begun to interest myself in a person who merely came to interrupt me in
my business by trying to sell me tickets to a spiritualistic exhibition.
My instant impulse was to turn from the man and let him see that I was
offended by his intrusion, but my reason told me that he had done
nothing that called for resentment. If I had expected something more
important from him, that was my affair. He had not pretended to have any
other business than that which brought him.

And, besides, he offered me something which in fact I wanted. I am a
member of a society for psychical research, which, about a year before,
had been organized in our town. It is composed almost exclusively of
persons who are desirous of honestly investigating the facts, as well as
theories, connected with the spiritual phenomena, not only of our own
day, but of all ages. We had heard of the spiritualistic exhibitions
which were to be given in our town, and I, with a number of my
fellow-members, had determined to attend them. If there was anything
real or tangible in the performances of these people we wanted to know
it. Considering all this, it would be foolish for me to be angry with a
man who had brought me the very tickets I intended to buy, and, instead
of turning away from him, I took out my pocket-book.

"I will take one ticket for each of the three séances," I said. And I
placed the money on the table.

I should have been glad to buy two sets of tickets; one for my wife; but
I knew this would be useless. She did not belong to our society, and
took no interest in its investigations.

"These things are all tricks and nonsense," she said. "I don't want to
know anything about them. And if they were true, I most certainly would