placed in her hands as she slept. She did comment on him, and truly. She
said he was not true: that he did not love the girl really, that it was
all a sham. Well, the power by which that clairvoyante spoke was the
lurking distrust within the mind of the girl who stood by with an aching
heart, listening to her doom. Also, perhaps, some virtue we know not of
transfused itself subtilely from the paper upon which that perfidious
one had breathed and written. Who can tell? But in any case the thing is
all a snare and a delusion, and after much observation I can honestly
say--I repeat this--that he or she who dabbles in these mysteries loses
faith in God, and is apt to become a prey to the power of Evil.

And then the delusions, collusions, and hopeless entanglement of deceit
mixed up with Spiritualism! How many tales I could tell--an I would!

There was a certain rich old gentleman in a great centre of trade and
finance. The mediums had hope and every prospect he would make a will,
or had made one, in their favour--endowing them and theirs with splendid
and perpetual grants. This credulous searcher had advanced to the stage
when doubt was terrible. He was ardent to convert others, and thereby
strengthen his own fortress. He prevailed upon two clear-headed business
men, brothers, to attend his séances. With reluctance, to do him a
favour, they, after much difficulty, were induced to yield. Their host
only wanted them, he said, to give the matter the unprejudiced attention
they bestowed on--say--pig-iron.

There was no result whatever at the first sitting. The spirits were out
of temper, obstinate, would not work. The disappointment was great, even
to the novices, who had expected some fun at least. However, it was only
an adjournment. The fun came next night.