 and you    
will be married a third time4 ,i        
answered1 ,if you know anything1 ,mrs4  
,fitzgerald1 you must know that ,i am   
very much attached to my husband1 and   
that your information can give me no    
pleasure to hear4 ,no6 she said1 no6 ,i 
suppose not1 but you cannot alter ,fate4
 ,she then proceeded to speak of things 
in my past life which had had the       
greatest influence over the whole of it1
 occurrences of so private and important
 a nature that it becomes impossible to 
write them down here1 and for that very 
reason doubly convincing to the person  
whom they concern4 ,presently ,mrs4     
,fitzgerald wandered to her piano1 and  
commenced to play the air of the ballad 
so firmly connected in my mind with     
,john ,powles1 ,thou art gone from my   
gaze1 whilst she turned and nodded at me
 saying1 ,he's here6 ,in fact1 after a  
couple of hours' conversation with her1 

,i felt that this stranger in the black 
velvet dress had turned out every secret
 of my life1 and laid it naked and bare 
before me4 ,i was wonderfully attracted 
to her4 ,her personality pleased me2 her
 lonely life1 living with her two babies
 in the ,goldhawk ,road1 made me anxious
 to give her society and pleasure1 and  
her wonderful gifts of clairvoyance and 
trance mediumship1 all combined to make 
me desire her friendship1 and ,i gave   
her a cordial invitation to my house in 
the ,regent's ,park1 where for some     
years she was a constant visitor1 and   
always sure of a hearty welcome4 ,it was
 due to her kindness that ,i first had  
the opportunity to study trance         
mediumship at my leisure1 and in a short
 time we became so familiar with her    
most constant control1 ,dewdrop1 a ,red 
,indian girl1 and so accustomed to speak
 through ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald with our own 
friends gone before1 that we welcomed   
her advent to our house as the signal   
for holding a spiritual party4 ,for the 

sake of the uninitiated and curious1 ,i 
think ,i had better here describe what  
is meant by trance mediumship4 ,a person
 thus gifted has the power of giving him
 or herself up to the control of the    
influences in command1 who send him or  
her off to sleep1 a sleep so deep and so
 like death that the spirit is actually 
parted pro tem from the body1 which     
other spirits1 sometimes living1 but far
 oftener dead1 enter and use as if it   
were their own4 ,i have mentioned in my 
chapter on ,embodied ,spirits how my    
living friend in ,india conversed with  
me through ,bessie ,fitzgerald in this  
way1 also how ,florence spoke to me     
through the unconscious lips of ,mabel  
,keningale ,cook4  ,of course1 ,i am    
aware that it would be so easy for a    
medium simply to close her eyes1 and1   
professing to be entranced1 talk a lot  
of commonplaces1 which open-mouthed     
fools might accept as a new gospel1 that
 it becomes imperative to test this     
class of media strictly by what they    

utter1 and to place no faith in them    
until you are convinced that the matters
 they speak of cannot possibly have been
 known to any one except the friend     
whose mouthpiece they profess to be4    
,all this ,i fully proved for myself    
from repeated trials and researches2 but
 the unfortunate part of it is1 that the
 more forcible and convincing the       
private proof1 the more difficult it is 
to place it before the public4 ,i must  
content myself1 therefore1 with saying  
that some of my dead friends 7so called7
 came back to me so frequently through  
,bessie ,fitzgerald1 and familiarized   
themselves so completely with my present
 life1 that ,i forgot sometimes that    
they had left this world1 and flew to   
them 7or rather to ,bessie7 to seek     
their advice or ask their sympathy as   
naturally as if she were their earthly  
form4 ,of these my daughter ,florence   
was necessarily the most often with me1 
and she and ,dewdrop generally divided  
the time which ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald spent  

with us between them4 ,i never saw a    
control so completely identified with   
its medium as ,dewdrop was with ,bessie4
 ,it was difficult at times to know     
which was which1 and one could never be 
certain until she spoke whether the     
spirit or the medium had entered the    
house4 ,when she did speak1 however1    
there was no mistaking them4 ,their     
characters were so different4 ,bessie   
,fitzgerald1 a quiet1 soft spoken little
 woman1 devoted to her children1 and    
generally unobtrusive2 ,dewdrop1 a      
,sioux ,indian girl1 wary and deep as   
her tribe and cute and saucy as a       
,yankee1 with an amount of devilry in   
her that must at times have proved very 
inconvenient4 ,she used to play ,mrs4   
,fitzgerald tricks in those days that   
might have brought her into serious     
trouble1 such as controlling her whilst 
travelling in an omnibus1 and talking   
her ,yankee ,indian to the passengers   
until she had made their hair stand on  
end1 with the suspicion that they had a 

lunatic for a companion4 ,one evening we
 had a large and rather swell evening   
party1 chiefly composed of ladies and   
gentlemen of the theatrical profession1 
and entirely of non-spiritualists1      
excepting ourselves4 ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald  
had been invited to this party1 and     
declined1 because it was out of her     
line4 ,we were therefore rather         
astonished1 when all the guests were    
assembled1 to hear her name announced   
and see her enter the room in a morning 
dress4 ,directly ,i cast eyes upon her1 
however1 ,i saw that it was not herself1
 but ,dewdrop4 ,the stride with which   
she walked1 the waggish way she rolled  
from side to side1 the devilry in her   
eye1 all betokened the ,indian control4 
,to make matters worse1 she went        
straight up to ,colonel ,lean1 and1     
throwing herself on the ground at his   
feet1 affectionately laid her head upon 
his knee1 and said1 ,i'se come to the   
party4 ,imagine the astonishment of our 
guests6 ,i was obliged at once1 in      

defence of my friend1 to explain to them
 how matters stood2 and though they     
looked rather incredulous1 they were    
immensely interested1 and ,dewdrop's    
visit proved to be the event of the     
evening4 ,she talked to each one        
separately1 telling them home truths1   
and prophesying their future in a way   
that made their cheeks go pale with     
fright1 or red with conscious shame1 and
 there was quite a contest between the  
men as to who should take ,dewdrop down 
to the supper table4 ,when there1 she   
made herself particularly lively1 making
 personal remarks aloud that were1 in   
some instances1 rather trying to listen 
to1 and which ,bessie ,fitzgerald would 
have cut out her tongue sooner than     
utter4 ,she ate1 too1 of dishes which   
would have made ,bessie ill for a week4 
,this was another strange peculiarity of
 ,dewdrop's control4 ,she not only      
ousted the spirit2 she regulated the    
internal machinery of her medium's body4
 ,bessie in her normal condition was a  

very delicate woman with a weak heart   
and lungs1 and obliged to be most       
careful in her diet4 ,she ate like a    
sparrow1 and of the simplest things4    
,dewdrop1 on the other hand1 liked      
indigestible food1 and devoured it      
freely2 yet ,bessie has told me that she
 never felt any inconvenience from the  
food amalgamated with her system whilst 
under ,dewdrop's control4 ,one day when 
,mrs4 ,fitzgerald was dining with us1 we
 had some apples at dessert1 which she  
would have liked to partake of1 but was 
too much afraid of the after            
consequences4 ,i dare not1 she said2 if 
,i were to eat a raw apple1 ,i should   
have indigestion for a week4 ,she took  
some preserved ginger instead2 and we   
were proceeding with our dessert1 when  
,i saw her hand steal out and grasp an  
apple4 ,i looked in her face4 ,dewdrop  
had taken her place4 ,dewdrop1 ,i said1 
authoritatively1 you must not eat that4 
,you will hurt ,bessie4 ,put it down    
directly4  ,i shan't1 replied ,dewdrop1 

drawing the dish towards her2 ,i like   
apples4 ,i'm always wanting ',medy' to  
eat them1 and she won't1 so she must go 
away till ,i've had as many as ,i want4 
,and in effect she ate three or four of 
them1 and ,bessie would never have been 
cognizant of the fact unless ,i had     
informed her4 ,on the occasion of the   
party to which she came uninvited1      
,dewdrop remained with us to the very   
last1 and went home in a cab1 and landed
 ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald at her house without 
her being aware that she had ever left  
it4 ,at that time we were constantly at 
each other's houses1 and many an evening
 have ,i spent alone with ,bessie in the
 ,goldhawk ,road1 her servant out       
marketing and her little children asleep
 in the room overhead4 ,her baby was    
then a great fat fellow of about fifteen
 months old1 who was given to waking and
 crying for his mother4 ,if ,dewdrop    
were present1 she was always very       
impatient with these interruptions4     
,bother dat ,george1 she would say2 ,i  

must go up and quiet him4 ,then she     
would disappear for a few minutes1 while
 ,bessie woke and talked to me1 and     
then1 in the twinkling of an eye1       
,dewdrop would be back again4 ,one day1 
apparently1 ,george would not be        
comforted1 for on ,dewdrop's return she 
said to me1 ,it's no good2 ,i've had to 
bring him down4 ,he's on the mat outside
 the door2 and there1 sure enough1 we   
found the poor baby wailing in his      
nightshirt4 ,not being able to walk1 how
 he had been spirited from the top      
storey to the bottom ,i leave my readers
 to determine4 ,bessie's little girl    
,mabel promised to be as wonderful a    
medium as her mother4 ,she would come in
 from the garden flushed from her play  
with the spirit-children1 of whom she   
talked as familiarly as of her little   
neighbors next door4 ,i have watched her
 playing at ball with an invisible      
child1 and have seen the ball thrown1   
arrested half-way in the air1 and then  
tossed back again just as if a living   

child had been ,mab's opponent4 ,i had  
lost several infants from premature     
birth during my second marriage1 and the
 eldest of these1 a girl1 appeared to be
 a constant companion of ,mabel's4 ,she 
was always talking of what ,mrs4 ,lean's
 girl 7as she called her7 had done and  
said2 and one day she had a violent fit 
of weeping because her mother would not 
promise to buy her a frock like the one 
,mrs4 ,lean's girl wore4  ,apropos of   
these still-born children1 ,i had a     
curious experience with ,mrs4           
,fitzgerald4 ,i had had no idea until   
then that children so born possessed any
 souls1 or lived again1 but ,florence   
undeceived me when she told me she had  
charge of her little brothers and       
sisters4 ,she even professed to know the
 names by which they were known in the  
spirit world4 ,when a still-born baby is
 launched upon the other side1 she said 
it is delivered over to the nearest     
relative of its parent1 to be called by 
what name he may choose4 ,thus my first 

girl was christened by ,colonel ,lean's 
mother ,gertrude1 after a bosom friend  
of hers1 and my second my father named  
,joan1 as he said it was his favorite   
female name4 ,upon subsequent inquiry1  
we found that ,mrs4 ,lean had a friend  
called ,gertrude1 and that ,joan was    
distinctly ,captain ,marryat's beau     
ideal of a woman's name4 ,however1 that 
signified but little4 ,i became very    
curious to see or speak with these      
unknown babies of mine1 and used to     
worry ,florence to bring them to me4    
,she would expostulate with me after    
this fashion3 ,dear mother1 be          
reasonable4 ,remember what babies they  
are1 and that this world is quite       
strange to them4 ,when your earthly     
children were small you never allowed   
them to be brought down before          
strangers1 for fear they should cry4    
',gertie' and ',yonnie' would behave    
just the same if ,i brought them back to
 you now4 ,however1 ,i went on teasing  
her till she made the attempt1 and      

,gertie returned through ,mrs4          
,fitzgerald4 ,it was a long time before 
we could coax her to remain with us1 and
 when she overcame her first shyness1 it
 was like talking to a little savage4   
,gertie didn't know the meaning of      
anything1 or the names of anything4 ,her
 incessant questions of ,what's a       
father8 ,what a mother8 ,what's a dog8  
were very difficult to answer2 but she  
would chatter about the spirit-world1   
and what she did there1 as glibly as    
possible4 ,she told us that she knew her
 brother ,francis 7the lad who was      
drowned at sea7 very well1 and she ran  
races1 and ,francis 'chivied' her2 and  
when he caught her1 he held her under   
the fountain1 and the spray wetted her  
frock1 and made it look like silver4    
,the word chivied sounding to me very   
much of a mundane character1 ,i asked   
,gertie where she learned it2 and she   
said1 ,francis says 'chivy1' so ,i may1 
and it was indeed a common expression   
with him4 ,gertie took1 after a while1  

such a keen interest in my ornaments and
 china1 rather to their endangerment1   
that ,i bought a doll to see if she     
would play with it4 ,at first she was   
vastly delighted with the little spirit1
 as she called it1 and nursed it just as
 a mortal child would have done4 ,but   
when she began to question me as to the 
reason the doll did not look at her1 or 
answer her1 or move about1 and ,i said  
it was because it was not alive1 she was
 dreadfully disappointed4 ,not alive6   
she echoed2 didn't ,god make it8 and    
when ,i replied in the negative1 she    
threw it to the other end of the room1  
and would never look at it again4       
,gertie was about five years old at this
 period1 and seemed to have a great idea
 of her own importance4 ,she always     
announced herself as ,the ,princess     
,gertie1 and was very dignified in her  
behavior4 ,one day1 when a lady friend  
was present when ,gertie came and asked 
her to kiss her1 she extended her hand  
instead of her face1 saying1 ,you may   

kiss my hand4  ,yonnie 7as ,joan called 
herself7 was but eighteen months old1   
and used to manifest herself1 roaring   
like a child forcibly dragged before    
strangers1 and the only word we could   
ever extract from her was ,sugar-plums4 
,accordingly1 ,i invested in some for   
her benefit1 with which she filled her  
mouth so full as nearly to choke the    
medium1 and ,florence rebuked me        
seriously for my carelessness1 and      
threatened never to bring ,yonnie down  
to this earth again4 ,there had been    
three other children--boys--whom ,i was 
equally anxious to see again1 but1 for  
some inexplicable reason1 ,florence said
 it was impossible that they could      
manifest4 ,the little girls1 however1   
came until we were quite familiar with  
them4 ,i am aware that all this must    
sound very childish1 but had it not     
borne a remarkable context1 ,i should   
not have related it4 ,all the wonder of 
it will be found later on4  ,mrs4       
,fitzgerald suffered very much at this  

time from insomnia1 which she always    
declared was benefitted after a visit to
 me4 ,i proposed one night1 therefore1  
when she had stayed with us later than  
usual1 that she should remain and share 
my bed1 and return home in the morning4 
,she consented1 and at the usual hour we
 retired to rest together1 ,i taking    
care to lock the bedroom door and keep  
the gas burning2 indeed1 ,bessie was so 
nervous of what she might see that she  
would not have remained in the dark for 
any consideration4 ,the bed we occupied 
was what is called a half tester1 with a
 canopy and curtains on either side4 ,as
 soon as ever ,bessie got into it1 she  
burrowed under the clothes like a       
dormouse1 and went fast asleep4 ,i was  
too curious to see what might happen to 
follow her example1 so my head remained 
on the pillow1 and my eyes wide open1   
and turning in every direction4         
,presently ,i saw the curtains on the   
opposite side of the bed gently shaken1 
next a white hand and arm appeared round

 them1 and was passed up and down the   
ridge that represented ,bessie          
,fitzgerald's body2 finally1 after      
several times stepping forward and      
retreating again1 a female figure       
emerged and walked to the foot of the   
bedstead and stood there regarding me4  
,she was1 to all appearance1 as solidly 
formed as any human creature could be1  
and she was as perfectly distinct as    
though seen by daylight4 ,her head and  
bust reminded me at once of the         
celebrated ,clytie1 they were so        
classically and beautifully formed4 ,her
 hair and skin were fair1 her eyes      
luminously liquid and gentle1 her whole 
attitude one of modest dignity4 ,she was
 clothed in some creamy white material1 
thick and soft1 and intermixed with dull
 gold4 ,she wore no ornaments1 but in   
her right hand she carried a long branch
 of palm1 or olive1 or myrtle1 something
 tall and tapering1 and of dark green4  
,she scarcely could be said to smile at 
me1 but there was an indescribable      

appearance of peace and tranquillity    
about her4 ,when ,i described this      
apparition to ,bessie in the morning1   
she recognized it at once as that of her
 control1 ,goodness1 whom she had seen  
clairvoyantly1 but she affirmed that ,i 
was the only person who had ever given  
her a correct description of this       
influence1 which was the best and purest
 about her4 ,after ,goodness had        
remained in the same position for a few 
minutes1 she walked back again behind   
the curtain1 which served as a cabinet1 
and ,florence came out and had a        
whispered conversation with me4 ,next a 
dark face1 but only a face1 said to be  
that of ,dewdrop1 peeped out four or    
five times1 and disappeared again2 then 
a voice said1 ,no more6 good-night1 and 
,i turned round to where ,bessie lay    
sleeping beside me1 and went to sleep   
myself4 ,after that1 she often came1    
when suffering worse than usual from    
insomnia1 to pass the night with me1 as 
she said my magnetism caused her to     

sleep1 and similar manifestations always
 occurred when we were alone and        
together4  ,mrs4 ,fitzgerald's          
mediumship was by no means used1        
however1 for the sole purpose of        
gratifying curiosity or foretelling the 
future4 ,she was a wonderful medical    
diagnoser1 and sat for a long time in   
the service of a well-known medical man4
 ,she would be ensconced in a corner of 
his waiting-room and tell him the exact 
disease of each patient that entered4   
,she told me she could see the inside of
 everybody as perfectly as though they  
were made of glass4 ,this gift1 however1
 induced her to take on a reflection 7as
 it were7 of the disease she diagnosed1 
and after a while her failing strength  
compelled her to give it up4 ,her       
control ,dewdrop was what she called    
herself1 a metal spirit1 i4e41 her      
advice was very trustworthy with regard 
to all speculations and monetary        
transactions4 ,many stockbrokers and    
city men used regularly to consult      

,bessie before they engaged in any      
speculation1 and she received many      
valuable presents in return for her     
assistance in making a pile4 ,one       
gentleman1 indeed1 settled a large sum  
of money when he died on her little son 
in gratitude for the fortune ,dewdrop   
had helped him to accumulate4 ,persons  
who sneer at ,spiritualism and declare  
it to be useless1 little know how much  
advantage is taken of spiritual         
forethought and prevision by those who  
believe in it4 ,i have never been sorry 
but when ,i have neglected to follow the
 advice of a medium whom ,i had proved  
to be trustworthy4  ,in the autumn of   
#ahhc ,i introduced my own entertainment
 of ,love ,letters to the provincial    
,british public1 and it had an immediate
 and undeniable success4 ,my engagements
 poured in rapidly1 and ,i had already  
booked dates for the whole spring of    
#ahhd1 when ,mr4 ,edgar ,bruce offered  
me an engagement at the ,prince of      
,wales' 7then the ,prince's7 ,theatre1  

about to be opened in ,piccadilly4 ,i   
had been anxiously waiting to obtain an 
engagement on the ,london boards1 and   
was eager to accept it2 still1 ,i did   
not know if ,i would be wise in         
relinquishing my provincial engagements4
 ,i wrote to ,bessie to ask ,dewdrop    
what ,i should do2 the answer was1      
,don't accept1 only a flash in the pan4 
,thereupon ,i sent to ,mr4 ,bruce to ask
 how long the engagement was likely to  
last1 and his answer was that he        
expected ,the ,palace of ,truth to run a
 year at least1 and at any rate ,i was  
to consider myself one of a stock       
company4 ,thereupon ,i cancelled all my 
entertainment engagements1 returned to  
,london1 appeared at the ,prince's      
,theatre for just eleven weeks1 and got 
into four law suits with my disappointed
 patrons for my trouble4  ,it is one of 
the commonest remarks made by stupid    
people1 ,if the spirits know anything1  
let them tell me the name of the winner 
of the ,derby1 and then ,i will believe 

them1 etc4 ,i was speaking of this once 
to ,dewdrop1 and she said1 ,we could    
tell if we choose1 but we are not       
allowed to do so4 ,if ,spiritualism was 
generally used for such things1 all the 
world would rush to it in order to cheat
 one another4 ,but if you will promise  
me not to open it until after the ,derby
 is run1 ,i will give you the name of   
the winner now in a sealed envelope1 to 
prove that what ,i say is the truth4 ,we
 gave her the requisite materials1 and  
she made a few pencil marks on a piece  
of paper1 and sealed it up4 ,it was the 
year that ,shotover won the ,derby4 ,the
 day after the race1 we opened the      
envelope and found the drawing of a man 
with a gun in his hand1 a hedge1 and a  
bird flying away on the other side2 very
 sketchy1 but perfectly intelligible to 
one who could read between the lines4   
,i was at the theatre one night with    
,bessie in a box1 when ,i found out that
 ,dewdrop had taken her place4 ,dewdrop 
was very fond of going to the play1 and 

her remarks were so funny and so naive  
as to keep one constantly amused4       
,presently1 between the acts1 she said  
to me1 ,do you see that man in the front
 row of the stalls with a bald head1    
sitting next to the old lady with a fat 
neck8 ,i replied ,i did4 ,now you watch1
 said ,dewdrop2 ,i'm going down there to
 have some fun4 ,first ,i'll tickle the 
old man's head1 and then ,i'll scratch  
the old woman's neck4 ,now1 you and     
',medie' watch4 ,the next moment ,bessie
 spoke to me in her own voice1 and ,i   
told her what ,dewdrop proposed to do4  
,oh1 poor things6 she said1             
compassionately1 how she will torment   
them6 ,to watch what followed was a     
perfect farce4 ,first1 the old man put  
his hand up to his bald head1 and then  
he took out his handkerchief and flicked
 it1 then he rubbed it1 and finally     
scrubbed it to alleviate the increasing 
irritation4 ,then the old lady began the
 same business with her neck1 and       
finding it of no avail1 glared at the   

old man as if she thought he had done   
it2 in fact1 they were both in such     
evident torture that there was no doubt 
,dewdrop had kept her promise4 ,when she
 returned to me she said1 ,there6 didn't
 you see me walking along the front row 
of stalls1 in my moccasins and beads and
 feathers1 and all my war-paint on1     
tickling the old fellow's head8 ,i      
didn't see you1 ',dewdrop1' ,i answered1
 but ,i'm sure you were there4 ,ah6 but 
the old fellow felt me1 and so did the  
old girl1 she replied4  ,bessie         
,fitzgerald is now ,mrs4 ,russell       
,davies1 and carries on her seances in  
,upper ,norwood4 ,no one who attends    
them can fail to feel interested in the 
various phenomena he will meet with     
there4     ,,chapter ,,xix4  ,,the      
,,mediumship ,,of ,,lottie ,,fowler4    
,as ,i was introduced to ,lottie ,fowler
 many years before ,i met ,bessie       
,fitzgerald1 ,i suppose the account of  
her mediumship should have come first2  
but ,i am writing this veracious        

narrative on no fixed or artificial     
plan1 but just as it occurs to me1      
though not from memory1 because notes   
were taken of every particular at the   
time of occurrence4 ,in #ahgd ,i was    
largely employed on the ,london ,press1 
and constantly sent to report on        
anything novel or curious1 and likely to
 afford matter for an interesting       
article4 ,it was for such a purpose that
 ,i received an order from one of the   
principal newspapers in town to go and  
have a complimentary seance with an     
,american clairvoyant newly arrived in  
,england1 ,miss ,lottie ,fowler4 ,until 
,i received my directions ,i had never  
heard the medium's name1 and ,i knew    
very little of clairvoyance4 ,she was   
lodging in ,conduit ,street1 and ,i     
reached her house one morning as early  
as ten o'clock1 and sent in a card with 
the name of the paper only written on   
it4 ,i was readily admitted4 ,miss      
,fowler was naturally anxious to be     
noticed by the press and introduced to  

,london society4 ,i found her a         
stylish-looking1 well-dressed woman of  
about thirty1 with a pleasant1          
intelligent face4 ,those of my readers  
who have only met her since sickness and
 misfortune made inroads on her         
appearance may smile at my description1 
but ,i repeat that seventeen years ago  
,lottie ,fowler was prosperous and      
energetic-looking4 ,she received me very
 cordially1 and asked me into a little  
back parlor1 of which1 as it was summer 
weather1 both the windows and doors were
 left open4 ,here1 in the sunshine1 she 
sat down and took my hand in hers1 and  
began chatting of what she wished and   
hoped to do in ,london4 ,suddenly her   
eyes closed and her head fell back4 ,she
 breathed hard for a few minutes1 and   
then sat up1 still with her eyes closed1
 and began to talk in a high key1 and in
 broken ,english4 ,this was her         
well-known control1 ,annie1 without     
doubt one of the best clairvoyants      
living4 ,she began by explaining to me  

that she had been a ,german girl in     
earth life1 and couldn't speak ,english 
properly1 but ,i should understand her  
better when ,i was more familiar with   
her4 ,she then commenced with my birth  
by the sea1 described my father's       
personality and occupation1 spoke of my 
mother1 my brothers and sisters1 my     
illnesses1 my marriage1 and my domestic 
life4 ,then she said1 ,wait6 now ,i'll  
go to your house1 and tell you what ,i  
see there4 ,she then repeated the names 
of all my children1 giving a sketch of  
the character of each one1 down to the  
baby with the flower name1 as she called
 my little ,daisy4 ,after she had really
 exhausted the subject of my past and   
present1 she said1 ,you'll say ,i've    
read all this out of your mind1 so now  
,i'll tell you what ,i see in the       
future4 ,you'll be married a second     
time4 ,now1 at this period ,i was       
editing a fashionable magazine1 and drew
 a large number of literary men around  
me4 ,i kept open house on ,tuesday      

evenings1 and had innumerable friends1  
and ,i may 7,i don't say ,i had71 but ,i
 may have sometimes speculated what my  
fate might be in the event of my        
becoming free4 ,the seance ,i speak of  
took place on a ,wednesday morning2 and 
when ,annie told me ,i should be married
 a second time1 my thoughts             
involuntarily took to themselves wings1 
,i suppose1 for she immediately followed
 up her assertion by saying1 ,no6 not to
 the man who broke the tumbler at your  
house last night4 ,you will marry       
another soldier4 ,no1 thank-you1 ,i     
exclaimed2 no more army men for me4     
,i've had enough of soldiers to last me 
a lifetime4 ,annie looked very grave4   
,you will marry another soldier1 she    
reiterated2 ,i can see him now1 walking 
up a terrace4 ,he is very tall and big1 
and has brown hair cut quite short1 but 
so soft and shiny4 ,at the back of his  
head he looks as sleek as a mole4 ,he   
has a broad face1 a pleasant1 smiling   
face1 and when he laughs he shows very  

white teeth4 ,i see him knocking at your
 door4 ,he says1 ',is ,mrs4             
,ross-,church at home8' ',yes1 sir4'    
,then he goes into a room full of books4
 ',florence1 my wife is dead4 ,will you 
be my wife8' ,and you say ',yes4' ,annie
 spoke so naturally1 and ,i was so      
astonished at her knowledge of my       
affairs1 that it never struck me till ,i
 returned home that she had called me by
 my name1 which had been kept carefully 
from her4 ,i asked her1 ,when will my   
husband die8 ,i don't see his death     
anywhere1 she answered4 ,but how can ,i 
marry again unless he dies8 ,i said4 ,i 
don't know1 but ,i can't tell you what  
,i don't see4 ,i see a house all in     
confusion1 papers are thrown about1 and 
everything is topsy-turvy1 and two      
people are going different ways2 and1   
oh1 there is so much trouble and so many
 tears6 ,but ,i don't see any death     
anywhere4  ,i returned home1 very much  
astonished at all ,miss ,fowler had said
 regarding my past and present1 but very

 incredulous with respect to her        
prophecies for the future4 ,yet1 three  
years afterwards1 when much of what she 
told me had come to pass1 ,i was        
travelling from ,charing ,cross to      
,fareham with ,mr4 ,grossmith1 to give  
our entertainment of ,entre ,nous1 when 
the train stopped as usual to water at  
,chatham4 ,on the platform stood        
,colonel ,lean1 in uniform1 talking to  
some friends4 ,i had never set eyes on  
him till that moment2 but ,i said at    
once to ,mr4 ,grossmith1 ,do you see    
that officer in the undress uniform8    
,that is the man ,lottie ,fowler told me
 ,i should marry4 ,her description had  
been so exact that ,i recognized him at 
once4 ,of course1 ,i got well laughed   
at1 and was ready after a while to laugh
 at myself4 ,two months afterwards1     
however1 ,i was engaged to recite at the
 ,literary ,institute at ,chatham1 where
 ,i had never set foot in my life       
before4 ,colonel ,lean came to the      
,recital1 and introduced himself to me4 

,he became a visitor at my house in     
,london 7which1 by the by1 had been     
changed for one in a terrace71 and two  
years afterwards1 in1 ,june #ahgi1 we   
were married4 ,i have so far overcome a 
natural scruple to make my private      
affairs public1 in justice to ,lottie   
,fowler4 ,it is useless narrating       
anything to do with the supernatural    
7although ,i have been taught that this 
is a wrong term1 and that nothing that  
exists is above nature1 but only a      
continuation of it71 unless one is      
prepared to prove that it was true4     
,lottie ,fowler did not make a long stay
 in ,england on that occasion4 ,she     
returned to ,america for some time1 and 
,i was ,mrs4 ,lean before ,i met her    
again4 ,the second visit was a          
remarkable one4 ,i had been to another  
medium1 who had made me very unhappy by 
some prophecies with regard to my       
husband's health2 indeed1 she had said  
he would not live a couple of years1 and
 ,i was so excited about it that my     

friend ,miss ,schonberg advised our     
going then and there to see ,lottie     
,fowler1 who had just arrived in        
,england1 and was staying in ,vernon    
,place1 ,bloomsbury2 and though it was  
late at night1 we set off at once4 ,the 
answer to our request to see ,miss      
,fowler was that she was too tired to   
receive any more visitors that day4 ,do 
ask her to see me1 ,i urged4 ,i won't   
detain her a moment2 ,i only want to ask
 her one question4 ,upon this1 we were  
admitted1 and found ,lottie nearly      
asleep4 ,miss ,fowler1 ,i began1 you    
told me five years ago that ,i should be
 married a second time4 ,well1 ,i am    
married1 and now they tell me ,i shall  
loose my husband4 ,and then ,i told her 
how ill he was1 and what the doctors    
said1 and what the medium said4 ,you    
told me the truth before1 ,i continued2 
tell it me now4 ,will he die8 ,lottie   
took a locket containing his hair in her
 hand for a minute1 and then replied    
confidently1 ,they know nothing about   

it4 ,he will not die--that is not       
yet--not for a long while4 ,but when8 ,i
 said1 despairingly4 ,leave that to     
,god1 child1 she answered1 and be happy 
now4 ,and in effect ,colonel ,lean      
recovered from his illness1 and became  
strong and hearty again4 ,but whence did
 ,miss ,fowler gain the confidence to   
assert that a man whom she had never    
seen1 nor even heard of1 should recover 
from a disease which the doctors        
pronounced to be mortal8 ,from that time
 ,lottie and ,i became fast friends1 and
 continue so to this day4 ,it is a      
remarkable thing that she would never   
take a sixpence from me in payment for  
her services1 though ,i have sat with   
her scores of times1 nor would she      
accept a present1 and that when she has 
been sorely in need of funds4 ,she said 
she had been told she should never      
prosper if she touched my money4 ,she   
has one of the most grateful and        
affectionate and generous natures       
possible1 and has half-starved herself  

for the sake of others who lived upon   
her4 ,i have seen her under sickness1   
and poverty1 and trouble1 and ,i think  
she is one of the kindest-hearted and   
best women living1 and ,i am glad of    
even this slight opportunity to bear    
testimony to her disposition4 ,at one   
time she had a large and fashionable    
clientele of sitters1 who used to pay   
her handsomely for a seance1 but of late
 years her clients have fallen off1 and 
her fortunes have proportionately       
decreased4 ,she has now returned to the 
,southern ,states of ,america1 and says 
she has seen the last of ,england4 ,all 
,i can say is1 that ,i consider her a   
great personal loss as a referee in all 
business matters as well as a prophet   
for the future4 ,she also1 like ,bessie 
,fitzgerald1 is a great medical         
diagnoser4 ,she was largely consulted by
 physicians about the ,court at the time
 of the ,prince of ,wales' dangerous    
illness1 and predicted his recovery from
 the commencement4 ,it was through her  

mediumship that the body of the late    
,lord ,lindesay of ,balcarres1 which was
 stolen from the family vault1 was      
eventually recovered2 and the present   
,lord ,lindesay gave her a beautiful    
little watch1 enamelled and set in      
diamonds1 in commemoration of the event4
 ,she predicted the riot that took place
 in ,london some years ago1 and the ,tay
 ,bridge disaster2 but who is so silly  
as to believe the prophecies of media   
now-a-days8 ,there has hardly been an   
event in my life1 since ,i have known   
,lottie ,fowler1 that she has not       
prepared me for beforehand1 but the     
majority of them are too insignificant  
to interest the reader4 ,one1 however1  
the saddest ,i have ever been called    
upon to encounter1 was wonderfully      
foretold4 ,in ,february1 #ahhf1 ,lottie 
7or rather1 ,annie7 said to me1 ,there  
is a great trouble in store for you1    
,florris 7she always called me          
,florris72 you are passing under black  
clouds1 and there is a coffin hanging   

over you4 ,it will leave your house4    
,this made me very uneasy4 ,no one lived
 in my house but my husband and myself4 
,i asked1 ,is it my own coffin8 ,no6 ,is
 it my husband's8 ,no2 it is that of a  
much younger person4  ,i questioned her 
very closely1 but she would not tell me 
any more1 and ,i tried to dismiss the   
idea from my mind4 ,still it would      
constantly recur1 for ,i knew1 from     
experience1 how true her predictions    
were4 ,at last ,i felt as if ,i could   
bear the suspense no longer1 and ,i went
 to her and said1 ,you must tell me that
 the coffin you spoke of is not for one 
of my children1 or the uncertainty will 
drive me mad4 ,annie thought a minute1  
and then said slowly1 ,no2 it is not for
 one of your children4 ,then ,i can bear
 anything else1 ,i replied4 ,the time   
went on1 and in ,april an uncle of mine 
died4 ,i rushed again to ,lottie        
,fowler4 ,is this the death you         
prophesied8 ,i asked her4 ,no1 she      
replied2 the coffin must leave your     

house4 ,but this death will be followed 
by another in the family1 which it was  
within the week4 ,the following         
,february my next-door neighbors lost   
their only son4 ,i had known the boy for
 years1 and ,i was very sorry for them4 
,as ,i was watching the funeral         
preparations from my bedroom window1 ,i 
saw the coffin carried out of the hall  
door1 which adjoined mine with only a   
railing between4 ,knowing that many     
prophetical media see the future in a   
series of pictures1 it struck me that   
,lottie must have seen this coffin      
leaving1 and mistaken the house for     
mine4 ,i went to her again4 ,this proves
 how the prediction had weighed all this
 time upon my mind4 ,has not the death  
you spoke of taken place now8 ,i asked  
her4 ,has not the coffin left my house8 
,no1 she answered2 it will be a         
relative1 one of the family4 ,it is much
 nearer now than it was4 ,i felt        
uncomfortable1 but ,i would not allow it
 to make me unhappy4 ,annie had said it 

was not one of my own children1 and so  
long as they were spared ,i felt strong 
enough for anything4  ,in the ,july     
following my eldest daughter came to me 
in much distress4 ,she had heard of the 
death of a friend1 one who had been     
associated with her in her professional 
life1 and the news had shocked her      
greatly4 ,she had always been opposed to
 ,spiritualism4 ,she didn't see the good
 of it1 and thought ,i believed in it a 
great deal more than was necessary4 ,i  
had often asked her to accompany me to  
seances1 or to see trance media1 and she
 had refused4 ,she used to say she had  
no one on the other side she cared to   
speak to4 ,but when her young friend    
died1 she begged me to take her to a    
medium to hear some news of him1 and we 
went together to ,lottie ,fowler4 ,annie
 did not wait for any prompting1 but    
opened the ball at once4 ,you've come   
here to ask me how you can see your     
friend who has just passed over1 she    
said4 ,well1 he's all right4 ,he's in   

this room now1 and he says you will see 
him very soon4 ,to which medium shall ,i
 go8 said my daughter4 ,don't go to any 
medium4 ,wait a little while1 and you   
will see him with your own eyes4 ,my    
daughter was a physical medium herself1 
though ,i had prevented her sitting for 
fear it should injure her health2 and ,i
 believed1 with her1 that ,annie meant  
that her friend would manifest through  
her own power4 ,she turned to me and    
said1 ,oh1 mother1 ,i shall be awfully  
frightened if he appears to me at night2
 and ,annie answered1 ,no1 you won't be 
frightened when you see him4 ,you will  
be very pleased4 ,your meeting will be a
 source of great pleasure on both sides4
 ,my daughter had just signed a         
lucrative engagement1 and was about to  
start on a provincial tour4 ,her next   
request was1 ,tell me what you see for  
me in the future4 ,annie replied1 ,i    
cannot see it clearly4 ,another day ,i  
may be able to tell you more1 but to-day
 it is all dim4 ,every time ,i try to   

see it a wall seems to rise behind your 
head and shut it out4 ,then she turned  
to me and said1 ,florris1 that coffin is
 very near you now4 ,it hangs right over
 your head6 ,i answered carelessly1 ,i  
wish it would come and have done with   
it4 ,it is eighteen months now1 ,annie1 
since you uttered that dismal prophecy6 
,little did ,i really believe that it   
was to be so quickly and so terribly    
fulfilled4 ,three weeks after that      
seance1 my beloved child 7who was       
staying with me7 was carried out of my  
house in her coffin to ,kensal ,green4  
,i was so stunned by the blow1 that it  
was not for some time after that ,i     
remembered ,annie's prediction4 ,when ,i
 asked her why she had tortured me with 
the suspense of coming evil for eighteen
 months1 she said she had been told to  
do so by my guardian spirits1 or my     
brain would have been injured by the    
suddenness of the shock4 ,when ,i asked 
why she had denied it would be one of my
 children1 she still maintained that she

 had obeyed a higher order1 because to  
tell the truth so long beforehand would 
have half-killed me as indeed it would4 
,annie said she had no idea1 even during
 that last interview1 that the death she
 predicted was that of the girl before  
her4 ,she saw her future was misty1 and 
that the coffin was over my head1 but   
she did not connect the two facts       
together4 ,in like manner ,i have heard 
almost every event of my future through 
,lottie ,fowler's lips1 and she has     
never yet proved to be wrong1 except in 
one instance of time4 ,she predicted an 
event for a certain year and it did not 
take place till afterwards2 and it has  
made ,annie so wary1 that she           
steadfastly refuses now to give any     
dates4 ,i always warn inquirers not to  
place faith in any given dates4 ,the    
spirits have told me they have no time  
in the spheres1 but judge of it simply  
as the reflection of the future appears 
nearer1 or further1 from the sitter's   
face4 ,thus1 something that will happen 

years hence appears cloudy and far off1 
whilst the events of next week or next  
month seem bright and distinct1 and     
quite near4 ,this is a method of judging
 which can only be gained by practice1  
and must at all times be uncertain and  
misleading4  ,i have often acted as     
amanuensis for ,lottie ,fowler1 for     
letters are constantly arriving for her 
from every part of the world which can  
only be answered under trance1 and she  
has asked me to take down the replies as
 ,annie dictated them4 ,i have answered 
by this means the most searching        
questions from over the seas relating to
 health and money and lost articles     
whilst ,lottie was fast asleep and      
,annie dictated the letters1 and have   
received many answers thanking me for   
acting go-between1 and saying how       
wonderfully correct and valuable the    
information ,annie had sent them had    
proved to be4 ,of course1 it would be   
impossible1 in this paper1 to tell of   
the constant intercourse ,i have had    

with ,lottie ,fowler during the last ten
 or twelve years1 and the manner in     
which she has mapped out my future for  
me1 preventing my cherishing false hopes
 that would never be realized1 making   
bad bargains that would prove monetary  
losses1 and believing in apparent       
friendship that was only a cloak for    
selfishness and treachery4 ,i have      
learned many bitter lessons from her    
lips4 ,i have also made a good deal of  
money through her means4 ,she has told  
me what will happen to me between this  
time and the time of my death1 and ,i   
feel prepared for the evil and content  
with the good4 ,lottie ,fowler had very 
bad health for some time before she left
 ,england1 and it had become quite      
necessary that she should go2 but ,i    
think if the ,british public had known  
what a wonderful woman was in their     
midst1 they would have made it better   
worth her while to stay amongst them4   
,,chapter ,,xx4  ,,the ,,mediumship ,,of
 ,,william ,,fletcher4   ,it may be     

remembered in the ,story of ,john       
,powles that when1 as a perfect stranger
 to ,mr4 ,fletcher1 ,i walked one       
evening into the ,steinway ,hall1 ,i    
heard him describe the circumstances of 
my old friend's death in a very         
startling manner4 ,it made such an      
impression on me that ,i became anxious 
to hear what more ,mr4 ,fletcher might  
have to say to me in private1 and for   
that purpose ,i wrote and made an       
appointment with him at his private     
residence in ,gordon ,square4 ,i did not
 conceal my name1 and ,i knew my name   
must be familiar to him2 for although he
 had only just arrived from ,america1 ,i
 am better known as an author in that   
country perhaps than in this4 ,but ,i   
had no intention of gauging his powers  
by what he told me of my exterior life2 
and by what followed1 his guide ,winona 
evidently guessed my ideas upon the     
subject4 ,after the seance ,i wrote thus
 concerning it to the ,banner of ,light1
 a ,new ,york ,spiritualistic paper3--  

,i had seen many clairvoyants before1   
both in public and private1 and had     
witnessed wonderful feats of skill on   
their part in naming and describing     
concealed objects1 and reading print or 
writing when held far beyond their reach
 of sight2 but ,i knew the trick of all 
that4 ,if ,mr4 ,fletcher is going to    
treat me to any mental legerdemain1 ,i  
thought1 as ,i took my way to ,gordon   
,square1 ,i shall have wasted both my   
time and trouble upon him2 and1 ,i      
confess1 as ,i approached the house1    
that ,i felt doubtful whether ,i might  
not be deceived against my senses by the
 clever lecturer1 whose eloquence had   
charmed me into desiring a more intimate
 acquaintance with him4 ,even the       
private life of a professional person   
soon becomes public property in ,london2
 and had ,mr4 ,fletcher wished to find  
out my faults and failings1 he had but  
to apply to ----1 say1 my dearest       
friend1 or the one upon whom ,i had     
bestowed most benefits1 to learn the    

worst aspect of the worst side of my    
character4 ,but the neat little page-boy
 answered my summons so promptly that ,i
 had no time to think of turning back   
again2 and ,i was ushered through a     
carpeted hall1 and up a staircase into a
 double drawing-room1 strewn with       
evidence that my clairvoyant friend     
possessed not only artistic taste1 but  
the means to indulge it4 ,the back room 
into which ,i was shown was hung with   
paintings and fitted with a luxurious   
causeuse1 covered with art needlework1  
and drawn against the open window1      
through which might be seen some fine   
old trees in the garden below1 and ,mr4 
,fletcher's dogs enjoying themselves    
beneath their shade4 ,nothing could be  
further removed from one's ideas of a   
haunt of mystery or magic1 or the abode 
of a man who was forced to descend to   
trickery for a livelihood4 ,in a few    
minutes ,mr4 ,fletcher entered the room 
and saluted me with the air of a        
gentleman4 ,we did not proceed to       

business1 however1 until he had taken me
 round his rooms1 and shown me his      
favorite pictures1 including a portrait 
of ,sara ,bernhardt1 etched by herself1 
in the character of ,mrs4 ,clarkson in  
,l',etrangere4 ,after which we returned 
to the back drawing-room1 and without   
darkening the windows or adopting any   
precautions1 we took our seats upon the 
causeuse facing each other1 whilst ,mr4 
,fletcher laid his left hand lightly    
upon mine4 ,in the course of a minute ,i
 observed several convulsive shivers    
pass through his frame1 his eyes closed1
 and his head sunk back upon the        
cushions1 apparently in sleep4 ,i sat   
perfectly still and silent with my hand 
in his4 ,presently he reopened his eyes 
quite naturally1 and sitting upright1   
began to speak to me in a very soft1    
thin1 feminine voice4 ,he 7or rather his
 guide ,winona7 began by saying that she
 would not waste my time on facts that  
she might have gathered from the world1 
but would confine herself to speaking of

 my inner life4 ,thereupon1 with the    
most astonishing astuteness1 she told me
 of my thoughts and feelings1 reading   
them off like a book4 ,she repeated to  
me words and actions that had been said 
and done in privacy hundred of miles    
away4 ,she detailed the characters of my
 acquaintance1 showing who were true and
 who were false1 giving me their names  
and places of residence4 ,she told me   
the motives ,i had had for certain      
actions1 and what was more strange1     
revealed truths concerning myself which 
,i had not recognized until they were   
presented to me through the medium of a 
perfect stranger4 ,every question ,i put
 to her was accurately answered1 and ,i 
was repeatedly invited to draw further  
revelations from her4 ,the fact being   
that ,i was struck almost dumb by what  
,i had heard1 and rendered incapable of 
doing anything but marvel at the        
wonderful gift that enabled a man1 not  
only to read each thought that passed   
through my brain1 but to see1 as in a   

mirror1 scenes that were being enacted  
miles away with the actors concerned in 
them and the motives that animated them4
 ,winona read the future for me as well 
as the past1 and the first distinct     
prophecy she uttered has already most   
unexpectedly come to pass4 ,when ,i     
announced that ,i was satisfied1 the    
clairvoyant laid his head back again    
upon the cushions1 the same convulsive  
shudders passed through his frame1 and  
in another minute he was smiling in my  
face1 and hoping ,i had a good seance4  
,this is part of the letter ,i wrote    
concerning ,mr4 ,fletcher to the ,banner
 of ,light4 ,but a description of words1
 however strongly put1 can never carry  
the same weight as the words themselves4
 ,so anxious am ,i to make this         
statement as trustworthy as possible1   
however1 that ,i will now go further1   
and give the exact words as ,winona     
spoke them to me on that occasion1 and  
as ,i took them down from her lips4     
,some parts ,i must omit1 not for my own

 sake1 but because of the treachery they
 justly ascribed to persons still living
 in this world4 ,but enough will1 ,i    
trust1 remain to prove how intimately   
the spirit must have penetrated to my   
inner life4 ,this is1 then1 the greater 
part of what ,winona said to me on the  
#bgth of ,june1 #ahgi3  ,you are a      
,child of ,destiny1 who never was a     
child4 ,your life is fuller of tragedies
 than any life ,i ever read yet4 ,i will
 not tell you of the past facts1 because
 they are known to the world1 and ,i    
might have heard them from others4 ,but 
,i will speak of yourself4 ,i have to   
leave the earth-world when ,i come in   
contact with you1 and enter a planetary 
sphere in which you dwell 7and ever must
 dwell7 alone4 ,it is as if you were in 
a room shut off from the rest of        
mankind4 ,you are one of the world's    
magnets4 ,you have nothing really in    
common with the rest4 ,you draw people  
to you1 and live upon their life2 and   
when they have no more to give1 nor you 

to demand1 the liking fades on both     
sides4 ,it must be so1 because the      
spirit requires food the same as the    
body2 and when the store is exhausted1  
the affection is starved out1 and the   
persons pass out of your life4 ,you have
 often wondered to yourself why an      
acquaintance who seemed necessary to you
 to-day you can live perfectly well     
without to-morrow4 ,this is the reason4 
,more than that1 if you continue to     
cling to those whose spiritual system   
you have exhausted1 they would poison   
you1 instead of nourishing you4 ,you may
 not like it1 but those you value most  
you should oftenest part with4          
,separation will not decrease your      
influence over them2 it will increase   
it4 ,constant intercourse may be fatal  
to your dearest affections4 ,you draw so
 much on others1 you empty them1 and    
they have nothing more to give you4 ,you
 have often wondered1 too1 why1 after   
you have lived in a place a little      
while1 you become sad1 weary1 and       

ill--not physically ill1 but mentally   
so--and you feel as if you must leave   
it1 and go to another place4 ,when you  
settle in this fresh place1 you think at
 first that it is the very place where  
you will be content to live and die2 but
 after a little while the same weariness
 and faintness comes back again1 and you
 think you cannot breathe till you leave
 it1 as you did the other4 ,this is not 
fancy4 ,it is because your nature has   
exhausted all it can draw from its      
surroundings1 and change becomes a      
necessity to life4 ,you will never be   
able to live long in any place without  
change1 and let me warn you never to    
settle yourself down anywhere with the  
idea of living there entirely4 ,were you
 forced to do so1 you would soon die4   
,you would be starved to death          
spiritually4 ,all people are not born   
under a fate1 but you were1 and you can 
do very little to change it4 ,england is
 the country of your fate4 ,you will    
never prosper in health1 mind1 or money 

in a foreign country4 ,it is good to go 
abroad for change1 but never try to live
 there4 ,you are thinking of going      
abroad now1 but you will not remain     
there nearly so long as you anticipate4 
,something will arise to make you alter 
your plans--not a real trouble--but an  
uneasiness4 ,the plan you think of will 
not answer4 7,this prediction was       
fulfilled to the letter47 ,this year    
completes an era in your professional   
career--not of ill-luck1 so much as of  
stagnation4 ,your work has been rather  
duller of late years4 ,the ,christmas of
 #ahgi will bring you brighter fortune4 
,some one who has appeared to drop you  
will come forward again1 and take up    
your cause1 and bring you in much money4
 7,this also came to pass47 ,you have   
not nearly reached the zenith of your   
success4 ,it is yet to come4 ,it is only
 beginning4 ,you will have another      
child1 certainly one1 but ,i am not sure
 if it will live in this world4 ,i do   
not see its earth-life1 but ,i see you  

in that condition4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,your nervous     
system was for many years strung up to  
its highest tension--now it is relaxed1 
and your physical powers are at their   
lowest ebb4 ,you could not bear a child 
in your present condition4 ,you must    
become much lighter-hearted1 more       
contented and at ease before that comes 
to pass4 ,you must have ceased to wish  
for a child1 or even to expect it4 ,you 
have never had a heart really at ease   
yet4 ,all your happiness has been       
feverish4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,i see your evil genius4   
,she is out of your life at present1 but
 she crossed your path last year1 and   
caused you much heart-burning1 and not  
without reason4 ,it seems to me that    
some sudden shock or accident put an end
 to the acquaintance2 but she will cross
 your path again1 and cause you more    
misery1 perhaps1 than anything else has 
done4 ,she is not young1 but stout1 and 
not handsome1 as it seems to me4 ,she is

 addicted to drinking4 ,i see her       
rolling about now under the influence of
 liquor4 ,she has been married more than
 once4 ,i see the name ---- ---- written
 in the air4 ,she would go any lengths  
to take that you value from you1 even to
 compassing your death4 ,she is madly in
 love with what is yours4 ,she would do 
anything to compass her ends--not only  
immoral things1 but filth--filth4 ,i    
have no hesitation in saying this4      
,whenever she crosses your path1 in     
public or private1 flee from her as from
 a pestilence4 7,this information was   
correct in every detail4 ,the name was  
given at full length4 ,i repeat it as a 
specimen of the succinctness of         
intelligence given through trance       
mediumship47 #ahhc will be a most       
unfortunate year for you4 ,you will have
 a severe illness1 your friends will not
 know if you are going to live or die1  
and during this illness you will endure 
great mental agony1 caused through a    
woman1 one of whose names begins with   

----4 ,you will meet her some time      
before1 and she will profess to be your 
dearest friend4 ,i see her bending over 
you1 and telling you she is your best   
friend1 and you are disposed to believe 
it4 ,she is as tall as you are1 but does
 not look so tall from a habit she has  
of carrying herself4 ,she is not        
handsome1 strictly speaking1 but dark   
and very fascinating4 ,she has a trick  
of keeping her eyes down when she       
speaks4 ,she is possibly ,french1 or of 
,french extraction1 but speaks ,english4
 ,she will get a hold upon ----'s mind  
that will nearly separate you4 7,at this
 juncture ,i asked1 ,how can ,i prevent 
it87 ,if ,i told you1 that if you went  
by the #c o'clock train from ,gower     
,street1 you would be smashed1 you would
 not take that train4 ,when you meet a  
woman answering this description1 stop  
and ask yourself whether she is the one 
,i have warned you against1 before you  
admit her across the threshold of your  
house4         99       99       99     

99       99  ----'s character is        
positive for good1 and negative for     
evil4 ,if what is even for his good were
 urged upon him1 he would refuse to     
comply2 but present evil to him as a    
possible good1 and he will stop to      
consider whether it is not so4 ,if he is
 to be guided aright1 it must be by     
making him believe it would be          
impossible for him to go wrong4 ,elevate
 his nature by elevating his standard of
 right4 ,make it impossible for him to  
lower himself1 by convincing him that he
 would be lowered4 ,he is very          
conceited4 ,admiration is the breath of 
his life4 ,he is always thinking what   
people will say of him or his actions4  
,he is very weak under temptation1      
especially the temptation of flattery4  
,he is much too fond of women4 ,you have
 a difficult task before you1 and you   
have done much harm already through your
 own fault4 ,he believes too little in  
the evil of others--much too little4 ,if
 he were unfaithful to those who trust  

him1 he would be quite surprised to find
 he had broken their hearts4 ,your work 
is but beginning4 ,hitherto all has been
 excitement1 and there has been but     
little danger4 ,now comes monotony and  
the fear of satiety4 ,your fault through
 life has been in not asserting the     
positive side of your character4 ,you   
were born to rule1 and you have sat down
 a slave4 ,either through indolence or  
despair of success1 you have presented a
 negative side to the insults offered   
you1 and in the end you have been       
beaten4 ,you make a great mistake in    
letting your female friends read all    
your joys and sorrows4 ,men would       
sympathize and pity4 ,women will only   
take advantage of them4 ,assert your    
dignity as mistress in your own house1  
and don't let those visitors invite     
themselves who do not come for you4 ,you
 are1 as it were1 the open door for more
 than one false friend4 ,i warn you     
especially against two unmarried        
women--at least1 if they are married1 ,i

 don't see their husbands anywhere4     
,they are both too fond of ----2 one    
very much too fond of him1 and you laugh
 at it1 and give your leave for caresses
 and endearments1 which should never be 
permitted4 ,if ,i were to tell them that
 they visit at your house for ----1 and 
not for you1 they would be very         
indignant4 ,they give you presents1 and 
really like you2 but ---- is the        
attraction1 and with one of them it only
 needs time1 place and opportunity to   
cause the ruin of ---- and yourself4    
,she has an impediment in walking4 ,i   
need say no more4 ,she wants to become  
still more familiar1 and live under the 
same roof with you4 ,you must prevent   
it4 ,the other is doing more harm to    
herself than to anyone else4 ,she is    
silly and romantic1 and must dream of   
some one4 ,it is a pity it should be    
encouraged by familiarity4 ---- has no  
feeling for them beyond pity and        
friendship1 but it is not necessary he  
should love a woman to make her         

dangerous to him4 ,as far as ,i can see 
your lives extend1 ---- will love you1  
and you will retain your influence over 
him if you choose to do so4 ,but it is  
in your own hands what you make of him4 
,you must not judge his nature by your  
own4 ,you are shutting yourself up too  
much4 ,you should be surrounded by a    
circle of men1 so that you might not    
draw influence from ---- alone4 ,you    
should go out more1 and associate with  
clever men1 and hear what they have to  
say to you4 ,you must not keep so       
entirely with ----4 ,it is bad for both 
of you4 ,you are making too great a     
demand upon his spiritual powers1 and   
you will exhaust them too soon4 ,a woman
 cannot draw spiritual life from women  
only4 ,she must take it from men4 ,there
 is another acquaintance ,i must warn   
you against ----2 a widow1 fair hair1   
light eyes1 not clever1 but cunning4    
,she has but one purpose in visiting    
you4 ,she would like to stand in your   
shoes4 ,she would not hesitate to usurp 

your rights4 ,be civil to her if you    
will1 but do not encourage her visits4  
,it were best if she passed out of your 
lives altogether4 ,she can never bring  
you any good luck4 ,she may be the cause
 of much annoyance yet4 ---- should have
 work1 active and constant1 or his      
health will fail1 living in idleness1   
spiritually and bodily4 ,you tell him   
too often that you love him4 ,let him   
feel there is always a higher height to 
gain1 a lower depth to fall to1 in your 
esteem4 ,he is not the only man in the  
world4 ,why should you deceive him by   
saying so8 ,you are much to blame4      
7,considering that ,mr4 ,fletcher had   
never seen1 or1 as far as ,i knew1 heard
 of the persons he mentioned in this    
tirade1 it becomes a matter of          
speculation where or from whom he       
gathered this keen insight to their     
character and personalities1 every word 
of which ,i can vouch for as being      
strictly true47  ,many spirits are round
 you4 ,some wish to speak4444 ,a grand  

and noble spirit stands behind you1 with
 his hands spread in blessing over your 
head4 ,he is your father4 ,he sends this
 message3 ',my dear child1 there were so
 many influences antagonistic to my own 
in your late married life1 that ,i found
 it very difficult to get near you4 ,now
 they are removed4 ,the present         
conditions are much more favorable to   
me1 and ,i hope to be with you often1   
and to help you through the life that   
lies before you4' ,there is the face of 
a glorified spirit1 just above your     
head1 and ,i see the name ',powles4'    
,this spirit is nearer you1 and more    
attached to you than any other in       
,spirit ,land4 ,he comes only to you1   
and one other creature through you--your
 second child4 ,he says you will know   
him by the token1 the song2 you sung to 
him upon his death-bed4 ,his love for   
you is the best and purest1 and he is   
always by you1 though lower influences  
sometimes forbid his manifesting        
himself4 ,your child comes floating     

down1 and joins hands with him4 ,she is 
a very pure and beautiful spirit4 ,she  
intimates that her name on earth was the
 same as yours1 but she is called by    
another name in the spheres--a name that
 has something to do with flowers4 ,she 
brings me a bunch of pure white lilies1 
tinged with blue1 with blue petals1 tied
 with a piece of blue ribbon1 and she   
intimates to me by gesture that her     
spirit-name has something to do with    
them4 ,i think ,i must go now1 but ,i   
hope you will come and sit with me      
again4 ,i shall be able to tell you more
 next time4 ,my name is ',winona1' and  
when you ask for me ,i will come4       
,good-bye4444  ,this was the end of my  
first seance with ,mr4 ,fletcher1 and ,i
 think even sceptics will allow that it 
was sufficiently startling for the first
 interview with an entire stranger4 ,the
 following year ,i wrote again to the   
,banner of ,light concerning ,mr4       
,fletcher1 but will only give an extract
 from my letter4 ,i told you in my      

letter of last year that ,i had held a  
seance with ,mr4 ,fletcher of so private
 a nature that it was impossible to make
 it public4 ,during that interview      
',winona' made several startling        
prophecies concerning the future1 which1
 it may interest your readers to know1  
have already been fulfilled4 ,wishing to
 procure some further proofs of ,mr4    
,fletcher's power before ,i wrote this  
letter to you1 ,i prepared a different  
sort of test for him last week4 ,from a 
drawer full of old letters ,i selected1 
with my eyes shut1 four folded sheets of
 paper1 which ,i slipped into four blank
 envelopes1 ready prepared for          
them--still without looking--and closed 
them in the usual manner with the       
adhesive gum1 after which ,i sealed them
 with sealing wax4 ,i carried these     
envelopes to ,mr4 ,fletcher1 and        
requested ,winona to tell me the        
characters of the persons by whom their 
contents had been written4 ,she placed  
them consecutively to the medium's      

forehead1 and as she returned them to   
me1 one by one1 ,i wrote her comments on
 each on the side of the cover4 ,on     
breaking the seals1 the character of    
each writer was found to be most        
accurately defined1 although the letters
 had all been written years before--7a  
fact which ,winona had immediately      
discovered74 ,she also told me which of 
my correspondents were dead1 and which  
living4 ,here1 you will observe1 there  
could have been no reaction of my own   
brain upon that of the sensitive1 as ,i 
was perfectly ignorant1 until ,i        
reopened the envelopes1 by whom the     
letters had been sent to me4 ,two months
 ago ,i was invited to join in a        
speculation1 of the advisability of     
which ,i felt uncertain4 ,i went        
therefore to ,mr4 ,fletcher1 and asked  
for an interview with ,winona1 intending
 to consult her in the matter4 ,but     
before ,i had time to mention the       
subject1 she broached it to me1 and went
 on to speak of the speculation itself1 

of the people concerned in it1 and the  
money it was expected to produce2 and1  
finally1 she explained to me how it     
would collapse1 with the means that     
would bring it to an end1 putting her   
decided veto on my having anything to do
 with it4 ,i followed ,winona's advice1 
and have been thankful since that ,i did
 so1 as everything has turned out just  
as she predicted4         99       99   
99       99       99  ,i think those    
people who desire to gain the utmost    
good they can out of clairvoyance should
 be more ready to listen and learn1 and 
less to cavil and to question4 ,many who
 have heard me relate the results of my 
experience have rushed off pell-mell to 
the same medium1 perhaps1 and came away 
woefully disappointed4 ,were they to    
review the interview they would probably
 find they had done all the talking1 and
 supplied all the information1 leaving  
the clairvoyant no work to do whatever4 
,to such ,i always say1 whether their   
aim is to obtain advice in their        

business1 or news of a lost friend1 ,be 
perfectly passive1 until the medium has 
said all he or she may have to say4     
,give them time to become en rapport    
with you1 and quietude1 that he may     
commune with the spirits you bring with 
you2 for it is they1 and not his        
controls1 that furnish him with the     
history of your life1 or point out the  
dangers that are threatening4 ,when he  
has finished speaking1 he will probably 
ask if you have any questions to put to 
him1 and then is your turn for talking1 
and for gaining any particular          
information you may wish to acquire4 ,if
 these directions are carried out1 you  
are likely to have a much more          
satisfactory seance than otherwise4     
,,chapter ,,xxi4  ,,private ,,media4    
,people who wish to argue against       
,spiritualism are quite sure1 as a rule1
 that media will descend to any trickery
 and cheating for the sake of gain4 ,if 
you reply1 as in my own case1 that the  
seances have been given as a free-will  

offering1 they say that they expected   
introductions or popularity or          
advertisement in exchange4 ,but what can
 be adduced against the medium who lends
 his or her powers to a person whom he  
has never seen1 and probably never will 
see1 and for no reason1 excepting that  
his controls urge him to the deed8 ,such
 a man is ,mr4 ,george ,plummer of      
,massachusetts1 ,america4 ,in ,december1
 #ahhg1 when my mind was very unsettled1
 my friend ,miss ,schonberg advised me  
to write to this medium and ask his     
advice4 ,she told me ,i must not expect 
an immediate reply1 as ,mr4 ,plummer    
kept a box into which he threw all the  
letters he received from strangers on   
spiritualistic subjects1 and when he    
felt impressed to do so1 he went and    
took out one1 haphazard1 and wrote the  
answer that was dictated to him4 ,all ,i
 had to do was to enclose an addressed  
envelope1 not a stamped one1 in my      
letter1 to convey the answer back again4
 ,accordingly1 ,i prepared a diplomatic 

epistle to this effect4 ,dear           
sir1--,hearing that you are good enough 
to sit for strangers1 ,i shall be much  
obliged if you will let me know what you
 see for me4--,yours truly1 ,f4 ,lane4  
,it will be seen that ,i transposed the 
letters of my name ,lean4 ,i addressed  
the return envelope in the same manner  
to the house in ,regent's ,park1 which  
,i then occupied1 and ,i wrote it all in
 a feigned hand to conceal my identity  
as much as possible4 ,the time went on  
and ,i heard nothing from ,mr4 ,plummer4
 ,i was touring in the provinces for the
 whole of #ahhh1 and at the end of the  
year ,i came back to ,london and settled
 down in a new house in a different     
quarter of the town4 ,by this time ,i   
had almost forgotten ,mr4 ,plummer and  
my letter to him1 and when in ,december1
 #ahhi1 two years after ,i had sent it1 
my own envelope in my own handwriting1  
forwarded by the postal authorities from
 ,regent's ,park1 was brought to me1 ,i 
did not at first recognize it4 ,i kept  

twisting it about1 and thinking how like
 it was to my own writing1 when the     
truth suddenly flashed on me4 ,i opened 
it and read as follows3                 
,georgetown1 ,november #bhth1 #ahhi4    
,mrs4 ,lane1--,dear ,madam1--,please    
pardon me for seeming neglect in        
answering your request4 ,at the time of 
receiving your letter ,i      could not 
write1 and it got mislaid4 ,coming      
across it now1 even at      the eleventh
 hour1 ,i place myself in condition to  
answer4 ,i see a      lady with dark    
blue eyes before me1 of a very nervous  
life--warm-hearted--impulsive--tropical 
in her nature4 ,a woman of      intense 
feeling--a woman whose life has been one
 of constant      disappointment4       
,to-day the current of life flows on    
smoothly but      monotonous4 ,i sense  
from the sphere of this lady1 a         
weariness of      life--should think she
 felt like ,alexander1 because there are
 no      more worlds for her to conquer4
 ,she is her own worst enemy4           

,naturally generous1 she radiates her   
refined magnetic sphere to      others1 
and does not get back that which she can
 utilize4 ,i see a                      
bright-complexioned gentleman in earth  
life--brave1 generous1 and              
kind--but does not comprehend your      
interior life4 ,and yet thinks      the 
world of you to-day4 ,i feel from you   
talent of a marked order4      ,and yet 
life is a disappointment4 ,not but what 
you have been      successful in a      
refined1 worldly sense1 but your        
spiritual nature      has been          
repressed4 ,the society you move in is  
one of intellectual      culture2 that  
is not of the soul4 ,and it is soul food
 that you are      hungering for to-day4
 ,you are an inspired woman4 ,thought   
seems to      you1 all prepared1 so to  
speak4 ,but it does not seem to free the
      tiny little messengers of your    
soul life4 ,somehow ,i don't feel that  
confidence in myself in writing to you4 
,the best kind of a reading      is     

usually obtained in reading to a person 
direct4 ,but if ,i don't      meet your 
case we will call it a failure and let  
it go4 ,the year of      #ahij is going 
to be more favorable to you than for the
 last ten      years4 ,i think in some  
way you are to meet with more           
reciprocity of      soul4 ,as the       
divining rod points to the stream of    
water in the      earth1 so ,i find my  
intuitive eye takes cognizance of your  
interior      life4 ,you will in a      
degree catch my meaning through this1   
and it      will come clearer1 more     
through your intuition than through your
      intellect4 ,i should say to you1  
follow your instincts and               
intuitions always through life4 ,if this
 throws any light over your      path ,i
 am glad4--,i remain1 most respectfully 
yours1                                  
,george ,plummer4  ,now there are two   
noticeable things in this letter4       
,first1 ,mr4 ,plummer's estimate of my  
interior life almost coincides with ,mr4

 ,fletcher's given in #ahgi1 ten years  
before4 ,next1 although he read it      
through the medium of a letter written  
in #ahhg1 he draws a picture of my      
position and surroundings in #ahhi4     
,both these things appeared to me very  
curious as coming from a stranger across
 the ,atlantic1 and ,i answered his     
letter at once1 still preserving my     
slight incognita1 and telling him that  
as he had read so much of my life from  
my handwriting of so long ago1 ,i wished
 he would try to read more from words   
which went fresh from me to him4 ,i also
 enclosed a piece of the handwriting of 
a friend4 ,mr4 ,plummer did not keep me 
waiting this time4 ,his next letter was 
dated ,february #hth1 #ahij4       ,dear
 ,madam1--,i received yours of ,january 
#crd1 and would have      answered      
before1 but the spirit did not move4 ,i 
have been tied to a      sick room going
 on three months1 with its cares and    
anxieties4 ,not      the best condition 
for writing4 ,the best condition to     

reflect your      life1 to give your    
soul strength1 is to be at rest and have
 all      earth conditions nullified4   
,but that cannot be to-day4 ,so ,i will 
try to penetrate the mystery of your    
life as best ,i can1 and      radiate to
 you at least some strength4 ,the       
relation of soul is the      difficulty 
of your life1 and you are so perfectly  
inspirational      that it makes the    
condition worse4 ,grand types of        
,manhood and      ,womanhood come to you
 from the higher life1 and your spirit  
and      soul catch the reflection1 and 
are disappointed because they cannot    
live that life4 ,but you are getting a  
development out of all this             
friction4 ,now if you would come in     
contact with that nature that      could
 radiate to you just what you could give
 to it1 you would be      happy4 ,love  
is absolute1 you well know4 ,often in   
the exchange of      thought we give    
each other strength4 ,and then every    
letter we      write1 every time we     

shake hands1 we give some of our own    
personality out4 ,you are too sensitive 
to the spheres of people4      ,you have
 such a strong personality of life that 
the power that      inspires you could  
not make the perfect junction until you 
get so1      you had rather die than    
live4 ,that was a condition of negation4
 ,now      you have been running on a   
dead level of nothingness for two years 
and a half4 7,this was exactly the time 
since my daughter had been      taken   
from me74 ,i mean it seems so to you4   
,such a sameness of      things4 ,i get 
from the writing of the gentleman4 ,a   
good      sphere--warm hearted--true to 
his understanding of things4 ,he seems  
to be a sort of a half-way house to you4
 ,that is1 you roam in the      sea of  
,ideality1 down deep1 you know4 ,and he 
rather holds on to                      
matter-of-fact--sort of ballast for you4
 ,you need it4 ,for you are1      in    
fact1 ripe for the other life1 though it
 is not time to go yet4      ,although a

 writer1 yet you are a disappointed one4
 ,no mortal but      yourself knows     
this4 ,you have winged your way in      
flights1 grand and      lofty1 and      
cannot pen it1 is what is the matter4   
,now1 in time you      will1 more       
perfectly than to-day1 by the touch of  
your pen1 portray      your soul and its
 flights4 ,then ,i see you happy4 ,this 
gentleman is      an auxiliary power1   
whether the power in full of your life  
,i do not      to-day get4 ,you are     
emphatically a woman of ,destiny1 and   
should      follow your impressions1 for
 through that intuitive law you will    
be saved4 ,i mean by 'saved1' leap1 as  
it were1 across difficulties            
instead of going round4 ,for your soul  
is more positive and awake to      its  
necessities to-day than ever before in  
your life1 particularly      in the last
 six months4 ,body marriages are good   
under the physical      law--bring      
certain unfoldments4 ,but when mortal   
man and woman reach      a certain      

condition of development1 they become   
dissatisfied1 and      yearn for the    
full fruition of love4 ,and there is no 
limitation of      this law4 ,women     
usually bow to the heart-love law1 that 
sometimes      brings great joy and     
misery4 ,the time is ripe for rulers4   
,there      will be put into the field  
men1 and more specifically women1 who   
have exemplified love divine4 ,they will
 teach the law so plainly      that they
 who run can read4 ,and it can only be  
taught by those who      have embodied  
it4 ,some years ago1 in this country1   
there was a      stir-up4 ,it did its   
work in fermentation4 ,the next must be 
humanization4 ,the material world must  
come under the spiritual4      ,women   
will come to the front as inspired      
powers4 ,this is what comes      to me  
to write to you to-day4 ,if it brings   
strength1 or one ray of      sun-shine  
to you1 ,i am glad4--,i remain1 most    
respectfully yours1                     
,george ,plummer4  ,mr4 ,plummer is not 

occupying a high position in the world1 
nor is he a rich man4 ,he gains no      
popularity by his letters--he hears no  
applause--he reaps no personal benefit1 
nor will he take any money4 ,it would be
 difficult1 with any degree of reason1  
to charge him with cheating the public  
for the sake of emptying their pockets4 
,i fail to see1 therefore1 how he can   
obtain his insight to one's interior    
life by mortal means1 nor1 unless       
compelled by a power superior to his    
own1 why he should take the trouble to  
obtain it4  ,another medium1 whose      
health paid the sacrifice demanded of   
her for the exhibition of a power over  
which1 at one time1 she had no control1 
and which never brought her in anything 
but the thanks of her friends1 is ,mrs4 
,keningale ,cook 7,mabel ,collins71 whom
 ,i have mentioned in the ,story of my  
,spirit ,child4 ,there was a            
photographer in ,london1 named ,hudson1 
who had been very successful in         
developing spirit photographs4 ,he would

 prepare to take an ordinary photograph1
 and on developing the plate1 one or    
more spirit forms would be found        
standing by the sitter1 in which forms  
were recognized the faces of deceased   
friends4 ,of course1 the generality of  
people said that the plates were        
prepared beforehand with vague misty    
figures1 and the imagination of the     
sitter did the rest4 ,i had been for    
some time anxious to test ,mr4 ,hudson's
 powers for myself1 and one morning very
 early1 between nine and ten o'clock1 ,i
 asked ,mrs4 ,cook1 as a medium1 to     
accompany me to his studio4 ,he was not 
personally acquainted with either of us1
 and we went so early that we found him 
rather unwilling to set to work4        
,indeed1 at first he declined4 ,we      
disturbed him at breakfast and in his   
shirt sleeves1 and he told us his studio
 had been freshly painted1 and it was   
quite impossible to use it until dry4   
,but we pressed him to take our         
photographs until he consented1 and we  

ascended to the studio4 ,it was         
certainly very difficult to avoid       
painting ourselves1 and the screen      
placed behind was perfectly wet4 ,we had
 not mentioned a word to ,mr4 ,hudson   
about spirit photographs1 and the first 
plate he took out and held up to the    
light1 we saw him draw his coat sleeve  
across4 ,when we asked him what he was  
doing1 he turned to us and said1 ,are   
you ladies ,spiritualists8 ,when we     
answered in the affirmative1 he         
continued1 ,i rubbed out the plate      
because ,i thought there was something  
on it1 and most sitters would object4 ,i
 often have to destroy three or four    
negatives before ,i get a clear picture4
 ,we begged him not to rub out any more 
as we were curious to see the results4  
,he1 consequently1 developed three      
photographs of us1 sitting side by side4
 ,the first was too indistinct to be of 
any use4 ,it represented us1 with a     
third form1 merely a patch of white1    
lying on the ground1 whilst a mass of   

hair was over my knee4 ,florence        
afterwards informed me that this was an 
attempt to depict herself4 ,the second  
picture showed ,mrs4 ,cook and myself as
 before1 with ,charlie standing behind  
me4 ,i have spoken of ,charlie 7,stephen
 ,charles ,bernard ,abbott7 in ,curious 
,coincidences1 and how much he was      
attached to me and mine4 ,in the        
photograph he is represented in his cowl
 and monk's frock--with ropes round his 
waist1 and his face looking down4 ,in   
the third picture1 an old lady in a net 
cap and white shawl was standing with   
her two hands on ,mrs4 ,cook's          
shoulders4 ,this was her grandmother1   
and the profile was so distinctly       
delineated1 that her father1 ,mr4       
,mortimer ,collins1 recognized it at    
once as the portrait of his mother4 ,the
 old lady had been a member of the      
,plymouth ,brethren sect1 and wore the  
identical shawl of white silk with an   
embroidered border which she used to    
wear during her last years on earth4 ,i 

have seen many other spirit photographs 
taken by ,mr4 ,hudson1 but ,i adhere to 
my resolution to speak only of that     
which ,i have proved by the exercise of 
my own senses4 ,i have the two          
photographs ,i mention to this day1 and 
have often wished that ,mr4 ,hudson's   
removal from town had not prevented my  
sitting again to him in order to procure
 the likenesses of other friends4  ,miss
 ,caroline ,pawley is a lady who        
advertises her willingness to obtain    
messages for others from the spirit     
world1 but is forbidden by her guides to
 take presents or money4 ,i thought at  
first this must be a ruse4 ,surely1 ,i  
said to a friend who knew ,miss ,pawley1
 ,i ought to take books1 or flowers1 or 
some little offering in my hand4 ,if you
 do she will return them1 was the reply4
 ,all that is necessary is to write and 
make an appointment1 as her time is very
 much taken up4 ,accordingly ,i did     
write1 and ,miss ,pawley kindly named an
 early date for my visit4 ,it was but a 

few months after ,i had lost my beloved 
daughter1 and ,i longed for news of her4
 ,i arrived at ,miss ,pawley's          
residence1 a neat little house in the   
suburbs1 and was received by my hostess1
 a sweet1 placid-faced woman1 who looked
 the embodiment of peace and calm       
happiness4 ,after we had exchanged      
greetings she said to me1 ,you have lost
 a daughter4 ,i lost one about twenty   
years ago--a baby of ten days old1 ,i   
replied4 ,i don't mean her1 said ,miss  
,pawley1 ,i mean a young woman4 ,i will 
tell you how ,i came to know of it4 ,i  
took out my memoranda yesterday and was 
looking it through to see what          
engagements ,i had made for to-day1 and 
,i read the names aloud to myself4 ,as  
,i came to the entry1 ',mrs4 ,lean1 #c  
o'clock1' ,i heard a low voice say      
behind me1 ',that is my dear1 dear      
mother6' and when ,i turned round1 ,i   
saw standing at my elbow a young woman  
about the middle height1 with blue eyes 
and very long brown hair1 and she told  

me that it is she whom you are grieving 
for at present4 ,i made no answer to    
this speech1 for my wound was too fresh 
to permit me to talk of her2 and ,miss  
,pawley proceeded4 ,come6 she said      
cheerfully1 let us get paper and pencil 
and see what the dear child has to say  
to us4 ,she did not go under trance1 but
 wrote rapidly for a few moments and    
then handed me a letter written in the  
following manner4 ,i repeat 7what ,i    
have said before7 that ,i do not test   
the genuineness of such a manifestation 
by the act itself4 ,anyone might have   
written the letter1 but no one but      
myself could recognize the familiar     
expressions and handwriting1 nor detect 
the apparent inconsistencies that made  
it so convincing4 ,it was written in two
 different hands on alternate lines1 the
 first line being written by ,eva1 and  
the next by ,florence1 and so on4 ,now1 
my earthly children from their earliest 
days have never called me anything but  
,mother1 whilst ,florence1 who left me  

before she could speak1 constantly calls
 me ,mamma4 ,this fact alone could never
 have been known to ,miss ,pawley4      
,added to which the portion written by  
my eldest daughter was in her own clear 
decided hand1 whilst ,florence's        
contribution was in rather a childish1  
or young ladylike scribble4  ,the lines 
ran thus4 ,the italics are              
,florence's3--      ,my own beloved     
mother4     ,my dear1 dear1 dearest     
,mamma4     ,you must not grieve so     
terribly for me4     ,and knowing all we
 have taught you1 you should not grieve4
     ,believe me1 ,i am not unhappy4    
,of course not1 and she will be very    
happy soon4     ,but ,i suffer pain in  
seeing you suffer4     ,dear ,mamma1 do 
try to see that it is for the best4     
,florence is right4 ,it is best6 dear   
,mother4     ,and we shall all meet so  
soon1 you know4     ,god bless you for  
all your love for me4     ,good-bye1    
dear1 dearest ,mamma4                   
,your own girl4                  ,your  

loving little ,florence4  ,i cannot     
comment on this letter4 ,i only make it 
public in a cause that is sacred to me4 
,to instance another case of mediumship 
which is exercised for neither          
remuneration nor applause4 ,i am obliged
 in this example to withhold the name1  
because to betray their identity would  
be to ill requite a favor which was     
courteously accorded me4 ,i had heard of
 a family of the name of ,d---- who held
 private sittings once a week1 at which 
the mother and brothers and sisters gone
 before materialized and joined the     
circle2 and having expressed my desire1 
through a mutual acquaintance1 to assist
 at their seances1 ,mr4 ,d---- kindly   
sent me an invitation to one4 ,i found  
he was a high-class tradesman1 living in
 a good house in the suburbs1 and that  
strangers were very seldom 7if ever7    
admitted to their circle4 ,mr4 ,d----   
explained to me before the seance       
commenced1 that they regarded           
,spiritualism as a most sacred thing1   

that they sat only to have communication
 with their own relations1 his wife and 
children1 and that his wife never       
manifested except when they were alone4 
,his earth family consisted of a young  
married daughter and her husband1 and   
four or five children of different ages4
 ,he had lost1 ,i think he told me1 a   
grown-up son1 and two little ones4      
,william ,haxby1 the medium1 whom ,i    
wrote of in my chapter ,on ,sceptics1   
and who had passed over since then1 had 
been intimate with their family1 and    
often came back to them4 ,these         
explanations over1 the seance began4    
,the back and front parlors were divided
 by lace curtains only4 ,in the back1   
where the young married daughter took up
 her position on a sofa1 were a piano   
and an ,american organ4 ,in the front   
parlor1 which was lighted by an oil     
lamp1 we sat about on chairs and sofas1 
but without any holding of hands4 ,in a 
very short time the lace curtains parted
 and a young man's face appeared4 ,this 

was the grown-up brother4 ,hullo6 ,tom1 
they all exclaimed1 and the younger ones
 went up and kissed him4 ,he spoke a    
while to his father1 telling what they  
proposed to do that evening1 but saying 
his mother would not be able to         
materialize4 ,as he was speaking1 a     
little boy stood by his side4 ,here's   
,harry1 cried the children1 and they    
brought their spirit brother out into   
the room between them4 ,he seemed to be 
about five years old4 ,his father told  
him to come and speak to me1 and he     
obeyed1 just like a little human child1 
and stood before me with his hand       
resting on my knee4 ,then a little girl 
joined the party1 and the two children  
walked about the room1 talking to       
everybody in turn4 ,as we were occupied 
with them1 we heard the notes of the    
,american organ4 ,here's ,haxby1 said   
,mr4 ,d----4 ,now we shall have a treat4
 7,i must say here that ,mr4 ,haxby was 
an accomplished organist on earth47 ,as 
he heard his name1 he1 too1 came to the 

curtains1 and showed his face with its  
ungainly features1 and intimated that he
 and ,tom would play a duet4            
,accordingly the two instruments pealed 
forth together1 and the spirits really  
played gloriously--a third influence    
joining in with some stringed           
instrument4 ,this seance was so much    
less wonderful than many ,i have written
 of1 that ,i should not have included a 
description of it1 except to prove that 
all media do not ply their profession in
 order to prey upon their               
fellow-creatures4 ,the ,d---- family are
 only anxious to avoid observation4     
,there could be no fun or benefit in    
deceiving each other1 and yet they      
devote one evening in each week to      
holding communion with those they loved 
whilst on earth and feel are only hidden
 from them for a little while1 and by a 
very flimsy veil4 ,their seances truly  
carry out the great poet's belief4      
,then the forms of the departed         
,enter at the open door2     ,the       

beloved1 the true-hearted1       ,come  
to visit me once more4             99   
99       99       99       99      ,with
 a slow and noiseless footstep          
,comes that messenger divine1     ,takes
 the vacant chair beside me1       ,lays
 her gentle hand in mine4             99
       99       99       99       99    
,uttered not1 yet1 comprehended1        
,is the spirit's voiceless prayer4      
,soft rebukes1 in blessings ended1      
,breathing from her lips of air4  ,in   
the house of the lady ,i have mentioned 
in ,the ,story of the ,monk1 ,mrs4      
,uniacke of ,bruges1 ,i have witnessed  
marvellous phenomena4 ,they were not    
pleasant manifestations1 very far from  
it1 but there was no doubt that they    
were genuine4 ,whether they proceeded   
from the agency of ,mrs4 ,uniacke1 my   
sister ,blanche1 or a young lady called 
,miss ,robinson1 who sat with them1 or  
from the power of all three combined1 ,i
 cannot say1 but they had experienced   
them on several occasions before ,i     

joined them1 and were eager that ,i     
should be a witness of them4 ,we sat in 
,mrs4 ,uniacke's house1 in a back       
drawing-room1 containing a piano and    
several book-cases1 full of books--some 
of them very heavy4 ,we sat round a     
table in complete darkness1 only we four
 women1 with locked doors and bolted    
windows4 ,accustomed as ,i was to all   
sorts of manifestations and mediumship1 
,i was really frightened by what        
occurred4 ,the table was most violent in
 its movements1 our chairs were dragged 
from under us1 and heavy articles were  
thrown about the room4 ,the more ,mrs4  
,uniacke expostulated and ,miss         
,robinson laughed1 the worse the tumult 
became4 ,the books were taken from the  
shelves and hurled at our heads1 several
 of the blows seriously hurting us2 the 
keys of the piano at the further end of 
the room were thumped and crashed upon1 
as if they would be broken2 and in the  
midst of it all ,miss ,robinson fell    
prone upon the floor1 and commenced     

talking in ,flemish1 a language of which
 she had no knowledge4 ,my sister       
understands it1 and held a conversation 
with the girl2 and she told us          
afterwards that ,miss ,robinson had     
announced herself by the name of a      
,fleming lately deceased in the town1   
and detailed many events of his life1   
and messages which he wished to be      
delivered to his family--all of which   
were conveyed in good and intelligible  
,flemish4 ,when the young lady had      
recovered she resumed her place at the  
table1 as my sister was anxious ,i      
should see another table1 which they    
called ,mademoiselle dance1 whilst      
unseen hands thumped the piano4 ,the    
manifestation not occurring1 however1   
they thought it must be my presence1 and
 ordered me away from the table4 ,i went
 and stood up close against the folding 
doors that led into the front room1     
keeping my hand1 with a purpose1 on the 
handle4 ,the noise and confusion        
palpably increased when the three ladies

 were left alone4 ,mademoiselle1 who    
stood in a corner of the room1 commenced
 to dance about1 and the notes of the   
piano crashed forcibly4 ,there was      
something strange to me about the       
manifestation of the piano4 ,it sounded 
as if it were played with feet instead  
of hands4 ,when the tumult was at its   
height1 ,i suddenly1 and without        
warning1 threw open the folding door and
 let the light in upon the scene1 and ,i
 saw the music-stool mounted on the     
keyboard and hammering the notes down4  
,as the light was admitted1 both        
,mademoiselle and the music-stool fell  
with a crash to the floor1 and the      
seance was over4 ,the ladies were seated
 at the table1 and the floor and        
articles of furniture were strewn with  
the books which had been thrown         
down--the bookshelves being nearly      
emptied--and pots of flowers4 ,i was    
never at such a pandemonium before or   
after4  ,the late ,sir ,percy ,shelley  
and his wife ,lady ,shelley1 having no  

children of their own1 adopted a little 
girl1 who1 when about four or five      
years1 was seriously burned about the   
chest and shoulders1 and confined for   
some months to her bed4 ,the child's cot
 stood in ,lady ,shelley's bedroom1 and 
when her adopted mother was about to say
 her prayers1 she was accustomed to give
 the little girl a pencil and piece of  
paper to keep her quiet4 ,one day the   
child asked for pen and ink instead of a
 pencil1 and on being refused began to  
cry1 and said1 ,the man said she must   
have pen and ink4 ,as it was            
particularly enjoined that she must not 
cry for fear of reopening her wounds1   
,lady ,shelley provided her with the    
desired articles1 and proceeded to her  
devotions4 ,when she rose from them1 she
 saw to her surprise that the child had 
drawn an outline of a group of figures  
in the ,flaxman style1 representing     
mourners kneeling round a couch with a  
sick man laid upon it4 ,she did not     
understand the meaning of the picture1  

but she was struck with amazement at the
 execution of it1 as was everybody who  
saw it4 ,from that day she gave the     
little girl a sheet of card-board each  
morning1 with pen and ink1 and obtained 
a different design1 the child always    
talking glibly of the man who helped her
 to draw4 ,this went on until the       
drawings numbered thirty or forty1 when 
a glossary of symbols was written out by
 this baby1 who could neither write nor 
spell1 which explained the whole matter4
 ,it was then discovered that the series
 of drawings represented the life of the
 soul on leaving the body1 until it was 
lost in the ,infinity of ,god--a likely 
subject to be chosen1 or understood1 by 
a child of five4 ,i heard this story    
from ,lady ,shelley's lips1 and ,i have 
seen 7and well examined7 the original   
designs4 ,they were at one time to be   
published by subscription1 but ,i       
believe it never came to pass4 ,i have  
also seen the girl who drew them1 most  
undoubtedly under control4 ,she was then

 a young married woman and completely   
ignorant of anything relating to        
,spiritualism4 ,i asked her if she      
remembered the circumstances under which
 she drew the outlines1 and she laughed 
and said no4 ,she knew she had drawn    
them1 but she had no idea how4 ,all she 
could tell me was that she had never    
done anything wonderful since1 and she  
had no interest in ,spiritualism        
whatever4     ,,chapter ,,xxii4         
,,various ,,media4   ,a very strong and 
remarkable clairvoyant is ,mr4 ,towns1  
of ,portobello ,road4 ,as a business    
adviser or foreteller of the ,future1 ,i
 don't think he is excelled4 ,the       
inquirer after prophecy will not find a 
grand mansion to receive him in         
,portobello ,road4 ,on the contrary1    
this soothsayer keeps a small shop in   
the oil trade1 and is himself only an   
honest1 and occasionally rather rough   
spoken1 tradesman4 ,he will see clients 
privately on any day when he is at home1
 though it is better to make an         

appointment1 but he holds a circle on   
his premises each ,tuesday evening1 to  
which everybody is admitted1 and where  
the contribution is anything you may be 
disposed to give1 from coppers to gold4 
,these meetings1 which are very well    
attended1 are always opened by ,mr4     
,towns with prayer1 after which a hymn  
is sung1 and the seance commences4      
,there is full gas on all the time1 and 
,mr4 ,towns sits in the midst of the    
circle4 ,he does not go under trance1   
but rubs his forehead for a few minutes 
and then turns round suddenly and       
addresses members of his audience1 as it
 may seem1 promiscuously1 but it is just
 as he is impressed4 ,he talks1 as a    
rule1 in metaphor1 or allegorically1 but
 his meaning is perfectly plain to the  
person he addresses4 ,it is not only    
silly women1 or curious inquirers1 who  
attend ,mr4 ,towns' circles4 ,you may   
see plenty of grave1 and often anxious1 
business men around him1 waiting to hear
 if they shall sell out their shares1 or

 hold on till the market rises2 where   
they are to search for lost certificates
 or papers of value2 or on whom they are
 to fix the blame of money or articles  
of value that have disappeared4 ,once in
 my presence a serious-looking man had  
kept his eye fixed on him for some time1
 evidently anxious to speak4 ,mr4 ,towns
 turned suddenly to him4 ,you want to   
know1 sir1 he commenced1 without any    
preface1 where that baptismal           
certificate is to be found4 ,i do1      
indeed1 replied the man2 it is a case of
 a loss of thousands if it is not       
forthcoming4 ,let me see1 said ,mr4     
,towns1 with his finger to his forehead4
 ,have you tried a church with a square 
tower without any steeple1 an ugly1     
clumsy building1 white-washed inside1   
standing in a village4 ,stop6 ,i can see
 the registrar books--the village's name
 is ----4 ,the entry is at page #bjj4   
,the name is ----4 ,the mother's name is
 ----4 ,is that the certificate you     
want8 ,it is1 indeed1 said the man2 and 

it is in the church at ----8 ,didn't ,i 
say it was in the church at ----8       
replied ,mr4 ,towns1 who does not like  
to be doubted or contradicted4 ,go and  
you will find it there4 ,and the man did
 go and did find it there4 ,to listen to
 the conversations that go on between   
him and his clients at these meetings1  
,mr4 ,towns is apparently not less      
successful with love affairs than with  
business affairs1 and it is an          
interesting experience to attend them1  
if only for the sake of curiosity4 ,but 
naturally1 to visit him privately is to 
command much more of his attention4 ,he 
will not1 however1 sit for everybody1   
and it is of no use attempting to       
deceive him4 ,he is exceedingly         
keen-sighted into character1 and if he  
takes a dislike to a man he will tell   
him so without the slightest hesitation4
 ,no society lies are manufactured in   
the little oil shop4 ,a relative of     
mine1 who was not the most faithful     
husband in the world1 and who1 in       

consequence1 judged of his wife's       
probity by his own1 went1 during her    
temporary absence1 to ,mr4 ,towns to ask
 him a delicate question4 ,the lady was 
well known to the medium1 but the       
husband he had never seen before1 and   
had no notion who his sitter was1 until 
he pulled out a letter from his pocket1 
thrust it across the table1 and said1   
,there6 look at that letter and tell me 
if the writer is faithful to me4 ,mr4   
,towns told me that as he took the      
envelope in his hand1 he saw the lady's 
face photographed upon it1 and at the   
same moment1 all the blackness of the   
husband's own life4 ,he rose up like an 
avenging deity and pointed to the door4 
,this letter1 he said1 was written by   
,mrs4 ----4 ,go6 man1 and wash your own 
hands clean1 and then come and ask me   
questions about your wife4 ,and so the  
heavy swell had to slink downstairs     
again4 ,i have often gone myself to ,mr4
 ,towns before engaging in any new      
business1 and always received the best  

advice1 and been told exactly what would
 occur during its progress4 ,when ,i was
 about to start on the ,golden ,goblin  
tour in management with my son--,i went 
to him to ask if it would be successful4
 ,he not only told me what money it     
would bring in1 but where the weak      
points would occur4 ,the drama was then 
completed1 and in course of rehearsal1  
and had been highly commended by all who
 had heard and seen it4 ,mr4 ,towns1    
however1 who had neither seen nor heard 
it1 insisted it would have to be altered
 before it was a complete success4 ,this
 annoyed me1 and ,i knew it would annoy 
my son1 the author2 besides1 ,i believed
 it was a mistake1 so ,i said nothing   
about it4 ,before it had run a month1   
however1 the alterations were admitted  
on all sides to be necessary1 and were  
consequently made4 ,everything that ,mr4
 ,towns prognosticated on that occasion 
came to pass1 even to the strangers ,i  
should encounter on tour1 and how their 
acquaintance would affect my future     

life2 also how long the tour would last1
 and in which towns it would achieve the
 greatest success4 ,i can assure some of
 my professional friends1 that if they  
would take the trouble to consult a     
trustworthy clairvoyant about their     
engagements before booking them1 they   
would not find themselves so often in   
the hands of the bogus manager as they  
do now4 ,a short time ago ,i received a 
summons to the county court1 and        
although ,i knew ,i was in the right1   
yet law has so many loopholes that ,i   
felt nervous4 ,the case was called for  
eleven o'clock on a certain ,wednesday1 
and the evening before ,i joined ,mr4   
,towns' circle4 ,when it came to my turn
 to question him1 ,i said1 ,do you see  
where ,i shall be to-morrow morning8 ,he
 replied1 ,i can see you are called to  
appear in a court-house1 but the case   
will be put off4 ,put off1 ,i repeated1 
but it is fixed for eleven4 ,it can't be
 put off4 ,cases are sometimes relegated
 to another court1 said ,mr4 ,towns4    

,then ,i thought he had quite got out of
 his depth1 and replied1 ,you are making
 a mistake4 ,this is quite an ordinary  
business4 ,it can't go to a higher      
court4 ,but shall ,i gain it8 ,in the   
afternoon1 said the medium4 ,his answers
 so disappointed me that ,i placed no   
confidence in them1 and went to the     
county court on the following morning in
 a nervous condition4 ,but he was       
perfectly correct4 ,the case was called 
for eleven1 but as the defendant was not
 forthcoming1 it was passed over1 and   
the succeeding hearings occupied so much
 time1 that the magistrate thought mine 
would never come off1 so he relegated it
 at two o'clock to another court to be  
heard before the registrar1 who decided 
it at once in my favor1 so that ,i      
gained it in the afternoon4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,one     
afternoon in my green sallet days of    
,spiritualism1 when every fresh         
experience almost made my breath stop1  
,i turned into the ,progressive ,library

 in ,southampton ,row1 to ask if there  
were any new media come to town4 ,mr4   
,burns did not know of any1 but asked me
 if ,i had ever attended one of ,mrs4   
,olive's seances1 a series of which were
 being held weekly in the ,library      
,rooms4 ,i had not1 and ,i bought a     
half-crown ticket for admission1 and    
returned there the same evening4 ,when  
,i entered the seance room1 the medium  
had not arrived1 and ,i had time to take
 stock of the audience4 ,it seemed a    
very sad and serious one4 ,there was no 
whispering nor giggling going on1 and it
 struck me they looked more like        
patients waiting the advent of the      
doctor1 than people bound on an         
evening's amusement4 ,and that1 to my   
surprise1 was what ,i afterwards found  
they actually were4 ,mrs4 ,olive did not
 keep us long waiting1 and when she came
 in1 dressed in a lilac muslin dress1   
with her golden hair parted plainly on  
her forehead1 her very blue eyes1 and a 
sweet1 womanly smile for her circle1 she

 looked as unlike the popular idea of a 
professional medium as anyone could     
possibly do4 ,she sat down on a chair in
 the middle of the circle1 and1 having  
closed her eyes1 went off to sleep4     
,presently she sat up1 and1 still with  
her eyes closed1 said in a very         
pleasant1 but decidedly manly1 voice3   
,and now1 my friends1 what can ,i do for
 you8  ,a lady in the circle began to   
ask advice about her daughter4 ,the     
medium held up her hand4 ,stop6 she     
exclaimed1 you are doing my work4       
,friend1 your daughter is ill1 you say4 
,then it is my business to see what is  
the matter with her4 ,will you come     
here1 young lady1 and let me feel your  
pulse4 ,having done which1 the medium   
proceeded to detail exactly the contents
 of the girl's stomach1 and to advise   
her what to eat and drink for the       
future4 ,another lady then advanced with
 a written prescription4 ,the medium    
examined her1 made an alteration or two 
in the prescription1 and told her to go 

on with it till further orders4 ,my     
curiosity was aroused1 and ,i whispered 
to my next neighbor to tell me who the  
control was4 ,sir ,john ,forbes1 a      
celebrated physician1 she replied4 ,he  
has almost as large a connection now as 
he had when alive4 ,i was not exactly   
ill at the time1 but ,i was not strong1 
and nothing that my family doctor       
prescribed for me seemed to do me any   
good4 ,so wishing to test the abilities 
of ,sir ,john ,forbes1 ,i went up to the
 medium and knelt down by her side4     
,what is the matter with me1 ,sir ,john8
 ,i began4 ,don't call me by that name1 
little friend1 he answered2 we have no  
titles on this side the world4 ,what    
shall ,i call you1 then8 ,i said4       
,doctor1 plain ,doctor1 was the reply1  
but in such a kind voice4 ,then tell me 
what is the matter with me1 ,doctor4    
,come nearer1 and ,i'll whisper it in   
your ear4 ,he then gave me a detailed   
account of the manner in which ,i       
suffered1 and asked what ,i had been    

taking4 ,when ,i told him1 ,all wrong1  
all wrong1 he said1 shaking his head4   
,here6 give me a pencil and paper4 ,i   
had a notebook in my pocket1 with a     
metallic pencil1 which ,i handed over to
 him1 and he wrote a prescription in it4
 ,take that1 and you'll be all the      
better1 little friend1 he said1 as he   
gave it to me back again4 ,when ,i had  
time to examine what he had written1 ,i 
found to my surprise that the           
prescription was in abbreviated ,latin1 
with the amount of each ingredient given
 in the regular medical shorthand4 ,mrs4
 ,olive1 a simple though intelligent    
looking woman1 seemed a very unlikely   
person to me to be educated up to this  
degree4 ,however1 ,i determined to      
obtain a better opinion than my own1 so 
the next time my family doctor called to
 see me1 ,i said3 ,i have had a         
prescription given me1 ,doctor1 which ,i
 am anxious1 with your permission1 to   
try4 ,i wish you would glance your eye  
over it and see if you approve of my    

taking it4 ,at the same time ,i handed  
him the note-book1 and ,i saw him grow  
very red as he looked at the            
prescription4 ,anything wrong8 ,i       
inquired4 ,o6 dear no6 he replied in an 
offended tone2 you can try your remedy1 
and welcome1 for aught ,i care--only1   
next time you wish to consult a new     
doctor1 ,i advise you to dismiss the old
 one first4 ,but this prescription was  
not written by a doctor1 ,i argued4 ,at 
this he looked still more offended4     
,it's no use trying to deceive me1 ,mrs4
 ,ross-,church6 ,that prescription was  
written by no one but a medical man4 ,it
 was a long time before ,i could make   
him really believe who had transcribed  
it1 and under what circumstances4 ,when 
he was convinced of the truth of my     
statement1 he was very much astonished1 
and laid all his professional pique     
aside4 ,he did more4 ,he not only urged 
me to have the prescription made up1 but
 he confessed that his first chagrin was
 due to the fact that he felt he should 

have thought of it himself4 ,that1 he   
said1 pointing to one ingredient1 is the
 very thing to suit your case1 and it   
makes me feel such a fool to think that 
a woman should think of what ,i passed  
over4  ,nothing would make this doctor  
believe in ,spiritualism1 though he     
continued to aver that only a medical   
man could have prescribed the medicine2 
but as ,i saw dozens of other cases     
treated at the time by ,mrs4 ,olive1 and
 have seen dozens since1 ,i know that   
she does it by a power not her own4 ,for
 several years after that ,sir ,john    
,forbes used to give me advice about my 
health1 and when his medium married     
,colonel ,greck and went to live in     
,russia1 he was so sorry to leave his   
numerous patients1 and they to lose him1
 that he wanted to control me in order  
that ,i might carry on his practice1 but
 after several attempts he gave it up as
 hopeless4 ,he said my brain was too    
active for any spirit to magnetize2 and 
he is not the first1 nor last1 who has  

made the same attempt1 and failed4 ,sir 
,john ,forbes was not ,mrs4 ,olive's    
only control4 ,she had a charming spirit
 called ,sunshine1 who used to come for 
clairvoyance and prophecy2 and a very   
comical negro named ,hambo1 who was as  
humorous and full of native wit and     
repartee1 as negroes generally are1 and 
as ,mrs4 ,olive1 who is a very gentle1  
quiet woman1 decidedly was not4 ,hambo  
was the business adviser and director1  
and sometimes materialized1 which the   
others did not4 ,these three influences 
were just as opposite from one another1 
and from ,mrs4 ,olive1 as any creatures 
could possibly be4 ,sir ,john ,forbes1  
so dignified1 courteous1 and truly      
benevolent--such a thorough old         
gentleman2 ,sunshine1 a sweet1          
sympathetic ,indian girl1 full of gentle
 reproof for wrong and exhortations to  
lead a higher life2 and ,hambo1 humorous
 and witty1 calling a spade a spade1 and
 occasionally descending to coarseness1 
but never unkind or wicked4 ,i knew them

 all over a space of years until ,i     
regarded them as old friends4 ,mrs4     
,greck is now a widow1 and residing in  
,england1 and1 ,i hear1 sitting again   
for her friends4 ,if so1 a great benefit
 in the person of ,sir ,john ,forbes has
 returned for a portion of mankind4  ,i 
have kept a well-known physical medium  
to the last1 not because ,i do not      
consider his powers to be completely    
genuine1 but because they are of a      
nature that will not appeal to such as  
have not witnessed them4 ,i allude to   
,mr4 ,charles ,williams1 with whom ,i   
have sat many times alone1 and also with
 ,mrs4 ,guppy ,volckman4 ,the           
manifestations that take place at his   
seances are always material4 ,the much  
written of ,john ,king is his principal 
control1 and invariably appears under   
his mediumship2 and ,ernest is the name 
of another4 ,i have seen ,charles       
,williams leave the cabinet under trance
 and wander in an aimless manner about  
the room1 whilst both ,john ,king and   

,ernest were with the circle1 and have  
heard them reprove him for rashness4 ,i 
have also seen him under the same       
circumstances1 during an afternoon      
seance1 mistake the window curtains for 
the curtains of the cabinet1 and draw   
them suddenly aside1 letting the full   
light of day in upon the scene1 and     
showing vacancy where a moment before   
two figures had been standing and       
talking4  ,once when ,john ,king asked  
,colonel ,lean what he should bring him1
 he was told mentally to fetch the      
half-hoop diamond ring from my finger   
and place it on that of my husband4     
,this half-hoop ring was worn between my
 wedding ring and a heavy gold snake    
ring1 and ,i was holding the hand of my 
neighbor all the time1 and yet the ring 
was abstracted from between the other   
two and transferred to ,colonel ,lean's 
finger without my being aware of the    
circumstance4 ,these and various other  
marvels1 ,i have seen under ,mr4        
,williams' mediumship2 but as ,i can    

adduce no proof that they were genuine1 
except my own conviction1 it would be   
useless to write them down here4 ,only  
,i could not close the list of the media
 with whom ,i have familiarly sat in    
,london1 and from whom ,i have received 
both kindness and courtesy1 without     
including his name4 ,it is the same with
 several others--with ,mr4 ,frank ,herne
 7now deceased7 and his wife ,mrs4      
,herne1 whom ,i first knew as ,mrs4     
,bassett1 a famous medium for the direct
 spirit voice2 with ,mrs4 ,wilkinson1 a 
clairvoyant who has a large clientele of
 wealthy and aristocratic patrons2 with 
,mrs4 ,wilkins and ,mr4 ,vango1 both    
reliable1 though1 as yet1 less well     
known to the spiritualistic public2 and 
with ,dr4 ,wilson1 the astrologer1 who  
will tell you all you have ever done1   
and all you are ever going to do1 if you
 will only give him the opportunity of  
casting your horoscope4 ,to all and each
 ,i tender my thanks for having afforded
 me increased opportunities of searching

 into the truth of a science that       
possesses the utmost interest for me1   
and that has given me the greatest      
pleasure4     ,,chapter ,,xxiii4  ,,on  
,,laying ,,the ,,cards4   ,at the risk  
of being laughed at1 ,i cannot refrain1 
in the course of this narrative of my   
spiritualistic experiences1 from saying 
a few words about what is called laying 
the cards4 ,imagine6 ,i fancy ,i hear   
some dear creature with nose tip-tilted 
like a flower exclaim1 any sensible     
woman believing in cards4 ,and yet      
,napoleon believed in them1 and         
regulated the fate of nations by them2  
and the only times he neglected their   
admonitions were followed by the retreat
 from ,moscow and the defeat at         
,waterloo4 ,still ,i did not believe in 
card-telling till the belief was forced 
upon me4 ,i always thought it rather    
cruel to give imprisonment and hard     
labor to old women who laid the cards   
for servant girls4 ,who can tell whether
 or no it is obtaining money upon false 

pretences2 and if it is1 why not inflict
 the same penalty on every cheating     
tradesman who sells inferior articles or
 gives short weight8 ,women would be    
told they should look after their own   
interests in the one case--so why not in
 the other8 ,but all the difference lies
 in who lays the cards4 ,very few people
 can do it successfully1 and my belief  
is that it must be done by a person with
 mediumistic power1 which1 in some      
mysterious manner1 influences the       
disposition of the pack4 ,i have seen   
cards shuffled and cut twenty times in  
the hope of getting rid of some number  
antagonistic to the inquirer's good     
fortune1 and yet each time the same card
 would turn up in the juxtaposition     
least to be desired4 ,however1 to       
narrate my own experience4 ,when ,i was 
living in ,brussels1 years before ,i    
heard of modern ,spiritualism1 ,i made  
the acquaintance of an ,irish lady      
called ,mrs4 ,thorpe1 a widow who was   
engaged as a chaperon for some young    

,belgian ladies of high birth1 who had  
lost their mother4 ,we lived near each  
other1 and she often came in to have a  
chat with me4 ,after a while ,i heard   
through some other friends that ,mrs4   
,thorpe was a famous hand at laying the 
cards2 and one day1 when we were alone1 
,i asked her to tell me my fortune4 ,i  
didn't in the least believe in it1 but  
,i wanted to be amused4 ,mrs4 ,thorpe   
begged to be excused at once4 ,she told 
me her predictions had proved so true1  
she was afraid to look into futurity any
 more4 ,she had seen a son and heir for 
a couple who had been married twenty    
years without having any children1 and  
death for a girl just about to become a 
bride--and both had come true2 and1 in  
fact1 her employer1 the ,baron1 had     
strictly forbidden her doing it any more
 whilst in his house4 ,however1 this    
only fired my curiosity1 and ,i teased  
her until1 on my promising to preserve  
the strictest secrecy1 she complied with
 my request4 ,she predicted several     

things in which ,i had little faith1 but
 which ,i religiously wrote down in case
 they came true--the three most         
important being that my husband1        
,colonel ,ross-,church 7who was then    
most seriously ill in ,india71 would not
 die1 but that his brother1 ,edward     
,church1 would2 that ,i should have one 
more child by my first marriage--a      
daughter with exceedingly fair skin and 
hair1 who would prove to be the         
cleverest of all my children1 and that  
after her birth ,i should never live    
with my husband again4 ,all these events
 were most unlikely to come to pass at  
that time1 and1 indeed1 did not come to 
pass for years afterwards1 yet each one 
was fulfilled1 and the daughter who1    
unlike all her brothers and sisters1 is 
fair as a lily1 will be by no means the 
last in the race for talent4 ,yet these 
cards were laid four years before her   
birth4 ,mrs4 ,thorpe told me she had    
learnt the art from a pupil of the      
identical ,italian countess who used to 

lay the cards for the ,emperor          
,napoleon4 ,but it is not an art1 and it
 is not to be learnt4 ,it is            
inspiration4  ,many years after this1   
when ,i had just begun to study         
,spiritualism1 my sister told me of a   
wonderful old lady1 a neighbor of hers1 
who had gained quite an evil reputation 
in the village by her prophetical powers
 with the cards4 ,like ,mrs4 ,thorpe1   
she had become afraid of herself1 and   
professed to have given up the practice4
 ,the last time she had laid them1 a    
girl acquaintance had walked over       
joyously from an adjacent village to    
introduce her affianced husband to her1 
and to beg her to tell them what would  
happen in their married life4 ,the old  
lady had laid the cards1 and saw the    
death card turn up three times with the 
marriage ring1 and told the young       
people1 much to their chagrin1 that they
 must prepare for a disappointment1 as  
their marriage would certainly be       
postponed from some obstacle arising in 

the way4 ,she told me afterwards that   
she dared not tell them more than this4 
,they left her somewhat sobered1 but    
still full of hope1 and started on their
 way home4 ,before they reached it the  
young man staggered and fell down dead4 
,no one had expected such a catastrophe4
 ,he had been apparently in the best of 
health and spirits4 ,what was it that   
had made this old lady foresee what no  
one else had seen8  ,these are no       
trumped-up tales after the prediction   
had been fulfilled4 ,everyone knew it to
 be true1 and became frightened to look 
into the future for themselves4 ,i was  
an exception to the general rule1       
however1 and persuaded ,mrs4 ,simmonds  
to lay the cards for me4 ,i had just    
completed a two months' sojourn at the  
seaside1 was in robust health1 and      
anticipating my return home for the sake
 of meeting again with a friend who was 
very dear to me4 ,i shuffled and cut the
 cards according to directions4 ,the old
 lady looked rather grave4 ,i don't like

 your cards1 she said1 there is a good  
deal of trouble before you--trouble and 
sickness4 ,you will not return home so  
soon as you anticipate4 ,you will be    
detained by illness1 and when you do    
return1 you will find a letter on the   
table that will cut you to the heart4 ,i
 am sorry you have stayed away so long4 
,there has been treachery in your       
absence1 and a woman just your opposite1
 with dark eyes and hair1 has got the   
better of you4 ,however1 it will be a   
sharp trouble1 but not a lengthy one4   
,you will see the wisdom of it before   
long1 and be thankful it has happened4  
,i accepted my destiny with complacency1
 never supposing 7notwithstanding all   
that ,i had heard7 that it would come   
true4 ,i was within a few days of       
starting for home1 and had received     
affectionate letters from my friend all 
the time ,i had been away4 ,however1 as 
,fate and the cards would have it1 ,i   
was taken ill the very day after they   
were laid for me1 and confined for three

 weeks with a kind of low fever to my   
bed2 and when weakened and depressed ,i 
returned to my home ,i found the letter 
on my table that ,mrs4 ,simmonds had    
predicted for me1 to say that my        
friendship with my 7supposed7 friend was
 over and done with for ever4 ,after    
this ,i began to have more respect for  
cards1 or rather for the persons who    
successfully laid them4 ,in #ahhh1 when 
,i was touring with my company with the 
,golden ,goblin1 ,i stayed for the first
 time in my life in ,accrington4 ,our   
sojourn there was to be only for a week1
 and1 as may be supposed1 the           
accommodation in the way of lodgings was
 very poor4 ,when we had been there a   
few days a lady of the company said to  
me1 ,there is such a funny old woman at 
my lodgings1 ,miss ,marryat6 ,i wish    
you'd come and see her4 ,she can tell   
fortunes with the cards1 and ,i know you
 believe in such things4 ,she has told  
my husband and me all about ourselves in
 the most wonderful manner2 but you     

mustn't come when the old man is at     
home1 because he says it's devilry1 and 
he has forbidden her doing it4 ,i am    
very much interested in that sort of    
thing1 ,i replied1 and ,i will certainly
 pay her a visit1 if you will tell me   
when ,i may come4 ,a time was           
accordingly fixed for my going to the   
lady's rooms1 and on my arrival there ,i
 was introduced to a greasy1 snuffy old 
landlady1 who didn't look as if she had 
a soul above a bottle of gin4 ,however1 
,i sat down at a table with her1 and the
 cards were cut4 ,she told me nothing   
that my friends might have told her     
concerning me1 but dived at once into   
the future4 ,my domestic affairs were in
 a very complicated state at that       
period1 and ,i had no idea myself how   
they would end4 ,she saw the whole      
situation at a glance--described the    
actors in the scene1 the places they    
lived in1 the people by whom they were  
surrounded1 and exactly how the whole   
business would end1 and did end4 ,she   

foretold the running of the tour1 how   
long it would last1 and which of the    
company would leave before it concluded4
 ,she told me that a woman in the       
company1 whom ,i believed at that time  
to be attached to me1 would prove to be 
one of my greatest enemies1 and be the  
cause of estrangement between me and one
 of my nearest relations1 and she opened
 my eyes to that woman's character in a 
way which forced me afterwards to find  
out that to which ,i might have been    
blind forever4 ,and this information    
emanated from a dirty1 ignorant1 old    
lodging keeper1 who had probably never  
heard of my name until it was thrust    
before her1 and yet told me things that 
my most intimate and cleverest friends  
had no power to tell me4 ,after the     
woman at ,accrington ,i never looked at 
a card for the purpose of divination    
until my attention was directed last    
year to a woman in ,london who is very  
clever at the same thing1 and a friend  
asked me to go with her and see what she

 could tell us4 ,this woman1 who is     
quite of the lower class1 and           
professedly a dressmaker1 received us in
 a bedroom1 the door of which was       
carefully locked4 ,she was an elderly   
woman and rather intelligent and well   
educated for her position1 but she could
 adduce no reason whatever for her      
facility in reading the cards4 ,she told
 me it came to her1 she didn't know why 
or how4  ,it came to her with a         
vengeance for me4 ,she rattled off my   
past1 present and future as if she had  
been reading from an open book1 and she 
mentioned the description of a person   
7which ,i completely recognized7 so     
constantly with reference to my future1 
that ,i thought ,i would try her by a   
question4 ,stop a minute1 ,i said1 this 
person whom you have alluded to so      
often--have ,i ever met him8 ,of course 
you have met him1 she replied1 you know 
him intimately4 ,i don't recognize the  
description1 ,i returned1 fallaciously4 
,the woman turned round and looked me   

full in the face4 ,you don't recognize  
him8 she repeated in an incredulous     
tone1 then you must be very dull4 ,well6
 ,i'll tell you how to recognize him4   
,next time you meet a gentleman out     
walking who raises his hat1 and before  
he shakes hands with you1 draws a       
written or printed paper from his pocket
 and presents it to you1 you can        
remember my words4 ,that is the man ,i  
mean4  ,i laughed at the quaintness of  
the idea and returned home4 ,as ,i was  
walking from the station to my own house
 ,i met the person she had described4   
,as he neared me he raised his hat1 and 
then putting his hand in his pocket he  
said1 ,good afternoon6 ,i have something
 for you6 ,i met ,burrows this morning4 
,he was going on to you1 but as he was  
in a great hurry he asked me if ,i was  
likely to see you to-day to give you    
this4 ,and he presented me with a       
printed paper of regulations which ,i   
had asked the man he mentioned to       
procure for me4  ,now1 here was no      

stereotyped utterance of the cards--no  
stock phrase--but a deliberate prophecy 
of an unfulfilled event4 ,it is upon    
such things that ,i base my opinion     
that1 given certain persons and certain 
circumstances1 the cards are a very     
fertile source of information4 ,it is   
absurd in cases like those ,i have      
related to lay it all down to chance1 to
 clever guessing1 or to trickery4 ,if my
 readers believe so1 let me ask them to 
try it for themselves4 ,if it is all    
folly1 and any stupid1 ignorant old     
woman can do it1 of course they must be 
able to master the trick4 ,let them get 
a pack of cards and lay them according  
to the usual directions--there are any  
number of books published that will tell
 them how to do it--and then see if they
 can foretell a single event of         
importance correctly4 ,they will        
probably find 7as ,i do7 that the cards 
are a sealed book to them4 ,i would give
 a great deal to be able to lay the     
cards with any degree of success for    

myself or my friends4 ,but nothing comes
 to me4 ,the cards remain painted pieces
 of cardboard1 and nothing more4 ,and   
yet an ignorant creature who has no     
brains of her own can dive deep into the
 mysteries of my mind1 and turn my      
inmost thoughts and wishes inside       
out1--more1 can pierce futurity and tell
 me what shall be4 ,however1 if my      
hearers continue to doubt my story1 ,i  
can only repeat my admonition to try it 
for themselves4 ,if they once succeed1  
they will not give it up again4         
,,chapter ,,xxiv4  ,,spiritualism ,,in  
,,america4  ,i4 ,mrs4 ,m4 ,a4 ,williams4
   ,i went to ,america on a professional
 engagement in ,october1 #ahhd4 ,some   
months beforehand a very liberal offer  
had been made me by the ,spiritualists  
of ,great ,britain to write my          
experiences for the ,english press1 but 
,i declined to do so until ,i could add 
my ,american notes to them4 ,i had      
corresponded 7as ,i have shown7 with the
 ,banner of ,light in ,new ,york2 and   

what ,i had heard of ,spiritualism in   
,america had made me curious to witness 
it4 ,but ,i was determined to test it on
 a strictly private plan4 ,i said to    
myself3 ,i have seen and heard pretty   
nearly all there is to be seen and heard
 on the subject in ,england1 but1 with  
one or two exceptions1 ,i have never sat
 at any seance where ,i was not known4  
,now ,i am going to visit a strange     
country where1 in a matter like         
,spiritualism1 ,i can conceal my        
identity1 so as to afford the media no  
clue to my surroundings or the names of 
my deceased friends4 ,i sailed for      
,america quite determined to pursue a   
strictly secret investigation1 and with 
that end in view ,i never mentioned the 
subject to anyone4  ,i had a few days   
holiday in ,new ,york before proceeding 
to ,boston1 where my work opened1 and ,i
 stayed at one of the largest hotels in 
the city4 ,i landed on ,sunday morning1 
and on ,monday evening ,i resolved to   
make my first venture4 ,had ,i been a   

visitor in ,london1 ,i should have had  
to search out the right sort of people1 
and make a dozen inquiries before ,i    
heard where the media were hiding       
themselves from dread of the law2 but   
they order such things better on the    
other side of the ,atlantic4 ,people are
 allowed to hold their private opinions 
and their private religion there without
 being swooped down upon and clapped    
into prison for rogues and vagabonds4   
,whatever the views of the majority may 
be1 upon this subject or any other 7and 
,heaven knows ,i would have each man    
strong enough to cling to his opinion1  
and brave enough to acknowledge it      
before the world71 ,i think it is a     
discredit to a civilized country to     
allow old laws1 that were made when we  
were little better than savages1 to     
remain in force at the present day4 ,we 
are far too much over-ridden by a       
paternal ,government1 which has grown so
 blind and senile that it swallows      
camels while it is straining after a    

gnat4  ,there was no obstacle to my     
wish1 however1 in ,new ,york4 ,i had but
 to glance down the advertisement       
columns of the newspapers to learn where
 the media lived1 and on what days they 
held their public seances4 ,it so       
happened that ,mrs4 ,m4 ,a4 ,williams   
was the only one who held open house on 
,monday evenings for ,materialization2  
and thither ,i determined to go4 ,there 
is no such privacy as in a large hotel1 
where no one has the opportunity to see 
what his neighbor is doing4 ,as soon1   
therefore1 as my dinner was concluded1  
,i put on a dark cloak1 hat and veil1   
and walking out into the open1 got into 
one of the cars that ran past the street
 where ,mrs4 ,williams resided4 ,arrived
 at the house1 ,i knocked at the door1  
and was about to inquire if there was to
 be any seance there1 that evening1 when
 the attendant saved me the trouble by  
saying1 ,upstairs1 if you please1 madam1
 and nothing more passed between us4    
,when ,i had mounted the stairs1 ,i     

found myself in a large room1 the floor 
of which was covered with a thick       
carpet1 nailed all round the            
wainscotting4 ,on one side were some    
thirty or forty cane-bottomed chairs1   
and directly facing them was the        
cabinet4 ,this consisted of four        
uprights nailed over the carpet1 with   
iron rods connecting them at the top4   
,there was no roof to it1 but curtains  
of a dark maroon color were usually     
drawn around1 but when ,i entered1 they 
were flung back over the iron rods1 so  
as to disclose the interior4 ,there was 
a stuffed armchair for the use of the   
medium1 and in front of the cabinet a   
narrow table with papers and pencils on 
it1 the use of which ,i did not at first
 discover4 ,at the third side of the    
room was a harmonium1 so placed that the
 performer sat with his back both to the
 cabinet and the sitters4 ,a large gas  
lamp1 almost like a limelight1 made in a
 square form like a lantern1 was fixed  
against the wall1 so as to throw the    

light upon the cabinet1 but it was      
fitted with a sliding shade of red silk1
 with which it could be darkened if     
necessary4 ,i was early1 and only a few 
visitors were occupying the chairs4 ,i  
asked a lady if ,i might sit where ,i   
chose1 and on her answering ,yes1 ,i    
took the chair in the front row1 exactly
 opposite the cabinet1 not forgetting   
that ,i was there in the cause of       
,spiritualism as well as for my own     
interests4 ,the seats filled rapidly and
 there must have been thirty-five or    
forty people present1 when ,mrs4        
,williams entered the room1 and nodding 
to those she knew1 went into the        
cabinet4 ,mrs4 ,williams is a stout     
woman of middle age1 with dark hair and 
eyes1 and a fresh complexion4 ,she was  
dressed in a tight-fitting gown of pale 
blue1 with a good deal of lace about the
 neck and sleeves4 ,she was accompanied 
by a gentleman1 and ,i then discovered  
for the first time that it is usual in  
,america to have1 what they call1 a     

conductor of the seance4 ,the conductor 
sits close to the cabinet curtains1 and1
 if any spirit is too weak to shew      
itself outside1 or to speak audibly1 he 
conveys the message it may wish to send 
to its friends2 and when ,i knew how    
very few precautions the ,americans take
 to prevent such outrages as have       
occurred in ,england1 and how many more 
materializations take place in an       
evening there than here1 ,i saw the     
necessity of a conductor to protect the 
medium1 and to regulate the order of the
 seance4  ,mrs4 ,williams' conductor    
opened the proceedings with a very neat 
little speech4 ,he said1 ,i see several 
strange faces here this evening1 and ,i 
am very pleased to see them1 and ,i hope
 they may derive both pleasure and      
profit from our meeting4 ,we have only  
one rule for the conduct of our seances1
 that you shall behave like ladies and  
gentlemen4 ,you may not credit all you  
see1 but remember this is our religion1 
and the religion of many present1 and as

 you would behave yourselves reverently 
and decorously1 if you were in a church 
of another persuasion to your own1 so ,i
 beg of you to behave yourselves here4  
,and if any spirits should come for you 
whom you do not immediately recognize1  
don't wound them by denying their       
identity4 ,they may have been longing   
for this moment to meet you again1 and  
doing their very utmost to assume once  
more the likeness they wore on earth2   
yet some fail4 ,don't make their failure
 harder to bear by roughly repudiating  
all knowledge of them4 ,the strangers   
who are present to-night may mistake the
 reason of this little table being      
placed in front of the cabinet1 and     
think it is intended to keep them from  
too close an inspection of the spirits4 
,no such thing6 ,on the contrary1 all   
will be invited in turn to come up and  
recognize their friends4 ,but we make it
 a rule at these seances that no        
materialized spirit1 who is strong      
enough to come beyond that table1 shall 

be permitted to return to the cabinet4  
,they must dematerialize in sight of the
 sitters1 that no possible suspicion may
 rest upon the medium4 ,these pencils   
and papers are placed here in case any  
spirit who is unable to speak may be    
impressed to write instead4 ,and now we 
will begin the evening with a song4     
,the accompanist then played ,footsteps 
of ,angels1 the audience sung it with a 
will1 and the curtains having been drawn
 round ,mrs4 ,williams1 the shade was   
drawn across the gaslight1 and the      
seance began4  ,i don't think it could  
have been more than a minute or two     
before we heard a voice whispering1     
,father1 and three girls1 dressed in    
white clinging garments1 appeared at the
 opening in the curtains4 ,an old man   
with white hair left his seat and walked
 up to the cabinet1 when they all three 
came out at once and hung about his neck
 and kissed him1 and whispered to him4  
,i almost forgot where ,i was4 ,they    
looked so perfectly human1 so joyous and

 girl-like1 somewhere between seventeen 
and twenty1 and they all spoke at once1 
so like what girls on earth would do1   
that it was most mystifying4 ,the old   
man came back to his seat1 wiping his   
eyes4 ,are those your daughters1 sir8   
asked one of the sitters4 ,yes6 my three
 girls1 he replied4 ,i lost them all    
before ten years old1 but you see ,i've 
got them back again here4  ,several     
other forms appeared after this--one1 a 
little child of about three years old1  
who fluttered in and out of the cabinet 
like a butterfly1 and ran laughing away 
from the sitters who tried to catch her4
 ,some of the meetings that took place  
for the first time were very affecting4 
,one young man of about seventeen or    
eighteen1 who was called up to see his  
mother's spirit1 sobbed so bitterly1 it 
broke my heart to hear him4 ,there was  
not the least doubt if he recognized her
 or no4 ,he was so overcome1 he hardly  
raised his eyes for the rest of the     
evening4 ,one lady brought her          

spirit-son up to me1 that ,i might see  
how perfectly he had materialized4 ,she 
spoke of it as proudly as she might have
 done if he had passed some difficult   
examination4 ,the young man was dressed 
in a suit of evening clothes1 and he    
shook hands with me at his mother's     
bidding1 with the firm grasp of a       
mortal4 ,naturally1 ,i had seen too much
 in ,england for all this to surprise   
me4 ,still ,i had never assisted at a   
seance where everything appeared to be  
so strangely human--so little mystical1 
except indeed the rule of               
dematerializing before the sitters1     
which ,i had only seen ,katie ,king do  
before4 ,but here1 each form1 after     
having been warned by the conductor that
 its time was up1 sunk down right       
through the carpet as though it were the
 most ordinary mode of egression4 ,some1
 and more especially the men1 did not   
advance beyond the curtains2 then their 
friends were invited to go up and speak 
to them1 and several went inside the    

cabinet4 ,there were necessarily a good 
many forms1 familiar to the rest1 of    
whom ,i knew nothing2 one was an old    
minister under whom they had all sat1   
another a gentleman who had been a      
constant attendant at ,mrs4 ,williams'  
seances4  ,once the conductor spoke to  
me4 ,i am not aware of your name1 he    
said 7and ,i thought1 ,no6 my friend1   
and you won't be aware of it just yet   
either671 but a spirit here wishes you  
would come up to the cabinet4 ,i        
advanced1 expecting to see some friend1 
and there stood a ,catholic priest with 
his hand extended in blessing4 ,i knelt 
down1 and he gave me the usual          
benediction and then closed the         
curtains4 ,did you know the spirit8 the 
conductor asked me4 ,i shook my head2   
and he continued1 ,he was ,father       
,hayes1 a well-known priest in this     
city4 ,i suppose you are a ,catholic8 ,i
 told him ,yes1 and went back to my     
seat4 ,the conductor addressed me again4
 ,i think ,father ,hayes must have come 

to pave the way for some of your        
friends1 he said4 ,here is a spirit who 
says she has come for a lady named      
',florence1' who has just crossed the   
sea4 ,do you answer to the description8 
,i was about to say ,yes1 when the      
curtains parted again and my daughter   
,florence ran across the room and fell  
into my arms4 ,mother6 she exclaimed1 ,i
 said ,i would come with you and look   
after you--didn't ,i8  ,i looked at her4
 ,she was exactly the same in appearance
 as when she had come to me in          
,england--the same luxuriant brown hair 
and features and figure1 as ,i had seen 
under the different mediumships of      
,florence ,cook1 ,arthur ,colman1       
,charles ,williams and ,william         
,eglinton2 the same form which in       
,england had been declared to be        
half-a-dozen different media dressed up 
to represent my daughter stood before me
 there in ,new ,york1 thousands of miles
 across the sea1 and by the power of a  
person who did not even know who ,i was4

 ,if ,i had not been convinced before1  
how could ,i have helped being convinced
 then8  ,florence appeared as delighted 
as ,i was1 and kept on kissing me and   
talking of what had happened to me on   
board ship coming over1 and was         
evidently quite au fait of all my       
proceedings4 ,presently she said1       
,there's another friend of yours here1  
mother6 ,we came over together4 ,i'll go
 and fetch him4 ,she was going back to  
the cabinet when the conductor stopped  
her4 ,you must not return this way1     
please4 ,any other you like1 and she    
immediately made a kind of court curtsey
 and went down through the carpet4 ,i   
was standing where ,florence had left   
me1 wondering what would happen next1   
when she came up again a few feet off   
from me1 head first1 and smiling as if  
she had discovered a new game4 ,she was 
allowed to enter the cabinet this time1 
but a moment afterwards she popped her  
head out again1 and said1 ,here's your  
friend1 mother6 and by her side was     

standing ,william ,eglinton's control1  
,joey1 clad in his white suit1 with a   
white cap drawn over his head4          
',florence' and ,i have come over to    
make new lines for you here1 he said3 at
 least1 ,i've come over to put her in   
the way of doing it1 but ,i can't stay  
long1 you know1 because ,i have to go   
back to ',willy4'  ,i really didn't care
 if he stayed long or not4 ,i seemed to 
have procured the last proof ,i needed  
of the truth of the doctrine ,i had held
 so long1 that there is no such thing as
 ,death1 as we understand it in this    
world4 ,here were the two spiritual     
beings 7for believing in the identity of
 whom ,i had called myself a credulous  
fool fifty times over1 only to believe  
in them more deeply still7 in propria   
personae in ,new ,york1 claiming me in a
 land of strangers1 who had not yet     
found out who ,i was4 ,i was more deeply
 affected than ,i had ever been under   
such circumstances before1 and more     
deeply thankful4 ,florence made great   

friends with our ,american cousins even 
on her first appearance4 ,mrs4          
,williams' conductor told me he thought 
he had never heard anything more        
beautiful than the idea of the          
spirit-child crossing the ocean to guard
 its mother in a strange country1 and   
particularly1 as he could feel by her   
influence1 what a pure and beautiful    
spirit she was4 ,when ,i told him she   
had left this world at ten days old1 he 
said that accounted for it1 but he could
 see there was nothing earthly about    
her4  ,i was delighted with this seance1
 and hoped to sit with ,mrs4 ,williams  
many times more1 but fate decreed that  
,i should leave ,new ,york sooner than  
,i had anticipated4 ,the perfect freedom
 with which it was conducted charmed me1
 and the spirits seemed so familiar with
 the sitters4 ,there was no ,sweet      
,spirit1 hear my prayer1 business about 
it4 ,no fear of being detained or       
handled among the spirits1 and no awe1  
only intense tenderness on the part of  

their relations4 ,it was to this cause  
,i chiefly attributed the large number  
of materializations ,i witnessed--forty 
having taken place that evening4 ,they  
spoke far more distinctly and audibly   
too than those ,i had seen in ,england1 
but ,i believe the dry atmosphere of the
 ,united ,states is far more favorable  
to the process of materialization4 ,i   
perceived another difference4 ,although 
the female spirits were mostly clad in  
white1 they wore dresses and not simply 
drapery1 whilst the men were invariably 
attired in the clothes 7or semblances of
 the clothes7 they would have worn had  
they been still on earth4 ,i left ,mrs4 
,williams' rooms1 determined to see as  
much as ,i possibly could of mediumship 
whilst ,i was in the ,united ,states4   
,,chapter ,,xxv4  ,,ii4 ,mrs4 ,eva      
,hatch4   ,i was so disappointed at     
being hurried off to ,boston before ,i  
had seen any more of the ,new ,york     
media1 that ,i took the earliest        
opportunity of attending a seance there4

 ,a few words ,i had heard dropped about
 ,eva ,hatch made me resolve to visit   
her first4 ,she was one of the ,shaker  
sect1 and ,i heard her spoken of as a   
remarkably pure and honest woman1 and   
most reliable medium4 ,her first        
appearance quite gave me that           
impression4 ,she had a fair1 placid     
countenance1 full of sweetness and      
serenity1 and a plump matronly figure4  
,i went incognita1 as ,i had done to    
,mrs4 ,williams1 and mingled unnoticed  
with the crowd4 ,mrs4 ,hatch's cabinet  
was quite different from ,mrs4          
,williams'4 ,it was built of planks like
 a little cottage1 and the roof was     
pierced with numerous round holes for   
ventilation1 like a pepper-box4 ,there  
was a door in the centre1 with a window 
on either side1 all three of which were 
shaded by dark curtains4 ,the windows1  
,i was told1 were for the accommodation 
of those spirits who had not the power  
to materialize more than a face1 or head
 and bust4 ,mrs4 ,hatch's conductor was 

a woman1 who sat near the cabinet1 as in
 the other case4  ,mrs4 ,eva ,hatch had 
not entered the cabinet five minutes    
before she came out again1 under trance1
 with a very old lady with silver hair  
clinging to her arm1 and walked round   
the circle4 ,as they did so1 the old    
lady extended her withered hand1 and    
blessed the sitters4 ,she came quite    
close to each one and was distinctly    
visible to all4 ,i was told that this   
was the spirit of ,mrs4 ,hatch's mother1
 and that it was her regular custom to  
come first and give her blessing to the 
seance4 ,i had never seen the spirit of 
an aged person before1 and it was a     
beautiful sight4 ,she was the sweetest  
old lady too1 very small and fragile    
looking1 and half reclining on her      
daughter's bosom1 but smiling serenely  
upon every one there4 ,when they had    
made the tour of the room1 ,mrs4 ,hatch 
re-entered the cabinet1 and did not     
leave it again until the sitting was    
concluded4  ,there were a great many    

sitters present1 most of whom were old  
patrons of ,mrs4 ,hatch1 and so1        
naturally1 their friends came for them  
first4 ,it is surprising though1 when   
once familiarized with materialization1 
how little one grows to care to see the 
spirits who come for one's next door    
neighbor4 ,they are like a lot of       
prisoners let out1 one by one1 to see   
their friends and relations4 ,the few   
moments they have to spare are entirely 
devoted to home matters of no possible  
interest to the bystander4 ,the first   
wonder and possible shock at seeing the 
supposed dead return in their old       
likeness to greet those they left on    
earth over1 one listens with languid    
indifference1 and perhaps a little      
impatience for one's own turn to come1  
to the whispered utterances of          
strangers4 ,mrs4 ,hatch's cabinet       
spirits or controls1 however1 were very 
interesting4 ,one1 who called herself   
the ,spirit of ,prayer1 came and knelt  
down in the middle of the circle1 and   

prayed with us4 ,she had asked for the  
gas to be extinguished first1 and as she
 prayed she became illuminated with     
flashes of light1 in the shape of stars 
and crosses1 until she was visible from 
head to foot1 and we could see her      
features and dress as if she had been   
surrounded by electricity4  ,two more   
cabinet spirits were a negro and        
negress1 who appeared together1 chanting
 some of their native hymns and         
melodies4 ,when ,i saw these            
apparitions1 ,i thought to myself3 ,here
 is a good opportunity to discover      
trickery1 if trickery there is4 ,the    
pair were undoubtedly of the negro race4
 ,there was no mistaking their thick    
lips and noses and yellow-white eyes1   
nor their polished brown skins1 which no
 charcoal can properly imitate4 ,they   
were negroes without doubt2 but how     
about the negro bouquet8 ,everyone who  
has mixed with colored people in the    
,east or the ,west knows what that is1  
though it is very difficult to describe1

 being something like warm rancid oil   
mingled with the fumes of charcoal1 with
 a little worse thrown in4 ,now1 ,i     
thought1 if these forms are human1 there
 will be some odor attached to them1 and
 that ,i am determined to find out4 ,i  
caught1 therefore1 at the dress of the  
young woman as she passed1 and asked her
 if she would kiss me4 ,she left her    
companion directly1 and put her arms    
7which were bare7 round my neck1 and    
embraced me several times2 and ,i can   
declare1 on my oath1 that she was as    
completely free from anything like the  
smell of a colored woman as it was      
possible for her to be4 ,she felt as    
fresh and sweet and pure as a little    
child4  ,many other forms appeared and  
were recognized by the circle1 notably a
 very handsome one who called herself   
the ,empress ,josephine2 but as they    
could not add a grain's weight to my    
testimony ,i pass them over4 ,i had     
begun to think that ,florence was not   
going to visit me that evening1 when the

 conductor of the seance asked if there 
was anybody in the room who answered to 
the name of ,bluebell4 ,i must indulge  
in a little retrospect here1 and tell my
 readers that ten years previous to the 
time ,i am writing of1 ,i had lost my   
brother-in-law1 ,edward ,church1 under  
very painful circumstances4 ,he had been
 left an orphan and in control of his   
fortune at a very early age1 and had    
lived with my husband1 ,colonel         
,ross-,church1 and myself4 ,but poor    
,ted had been his own worst enemy4 ,he  
had possessed a most generous heart and 
affectionate disposition1 but these had 
led him into extravagances that         
swallowed up his fortune1 and then he   
had taken to drinking and killed himself
 by it4 ,i and my children had loved him
 dearly1 but all our prayers and        
entreaties had had no avail1 and in the 
end he had become so bad that the       
doctors had insisted upon our           
separation4 ,poor ,ted had consequently 
died in exile1 and this had been a      

further aggravation of our grief4 ,for  
ten years ,i had been trying to procure 
communication with him in vain1 and ,i  
had quite given up expecting to see him 
again4 ,only once had ,i heard ,bluebell
 7his pet name for me7 gasped out by an 
entranced clairvoyant1 but nothing      
further had come of it4 ,now1 as ,i     
heard it for the second time1 from a    
stranger's lips in a foreign country1 it
 naturally roused my expectations1 but  
,i thought it might be only a message   
for me from ,ted4  ,is there anyone here
 who recognizes the name of ',bluebell'8
 repeated the conductor4 ,i was once    
called so by a friend1 ,i said4 ,someone
 is asking for that name4 ,you had      
better come up to the cabinet1 she      
replied4 ,i rose at once and did as she 
told me1 but when ,i reached the curtain
 ,i encountered ,florence4 ,my darling  
child1 ,i said1 as ,i embraced her1 why 
did you ask for ',bluebell'8 ,she did   
not answer me1 except by shaking her    
head1 placing her finger on her lips1   

and pointing downwards to the carpet4 ,i
 did not know what to make of it4 ,i had
 never known her unable to articulate   
before4 ,what is the matter1 dear8 ,i   
said2 can't you speak to me to-night8   
,still she shook her head1 and tapped my
 arm with her hand1 to attract my       
attention to the fact that she was      
pointing vigorously downwards4 ,i looked
 down1 too1 when1 to my astonishment1 ,i
 saw rise through the carpet what looked
 to me like the bald head of a baby or  
an old man1 and a little figure1 not    
more than three feet in height1 with    
,edward ,church's features1 but no hair 
on its head1 came gradually into view1  
and looked up in my face with a pitiful1
 deprecating expression1 as if he were  
afraid ,i should strike him4 ,the face1 
however1 was so unmistakably ,ted's1    
though the figure was so ludicrously    
insignificant1 that ,i could not fail to
 recognize him4 ,why1 ,ted6 ,i          
exclaimed1 have you come back to see me 
at last8 and held out my hand4 ,the     

little figure seized it1 tried to convey
 it to his lips1 burst into tears1 and  
sank down through the carpet much more  
rapidly than he had come up4  ,i began  
to cry too4 ,it was so pitiful4 ,with   
her uncle's disappearance ,florence     
found her tongue4 ,don't cry1 mother1   
she said2 poor ,uncle ,ted is overcome  
at seeing you4 ,that's why he couldn't  
materialize better4 ,he was in such a   
terrible hurry4 ,he'll look more like   
himself next time4 ,i was trying so hard
 to help him1 ,i didn't dare to use up  
any of the power by speaking4 ,he'll be 
so much better1 now he's seen you4      
,you'll come here again1 won't you8 ,i  
told her ,i certainly would1 if ,i      
could2 and1 indeed1 ,i was all anxiety  
to see my poor brother-in-law again4 ,to
 prove how difficult it would have been 
to deceive me on this subject1 ,i should
 like to say a little about ,edward     
,church's personal appearance4 ,he was a
 very remarkable looking man--indeed1 ,i
 have never seen anyone a bit like him  

before or after4 ,he was very small2 not
 short only1 but small altogether1 with 
tiny hands and feet1 and a little head4 
,his hair and eyes were of the deepest  
black--the former parted in the middle1 
with a curl on either side1 and was     
naturally waved4 ,his complexion was    
very dark1 his features delicate1 and he
 wore a small pointed moustache4 ,as a  
child he had suffered from an attack of 
confluent small-pox1 which had deeply   
pitted his face1 and almost eaten away  
the tip of his nose4 ,such a man was not
 to be easily imitated1 even if anyone  
in ,boston had ever heard of his        
inconsequential existence4 ,to me1      
though1 he had been a dear friend and   
brother1 before the curse of ,drink had 
seemed to change his nature1 and ,i had 
always been anxious to hear how he fared
 in that strange country whither he had 
been forced to journey1 like all of us1 
alone4 ,i was very pleased then to find 
that business would not interfere with  
my second visit to ,mrs4 ,eva ,hatch1   

which took place two nights afterward4  
,on this occasion ,florence was one of  
the first to appear1 and ,ted came with 
her1 rather weak and trembling on his   
second introduction to this mundane     
sphere1 but no longer bald-headed nor   
under-sized4 ,he was his full height    
now1 about five feet seven2 his head was
 covered with his black crisp hair1     
parted just as he used to wear it while 
on earth2 in every particular he        
resembled what he used to be1 even down 
to his clothes4 ,i could have sworn ,i  
had seen that very suit of clothes2 the 
little cut-away coat he always wore1    
with the natty tie and collar1 and a    
dark blue velvet smoking cap upon his   
head1 exactly like one ,i remembered    
being in his possession4 ,florence still
 seemed to be acting as his interpreter 
and guide4 ,when ,i said to him1 ,why6  
,ted1 you look quite like your old self 
to-day1 she answered1 ,he can't talk to 
you1 mamma1 he is weak still1 and he is 
so thankful to meet you again4 ,he wants

 me to tell you that he has been trying 
to communicate with you often1 but he   
never could manage it in ,england4 ,he  
will be so glad when he can talk freely 
to you4 ,whilst she was speaking1 ,ted  
kept on looking from her to me like a   
deaf and dumb animal trying to          
understand what was going on in a manner
 that was truly pitiful4 ,i stooped down
 and kissed his forehead4 ,the touch    
seemed to break the spell that hung over
 him4 ,forgive1 he uttered in a choked  
voice4 ,there is nothing to forgive1    
dear1 ,i replied1 except as we all have 
need to forgive each other4 ,you know   
how we all loved you1 ,ted1 and we loved
 you to the last and grieved for you    
deeply4 ,you remember the children1 and 
how fond you were of them and they of   
you4 ,they often speak to this day of   
their poor ,uncle ,ted4 ,eva--,ethel1 he
 gasped out1 naming my two elder        
children4 ,at this juncture he seemed   
suddenly to fail1 and became so weak    
that ,florence took him back into the   

cabinet again4 ,no more spirits came for
 me that evening1 but towards the close 
of the seance ,florence and ,ted        
appeared again together and embraced me 
fondly4 ,florence said1 ,he's so happy  
now1 mother2 he says he shall rest in   
peace now that he knows that you have   
forgiven him4 ,and he won't come without
 his hair again1 she added1 laughing4 ,i
 hope he won't1 ,i answered1 for he     
frightened me4 ,and then they both      
kissed me good-night1 and retreated to  
the cabinet1 and ,i looked after them   
longingly and wished ,i could go there  
too4     ,,chapter ,,xxvi4  ,,iii4 ,the 
,misses ,berry4   ,no one introduced me 
to the ,misses ,berry4 ,i saw their     
advertisement in the public papers and  
went incognita to their seance1 as ,i   
had done to those of others4 ,the first 
thing that struck me about them was the 
superior class of patrons whom they     
drew4 ,in the ladies' cloak room1 where 
they left their heavy wraps and         
umbrellas1 the conversation that took   

place made this sufficiently evident4   
,helen and ,gertrude ,berry were pretty1
 unaffected1 lady-like girls2 and their 
conductor1 ,mr4 ,abrow1 one of the most 
courteous gentlemen ,i have ever met4   
,the sisters1 both highly mediumistic1  
never sat together1 but on alternate    
nights1 but the one who did not sit     
always took a place in the audience1 in 
order to prevent suspicion attaching to 
her absence4 ,gertrude ,berry had been  
lately married to a ,mr4 ,thompson1 and 
on account of her health gave up her    
seances1 soon after ,i made her         
acquaintance ,she was a tall1           
finely-formed young woman1 with golden  
hair and a beautiful complexion4 ,her   
sister ,helen was smaller1 paler and    
more slightly built4 ,she had been      
engaged to be married to a gentleman who
 died shortly before the time fixed for 
their wedding1 and his spirit1 whom she 
called ,charley1 was the principal      
control at her seances1 though he never 
showed himself4 ,i found the seance     

room1 which was not very large1 crammed 
with chairs which had all been engaged  
beforehand1 so ,mr4 ,abrow fetched one  
from downstairs and placed it next his  
own for me1 which was the very position 
,i should have chosen4 ,i asked him     
afterwards how he dared admit a stranger
 to such close proximity1 and he replied
 that he was a medium himself and knew  
who he could and who he could not trust 
at a glance4 ,as my professional duties 
took me backwards and forwards to       
,boston1 which was my central           
starting-point1 sometimes giving me only
 a day's rest there1 ,i was in the habit
 afterwards1 when ,i found ,i should    
have a night off1 of wiring to ,mr4     
,abrow to keep me a seat1 so difficult  
was it to secure one unless it were     
bespoken4 ,altogether ,i sat five or six
 times with the ,berry sisters1 and     
wished ,i could have sat fifty or sixty 
times instead1 for ,i never enjoyed any 
seances so much in my life before4 ,the 
cabinet was formed of an inner room with

 a separate door1 which had to undergo  
the process of being sealed up by a     
committee of strangers every evening4   
,strips of gummed paper were provided   
for them1 on which they wrote their     
names before affixing them across the   
inside opening of the door4 ,on the     
first night ,i inspected the cabinet    
also as a matter of principle1 and      
gummed my paper with ,mrs4 ,richardson  
written on it across the door4 ,the     
cabinet contained only a sofa for ,miss 
,helen ,berry to recline upon4 ,the     
floor was covered with a nailed-down    
carpet4 ,the door which led into the    
cabinet was shaded by two dark curtains 
hung with rings upon a brass rod4 ,the  
door of the seance room was situated at 
a right angle with that of the cabinet1 
both opening upon a square landing1 and1
 to make assurance doubly sure1 the door
 of the seance room was left open1 so   
that the eyes of the sitters at that end
 commanded a view1 during the entire    
sitting1 of the outside of the locked   

and gummed-over cabinet door4 ,to make  
this fully understood1 ,i append a      
diagram of the two rooms--              
,illustration  ,by the position of these
 doors1 it will be seen how impossible  
it would have been for anybody to leave 
or enter the cabinet without being      
detected by the sitters1 who had their  
faces turned towards the seance room    
door4 ,the first materialization that   
appeared that evening was a bride1      
dressed in her bridal costume2 and a    
gentleman1 who was occupying a chair in 
the front row1 and holding a white      
flower in his hand1 immediately rose1   
went up to her1 embraced her1 and       
whispered a few words1 then gave her the
 white flower1 which she fastened in the
 bosom of her dress1 after which he     
bowed slightly to the company1 and1     
instead of resuming his seat1 left the  
room4 ,mr4 ,abrow then said to me1 ,if  
you like1 madam1 you can take that seat 
now1 and as the scene had excited my    
curiosity ,i accepted his offer1 hoping 

to find some one to tell me the meaning 
of it4 ,i found myself next to a very   
sweet-looking lady1 whom ,i afterwards  
knew personally as ,mrs4 ,seymour4 ,can 
you tell me why that gentleman left so  
suddenly8 ,i asked her in a whisper4 ,he
 seldom stays through a seance1 she     
replied2 he is a business man1 and has  
no time to spare1 but he is here every  
night4 ,the lady you saw him speak to is
 his wife4 ,she died on her wedding day1
 eleven years ago1 and he has never     
failed to meet her on every opportunity 
since4 ,he brings her a white flower    
every time he comes4 ,she appears always
 first1 in order that he may be able to 
return to his work4 ,this story struck  
me as very interesting1 and ,i always   
watched for this gentleman afterwards1  
and never failed to see him waiting for 
his bride1 with the white flower in his 
hand4 ,do you expect to see any friends 
to-night8 ,i said to my new             
acquaintance4 ,o6 yes6 she replied4 ,i  
have come to see my daughter ',bell4'   

,she died some years ago1 and ,i am     
bringing up the two little children she 
left behind her4 ,i never do anything   
for them without consulting their       
mother4 ,just now ,i have to change     
their nurse1 and ,i have received       
several excellent characters of others1 
and ,i have brought them here this      
evening that ',bell' may tell me which  
to write for4 ,i have the pattern for   
the children's winter frocks1 too1 she  
continued1 producing some squares of    
woolen cloths1 and ,i always like to let
 ',bell' choose which she likes best4   
,this will give my readers some idea of 
how much more the ,american             
spiritualists regard their departed     
friends as still forming part of the    
home circle1 and interested in their    
domestic affairs4 ,bell soon after made 
her appearance1 and ,mrs4 ,seymour      
brought her up to me4 ,she was a young  
woman of about three or four and twenty1
 and looked very happy and smiling4 ,she
 perused the servants' characters as    

practically as her mother might have    
done1 but said she would have none of   
them1 and ,mrs4 ,seymour was to wait    
till she received some more4 ,the right 
one had not come yet4 ,she also looked  
at the patterns1 and indicated the one  
she liked best4 ,then1 as she was about 
to retire1 she whispered to her mother1 
and ,mrs4 ,seymour said1 to my surprise 
7for it must be remembered ,i had not   
disclosed my name to her71 ,bell tells  
me she knows a daughter of yours in the 
spirit life1 called ',florence4' ,is    
that the case8 ,i answered ,i had a     
daughter of that name2 and ,mrs4        
,seymour added ',bell' says she will be 
here this evening1 that she is a very   
pure and very elevated spirit1 and they 
are great friends4 ,very shortly after  
this1 ,mr4 ,abrow remarked1 ,there is a 
young girl in the cabinet now1 who says 
that if her mother's name is ',mrs4     
,richardson1' she must have married for 
the third time since she saw her last1  
for she was ',mrs4 ,lean' then4 ,at this

 remark ,i laughed2 and ,mr4 ,abrow     
said1 ,is she come for you1 madam8 ,does
 the cap fit8 ,i was obliged to         
acknowledge then that ,i had given a    
false name in order to avoid            
recognition4 ,but the mention of my     
married name attracted no attention to  
me1 and was only a proof that it had not
 been given from any previous knowledge 
of ,mr4 ,abrow's concerning myself4 ,i  
was known in the ,united ,states as     
,florence ,marryat only1 and to this day
 they believe me to be still ,mrs4      
,ross-,church1 that being the name under
 which my first novels were written4 ,so
 ,i recognized ,florence at once in the 
trick that had been played me1 and had  
risen to approach the curtain1 when she 
came bounding out and ran into my arms4 
,i don't think ,i had ever seen her look
 so charming and girlish before4 ,she   
looked like an embodiment of sunshine4  
,she was dressed in a low frock which   
seemed manufactured of lace and muslin1 
her hair fell loose down her back to her

 knees1 and her hands were full of      
damask roses4 ,this was in ,december1   
when hot-house roses were selling for a 
dollar a piece in ,boston1 and she held1
 perhaps1 twenty4 ,their scent was      
delicious1 and she kept thrusting them  
under my nose1 saying1 ,smell my roses1 
mother4 ,don't you wish you had my      
garden8 ,we have fields of them in the  
,summer ,land6 ,o6 how ,i wish you were 
there4 ,shan't ,i come soon1 darling8 ,i
 said4 ,no6 not yet1 replied ,florence4 
,you have a lot of work to do still4    
,but when you come1 it will be all      
flowers for you and me4 ,i asked her if 
she knew ,bell1 and she said1 ,o6 yes6  
,we came together this evening4 ,then ,i
 asked her to come and speak to ,bell's 
mother1 and her manner changed at once4 
,she became shy and timid1 like a young 
girl1 unused to strangers1 and quite    
hung on my arm1 as ,i took her up to    
,mrs4 ,seymour's side4 ,when she had    
spoken a few words to her in a very low 
voice1 she turned to me and said1 ,i    

must go now1 because we have a great    
surprise for you this evening--a very   
great surprise4 ,i told her ,i liked    
great surprises1 when they were pleasant
 ones1 and ,florence laughed1 and went  
away4 ,i found that her debut had       
created such a sensation amongst the    
sitters--it being so unusual for a      
materialized spirit to appear so strong 
and perfect on the first occasion of    
using a medium--that ,i felt compelled  
to give them a little explanation on the
 subject4 ,and when ,i told them how ,i 
had lost her as a tiny infant of ten    
days old--how she had returned to me    
through various media in ,england1 and  
given such unmistakable proofs of her   
identity--and how ,i1 being a stranger  
in their country1 and only landed there 
a few weeks1 had already met her through
 ,mrs4 ,williams1 ,mrs4 ,hatch and ,miss
 ,berry--they said it was one of the    
most wonderful and perfect instances of 
materialization they had ever heard of4 
,and when one considers how perfect the 

chain is1 from the time when ,florence  
first came back to me as a child1 too   
weak to speak1 or even to understand    
where she was1 to the years through     
which she had grown and became strong   
almost beneath my eyes1 till she could  
bound 7as ,i have narrated7 into my arms
 like a human being1 and talk as        
distinctly as 7and far more sensible    
than7 ,i did myself1 ,i think my readers
 will acknowledge also1 that hers is no 
common story1 and that ,i have some     
reason to believe in ,spiritualism4     
,miss ,berry's cabinet spirits were     
quite different from the common type4   
,one was1 or rather had been1 a dancing 
girl--not ,european1 but rather more1 ,i
 fancy1 of the ,asiatic or ,egyptian    
type4 ,anyway she used to come out of   
the cabinet--a lithe lissom creature    
like a panther or a snake--and execute  
such twists and bounds and pirouettes1  
as would have made her fortune on the   
stage4 ,indeed ,i used to think 7being  
always on the lookout for chicanery7    

that no human creature who could dance  
as she did would ever waste her talents1
 especially in a smart country like     
,america1 on an audience of             
spiritualists1 whose only motive for    
meeting was to see their friends1 and   
who would not pay an extra cent to look 
at a cabinet spirit4 ,another one was an
 ,indian whom they called ,the ,brave4  
,he was also a lithe1 active creature1  
without an ounce of superfluous flesh   
upon his body1 but plenty of muscle4 ,he
 appeared to like the ladies of the     
company very much1 but evidently        
distrusted the men4 ,one stout1 big man 
who was1 ,i fancy1 a bit of a sceptic1  
wished to test the ,brave's muscular    
power by feeling his biceps1 and was    
invited to step in front of the circle  
for that purpose4 ,he had no sooner     
approached him than the ,indian seized  
him up in his arms and threw him right  
over his head4 ,he did not hurt him1 but
 as the gentleman got up again1 he said1
 ,well6 ,i weigh #bjj pounds1 and ,i    

didn't think any man in the room could  
have done that4 ,the ladies in the      
circle mostly wore flowers in their     
bosom--bouquets1 after the custom of    
,american ladies--and they began1 one   
and all1 to detach flowers from their   
bouquets and give them to the ,brave1 to
 give to his squaw4 ,he nodded and      
gabbled some unintelligible ,sioux or   
,cherokee in reply1 and went all round  
the circle on his knees4 ,the stout man 
had surmised that he was painted1 and   
his long1 straight1 black hair was a    
wig4 ,when he came to me ,i said1       
,brave6 may ,i try if your hair is a    
wig8 ,he nodded and said1 ,pull--pull6  
which ,i did1 and found that it         
undoubtedly grew on his head4 ,then he  
took my finger and drew it across his   
face several times to show he was not   
painted4 ,i had no flowers to present   
him with1 so ,i said1 ,come here1       
,brave1 and ,i'll give you something for
 your squaw1 and when he approached near
 enough ,i kissed him4 ,he chuckled1 and

 his eyes sparkled with mischief as he  
ran chatting in his native dialect      
behind the curtains4 ,in another minute 
he dashed out again1 and coming up to me
 ejaculated1 ,no--give--squaw6 and      
rushed back4 ,mr4 ,abrow laughed        
heartily at this incident1 and so did   
all the sitters1 the former declaring ,i
 had entirely captivated the ,brave4    
,presently the cabinet curtains were    
shaken1 and after a pause they parted   
slowly1 and the figure of an ,indian    
squaw crept out4 ,anything more         
malignant and vicious than her look ,i  
have seldom seen4 ,mr4 ,abrow asked her 
who she wanted and what she wanted1 but 
she would not speak4 ,she stood there   
silent1 but scowling at me from beneath 
the tangles of her long black hair4 ,at 
last ,mr4 ,abrow said to her1 ,if you   
don't want to speak to anyone in the    
circle you must go away1 as you are only
 preventing other spirits from coming4  
,the squaw backed behind the curtains   
again rather sulkily1 but the next time 

the ,brave appeared she came with him1  
and never did he come again in my       
presence but what his squaw stood at the
 curtains and watched his actions4 ,mrs4
 ,abrow told me that the ,brave had been
 in the habit of manifesting at their   
seances for years1 but that they had    
never seen the squaw until that evening4
 ,indeed1 ,i don't think they were very 
grateful to me for having by my rashness
 eliminated this new feature in their   
evening's entertainment1 for the squaw  
proved to be a very earthly and         
undeveloped spirit1 and subsequently    
gave them some trouble1 as they could   
not drive her away when they wanted to  
do so4 ,towards the close of the evening
 ,mr4 ,abrow said1 ,there is a spirit   
here now who is very anxious to show    
himself1 but it is the first time he has
 ever attempted to fully materialize1   
and he is not at all certain of success4
 ,he tells me there is a lady in the    
circle who has newly arrived in         
,america1 and that this lady years ago  

sang a song by his dying bed in ,india4 
,if she will step up to the cabinet now 
and sing that song again he will try and
 shew himself to her4  ,such of my      
readers as have perused ,the story of   
,john ,powles will recognize at once who
 this was4 ,i did1 of course1 and ,i    
confess that as ,i rose to approach the 
cabinet ,i trembled like an aspen leaf4 
,i had tried so often1 and failed so    
often to see this dear old friend of    
mine1 that to think of meeting him now  
was like a veritable resurrection from  
the dead4 ,think of it6 ,we had parted  
in #ahfj1 and this was                  
#ahhd--twenty-four years afterwards4 ,i 
had been a girl when we said ,good-bye1 
and he went forth on that journey which 
seemed then so mysterious an one to me4 
,i was a middle-aged woman now1 who had 
passed through so much from which he had
 been saved1 that ,i felt more like his 
mother than his friend4 ,of all my      
experiences this was to me really the   
most solemn and interesting4 ,i hardly  

expected to see more than his face1 but 
,i walked up to the cabinet and         
commenced to sing in a very shaky voice 
the first stanza of the old song he was 
so fond of3--      ,thou art gone from  
my gaze like a beautiful dream1     ,and
 ,i seek thee in vain by the meadow and 
stream2     ,oft ,i breathe thy dear    
name to the winds passing by1     ,but  
thy sweet voice is mute to my bosom's   
lone sigh4     ,in the stillness of     
night when the stars mildly shine1      
,o6 then oft my heart holds communion   
with thine1     ,for ,i feel thou art   
near1 and where'er ,i may be1     ,that 
the ,spirit of ,love keeps a watch over 
me4  ,i had scarcely reached the finish 
of these lines when both the curtains of
 the cabinet were drawn apart so sharply
 that the brass rings rattled on the    
rod1 and ,john ,powles stood before me4 
,not a face1 nor a half-formed figure1  
nor an apparition that was afraid to    
pass into the light--but ,john ,powles  
himself1 stalwart and living1 who       

stepped out briskly and took me in his  
arms and kissed me four or five times1  
as a long-parted brother might have     
done2 and strange to say1 ,i didn't feel
 the least surprised at it1 but clung to
 him like a sister4 ,for ,john ,powles  
had never once kissed me during his     
lifetime4 ,although we had lived for    
four years in the closest intimacy1     
often under the same roof1 we had never 
indulged in any familiarities4 ,i think 
men and women were not so lax in their  
manners then as they are now2 at        
anyrate1 the only time ,i had ever      
kissed him was when he lay dead1 and my 
husband had told me to do so4 ,and yet  
it seemed quite natural on meeting him  
again to kiss him and cry over him4 ,at 
last ,i ventured to say1 ,o1 ,powles6 is
 this really you8 ,look at me and see   
for yourself1 he answered4 ,i looked up4
 ,it was indeed himself4 ,he had        
possessed very blue eyes in earth life1 
good features1 a florid complexion1     
auburn hair1 and quite a golden beard   

and moustache4 ,the eyes and hair and   
features were just the same1 only his   
complexion was paler1 and he wore no    
beard4 ,o6 ,i exclaimed1 where is your  
beard8 ,don't you remember ,i cut it off
 just before ,i left this world8 he     
said2 and then ,i recalled the fact that
 he had done so owing to a ,government  
order on the subject4  ,and bearing on  
this question ,i may mention what seems 
a curious thing--that spirits almost    
invariably return to earth the first    
time just as they left it1 as though    
their thoughts at the moment of parting 
clothed them on their return4 ,this1    
however1 was not ,john ,powles' first   
attempt at materialization1 although it 
was his first success1 for it may be    
remembered he tried to show himself     
through ,miss ,showers1 and then he had 
a beard4 ,however1 when ,i saw him      
through ,miss ,berry1 he had none1 nor  
did he resume it during my stay in      
,america4 ,when we had got over the     
excitement of meeting1 he began to speak

 to me of my children1 especially of the
 three who were born before his death1  
and of whom he had been very fond4 ,he  
spoke of them all by name1 and seemed   
quite interested in their prospects and 
affairs4 ,but when ,i began to speak of 
other things he stopped me4 ,i know it  
all1 he said1 ,i have been with you in  
spirit through all your trials1 and ,i  
can never feel the slightest interest   
in1 or affection for1 those who caused  
them4 ,my poor friend1 you have indeed  
had your purgatory upon earth4 ,but tell
 me of yourself1 dear ,powles6 ,are you 
quite happy8 ,i asked him4 ,he paused a 
moment and then replied1 ,quite happy1  
waiting for you4 ,surely you are not    
suffering still8 ,i said1 after all     
these years8 ,my dear ,florence1 he     
answered1 it takes more than a few years
 to expiate a life of sin4 ,but ,i am   
happier than ,i was1 and every year the 
burden is lighter1 and coming back to   
you will help me so much4  ,as he was   
speaking to me the curtain opened again1

 and there stood my brother-in-law1     
,edward ,church1 not looking            
down-spirited and miserable1 as he had  
done at ,mrs4 ,eva ,hatch's1 but bright 
and smiling1 and dressed in evening     
clothes1 as also ,i perceived1 when ,i  
had time to think of it1 was ,john      
,powles4 ,i didn't know which to talk to
 first1 but kept turning from one to the
 other in a dazed manner4 ,john ,powles 
was telling me that he was preparing my 
house for me in the ,summer ,land1 and  
would come to take me over to it when ,i
 died1 when ,ted interrupted him4 ,that 
ought to have been my work1 ,bluebell1  
he said1 only ,powles had anticipated   
me4 ,i wish ,i could go back with you   
both at once1 ,i am sick of this world1 
,i replied4 ,ted threw his arms round me
 and strained me to his breast4 ,o6 it  
is so hard to part again4 ,how ,i wish  
,i could carry you away in my arms to   
the ,summer ,land6 ,i should have       
nothing left to wish for then4 ,you     
don't want to come back then1 ,ted8 ,i  

asked him4 ,want to come back1 he said  
with a shudder2 not for anything6 ,why1 
,bluebell1 death is like an operation   
which you must inevitably undergo1 but  
which you fear because you know so      
little about it4 ,well1 with me the     
operation's over4 ,i know the worst1 and
 every day makes the term of punishment 
shorter4 ,i am thankful ,i left the     
earth so soon4 ,you look just like your 
old self1 ,ted1 ,i said2 the same little
 curls and scrubby little moustache4    
,pull them1 he answered gaily4 ,don't go
 away1 ,bluebell1 and say they were     
false and ,i was ,miss ,berry dressed   
up4 ,feel my biceps1 he continued1      
throwing up his arm as men do1 and feel 
my heart1 placing my hand above it1 feel
 how it is beating for my sister        
,bluebell4  ,i said to ,john ,powles1 ,i
 hardly know you in evening costume4 ,i 
never saw you in it before 7which was   
true1 as all our acquaintance had taken 
place in ,india1 where the officers are 
never allowed to appear in anything but 

uniform1 especially in the evenings74 ,i
 wish1 ,i continued1 that you would come
 next time in uniform4 ,i will try1 he  
replied1 and then their time was up for 
that occasion1 and they were obliged to 
go4  ,a comical thing occurred on my    
second visit to the ,berrys4 ,of course 
,i was all eagerness to see my          
brother-in-law and ,powles again1 and   
when ,i was called up to the cabinet and
 saw a slim1 dark1 young man standing   
there1 ,i took him at once for ,ted1    
and1 without looking at him1 was just   
about to kiss him1 when he drew         
backwards and said1 ,i am not ',edward6'
 ,i am his friend ',joseph1' to whom he 
has given permission to make your       
acquaintance4 ,i then perceived that    
,joseph was very different from ,ted1   
taller and better looking1 with a       
,jewish cast of countenance4 ,i         
stammered and apologized1 and felt as   
awkward as if ,i had nearly kissed a    
mortal man by mistake4 ,joseph smiled as
 if it were of very little consequence4 

,he said he had never met ,ted on earth1
 but they were close friends in the     
spirit world1 and ,ted had talked so    
much to him of me1 that he had become   
very anxious to see me1 and speak to me4
 ,he was a very elegant looking young   
man1 but he did not seem to have very   
much to say for himself1 and he gave me 
the impression that he had been a masher
 whilst here below1 and had not quite   
shaken off the remembrance in the spirit
 world4  ,there was one spirit who often
 made her appearance at these sittings  
and greatly interested me4 ,this was a  
mother with her infant of a few weeks   
old4 ,the lady was sweet and gentle     
looking1 but it was the baby that so    
impressed me--a baby that never whined  
nor squalled1 nor turned red in the     
face1 and yet was made of neither wax   
nor wood1 but was palpably living and   
breathing4 ,i used always to go up to   
the cabinet when this spirit came1 and  
ask her to let me feel the little baby4 
,it was a tiny creature1 with a         

waxen-looking face1 and she always      
carried it enveloped in a full net veil1
 yet when ,i touched its hand1 the      
little fingers tightened round mine in  
baby fashion1 as it tried to convey them
 to its mouth4 ,i had seen several      
spirit children materialized before1 but
 never such a young infant as this4 ,the
 mother told me she had passed away in  
child-birth1 and the baby had gone with 
her4 ,she had been a friend of the      
,misses ,berry1 and came to them for    
that reason4  ,on ,christmas ,eve ,i    
happened to be in ,boston1 and          
disengaged1 and as ,i found it was a    
custom of the ,american ,spiritualists  
to hold meetings on that anniversary for
 the purpose of seeing their spirit     
friends1 ,i engaged a seat for the      
occasion4 ,i arrived some time before   
the seance commenced1 and next to me was
 seated a gentleman1 rather roughly     
dressed1 who was eyeing everything about
 him with the greatest attention4       
,presently he turned to me and said1    

rather sheepishly1 ,do you believe in   
this sort of thing8 ,i do1 ,i replied1  
and ,i have believed in it for the last 
fifteen years4 ,have you ever seen      
anybody whom you recognized8 he         
continued4 ,plenty1 ,i said4 ,then he   
edged a little nearer to me1 and lowered
 his voice4 ,do you know1 he commenced1 
that ,i have ridden on horseback forty  
miles through the snow to-day to be     
present at this meeting1 because my old 
mother sent me a message that she would 
meet me here6 ,i don't believe in it1   
you know4 ,i've never been at a seance  
before1 and ,i feel as if ,i was making 
a great fool of myself now1 but ,i      
couldn't neglect my poor old mother's   
message1 whatever came of it4 ,of course
 not1 ,i answered1 and ,i hope your     
trouble will be rewarded4 ,i had not    
much faith in my own words1 though1     
because ,i had seen people disappointed 
again and again over their first seance1
 from either the spirits of their       
friends being too weak to materialize1  

or from too many trying to draw power at
 once1 and so neutralizing the effect on
 all4 ,my bridegroom friend was all     
ready on that occasion with his white   
flowers in his hand and ,i ventured to  
address him and tell him how very       
beautiful ,i considered his wife's      
fidelity and his own4 ,he seemed pleased
 at my notice1 and began to talk quite  
freely about her4 ,he told me she had   
returned to him before her body was     
buried1 and had been with him ever      
since4 ,she is so really and truly my   
wife1 he said1 as ,i received her at the
 altar1 that ,i could no more marry     
again than ,i could if she were living  
in my house4 ,when the seance commenced 
she appeared first as usual1 and her    
husband brought her up to my side4 ,this
 is ,miss ,florence ,marryat1 dear1 he  
said 7for by this time ,i had laid aside
 my incognita with the ,berrys74 ,you   
know her name1 don't you8 ,o6 yes1 she  
answered1 as she gave me her hand1 ,i   
know you quite well4 ,i used to read    

your books4 ,her face was covered with  
her bridal veil1 and her husband turned 
it back that ,i might see her4 ,she was 
a very pretty girl of perhaps           
twenty--quite a gipsy1 with large dark  
eyes and dark curling hair1 and a brown 
complexion4 ,she has not altered one bit
 since the day we were married1 said her
 husband1 looking fondly at her1 whilst 
,i have grown into an old man4 ,she put 
up her hand and stroked his cheek4 ,we  
shall be young together some day1 she   
said4 ,then he asked her if she was not 
going to kiss me1 and she held up her   
face to mine like a child1 and he       
dropped the veil over her again and led 
her away4 ,the very next spirit that    
appeared was my rough friend's mother1  
and his astonishment and emotion at     
seeing her were very unmistakeable4     
,when first he went up to the cabinet   
and saw her his head drooped1 and his   
shoulders shook with the sobs he could  
not repress4 ,after a while he became   
calmer1 and talked to her1 and then ,i  

saw him also bringing her up to me4 ,i  
must bring my mother to you1 he said1   
that you may see she has really come    
back to me4 ,i rose1 and the old lady   
shook hands with me4 ,she must have     
been1 at the least1 seventy years old1  
and was a most perfect specimen of old  
age4 ,her face was like wax1 and her    
hair like silver2 but every wrinkle was 
distinct1 and her hands were lined with 
blue veins4 ,she had lost her teeth1 and
 mumbled somewhat in speaking1 and her  
son said1 ,she is afraid you will not   
understand what she says2 but she wants 
you to know that she will be quite happy
 if her return will make me believe in a
 future existence4 ,and will it8 ,i     
asked4 ,he looked at his mother4 ,i     
don't understand it1 he replied4 ,it    
seems too marvellous to be true2 but how
 can ,i disbelieve it1 when here she is8
 ,and his words were so much the echo of
 my own grounds for belief1 that ,i     
quite sympathized with them4 ,john      
,powles1 and ,ted1 and ,florence1 all   

came to see me that evening2 and when ,i
 bid ,florence good-bye she said1 ,oh1  
it isn't 'good-bye' yet1 mother6 ,i'm   
coming again1 before you go4 ,presently 
something that was the very farthest    
thing from my mind--that had1 indeed1   
never entered it--happened to me4 ,i was
 told that a young lady wanted to speak 
to me1 and on going up to the cabinet ,i
 recognized a girl whom ,i knew by      
sight1 but had never spoken to--one of a
 large family of children1 living in the
 same terrace in ,london as myself1 and 
who had died of malignant scarlet fever 
about a year before4 ,mrs4 ,lean1 she   
said1 hurriedly1 noting my surprise1    
don't you know me8 ,i am ,may ----4     
,yes1 ,i do recognize you1 my dear      
child1 ,i replied2 but what makes you   
come to me8 ,minnie and ,katie are so   
unhappy about me1 she said4 ,they do not
 understand4 ,they think ,i have gone   
away4 ,they do not know what death      
is--that it is only like going into the 
next room1 and shutting the door4 ,and  

what can ,i do1 ,may8 ,i asked her4     
,tell them you have seen me1 ,mrs4      
,lean4 ,say ,i am alive--more alive than
 they are2 that if they sit for me1 ,i  
will come to them and tell them so much 
they know nothing of now4 ,but where are
 your sisters8 ,i said4 ,she looked     
puzzled4 ,i don't know4 ,i can't say the
 place2 but you will meet them soon1 and
 you will tell them4 ,if ,i meet them1  
,i certainly will tell them1 ,i said2   
but ,i had not the least idea at that   
moment where the other girls might be4  
,four months later1 however1 when ,i was
 staying in ,london1 ,ontario1 they     
burst unexpectedly into my hotel room1  
having driven over 7,i forget how many  
miles7 to see me play4 ,naturally ,i    
kept my promise2 but though they cried  
when ,may was alluded to1 they evidently
 could not believe my story of having   
seen her1 and so1 ,i suppose1 the poor  
little girl's wish remains ungratified4 
,i think the worst purgatory in the next
 world must be to find how comfortably  

our friends get on without us in this4  
,as a rule1 ,i did not take much        
interest in the spirits that did not    
come for me2 but there was one who      
appeared several times with the ,berrys1
 and seemed quite like an old friend to 
me4 ,this was ,john ,brown1 not her     
,majesty's ,john ,brown1 but the hero of
 the song--      ,hang ,john ,brown on a
 sour apple tree1     ,but his soul goes
 touting around4     ,glory6 glory6     
,halleluia6     ,for his soul goes      
touting around4  ,when ,i used to hear  
this song sung with much shouting and   
some profanity in ,england1 ,i imagined 
7and ,i fancy most people did7 that it  
was a comic song in ,america4 ,but it   
was no such thing4 ,it was a patriotic  
song1 and the motive is 7however        
comically put7 to give glory to ,god1   
that1 although they may hang ,john      
,brown on a sour apple tree1 his soul   
will yet go touting around4 ,so1 rightly
 or wrongly1 it was explained to me4    
,john ,brown is a patriotic hero in     

,america1 and when he appeared1 the     
whole room crowded round to see him4 ,he
 was a short man1 with a singularly     
benevolent countenance1 iron grey hair1 
mutton-chop whiskers1 and deep china    
blue eyes4 ,a kind of man1 as he        
appeared to me1 made for deeds of love  
rather than heroism1 but from all       
accounts he was both kind and heroic4 ,a
 gentleman present on ,christmas eve    
pushed forward eagerly to see the       
materialization1 and called out1 ,aye6  
that's him--that's my old friend--that's
 ',john ,brown'--the best man that ever 
trod this earth4 ,before this evening's 
seance was concluded ,mr4 ,abrow said1  
,there is a little lady in the cabinet  
at present who announces herself as a   
very high personage4 ,she says she is   
the ',princess ,gertrude4' ,what did you
 say1 ,mr4 ,abrow8 ,i exclaimed1 unable 
to believe my own ears4 ',the ,princess 
,gertie1' mother1 said ,florence1       
popping her head out of the curtains4   
,you've met her before in ,england1 you 

know4 ,i went up to the cabinet1 the    
curtains divided1 there stood my        
daughter ,florence as usual1 but holding
 in front of her a little child of about
 seven years old4 ,i knelt down before  
this spirit of my own creation4 ,she was
 a fragile-looking little creature1 very
 fair and pale1 with large grey eyes and
 brown hair lying over her forehead4    
,she looked like a lily with her little 
white hands folded meekly in front of   
her4 ,are you my little ,gertie1        
darling8 ,i said4 ,i am the ',princess  
,gertie1' she replied1 and ',florence'  
says you are my mother4 ,and are you    
glad to see me1 ,gertie8 ,i asked4 ,she 
looked up at her sister1 who immediately
 prompted her4 ,say1 'yes1 mother1'     
,gertie4 ,yes6 mother1 repeated the     
little one1 like a parrot4 ,will you    
come to me1 darling8 ,i said4 ,may ,i   
take you in my arms8 ,not this evening1 
mother1 whispered ',florence1' you      
couldn't4 ,she is attached to me4 ,we   
are tied together4 ,you couldn't        

separate us4 ,next time1 perhaps1 the   
',princess' will be stronger1 and able  
to talk more4 ,i will take her back now4
 ,but where is ',yonnie'8 ,i asked1 and 
,florence laughed4 ,couldn't manage two 
of them at once1 she said4 ',yonnie'    
shall come another day1 and ,i returned 
to my seat1 more mystified than usual4  
,i alluded to the ,princess ,gertie in  
my account of the mediumship of ,bessie 
,fitzgerald1 and said that my allusion  
would find its signification further on4
 ,at that time ,i had hardly believed it
 could be true that the infants who had 
been born prematurely and never breathed
 in this world should be living1        
sentient spirits to meet me in the next1
 and half thought some grown spirit must
 be tricking me for its own pleasure4   
,but here1 in this strange land1 where  
my blighted babies had never been       
mentioned or thought of1 to meet the    
,princess ,gertie here1 calling herself 
by her own name1 and brought by her     
sister ,florence1 set the matter beyond 

a doubt4 ,it recalled to my mind how    
once1 long before1 when ,aimee 7,mr4    
,arthur ,colman's guide71 on being      
questioned as to her occupation in the  
spirit spheres1 had said she was a      
little nurse maid1 and that ,florence   
was one too1 my daughter had added1     
,yes6 ,i'm mamma's nurse maid4 ,i have  
enough to do to look after her babies4  
,she just looked at me1 and 'tossed' me 
back into the spirit world1 and she's   
been 'tossing' babies after me ever     
since4  ,i had struck up a pleasant     
acquaintanceship with ,mrs4 ,seymour1   
,bell's mother1 by that time1 and when  
,i went back to my seat and told her    
what had occurred1 she said to me1 ,i   
wish you would share the expenses of a  
private seance with me here4 ,we can    
have one all to ourselves for ten       
dollars 7two pounds71 and it would be so
 charming to have an afternoon quite    
alone with our children and friends4 ,i 
agreed readily1 and we made arrangements
 with ,mr4 ,abrow before we left that   

evening1 to have a private sitting on   
the afternoon following ,christmas ,day1
 when no one was to be admitted except  
our two selves4 ,when we met there the  
seance room was lighted with gas as for 
the evening1 but we preferred to close  
the door4 ,helen ,berry was the medium1 
and ,mr4 ,abrow only sat with us4 ,the  
rows of chairs looked very empty without
 any sitters1 but we established        
ourselves on those which faced the      
cabinet in the front row4 ,the first    
thing which happened was the advent of  
the ,squaw1 looking as malignant and    
vicious as ever1 who crept in in her    
dirty blanket1 with her black hair      
hanging over her face1 and deliberately 
took a seat at the further end of the   
room4 ,mr4 ,abrow was unmistakably      
annoyed at the occurrence4 ,he          
particularly disliked the influence of  
this spirit1 which he considered had a  
bad effect on the seance4 ,he first     
asked her why she had come1 and told her
 her ,brave was not coming1 and to go   

back to him4 ,then he tried severity1   
and ordered her to leave the seance1 but
 it was all in vain4 ,she kept her seat 
with persistent obstinacy1 and showed no
 signs of budging4 ,i thought ,i would  
try what kindness would do for her1 and 
approached her with that intention1 but 
she looked so fierce and threatening1   
that ,mr4 ,abrow begged me not to go    
near her1 for fear she should do me some
 harm4 ,so ,i left her alone1 and she   
kept her seat through the whole of the  
seance1 evidently with an eye upon me1  
and distrusting my behavior when removed
 from the criticism of the public4 ,her 
presence1 however1 seemed to make no    
difference to our spirit friends4 ,they 
trooped out of the cabinet one after    
another1 until we had ,mrs4 ,seymour's  
brother and her daughter ,bell1 who     
brought little ,jimmie 7a little son who
 had gone home before herself7 with her1
 and ,florence1 ,ted1 and ,john ,powles1
 all so happy and strong and talkative1 
that ,i told ,mrs4 ,seymour we only     

wanted a tea-table to think we were     
holding an ,at ,home4 ,last1 but not    
least 7at all events in her own         
estimation7 came the ,princess ,gertie4 
,mr4 ,abrow tried to make friends with  
her1 but she repulsed his advances      
vehemently4 ,i don't like you1 ,mr4     
,mans1 she kept on saying1 you's nasty4 
,i don't like any mans4 ,they's all     
nasty4 ,when ,i told her she was very   
rude1 and ,mr4 ,abrow was a very kind   
gentleman and loved little children1 she
 still persisted she wouldn't speak to  
no mans4 ,she came quite alone on this  
occasion1 and ,i took her in my arms and
 carried her across to ,mrs4 ,seymour4  
,she was a feather weight4 ,i felt as if
 ,i had nothing in my arms4 ,i said to  
,mrs4 ,seymour1 ,please tell me what    
this child is like4 ,i am so afraid of  
my senses deceiving me that ,i cannot   
trust myself4 ,mrs4 ,seymour looked at  
her and answered1 ,she has a broad      
forehead1 with dark brown hair cut      
across it1 and falling straight to her  

shoulders on either side4 ,her eyes are 
a greyish blue1 large and heavy lidded1 
her nose is short1 and her mouth decided
 for such a child4  ,this testimony1    
given by a stranger1 of the apparition  
of a child that had never lived1 was an 
exact description 7of course in embryo7 
of her father1 ,colonel ,lean1 who had  
never set foot in ,america4 ,perhaps    
this is as good a proof of identity as  
,i have given yet4 ,our private seance  
lasted for two hours1 and although the  
different spirits kept on entering the  
cabinet at intervals to gain more power1
 they were all with us on and off during
 the entire time4 ,the last pleasant    
thing ,i saw was my dear ,florence      
making the ,princess kiss her hand in   
farewell to me1 and the only unpleasant 
one1 the sight of the sulky ,squaw      
creeping in after them with the evident 
conviction that her afternoon had been  
wasted4     ,,chapter ,,xxvii4  ,,iv4   
,the ,doctor4   ,i wonder if it has     
struck any of my readers as strange     

that1 during all these manifestations in
 ,england and ,america1 ,i had never    
seen the form1 nor heard the voice1 of  
my late father1 ,captain ,marryat4      
,surely if these various media lived by 
trickery and falsehood1 and wished      
successfully to deceive me1 some of them
 would have thought of trying to        
represent a man so well known1 and whose
 appearance was so familiar4 ,other     
celebrated men and women have come back 
and been recognized from their portraits
 only1 but1 though ,i have sat at       
numbers of seances given for me alone1  
and at which ,i have been the principal 
person1 my father has never reappeared  
at any4 ,especially1 if these           
manifestations are all fraud1 might this
 have been expected in ,america4        
,captain ,marryat's name is still a     
household word amongst the ,americans1  
and his works largely read and          
appreciated1 and wherever ,i appeared   
amongst them ,i was cordially welcomed  
on that account4 ,when once ,i had      

acknowledged my identity and my views on
 ,spiritualism1 every medium in ,boston 
and ,new ,york had ample time to get up 
an imitation of my father for my benefit
 had they desired to do so4 ,but never  
has he appeared to me2 never have ,i    
been told that he was present4 ,twice   
only in the whole course of my          
experience have ,i received the         
slightest sign from him1 and on those   
occasions he sent me a message--once    
through ,mr4 ,fletcher 7as ,i have      
related71 and once through his grandson 
and my son1 ,frank ,marryat4 ,that time 
he told me he should never appear to me 
and ,i need never expect him4 ,but since
 the ,american media knew nothing of    
this strictly private communication1 and
 ,i had seen1 before ,i parted with     
them1 seventeen of my friends and       
relations1 none of whom 7except         
,florence1 ,powles1 and ,emily17 ,i had 
ever seen in ,england1 it is at the     
least strange1 considering his          
popularity 7and granted their chicanery7

 that ,captain ,marryat was not amongst 
them4  ,as soon as ,i became known at   
the ,berry's seances several people     
introduced themselves to me1 and amongst
 others ,mrs4 ,isabella ,beecher        
,hooker1 the sister of ,mrs4 ,harriet   
,beecher ,stowe and ,henry ,ward        
,beecher4 ,she was delighted to find me 
so interested in ,spiritualism1 and     
anxious ,i should sit with a friend of  
hers1 a great medium whose name became  
so rubbed out in my pencil notes1 that  
,i am not sure if it was ,doctor        
,carter1 or ,carteret1 and therefore ,i 
shall speak of him here as simply the   
doctor4 ,the doctor was bound to start  
for ,washington the following afternoon1
 so ,mrs4 ,hooker asked me to breakfast 
with her the next morning1 by which time
 she would have found out if he could   
spare us an hour before he set out on   
his journey4 ,when ,i arrived at her    
house ,i heard that he had very         
obligingly offered to give me a         
complimentary seance at eleven o'clock1 

so1 as soon as we had finished          
breakfast1 we set out for his abode4 ,i 
found the doctor was quite a young man1 
and professed himself perfectly ignorant
 on the subject of ,spiritualism4 ,he   
said to me1 ,i don't know and ,i don't  
profess to know what or who it is that  
appears to my sitters whilst ,i am      
asleep4 ,i know nothing of what goes on1
 except from hearsay4 ,i don't know     
whether the forms that appear are       
spirits1 or transformations1 or         
materializations4 ,you must judge of    
that for yourself4 ,there is one        
peculiarity in my seances4 ,they take   
place in utter darkness4 ,when the      
apparitions 7or whatever you choose to  
call them7 appear1 they must bring their
 own lights or you won't see them1 ,i   
have no conductor to my seances4 ,if    
whatever comes can't announce itself it 
must remain unknown4 ,but ,i think you  
will find that1 as a rule1 they can     
shift for themselves4 ,this is my seance
 room4  ,as he spoke he led us into an  

unfurnished bedroom1 ,i say bedroom1    
because it was provided with the        
dressing closet fitted with pegs1 usual 
to all bedrooms in ,america4 ,this      
closet the doctor used as his cabinet4  
,the door was left open1 and there was  
no curtain hung before it4 ,the darkness
 he sat in rendered that unnecessary4   
,the bedroom was darkened by two frames1
 covered with black ,american cloth1    
which fitted into the windows4 ,the     
doctor1 having locked the bedroom door1 
delivered the key to me4 ,he then       
requested us to go and sit for a few    
minutes in the cabinet to throw our     
influence about it4 ,as we did so we    
naturally examined it4 ,it was only a   
large cupboard4 ,it had no window and no
 door1 except that which led into the   
room1 and no furniture except a         
cane-bottomed chair4 ,when we returned  
to the seance room1 the doctor saw us   
comfortably established on two armchairs
 before he put up the black frames to   
exclude the light4 ,the room was then   

pitch dark1 and the doctor had to grope 
his way to his cabinet4 ,mrs4 ,hooker   
and ,i sat for some minutes in silent   
expectation4 ,then we heard the voice of
 a negress1 singing darkey songs1 and my
 friend told me it was that of ,rosa1   
the doctor's control4 ,presently ,rosa  
was heard to be expostulating with1 or  
encouraging some one1 and faint lights1 
like sparks from a fire1 could be seen  
flitting about the open door of the     
cabinet4 ,then the lights seemed to     
congregate together1 and cluster about a
 tall form1 draped in some misty        
material1 standing just outside the     
cabinet4 ,can't you tell us who you are8
 asked ,mrs4 ,hooker4 ,you must tell    
your name1 you know1 interposed ,rosa1  
whereupon a low voice said1 ,i am ,janet
 ,e4 ,powles4  ,now this was an         
extraordinary coincidence4 ,i had seen  
,mrs4 ,powles1 the mother of my friend  
,john ,powles1 only once--when she      
travelled from ,liverpool to ,london to 
meet me on my return from ,india1 and   

hear all the particulars of her son's   
death4 ,but she had continued to        
correspond with me1 and show me kindness
 till the day of her own death1 and as  
she had a daughter of the same name1 she
 always signed herself ,janet ,e4       
,powles4 ,even had ,i expected to see   
the old lady1 and published the fact in 
the ,boston papers1 that initial ,e     
would have settled the question of her  
identity in my mind4  ,mrs4 ,powles1 ,i 
exclaimed1 how good of you to come and  
see me4 ,johnny has helped me to come1  
she replied4 ,he is so happy at having  
met you again4 ,he has been longing for 
it for so many years1 and ,i have come  
to thank you for making him happy4      
7,here was another coincidence4 ,john   
,powles was never called anything but   
,powles by my husband and myself4 ,but  
his mother had retained the childish    
name of ,johnny1 and ,i could remember  
how it used to vex him when she used it 
in her letters to him4 ,he would say to 
me1 ,if she would only call me ',john'  

or ',jack1' or anything but ',johnny4'7 
,i replied1 ,i may not leave my seat to 
go to you4 ,will you not come to me8    
,for the doctor had requested us not to 
leave our seats1 but to insist on the   
spirits approaching us4 ,mrs4 ,powles   
said1 ,i cannot come out further into   
the room to-day4 ,i am too weak4 ,but   
you shall see me4 ,the lights then      
appeared to travel about her face and   
dress till they became stationary1 and  
she was completely revealed to view     
under the semblance of her earthly      
likeness4 ,she smiled and said1 ,we were
 all at the ,opera ,house on ,thursday  
night1 and rejoiced at your success4    
',johnny' was so proud of you4 ,many of 
your friends were there beside          
ourselves4  ,i then saw that1 unlike the
 spirits at ,miss ,berry's1 the form of 
,mrs4 ,powles was draped in a kind of   
filmy white1 over a dark dress4 ,all the
 spirits that appeared with the doctor  
were so clothed1 and ,i wondered if the 
filmy substance had anything to do with 

the lights1 which looked like           
electricity4 ,an incident which occurred
 further on seemed to confirm my idea4  
,when ,mrs4 ,powles had gone1 which we  
guessed by the extinguishing of the     
lights1 the handsome face and form of   
,harry ,montagu appeared4 ,i had known  
him well in ,england1 before he took his
 fatal journey to ,america1 and could   
never be mistaken in his sweet smile and
 fascinating manner4 ,he did not come   
further than the door1 either1 but he   
was standing within twelve or fourteen  
feet of us for all that4 ,he only said1 
,good-luck to you4 ,we can't lose an    
interest in the old profession1 you     
know1 any more than in the old people4  
,i wish you'd come and help me1 ,harry1 
,i answered4 ,oh1 ,i do6 he said1       
brightly2 several of us do4 ,we are all 
links of the same chain4 ,half the      
inspiration in the world comes from     
those who have gone before4 ,but ,i must
 go6 ,i'm getting crowded out4 ,here's  
,ada waiting to see you4 ,good-bye6 ,and

 as his light went out1 the sweet face  
of ,adelaide ,neilson appeared in his   
stead4 ,she said1 ,you wept when you    
heard of my death2 and yet you never    
knew me4 ,how was that8 ,did ,i weep8 ,i
 answered1 half forgetting2 if so1 it   
must have been because ,i thought it so 
sad that a woman so young1 and          
beautiful1 and gifted as you were1      
should leave the world so soon4 ,oh no6 
not sad1 she answered1 brightly2        
glorious6 glorious6 ,i would not be back
 again for worlds4 ,have you ever seen  
your grave8 ,i asked her4 ,she shook her
 head4 ,what are graves to us8 ,only    
cupboards1 where you keep our cast-off  
clothes4 ,you don't ask me what the     
world says about you1 now1 ,i said to   
her4 ,and ,i don't care1 she answered4  
,don't you forget me6 ,good-bye6  ,she  
was succeeded by a spirit who called    
herself ,charlotte ,cushman1 and who    
spoke to me kindly about my professional
 life4 ,mrs4 ,hooker told me that1 to   
the best of her knowledge1 none of these

 three spirits had ever appeared under  
the doctor's mediumship before4 ,but now
 came out ,florence1 dancing into the   
room--literally dancing1 holding out in 
both hands the skirt of a dress1 which  
looked as if it were made of the finest 
muslin or lace1 and up and down which   
fireflys were darting with marvellous   
rapidity4 ,she looked as if clothed in  
electricity1 and infinitely well pleased
 with herself4 ,look6 she exclaimed2    
look at my dress6 isn't it lovely8 ,look
 at the fire6 ,the more ,i shake it1 the
 more fire comes6 ,oh1 mother6 if you   
could only have a dress like this for   
the stage1 what a sensation you would   
make6 ,and she shook her skirts about1  
till the fire seemed to set a light to  
every part of her drapery1 and she      
looked as if she were in flames4 ,i     
observed1 ,i never knew you to take so  
much interest in your dress before1     
darling4 ,oh1 it isn't the dress1 she   
replied2 it's the fire6 ,and she really 
appeared as charmed with the novel      

experience as a child with a new toy4   
,as she left us1 a dark figure advanced 
into the room1 and ejaculated1 ,ma6 ma6 
,i recognized at once the peculiar      
intonation and mode of address of my    
stepson1 ,francis ,lean1 with whom1     
since he had announced his own death to 
me1 ,i had had no communication1 except 
through trance mediumship4 ,is that you1
 my poor boy1 ,i said1 come closer to   
me4 ,you are not afraid of me1 are you8 
,o1 no6 ,ma6 of course not1 only ,i was 
at the ,opera ,house1 you know1 with the
 others1 and that piece you recited1    
,ma--you know the one--it's all true1   
,ma--and ,i don't want you to go back to
 ,england4 ,stay here1 ,ma--stay here6  
,i knew perfectly well to what the lad  
alluded1 but ,i would not enter upon it 
before a stranger4 ,so ,i only said1    
,you forget my children1 ,francis--what 
would they say if ,i never went home    
again4 ,this seemed to puzzle him1 but  
after a while he answered1 ,then go to  
them1 ,ma2 go to them4 ,all this time he

 had been talking in the dark1 and ,i   
only knew him by the sound of his voice4
 ,i said1 ,are you not going to show    
yourself to me1 ,francis4 ,it is such a 
long time since we met4 ,never since you
 saw me at the docks4 ,that was me1 ,ma1
 and at ,brighton1 too1 only you didn't 
half believe it till you heard ,i was   
gone4 ,tell me the truth of the         
accident1 ,francis1 ,i asked him4 ,was  
there foul play8 ,no1 he replied1 but we
 got quarrelling about her you know1 and
 fighting1 and that's how the boat      
upset4 ,it was my fault1 ,ma1 as much as
 anybody else's4  ,how was it your body 
was never found8 ,it got dragged down in
 an undercurrent1 ,ma4 ,it was out at   
,cape ,horn before they offered a reward
 for it4 ,then he began to light up1 and
 as soon as the figure was illuminated  
,i saw that the boy was dressed in      
jumpers and jersey of dark woollen      
material1 such as they wear in the      
merchant service in hot climates1 but   
over it all--his head and shoulders     

included--was wound a quantity of flimsy
 white material ,i have before          
mentioned4 ,i can't bear this stuff4 ,it
 makes me look like a girl1 said        
,francis1 and with his hands he tore it 
off4 ,simultaneously the illumination   
ceased1 and he was gone4 ,i called him  
by name several times1 but no sound came
 out of the darkness4 ,it seemed as     
though the veiling which he disliked    
preserved his materialization1 and that1
 with its protection removed1 he had    
dissolved again4  ,when another dark    
figure came out of the cabinet1 and     
approaching me1 knelt at my feet1 ,i    
supposed it to be ,francis come back    
again1 and laying my hand on the bent   
head1 ,i asked1 ,is this you again1     
dear8 ,a strange voice answered1 with   
the words1 ,forgive6 forgive6 ,forgive6 
,i repeated1 ,what have ,i to forgive8  
,the attempt to murder your husband in  
#ahef4 ,arthur ,yelverton ,brooking has 
forgiven4 ,he is here with me now4 ,will
 you forgive too8 ,certainly1 ,i        

replied1 ,i have forgiven long ago4 ,you
 expiated your sin upon the gallows4    
,you could do no more4  ,the figure     
sprung into a standing position1 and lit
 up from head to foot1 when ,i saw the  
two men standing together1 ,arthur      
,yelverton ,brooking and the ,madras    
sepoy who had murdered him4 ,i never saw
 anything more brilliant than the       
appearance of the sepoy4 ,he was dressed
 completely in white1 in the native     
costume1 with a white puggree or turban 
on his head4 ,but his puggree was       
flashing with jewels--strings of them   
were hung round his neck--and his sash  
held a magnificent jewelled dagger4 ,you
 must please to remember that ,i was not
 alone1 but that this sight was beheld  
by ,mrs4 ,hooker as well as myself 7to  
whom it was as unexpected as to her71   
and that ,i know she would testify to it
 to-day4 ,and now to explain the reason 
of these unlooked-for apparitions4  ,in 
#ahef my husband1 then ,lieutenant      
,ross-,church1 was ,adjutant of the     

#abth ,madras ,native ,infantry1 and    
,arthur ,yelverton ,brooking1 who had   
for some time done duty with the #abth1 
was adjutant of another native corps1   
both of which were stationed at ,madras4
 ,lieutenant ,church was not a favorite 
with his men1 by whom he was considered 
a martinet1 and one day when there had  
been a review on the island at ,madras1 
and the two adjutants were riding home  
together1 a sepoy of the #abth fired at 
,lieutenant ,church's back with the     
intent to kill him1 but unfortunately   
the bullet struck ,lieutenant ,brooking 
instead1 who1 after lingering for twelve
 hours1 died1 leaving a young wife and a
 baby behind him4 ,for this offence the 
sepoy was tried and hung1 and on his    
trial the whole truth of course came    
out4 ,this then was the reason that the 
spirits of the murdered and the murderer
 came like friends1 because the injury  
had never been really intended for      
,brooking4  ,when ,i said that ,i had   
forgiven1 the sepoy became 7as ,i have  

told7 a blaze of light1 and then knelt  
again and kissed the hem of my dress4   
,as he knelt there he became covered1 or
 heaped over1 with a mass of the same   
filmy drapery as enveloped ,francis1 and
 when he rose again he was standing in a
 cloud4 ,he gathered an end of it1 and  
laying it on my head he wound me and    
himself round and round with it1 until  
we were bound up in a kind of cocoon4   
,mrs4 ,hooker1 who watched the whole    
proceeding1 told me afterwards that she 
had never seen anything like it         
before--that she could distinctly see   
the dark face and the white face close  
together all the time beneath the       
drapery1 and that ,i was as brightly    
illuminated as the spirit4 ,of this ,i  
was not aware myself1 but his brightness
 almost dazzled me4  ,let me observe    
also that ,i have been in the ,east     
,indies1 and within a few yards' length 
of sepoys1 and that ,i am sure ,i could 
never have been wrapt in the same cloth 
with a mortal one without having been   

made painfully aware of it in more ways 
than one4 ,the spirit did not unwind me 
again1 although the winding process had 
taken him some time4 ,he whisked off the
 wrapping with one pull1 and ,i stood   
alone once more4 ,i asked him by what   
name ,i should call him1 and he said1   
,the ,spirit of ,light4 ,he then        
expressed a wish to magnetize something 
,i wore1 so as to be the better able to 
approach me4 ,i gave him a brooch       
containing ,john ,powles' hair1 which   
his mother had given me after his death1
 and he carried it back into the cabinet
 with him4 ,it was a valuable brooch of 
onyx and pearls1 and ,i was hoping my   
eastern friend would not carry it too   
far1 when ,i found it had been replaced 
and fastened at my throat without my    
being aware of the circumstance4 ,arthur
 ,yelverton ,brooking had disappeared   
before this1 and neither of them came   
back again4 ,these were not all the     
spirits that came under the doctor's    
mediumship during that seance1 but only 

those whom ,i had known and recognized4 
,several of ,mrs4 ,hooker's friends     
appeared and some of the doctor's       
controls1 but as ,i have said before1   
they could not help my narrative1 and so
 ,i omit to describe them4 ,the seance  
lasted altogether two hours1 and ,i was 
very grateful to the doctor for giving  
me the opportunity to study an entirely 
new phase of the science to me4         
,,chapter ,,xxviii4  ,v4 ,mrs4 ,fay4    
,there was a young woman called ,annie  
,eva ,fay1 who came over from ,america  
to ,london some years ago1 and appeared 
at the ,hanover ,square ,rooms1 in an   
exhibition after the manner of the      
,davenport ,brothers and ,messrs4       
,maskelyne and ,cook4 ,she must not be  
confounded with the ,mrs4 ,fay who forms
 the subject of this chapter1 because   
they had nothing to do with one another4
 ,some one in ,boston advised me not to 
go and sit at one of this ,mrs4 ,fay's  
public seances4 ,they were described to 
me as being too physical and unrefined2 

that the influences were of a low order1
 and the audiences matched them4        
,however1 when ,i am studying a matter1 
,i like to see everything ,i can and    
hear everything ,i can concerning it1   
and to form my own opinion independent  
of that of anybody else4 ,so ,i walked  
off by myself one night to ,mrs4 ,fay's 
address1 and sat down in a quiet corner1
 watching everything that occurred4 ,the
 circle certainly numbered some members 
of a humble class1 but ,i conclude we   
should see that everywhere if the fees  
were lower4 ,media1 like other          
professional people1 fix their charges  
according to the quarter of the city in 
which they live4 ,but every member was  
silent and respectful1 and evidently a  
believer4  ,one young man1 in deep      
mourning1 with a little girl also in    
black1 of about five or six years old1  
attracted my attention at once1 from his
 sorrowful and abstracted manner4 ,he   
had evidently come there1 ,i thought1 in
 the hope of seeing some one whom he had

 lost4 ,mrs4 ,fay 7as she passed through
 the room to her cabinet7 appeared a    
very quiet1 simple-looking little woman 
to me1 without any loudness or vulgarity
 about her4 ,her cabinet was composed of
 two curtains only1 made of some white  
material1 and hung on uprights at one   
angle1 in a corner of the room1 the most
 transparent contrivance possible4      
,anything like a bustle or confusion    
inside it1 such as would be occasioned  
by dressing or making up1 would have    
been apparent at once to the audience   
outside1 who were sitting by the light  
of an ordinary gas-burner and globe4    
,yet ,mrs4 ,fay had not been seated     
there above a few minutes1 when there   
ran out into the seance room two of the 
most extraordinary materializations ,i  
had ever seen1 and both of them about as
 opposite to ,mrs4 ,fay in appearance as
 any creatures could be4  ,one was an   
,irish charwoman or apple-woman 7she    
might have been either7 with a brown1   
wrinkled face1 a broken nose1 tangled   

grey hair1 a crushed bonnet1 general    
dirt and disorder1 and a tongue that    
could talk broad ,irish1 and call a     
spade a spade at one and the same time4 
,biddy1 as she was named1 was           
accompanied by a street newspaper       
boy--one of those urchins who run after 
carriages and turn ,catherine-wheels in 
the mud1 and who talked gutter-slang in 
a style that was utterly unintelligible 
to the decent portion of the sitters4   
,these two went on in a manner that was 
undoubtedly funny1 but not at all       
edifying and calculated to drive any    
enquirer into ,spiritualism out of the  
room1 under the impression that they    
were evil spirits bent on our           
destruction4 ,that either of them was   
represented by ,mrs4 ,fay was out of the
 question4 ,in the first place1 she     
would1 in that instance1 have been so   
clever an actress and mimic1 that she   
would have made her fortune on the      
stage--added to which the boy ,teddy was
 much too small for her1 and ,biddy was 

much too large4 ,besides1 no actress1   
however experienced1 could have made up 
in the time4 ,i was quite satisfied1    
therefore1 that neither of them was the 
medium1 even if ,i could not have seen  
her figure the while1 through the thin  
curtains1 sitting in her chair4 ,why    
such low1 physical manifestations are   
permitted ,i am unable to say4 ,it was  
no wonder they had shocked the          
sensibility of my friend4 ,i felt half  
inclined myself when they appeared to   
get up and run away4 ,however1 ,i was   
very glad afterwards that ,i did not4   
,they disappeared after a while1 and    
were succeeded by a much pleasanter     
person1 a cabinet spirit called ,gipsy1 
who looked as if she might have belonged
 to one of the gipsy tribes when on     
earth1 she was so brown and arch and    
lively4 ,presently the young man in     
black was called up1 and ,i saw him     
talking to a female spirit very         
earnestly4 ,after a while he took her   
hand and led her outside the curtain1   

and called the little girl whom he had  
left on his seat by her name4 ,the child
 looked up1 screamed ,mamma6 mamma6 and 
flew into the arms of the spirit1 who   
knelt down and kissed her1 and we could 
hear the child sobbing and saying1 ,oh6 
mamma1 why did you go away8--why did you
 go away8 ,it was a very affecting      
scene--at least it seemed so to me4 ,the
 instant recognition by the little girl1
 and her perfect unconsciousness but    
that her mother had returned in propria 
persona1 would have been more convincing
 proof of the genuineness of            
,spiritualism to a sceptic1 than fifty  
miracles of greater importance4 ,when   
the spirit mother had to leave again the
 child's agony at parting was very      
apparent4 ,take me with you1 she kept on
 saying1 and her father had actually to 
carry her back to her seat4 ,when they  
got there they both wept in unison4     
,afterwards he said to me in an         
apologetic sort of way--he was sitting  
next to me--,it is the first time1 you  

see1 that ,mary has seen her poor       
mother1 but ,i wanted to have her       
testimony to her identity1 and ,i think 
she gave it pretty plainly1 poor child6 
,she'll never be content to let me come 
alone now4 ,i said1 ,i think it is a    
pity you brought her so young1 and so ,i
 did4  ,florence did not appear 7she    
told me afterwards the atmosphere was so
 rough that she could not71 and ,i began
 to think that no one would come for me1
 when a common seaman1 dressed in       
ordinary sailor's clothes1 ran out of   
the cabinet and began dancing a hornpipe
 in front of me4 ,he danced it capitally
 too1 and with any amount of vigorous   
snapping his fingers to mark the time1  
and when he had finished he made a leg1 
as sailors call it1 and stood before me4
 ,have you come for me1 my friend8 ,i   
enquired4 ,not exactly1 he answered1 but
 ,i came with the ,cap'en4 ,i came to   
pave the way for him4 ,the ,cap'en will 
be here directly4 ,we was in the        
,avenger together4 7,now all the world  

knows that my eldest brother1 ,frederick
 ,marryat1 was drowned in the wreck of  
the ,avenger in #ahdg2 but as ,i was a  
little child at the time1 and had no    
remembrance of him1 ,i had never dreamt 
of seeing him again4 ,he was a first    
lieutenant when he died1 so ,i do not   
know why the seaman gave him brevet     
rank1 but ,i repeat his words as he said
 them47 ,after a minute or two ,i was   
called up to the cabinet1 and saw my    
brother ,frederick 7whom ,i recognized  
from his likeness7 standing there       
dressed in naval uniform1 but looking   
very stiff and unnatural4 ,he smiled    
when he saw me1 but did not attempt to  
kiss me4 ,i said1 ,why6 ,fred6 is it    
really you8 ,i thought you would have   
forgotten all about me4 ,he replied1    
,forgotten little ,flo8 ,why should ,i8 
,do you think ,i have never seen you    
since that time1 nor heard anything     
about you8 ,i know                      
everything--everything6 ,you must know1 
then1 that ,i have not spent a very     

happy life1 ,i said4 ,never mind1 he    
answered1 you needed it4 ,it has done   
you good6 ,but all he said was without  
any life in it1 as if he spoke          
mechanically--perhaps because it was the
 first time he had materialized4  ,i had
 said ,good-bye to him1 and dropped the 
curtain1 when ,i heard my name called   
twice1 ,flo6 ,flo6 and turned to receive
 my sister ,emily in my arms4 ,she      
looked like herself exactly1 but she had
 only time to kiss me and gasp out1 ,so 
glad1 so happy to meet again1 when she  
appeared to faint4 ,her eyes closed1 her
 head fell back on my shoulder1 and     
before ,i had time to realize what was  
going to happen1 she had passed through 
the arm that supported her1 and sunk    
down through the floor4 ,the sensation  
of her weight was still making my arm   
tingle1 but ,emily was gone--clean gone4
 ,i was very much disappointed4 ,i had  
longed to see this sister again1 and    
speak to her confidentially2 but whether
 it was something antagonistic in the   

influence of this seance room 7,florence
 said afterwards that it was71 or there 
was some other cause for it1 ,i know    
not1 but most certainly my friends did  
not seem to flourish there4  ,i had     
another horrible disappointment before  
,i left4 ,a voice from inside the       
cabinet called out1 ,here are two babies
 who want the lady sitting under the    
picture4 ,now1 there was only one       
picture hanging in the room1 and ,i was 
sitting under it4 ,i looked eagerly     
towards the cabinet1 and saw issue from 
it the ,princess ,gertie leading a      
little toddler with a flaxen poll and   
bare feet1 and no clothing but a kind of
 white chemise4 ,this was ,joan1 the    
,yonnie ,i had so often asked to see1   
and ,i rose in the greatest expectation 
to receive the little pair4 ,just as    
they gained the centre of the room1     
however1 taking very short and careful  
steps1 like babies first set on their   
feet1 the cabinet spirit ,gipsy bounced 
out of the curtains1 and saying         

decidedly1 ,here6 we don't want any     
children about1 she placed her hand on  
the heads of my little ones1 and pressed
 them down through the floor4 ,they     
seemed to crumble to pieces before my   
eyes1 and their place knew them no more4
 ,i couldn't help feeling angry4 ,i     
exclaimed1 ,o6 what did you do that for8
 ,those were my babies1 and ,i have been
 longing to see them so4 ,i can't help  
it1 replied ,gipsy1 but this isn't a    
seance for children4 ,i was so vexed    
that ,i took no more interest in the    
proceedings4 ,a great number of forms   
appeared1 thirty or forty in all1 but by
 the time ,i returned to my hotel and   
began to jot down my notes1 ,i could    
hardly remember what they were4 ,i had  
been dreaming all the time of how much  
,i should have liked to hold that little
 flaxen-haired ,yonnie in my arms4      
,,chapter ,,xxix4  ,,vi4 ,virginia      
,roberts4   ,when ,i returned to ,new   
,york1 it was under exceptional         
circumstances4 ,i had taken cold whilst 

travelling in the ,western ,states1 had 
had a severe attack of bronchitis and   
pneumonia at ,chicago1 was compelled to 
relinquish my business1 and as soon as  
,i was well enough to travel1 was       
ordered back to ,new ,york to recuperate
 my health4 ,here ,i took up my abode in
 the ,victoria ,hotel1 where a lady1    
whose acquaintance ,i had made on my    
former visit to the city1 was living4   
,as ,i have no permission to publish    
this lady's name1 ,i must call her ,mrs4
 ,s----4 ,she had been a ,spiritualist  
for some time before ,i knew her1 and   
she much interested me by showing me an 
entry in her diary1 made four years     
previous to my arrival in ,america4 ,it 
was an account of the utterances of a   
,mrs4 ,philips1 a clairvoyant then      
resident in ,new ,york1 during which she
 had prophesied my arrival in the city1 
described my personal appearance1       
profession1 and general surroundings    
perfectly1 and foretold my              
acquaintanceship with ,mrs4 ,s----4 ,the

 prophecy ended with words to the effect
 that our meeting would be followed by  
certain effects that would influence her
 future life1 and that on the #agth of  
,march1 #ahhe1 would commence a new era 
in her existence4 ,it was at the        
beginning of ,march that we first lived 
under the same roof4 ,as soon as ,mrs4  
,s---- found that ,i was likely to have 
some weeks of leisure1 she became very  
anxious that we should visit the ,new   
,york media together2 for although she  
had so long been a believer in          
,spiritualism1 she had not 7owing to    
family opposition7 met with much        
sympathy on the subject1 or had the     
opportunity of much investigation4 ,so  
we determined1 as soon as ,i was well   
enough to go out in the evening1 that we
 would attend some seances4 ,as it      
happened1 when that time came1 we found 
the medium most accessible to be ,miss  
,virginia ,roberts1 of whom neither of  
us knew anything but what we had learned
 from the public papers4 ,however1 it   

was necessary that ,i should be exposed 
as little as possible to the night air1 
and so we fixed1 by chance as it were1  
to visit ,miss ,roberts first4 ,we found
 her living with her mother and brother 
in a small house in one of the back     
streets of the city4 ,she was a young   
girl of sixteen1 very reserved and      
rather timid-looking1 who had to be     
drawn out before she could be made to   
talk4 ,she had only commenced sitting a 
few months before1 and that because her 
brother 7who was also a medium7 had had 
an illness and been obliged to give up  
his seances for a while4 ,the seance    
room was very small1 the manifestations 
taking place almost in the midst of the 
circle1 and the cabinet 7so-called7 was 
the flimsiest contrivance ,i had ever   
seen4 ,four uprights of iron1 not       
thicker than the rod of a muslin blind1 
with cross-bars of the same1 on which   
were hung thin curtains of lilac print1 
formed the construction of this cabinet1
 which shook and swayed about each time 

a form left or entered it4 ,a harmonium 
for accompanying the voices1 and a few  
chairs for the audience1 was all the    
furniture the room contained4 ,the first
 evening we went to see ,miss ,roberts  
there were only two or three sitters    
beside ourselves4 ,the medium seemed to 
be pretty nearly unknown1 and ,i        
resolved1 as ,i usually do in such      
cases1 not to expect anything1 for fear 
,i should be disappointed4  ,mrs4       
,s----1 on the contrary1 was all        
expectation and excitement4 ,if she had 
ever sat for materializations1 it had   
been long before1 and the idea was like 
a new one to her4 ,after two or three   
forms had appeared1 of no interest to   
us1 a gentleman in full evening dress   
walked suddenly out of the cabinet1 and 
said1 ,kate1 which was the name of ,mrs4
 ,s----4 ,he was a stout1 well-formed   
man1 of an imposing presence1 with dark 
hair and eyes1 and he wore a solitaire  
of diamonds of unusual brilliancy in his
 shirt front4 ,i had no idea who he was2

 but ,mrs4 ,s---- recognized him at once
 as an old lover who had died whilst    
under a misunderstanding with her1 and  
she was powerfully affected--more1 she  
was terribly frightened4 ,it seems that 
she wore at her throat a brooch which he
 had given her2 but every time he       
approached her with the view of touching
 it1 she shrieked so loudly1 and threw  
herself into such a state of nervous    
agitation1 that ,i thought she would    
have to return home again4 ,however1 on 
her being accommodated with a chair in  
the last row so that she might have the 
other sitters between her and the       
materialized spirits1 she managed to    
calm herself4 ,the only friend who      
appeared for me that evening was ,john  
,powles2 and1 to my surprise and        
pleasure1 he appeared in the old uniform
 of the #abth ,madras ,native ,infantry4
 ,this corps wore facings of fawn1 with 
buttons bearing the word ,ava1 encircled
 by a wreath of laurel4 ,the mess       
jackets were lined with wadded fawn     

silk1 and the waistcoats were trimmed   
with three lines of narrow gold braid4  
,their karkee1 or undress uniform1      
established in #ahei1 consisted of a    
tunic and trousers of a sad green cloth1
 with the regimental buttons and a      
crimson silk sash4 ,the marching dress  
of all officers in the ,indian service  
is made of white drill1 with a cap cover
 of the same material4 ,their forage    
cloak is of dark blue cloth1 and hangs  
to their heels4 ,their forage cap has a 
broad square peak to shelter the face   
and eyes4 ,i mention these details for  
the benefit of those who are not        
acquainted with the general dress of the
 ,indian army1 and to show how difficult
 it would have been for ,virginia       
,roberts1 or any other medium1 to have  
procured them1 even had she known the   
private wish expressed by me to ,john   
,powles in ,boston1 that he would try   
and come to me in uniform4 ,on this     
first occasion of his appearing so1 he  
wore the usual everyday coat1 buttoned  

up to his chin1 and he made me examine  
the buttons to see that they bore the   
crest and motto of the regiment4 ,and ,i
 may say here1 that before ,i left ,new 
,york he appeared to me in every one of 
the various dresses ,i have described   
above1 and became quite a marked figure 
in the city4  ,when it was made known   
through the papers that an old friend of
 ,florence ,marryat had appeared through
 the mediumship of ,virginia ,roberts1  
in a uniform of thirty years before1 ,i 
received numbers of private letters     
inquiring if it were true1 and dozens of
 people visited ,miss ,roberts' seances 
for the sole purpose of seeing him4 ,he 
took a great liking for ,mrs4 ,s----1   
and when she had conquered her first    
fear she became quite friendly with him1
 and ,i heard1 after leaving ,new ,york1
 that he continued to appear for her as 
long as she attended those seances4     
,there was one difference in the female 
spirits that came through ,virginia     
,roberts from those of other media4     

,those that were strong enough to leave 
the cabinet invariably disappeared by   
floating upwards through the ceiling4   
,their mode of doing this was most      
graceful4 ,they would first clasp their 
hands behind their heads and lean       
backward2 then their feet were lifted   
off the ground1 and they were borne     
upward in a recumbent position4 ,when ,i
 related this to my friend1 ,dr4 ,george
 ,lefferts 7under whom ,i was for throat
 treatment to recover my voice71 he     
declared there must be some machinery   
connected with the uprights that        
supported the cabinet1 by which the     
forms were elevated4 ,he had got it all 
so pat that he was able to take a pencil
 and demonstrate to me on paper exactly 
how the machinery worked1 and how easy  
it would be to swing full-sized human   
bodies up to the ceiling with it4 ,how  
they managed to disappear when they got 
there he was not quite prepared to say2 
but if he once saw the trick done1 he   
would explain the whole matter to me1   

and expose it into the bargain4 ,i told 
,dr4 ,lefferts1 as ,i have told many    
other clever men1 that ,i shall be the  
first person open to conviction when    
they can convince me1 and ,i bore him   
off to a private seance with ,virginia  
,roberts for that purpose only4 ,he was 
all that was charming on the occasion4  
,he gave me a most delightful dinner at 
,delmonico's first 7for which ,i tender 
him in print my grateful recollection71 
and he tested all ,miss ,roberts'       
manifestations in the most delicate and 
gentlemanly manner 7sceptics as a rule  
are neither delicate nor gentlemanly71  
but he could neither open my eyes to    
chicanery nor detect it himself4 ,he    
handled and shook the frail supports of 
the cabinet1 and confessed they were    
much too weak to bear any such weight as
 he had imagined4 ,he searched the      
carpeted floor and the adjoining room   
for hidden machinery without finding the
 slightest thing to rouse his           
suspicions1 and yet he saw the female   

forms float upwards through the         
whitewashed ceiling1 and came away from 
the seance room as wise as when he had  
entered it4  ,but this occurred some    
weeks after4 ,i must relate first what  
happened after our first seance with    
,miss ,roberts4 ,mrs4 ,s---- and ,i were
 well enough pleased with the result to 
desire to test her capabilities further1
 and with that intent we invited her to 
visit us at our hotel4 ,spiritualism is 
as much tabooed by one section of the   
,american public as it is encouraged by 
the other1 and so we resolved to breathe
 nothing of our intentions1 but invite  
the girl to dine and spend the evening  
in our rooms with us just as if she were
 an ordinary visitor4 ,consequently1 we 
dined together at the table d'hote      
before we took our way upstairs4 ,mrs4  
,s---- and ,i had a private             
sitting-room1 the windows of which were 
draped with white lace curtains only1   
and we had no other means to shut out   
the light4 ,consequently1 when we wished

 to sit1 all we could do was to place a 
chair for ,virginia ,roberts in the     
window recess1 behind one of these pairs
 of curtains1 and pin them together in  
front of her1 which formed the airiest  
cabinet imaginable4 ,we then locked the 
door1 lowered the gas1 and sat down on a
 sofa before the curtains4  ,in the     
space of five minutes1 without the lace 
curtains having been in the slightest   
degree disturbed1 ,francis ,lean1 my    
stepson1 walked through them1 and came  
up to my side4 ,he was dressed in his   
ordinary costume of jersey and jumpers1 
and had a little worsted cap upon his   
head4 ,he displayed all the             
peculiarities of speech and manner ,i   
have noticed before2 but he was much    
less timid1 and stood by me for a long  
time talking of my domestic affairs1    
which were rather complicated1 and      
giving me a detailed account of the     
accident which caused his death1 and    
which had been always somewhat of a     
mystery4 ,in doing this1 he mentioned   

names of people hitherto unknown to me1 
but which ,i found on after inquiry to  
be true4 ,he seemed quite delighted to  
be able to manifest so indisputably like
 himself1 and remarked more than once1  
,i'm not much like a girl now1 am ,i1   
,ma8  ,next1 ,mrs4 ,s----'s old lover   
came1 of whom she was still considerably
 alarmed1 and her father1 who had been a
 great politician and a well-known man4 
,florence1 too1 of course1 though never 
so lively through ,miss ,roberts as     
through other media1 but still happy    
though pensive1 and full of advice how  
,i was to act when ,i reached ,england  
again4 ,presently a soft voice said1    
,aunt ,flo1 don't you know me8 ,and ,i  
saw standing in front of me my niece and
 godchild1 ,lilian ,thomas1 who had died
 as a nun in the ,convent of the ,dames 
,anglaises at ,bruges4 ,she was clothed 
in her nun's habit1 which was rather    
peculiar1 the face being surrounded by a
 white cap1 with a crimped border that  
hid all the hair1 and surmounted by a   

white veil of some heavy woollen        
material which covered the head and the 
black serge dress4 ,lilian had died of  
consumption1 and the death-like1 waxy   
complexion which she had had for some   
time before was exactly reproduced4 ,she
 had not much to say for herself2       
indeed1 we had been completely separated
 since she had entered the convent1 but 
she was undoubtedly there4 ,she was     
succeeded by my sister ,emily1 whom ,i  
have already so often described4 ,and   
these apparitions1 six in number1 and   
all recognizable1 were produced in the  
private room of ,mrs4 ,s---- and myself1
 and with no other person but ,virginia 
,roberts1 sixteen years old4  ,it was   
about this time that we received an     
invitation to attend a private seance in
 a large house in the city1 occupied by 
,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,newman1 who had ,maud   
,lord staying with them as a visitor4   
,maud ,lord's mediumship is a peculiar  
one4 ,she places her sitters in a       
circle1 holding hands4 ,she then seats  

herself on a chair in the centre1 and   
keeps on clapping her hands1 to intimate
 that she has not changed her position4 
,the seance is held in darkness1 and the
 manifestations consist of direct       
voices1 i4e4 voices that every one can  
hear1 and by what they say to you1 you  
must judge of their identity and        
truthfulness4 ,i had only witnessed     
powers of this kind once before--through
 ,mrs4 ,bassett1 who is now ,mrs4       
,herne--but as no one spoke to me       
through her whom ,i recognized1 ,i have 
omitted to give any account of it4  ,as 
soon as ,maud ,lord's sitting was fully 
established1 ,i heard her addressing    
various members of the company1 telling 
them who stood beside them1 and ,i heard
 them putting questions to1 or holding  
conversations with1 creature who were   
invisible to me4 ,the time went on1 and 
,i believed ,i was going to be left out 
of it1 when ,i heard a voice close to my
 ear whisper1 ,arthur4 ,at the same     
moment ,maud ,lord's voice sounded in my

 direction1 saying that the lady in the 
brown velvet hat had a gentleman        
standing near her1 named ,arthur1 who   
wished to be recognized4 ,i was the only
 lady present in a brown velvet hat1 yet
 ,i could not recall any deceased friend
 of the name of ,arthur who might wish  
to communicate with me4 7,it is a       
constant occurrence at a seance that the
 mind refuses to remember a name1 or a  
circumstance1 and on returning home1    
perhaps the whole situation makes itself
 clear1 and one wonders how one could   
have been so dull as not to perceive    
it47 ,so ,i said that ,i knew no one in 
the spirit-world of that name1 and ,maud
 ,lord replied1 ,well1 he knows you1 at 
all events4 ,a few more minutes elapsed1
 when ,i felt a touch on the third      
finger of my left hand1 and the voice   
spoke again and said1 ,arthur6          
',arthur's ring4' ,have you quite       
forgotten8 ,this action brought the     
person to my memory1 and ,i exclaimed1  
,oh6 ,johnny ,cope1 is it you8  ,to     

explain this1 ,i must tell my readers   
that when ,i went out to ,india in      
#ahed1 ,arthur ,cope of the ,lancers was
 a passenger by the same steamer2 and   
when we landed in ,madras1 he made me a 
present of a diamond ring1 which ,i wore
 at that seance as a guard4 ,but he was 
never called by anything but his        
nickname of ,johnny1 so that his real   
appellation had quite slipped my memory4
 ,the poor fellow died in #ahef or      
#aheg1 and ,i had been ungrateful enough
 to forget all about him1 and should    
never have remembered his name had it   
not been coupled with the ring4 ,it     
would have been still more remarkable1  
though1 if ,maud ,lord1 who had never   
seen me till that evening1 had          
discovered an incident which happened   
thirty years before1 and which ,i had   
completely forgotten4  ,before ,i had   
been many days in ,new ,york1 ,i fell   
ill again from exposing myself to the   
weather1 this time with a bad throat4   
,mrs4 ,s---- and ,i slept in the same   

room1 and our sitting-room opened into  
the bedroom4 ,she was indefatigable in  
her attentions and kindness to me during
 my illness1 and kept running backwards 
and forwards from the bedroom to the    
sitting-room1 both by night and day1 to 
get me fresh poultices1 which she kept  
hot on the steam stove4  ,one evening   
about eleven o'clock she got out of bed 
in her nightdress1 and went into the    
next room for this purpose4 ,almost     
directly after she entered it1 ,i heard 
a heavy fall4 ,i called her by name1 and
 receiving no answer1 became frightened1
 jumped out of bed1 and followed her4   
,to my consternation1 ,i found her      
stretched out1 at full length1 on a     
white bearskin rug1 and quite           
insensible4 ,she was a delicate woman1  
and ,i thought at first that she had    
fainted from fatigue2 but when she      
showed no signs of returning            
consciousness1 ,i became alarmed4 ,i was
 very weak myself from my illness1 and  
hardly able to stand1 but ,i managed to 

put on a dressing-gown and summon the   
assistance of a lady who occupied the   
room next to us1 and whose acquaintance 
we had already made4 ,she was strong and
 capable1 and helped me to place ,mrs4  
,s---- upon the sofa1 where she lay in  
the same condition4 ,after we had done  
all we could think of to bring her to   
herself without effect1 the next-door   
lady became frightened4 ,she said to me1
 ,i don't like this4 ,i think we ought  
to call in a doctor4 ,supposing she were
 to die without regaining consciousness4
 ,i replied1 ,i should say the same1    
excepting ,i begin to believe she has   
not fainted at all1 but is in a trance2 
and in that case1 any violent attempts  
to bring her to herself might injure    
her4 ,just see how quietly she breathes1
 and how very young she looks4  ,when   
her attention was called to this fact1  
the next-door lady was astonished4 ,mrs4
 ,s----1 who was a woman past forty1    
looked like a girl of sixteen4 ,she was 
a very pretty woman1 but with a dash of 

temper in her expression which spoiled  
it4 ,now with all the passions and lines
 smoothed out of it1 she looked         
perfectly lovely4 ,so she might have    
looked in death4 ,but she was not dead4 
,she was breathing4 ,so ,i felt sure    
that the spirit had escaped for a while 
and left her free4 ,i covered her up    
warmly on the sofa1 and determined to   
leave her there till the trance had     
passed4 ,after a while ,i persuaded the 
next-door lady to think as ,i did1 and  
to go back to her own bed4 ,as soon as  
she had gone1 ,i administered my own    
poultice1 and sat down to watch beside  
my friend4 ,the time went on until seven
 in the morning--seven hours she had    
lain1 without moving a limb1 upon the   
sofa--when1 without any warning1 she sat
 up and gazed about her4 ,i called her  
by name1 and asked her what she wanted2 
but ,i could see at once1 by her        
expression1 that she did not know me4   
,presently she asked me1 ,who are you8  
,i told her4 ,are you ,kate's friend8   

she said4 ,i answered1 ,yes4 ,do you    
know who ,i am8 was the next question1  
which1 of course1 ,i answered in the    
negative4 ,mrs4 ,s---- thereupon gave me
 the name of a ,german gentleman which  
,i had never heard before4 ,an          
extraordinary scene then followed4      
,influenced by the spirit that possessed
 her1 ,mrs4 ,s---- rose and unlocked a  
cabinet of her own1 which stood in the  
room1 and taking thence a bundle of old 
letters1 she selected several and read  
portions of them aloud to me4 ,she then 
told me a history of herself and the    
gentleman whose spirit was speaking     
through her1 and gave me several        
messages to deliver to herself the      
following day4 ,it will be sufficient   
for me to say that this history was of  
so private a nature1 that it was most   
unlikely she would have confided it to  
me or any one1 particularly as she was a
 woman of a most secretive nature2 but  
names1 addresses1 and even words of     
conversations were given1 in a manner   

which would have left no room for doubt 
of their truthfulness1 even if ,mrs4    
,s---- had not confirmed them to be     
facts afterwards4 ,this went on for a   
long time1 the spirit expressing the    
greatest animosity against ,mrs4 ,s---- 
all the while1 and then the power seemed
 suddenly to be spent1 and she went off 
to sleep again upon the sofa1 waking up 
naturally about an hour afterwards1 and 
very much surprised to hear what had    
happened to her meanwhile4 ,when we came
 to consider the matter1 we found that  
this unexpected seizure had taken place 
upon the #agth of ,march1 the day       
predicted by ,mrs4 ,philips four years  
previously as one on which a new era    
would commence for ,mrs4 ,s----4 ,from  
that time she continually went into     
trances1 and used to predict the future 
for herself and others2 but whether she 
has kept it up to this day ,i am unable 
to say1 as ,i have heard nothing from   
her since ,i left ,america4  ,that event
 took place on the #acth of ,june1      

#ahhe4 ,we had been in the habit of     
spending our ,sunday evenings in ,miss  
,roberts' seance room1 and she begged me
 not to miss the last opportunity4 ,when
 we arrived there1 we found that the    
accompanist who usually played the      
harmonium for them was unable to be     
present1 and ,miss ,roberts asked if ,i 
would be his substitute4 ,i said ,i     
would1 on condition that they moved the 
instrument on a line with the cabinet1  
so that ,i might not lose a sight of    
what was going on4 ,this was accordingly
 done1 and ,i commenced to play ,thou   
art gone from my gaze4 ,almost          
immediately ,john ,powles stepped out1  
dressed in uniform1 and stood by the    
harmonium with his hand upon my         
shoulder4 ,i never was much of a singer1
 you know1 ,flo1 he said to me2 but if  
you will sing that song with me1 ,i'll  
try and go through it4 ,and he actually 
did sing 7after a fashion7 the entire   
two verses of the ballad1 keeping his   
hand on my shoulder the whole time4     

,when we came to the line1 ,i seek thee 
in vain by the meadow and stream1 he    
stooped down and whispered in my ear1   
,not quite in vain1 ,flo1 has it been8  
,i do not know if my ,english           
,spiritualistic friends can cap this    
story1 but in ,america they told me it  
was quite a unique performance1         
particularly at a public seance1 where  
the jarring of so many diverse          
influences often hinders instead of     
helping the manifestations4  ,powles    
appeared to be especially strong on that
 occasion4 ,towards the middle of the   
evening a kind of whining was heard to  
proceed from the cabinet2 and ,miss     
,roberts1 who was not entranced1 said1  
,there's a baby coming out for ,miss    
,marryat4 ,at the same time the face of 
little ,yonnie appeared at the opening  
of the curtains1 but nearly level with  
the ground1 as she was crawling out on  
all fours4 ,before she had had time to  
advance beyond them1 ,powles stepped    
over her and came amongst us4 ,oh1      

,powles6 ,i exclaimed1 you used to love 
my little babies4 ,do pick up that one  
for me that ,i may see it properly4 ,he 
immediately returned1 took up ,yonnie1  
and brought her out into the circle on  
his arm4 ,the contrast of the baby's    
white kind of nightgown with his scarlet
 uniform was very striking4 ,he carried 
the child to each sitter that it might  
be thoroughly examined2 and when he had 
returned ,yonnie to the cabinet1 he came
 out again on his own account4 ,that    
evening ,i was summoned into the cabinet
 myself by the medium's guide1 a little 
,italian girl1 who had materialized     
several times for our benefit4 ,when ,i 
entered it1 ,i stumbled up against ,miss
 ,roberts' chair4 ,there was barely room
 for me to stand beside it4 ,she said to
 me1 ,is that you1 ,miss ,marryat8 and  
,i replied1 ,yes2 didn't you send for   
me8 ,she said ,no2 ,i didn't send1 ,i   
know nothing about it6 ,a voice behind  
me said1 ,i sent for you6 and at the    
same moment two strong arms were clasped

 round my waist1 and a man's face kissed
 me over my shoulder4 ,i asked1 ,who are
 you8 and he replied1 ,walk out of the  
cabinet and you shall see4 ,i turned    
round1 two hands were placed upon my    
shoulders1 and ,i walked back into the  
circle with a tall man walking behind me
 in that position4 ,when ,i could look  
at him in the gaslight1 ,i recognized my
 brother1 ,frank ,marryat1 who died in  
#ahee1 and whom ,i had never seen since4
 ,of course1 the other spirits who were 
familiar with ,mrs4 ,s---- and myself   
came to wish me a pleasant voyage across
 the ,atlantic1 but ,i have mentioned   
them all so often that ,i fear ,i must  
already have tired out the patience of  
my readers4 ,but in order to be         
impressive it is so necessary to be     
explicit4 ,all ,i can bring forward in  
excuse is1 that every word ,i have      
written is the honest and unbiassed     
truth4 ,here1 therefore1 ends the       
account of my experience in             
,spiritualism up to the present         

moment--not1 by any means1 the half1 nor
 yet the quarter of it1 but all ,i      
consider likely to interest the general 
public4 ,and those who have been        
interested in it may see their own      
friends as ,i have done1 if they will   
only take the same trouble that ,i have 
done4     ,,chapter ,,xxx4  ,,qui       
,,bono8   ,my friends have so often     
asked me this question1 that ,i think1  
before ,i close this book1 ,i am        
justified in answering it1 at all       
events1 as far as ,i myself am          
concerned4 ,how often have ,i sat1      
surrounded by an interested audience1   
who knew me too well to think me either 
a lunatic or a liar2 and after ,i have  
told them some of the most marvellous   
and thrilling of my experiences1 they   
have assailed me with these questions1  
,but what is it8 ,and what good does it 
do8 ,what is it8 ,there1 my friends1 ,i 
confess you stagger me6 ,i can no more  
tell you what it is than ,i can tell you
 what you are or what ,i am4 ,we know   

that1 like ,topsy1 we grew4 ,we know    
that1 given certain conditions and      
favorable accessories1 a child comes    
into this world1 and a seed sprouts     
through the dark earth and becomes a    
flower2 but though we know the cause and
 see the effect1 the greatest man of    
science1 or the greatest botanist1      
cannot tell you how the child is made1  
nor how the plant grows4 ,neither can ,i
 7or any one7 tell you what the power is
 that enables a spirit to make itself   
apparent4 ,i can only say that it can do
 so1 and refer you to the ,creator of   
you and me and the entire universe4 ,the
 commonest things the earth produces are
 all miracles1 from the growing of a    
mustard seed to the expansion of a human
 brain4 ,what is more wonderful than the
 hatching of an egg8 ,you see it done   
every day4 ,it has become so common that
 you regard it as an event of no        
consequence4 ,you know the exact number 
of days the bird must sit to produce a  
live chicken with all its functions     

ready for nature's use1 but you see     
nothing wonderful in it4 ,all birds can 
do the same1 and you would not waste    
your time in speculating on the wondrous
 effect of heat upon a liquid substance 
which turns to bone and blood and flesh 
and feathers4  ,if you were as familiar 
with the reappearance of those who have 
gone before as you are with chickens1   
you would see nothing supernatural in   
their manifesting themselves to you1 and
 nothing more miraculous than in the    
birth of a child or the hatching of an  
egg4 ,why should it be8 ,who has fixed  
the abode of the spirit after death8    
,who can say where it dwells1 or that it
 is not permitted to return to this     
world1 perhaps to live in it altogether8
 ,still1 however the ,almighty sends    
them1 the fact remains that they come1  
and that thousands can testify to the   
fact4 ,as to the theory advanced by some
 people that they are devils1 sent to   
lure us to our destruction1 that is an  
insult to the wisdom or mercy of an     

,omnipotent ,creator4 ,they cannot come 
except by ,his permission1 just as ,he  
sends children to some people and       
withholds them from others4 ,and the    
conversation of most of those that ,i   
have talked with is all on the side of  
religion1 prayer1 and self-sacrifice4   
,my friends1 at all events1 have never  
denied the existence of a ,god or a     
,saviour4 ,they have1 on the contrary   
7and especially ,florence71 been very   
quick to rebuke me for anything ,i may  
have done that was wrong1 for neglect of
 prayer and church-going1 for speaking  
evil of my neighbors1 or any other      
fault4 ,they have continually inculcated
 the doctrine that religion consists in 
unselfish love to our fellow-creatures1 
and in devotion to ,god4 ,i do not deny 
that there are frivolous and            
occasionally wicked spirits about us4   
,is it to be wondered at8 ,for one      
spirit that leaves this world calculated
 to do good to his fellow-creatures1 a  
hundred leave it who will do him harm4  

,that is really the reason that the     
,church discourages ,spiritualism4 ,she 
does not disbelieve in it4 ,she knows it
 to be true2 but she also knows it to be
 dangerous4 ,since like attracts like1  
the numbers of thoughtless spirits who  
still dwell on earth would naturally    
attract the numbers of thoughtless      
spirits who have left it1 and their     
influence is best dispensed with4 ,talk 
of devils4 ,i have known many more      
devils in the flesh than out of it1 and 
could name a number of acquaintances    
who1 when once passed out of this world1
 ,i should steadfastly refuse to have   
any communication with4 ,i have no doubt
 myself whatever as to what it is1 or   
that ,i have seen my dear friends and   
children as ,i knew them upon earth4    
,but how they come or where they go1 ,i 
must wait until ,i join them to         
ascertain1 even if ,i shall do it then4 
,the second question1 however1 ,i can   
more easily deal with1 ,what good is it8
 ,the only wonder to me is that people  

who are not stone-blind to what is going
 on in this world can put such a        
question4 ,what good is it to have one's
 faith in ,immortality and another life 
confirmed in an age of freethought1     
scepticism and utter callousness8 ,when 
,i look around me and see the young men 
nowadays--ay1 and the young women       
too--who believe in no hereafter1 who   
lie down and die1 like the dumb animals 
who cannot be made to understand the    
love of the dear ,god who created them  
although they feel it1 ,i cannot think  
of anything calculated to do them more  
good than the return of a father or a   
mother or a friend1 who could convince  
them by ocular demonstration that there 
is a future life and happiness and      
misery1 according to the one we have led
 here below4  ,oh1 but1 ,i seem to hear 
some readers exclaim1 we do believe in  
all that you say4 ,we have been taught  
so from our youth up1 and the ,bible    
points to it in every line4 ,you may    
think you believe it1 my friends1 and in

 a theoretical way you may2 but you do  
not realize it1 and the whole of your   
lives proves it4 ,death1 instead of     
being the blessed portal to the ,life   
,elysian1 the gate of which may swing   
open for you any day1 and admit you to  
eternal and unfading happiness1 is a    
far-off misty phantom1 whose approach   
you dread1 and the sight of which in    
others you run away from4 ,the majority 
of people avoid the very mention of     
death4 ,they would not look at a corpse 
for anything2 the sight of a coffin or a
 funeral or a graveyard fills them with 
horror2 the idea of it for themselves   
makes them turn pale with fright4 ,is   
this belief in the existence of a tender
 ,father and a blessed home waiting to  
receive them on the other side8 ,even   
professed ,christians experience what   
they term a natural horror at the       
thought of death6 ,i have known persons 
of fixed religious principles who had   
passed their lives 7apparently7 in      
prayer1 and expressed their firm belief 

in ,heaven waiting for them1 fight      
against death with all their mortal     
energies1 and try their utmost to baffle
 the disease that was sent to carry them
 to everlasting happiness4 ,is this     
logical8 ,it is tantamount in my idea to
 the pauper in the workhouse who knows  
that directly the gate is open to let   
him through1 he will pass from skilly1  
oakum1 and solitary confinement to the  
,king's ,palace to enjoy youth1 health1 
and prosperity evermore2 and who1 when  
he sees the gates beginning to unclose1 
puts his back and all his neighbors'    
backs against them to keep them shut as 
long as possible4  ,death should not be 
a horror to any one2 and if we knew more
 about it1 it would cease to be so4 ,it 
is the mystery that appals us4 ,we see  
our friends die1 and no word or sign    
comes back to tell us that there is no  
death1 so we picture them to ourselves  
mouldering in the damp earth till we    
nearly go mad with grief and dismay4    
,some people think me heartless because 

,i never go near the graves of those    
whom ,i love best4 ,why should ,i8 ,i   
might with more reason go and sit beside
 a pile of their cast-off garments4 ,i  
could see them1 and they would actually 
retain more of their identity and       
influence than the corpse which ,i could
 not see4 ,i mourn their loss just the  
same1 but ,i mourn it as ,i should do if
 they had settled for life in a far     
distant land1 from which ,i could only  
enjoy occasional glimpses of their      
happiness4  ,and ,i may say emphatically
 that the greatest good ,spiritualism   
does is to remove the fear of one's own 
death4 ,one can never be quite certain  
of the changes that circumstances may   
bring about1 nor do ,i like to boast    
overmuch4 ,disease and weakness may     
destroy the nerve ,i flatter myself on  
possessing2 but ,i think ,i may say that
 as matters stand at present ,i have no 
fear of death whatever1 and the only    
trouble ,i can foresee in passing       
through it will be to witness the       

distress of my friends4 ,but when ,i    
remember all those who have gathered on 
the other side1 and whom ,i firmly      
believe will be present to help me in my
 passage there1 ,i can feel nothing but 
a great curiosity to pierce the         
mysteries as yet unrevealed to me1 and a
 great longing for the time to come when
 ,i shall join those whom ,i loved so   
much on earth4 ,not to be happy at once 
by any manner of means4 ,i am too sinful
 a mortal for that1 but to work out my  
salvation in the way ,god sees best for 
me1 to make my own heaven or hell       
according as ,i have loved and succoured
 my fellow-creatures here below4 ,yet   
however much ,i may be destined to      
suffer1 never without hope and          
assistance from those whom ,i have      
loved1 and never without feeling that   
through the goodness of ,god each       
struggle or reparation brings me near to
 the fruition of eternal happiness4     
,this is my belief1 this is the good    
that the certain knowledge that we can  

never die has done for me1 and the worst
 ,i wish for anybody is that they may   
share it with me4      ,oh6 though oft  
depressed and lonely1       ,all my     
fears are laid aside1     ,if ,i but    
remember only       ,such as these have 
lived and died4  ,,the ,,end4           
,,united ,,states ,,book ,,company',s   
,announcements ,,and ,new ,publications4
       99499,the books mentioned in this
 ,list can be obtained to      order by 
any ,bookseller if not in stock1 or will
 be sent by the      ,publisher post    
free on receipt of price4  ,,lovell',s  
,,international ,,series  #ac4 ,on      
,circumstantial ,evidence--,by ,florence
 ,marryat  ,this is a story in which    
love and intrigue are the two disturbing
 elements4 ,miss ,marryat is well-known 
to the readers of sentimental novels4   
,she has a bright and crisp way of      
presenting the frailties of the human   
race1 which makes her stories           
entertaining4--,boston ,herald4         
,,cloth1 #a4jj4 ,,paper ,,cover1 #cj    

,,cents4  #ad4 ,miss ,kate1 or the      
,confessions of a ,caretaker--,by ,rita 
,this is a novel of much interest in the
 first part1 of the objectionable guilty
 love order in the latter half4 ,there  
are some beautiful bits of character    
drawing in it1 and some very clever hits
 at ,american foibles4 ,this story is   
exceedingly well told4--,nashville      
,american4  ,,cloth1 #a4jj4 ,,paper     
,,cover1 #cj ,,cents4  #ae4 ,a ,vagabond
 ,lover--,by ,rita  ,is a mere sketch4  
,the hero having been a child who was   
washed on shore from a shipwreck during 
a storm1 and found by a man who believed
 that he had discovered the cause and   
generation of life4 ,the child was made 
a subject for experiment2 life was      
breathed into it1 but only physical life
 and not its higher principle4 ,the     
result is that the child grows up to    
manhood without one redeeming virtue1   
and seems to delight in doing all manner
 of evil4--,philadelphia ,record4       
,,cloth1 #a4jj4 ,,paper ,,cover1 #bj    

,,cents4  #af4 ,the ,search for ,basil  
,lyndhurst--,by ,rosa ,n4 ,carey  ,is a 
well written ,english novel1 into which 
are woven numerous historical sketches1 
adding the merit of instructiveness to  
its other qualities4--,pittsburgh ,post4
  ,,cloth1 #a4jj4 ,,paper ,,cover1 #cj  
,,cents4  #ci4 ,sylvia ,arden--,by      
,oswald ,crawfurd  ,is a novel whose    
story is supposed to be told by a man   
who confesses at the outset that life   
has been with him a failure4 ,he has    
been successful in nothing though trying
 everything--and the novel deals with   
the most remarkable incidents in that   
sort of a career4 ,it is a cleverly done
 book1 and there is much in it which is 
fresh as well as exciting4--,columbus1  
,o41 ,journal4  ,,cloth1 #a4jj4 ,,paper 
,,cover1 #cj ,,cents4  #dj4 ,young ,mr4 
,ainslie's ,courtship--,by ,f4 ,c4      
,philips  ,it seems impossible for ,f4  
,c4 ,philips1 the author of ,as in a    
,looking ,glass1 to keep sensational    
tragedy out of his novels4 ,in ,young   

,mr4 ,ainslie's ,courtship he has       
written a story which is charming1      
witty8 and agreeable up to the very last
 chapter4--,san ,francisco ,chronicle4  
,,cloth1 #a4jj4 ,,paper ,,cover1 #cj    
,,cents4  #da4 ,the ,haute              
,noblesse--,by ,geo4 ,manville ,fenn    
,is a well wrought story of which the   
heroine is a child of the high          
aristocracy1 but nevertheless such      
admirable traits and qualities that even
 the humblest reader cannot fail to love
 her4--,columbus1 ,o41 ,journal4        
,,cloth4 #a4jj4 ,,paper ,,cover1 #cj    
,,cents4  #db4 ,mount ,eden--,by        
,florence ,marryat  ,miss ,florence     
,marryat is well known to the readers of
 sentimental novels4 ,she has a bright  
and crisp way of presenting the         
frailties of the human race1 which makes
 her stories entertaining1 even if they 
are devoid of all good moral purpose4   
,they open one's eyes to the            
inconsistencies of life without wholly  
destroying his faith in his fellow      

citizens4--,boston ,herald4  ,,cloth1   
#a4jj4 ,,paper ,,cover1 #cj ,,cents4    
#hb4 ,a ,woman's ,heart--,by ,mrs4      
,alexander  ,the name of this author is 
familiar to all lovers of fiction who   
will need nothing more to assure them   
that they will not regret the time spent
 in reading ,a ,woman's ,heart4 ,it is a
 refined and interesting story1 pleasant
 and easy reading1 as is usual with all 
,mrs4 ,alexander's works4  ,,cloth1     
#a4jj4 ,,paper ,,cover1 #ej ,,cents4    
#hc4 ,syrlin--,by ,ouida  ,the          
announcement of a new novel by ,ouida1  
sends a thrill of delight through the   
countless host of faithful admirers of  
that petulant priestess of mild         
improprieties4 ,her new books are just  
like her old ones4 ,there is the usual  
abundance of gilded vice and wilful     
wickedness lugged in to give the book   
its wonted flavor4--,n4 ,o4 ,states4    
,,cloth1 #a4jj4 ,,paper ,,cover1 #ej    
,,cents4  #hd4 ,the ,rival              
,princess--,by ,justin ,mc,carthy and   

,mrs4 ,campbell ,praed  ,it is a romance
 of contemporary ,english politics      
wherein many well-known public men      
appear under thin disguises4 ,there is a
 ,stuart princess with lineal claims to 
the ,english throne1 and there is an    
unmasked ,mr4 ,gladstone1 who boldly    
urges the abolition of the ,house of    
,lords4--,charleston ,sunday ,times4    
,,cloth1 #a4jj4 ,,paper ,,cover1 #ej    
,,cents4  #he4 ,blindfold--,by ,florence
 ,marryat  ,is1 in many respects1 the   
best novel which has been given us by   
the prolific pen of the well-known      
,englishwoman4 ,the story is novel1 well
 told1 and events follow upon each other
 quickly1 never allowing the interest to
 flag4--,denver ,news4  ,,cloth1 #a4jj4 
,,paper ,,cover1 #ej ,,cents4  ,,united 
,,states ,,book ,,company1 ,,publishers1
 ,n4 ,y4     ,transcriber's ,notes3     
,text that was written in bold is marked
 like this4  ,page #d1 ,,marryatt       
changed to ,,marryat 7,normalising      
spelling of author's name7  ,page #ah1  

nor changed to not 7a single medium of  
whom ,i have not7  ,page #dg1 bood      
changed to blood 7where the stain of his
 blood still remained7  ,page #di1      
briliant changed to brilliant 7a room   
that was unpleasantly brilliant7  ,page 
#eh1 tempered changed to tampered 7it   
had not been tampered with7  ,page #fa1 
seing changed to seeing 7the possibility
 of seeing a ghost17  ,page #abg1       
foreigh changed to foreign 7he was      
equally ignorant of foreign languages7  
,page #acd1 succssefully changed to     
successfully 7in order to imitate her   
manner and speech successfully7  ,page  
#acg1 ,gupyy changed to ,guppy 7,as     
,mrs4 ,guppy came sailing over our      
heads7  ,page #ach1 it changed to if 7,i
 inquired of every sitter if they had   
seen7  ,page #aee1 eartly changed to    
earthly 7as naturally as if she were    
their earthly form7  ,page #aef1        
,fitzgarald changed to ,fitzgerald      
7,mrs4 ,fitzgerald was dining with us7  
,page #aeh1 ,fitzgereld changed to      

,fitzgerald 7returned through ,mrs4     
,fitzgerald7  ,page #agf1 don changed to
 done 7perhaps1 than anything else has  
done7  ,page #ahj1 ,added missing end   
single quote in probable correct place  
7through the life that lies before      
you4'7  ,page #ahb1 forgetten changed to
 forgotten 7,i had almost forgotten ,mr4
 ,plummer7  ,page #ahe1 mamed changed to
 named 7a photographer in ,london1 named
 ,hudson7  ,page #ahi1 instrument       
changed to instruments 7the two         
instruments pealed forth7  ,page #aih1  
ocsion changed to occasion 7,mr4 ,towns 
prognosticated on that occasion7  ,page 
#bja1 conducter changed to conductor    
7,did you know the spirit8 the conductor
 asked7  ,page #bbj1 aquaintance changed
 to acquaintance 7soon after ,i made her
 acquaintance7  ,page #bee1 creature    
changed to creatures 7creatures who were
 invisible to me7  ,page #bef1 ,mr      
changed to ,mrs 7,mrs4 ,s---- and ,i    
slept in the same room7  ,page #bfd1    
,christian changed to ,christians 7,even

 professed ,christians experience what  
they term7  ,end catalogue1 ,no4 #ac1   
,circumstatial changed to               
,circumstantial 7,on ,circumstantial    
,evidence7  ,end catalogue1 ,no4 #ci1   
successfu changed to successful 7,he has
 been successful in nothing7  ,n4,b4 #a4
 ,some punctuation corrections have not 
been noted here4 #b4 ,two non-matching  
instances of latin word3 propria and    
propria4 ,left as-is4