"During the sitting keep an open mind and a closed mouth," she
replied, cheerfully.

As I said at the beginning, this is not a ghost story. Parts of
it we now understand, other parts we do not. For the physical
phenomena we have no adequate explanation. They occurred. We saw
and heard them. For the other part of the seance we have come to
a conclusion satisfactory to ourselves, a conclusion not reached,
however, until some of us had gone through some dangerous
experiences, and had been brought into contact with things hitherto
outside the orderly progression of our lives.

But at no time, although incredible things happened, did any one
of us glimpse that strange world of the spirit that seemed so often
almost within our range of vision.

Miss Jeremy, the medium, was due at 8:30 and at 8:20 my wife assisted
Mrs. Dane into one of the straight chairs at the table, and Sperry,
sent out by her, returned with a darkish bundle in his arms, and
carrying a light bamboo rod.

"Don't ask me what they are for," he said to Herbert's grin of
amusement. "Every workman has his tools."

Herbert examined the rod, but it was what it appeared to be, and
nothing else.

Some one had started the phonograph in the library, and it was
playing gloomily, "Shall we meet beyond the river?" At Sperry's