we might question whether its presence was not a _sine qua non_ for the
action of the etheric vibrations. I will therefore pass on to a class of
examples which show that very curious phenomena can take place without
the physical body being on the spot. There are numerous well verified
cases of the kind to be found in the records of the Society for
Psychical Research and in other books by trustworthy writers; but it may
perhaps interest the present reader to hear one or two instances of my
personal experience which, though they may not be so striking as some of
those recorded by others, still point in the same direction.

My first introduction to Scotland was when I delivered the course of
lectures in Edinburgh which led to the publication of my first book,
the "Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science." The following years I gave
a second course of lectures in Edinburgh, but the friends who had kindly
entertained me on the former occasion had in the meanwhile gone to live
elsewhere. However, a certain Mr. S., whose acquaintance I had made on
my previous visit, invited me to stay with him for a day or two while I
could look round for other accommodation, though, as it turned out, I
remained at his house during the whole month I was in Edinburgh. I had,
however, never seen his house, which was on the opposite side of the
town to where I had stayed before. I arrived there on a Tuesday, and Mr.
S. and his family at once met me with the question:

"What were you thinking of at ten o'clock on Sunday evening?"

I could not immediately recall this, and also wanted to know the reason
of their question.

"We have something curious to tell you," they replied, "but first try to
remember what you were thinking of at ten o'clock on Sunday