She replied, Mr. James.' This was the right name, but as we had often expected and hoped to see or hear from this spirit, her giving the name would not have been any evidence at all. So far it might all have been guess-work or coincidence. This possibility, however, was soon put out of the question. Next day, I got accidentally into an omnibus, in which was a person of strong medium power also acquainted with the departed Mr. James, and who was then returning from a visit to some friends, interested like myself in the investigation of these phenonema. He accosted me with

'There appears to be a reason for my meeting you. Last night at the 's Mr. James announced himself. We asked him whether he had been to see you, and he said that he would go at once. We then concluded that he was absent, by his not answering our questions; but he soon returned, and said that he had seen you, but was not sure of your recognising him. shake hands with him as usual. disappointed.'

He said you did not

In fact, he seemed

I then asked at what time in the evening this had taken place, and was told at half-past eight, being just the time at which I believed that the face of my friend had appeared to me.

In the chapter on writing an instance is recorded in which the two fearful names of Catherine de Medicis and Maria Manning were written by the hand of a gentle

man with my own placed on the wrist: the painful feeling left in the arm and shoulder on that occasion were noticed. The reader will remember too that when an illustrative sketch was made of the method of influencing, the evil influence was represented as coming from a figure on the ground, and being directed towards the lower portion, what is called the basilar region, of the brain, while the higher organs are subjected to a stream or ray emanating from a figure above. When the little drawing was made I had not even a guess, much less a theory, on the subject; and Miss L- when she saw the following crystal vision, was not only as little informed on the method of influence as I had been, but was quite unacquainted with phrenology.

,

Here is a park, or at least green grass, with oars lying down. They are painted red and blue: I suppose I am to go over the water. No; down a lane, and into a kind of hall or theatre with benches rising one above another all around. The seats are empty. In the centre, below, is an altar, and upon it a crucifix with our Saviour. In front of the crucifix there stands a vase of beautiful fresh flowers. I see behind the altar a marble tomb. What a bright light comes from the tomb and the cross! Over the altar there is a board like a sign-board. I hope I shall be able to read that inscription! But the letters don't come out clear yet. It is getting cloudy—now clear again, and the benches are quite full of people. A man is here in a soldier's

uniform with a wand in his hand pointing to the letters. Still they are misty, I can't read them. I don't like the look of that man, and none of the people seem to like him.'

I wish,' I said, that we could have some sign whether they like his presence.'

They have all bent their heads down sadly. They do not like it. Oh, how my neck aches!'

She put her hand to her neck just at the base of the brain. Without saying a word to her I demesmerised the spot by a few horizontal passes, while she continued looking earnestly at the crystal, the shelter for which, built up of large books, quite hid her face.

'How is the pain now?'

'Gone. That man is gone, and they are all looking up joyfully.'

'Tell me when or how the man went away.'

'I don't know ; just as you asked me about the pain he had disappeared. Oh! the light from the tomb and the cross is glorious! It is a church, and I think it must be something about death they are going to show us. Here is a sweet-looking lady in a white dress, with a crimson border. She is pointing to the letters. Now I shall be able to make it out (reads)

666

"I, a, m, t, h, e, l, i, g, h, t. H, e, t, h, a, t, b, e,—” I can't read the next: at the end it is

"Perhaps it is, "I am the Light.

on Me shall have life.”

"have life.""

He that believeth

"Yes.

tomb meant.

That is it. Now I see what the cross and the In the lane again. Coming back. Now it is all gone!'

Here it will be seen that the words presented to the seer were not precisely those of our Lord. They seem to be a compound of the two sentences, I am the Resurrection and the Life: He that believeth on Me shall never die.' 'I am the light of the world,' &c. I presume that the manner in which the words were collocated and shown to Miss L were those best adapted to convey to her mind, imperfectly impressed with the Scripture phraseology, the beautiful teaching of the vision.

Within a month from this time, the departure of a near and dear friend was witnessed by the seeress and myself.

Cases of vision might be multiplied to a very great extent, and I shall hereafter have to recur to several modifications. But enough have been here given for specimens of the different kinds of spiritual sight. It will soon, I think, be found that the different varieties in each mode of manifestation are produced by different degrees rather than by dissimilarity in kind of influence. These varieties, too, seem in a great measure to depend on the varying susceptibility of the human frame to the reception of the unseen power.

77

CHAPTER VII,

MEDIUMSHIP (continued)—THE VOICE AND HEARING.

HE first conjectures as to the cause of writing,

THE

drawing, hearing, &c., are, naturally enough, that the medium is the subject of some irregular action of the nerves and muscles, perhaps also of the brain, which may be traced by physiologists, but whose cause lies quite beyond the penetration of the uninitiated: a process like that which goes on in dreams, which, though held by the ignorant to have something awful and mysterious in their natures, are easily enough placed by the scientific to the score of late suppers, sour wines, and other similar causes. In mentioning our first experiences of writing, drawing, and vision, I have tried to choose those instances which are best calculated to place the phenomenon beyond the region of subjectivity. Perhaps the following instance of hearing will have the effect of producing similar conclusions as to that mode of manifestation. A sick person, who was in the habit of receiving visits from a kind friend whose mesmerism had sometimes been useful, having means of com