SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS. 163 



as much popular interest is always awakened by the supernatural, or what is 

 supposed to be supernatural, we may go a little farther, and inquire how 

 it was that the ghost seen by Dr. Jessopp disappeared when he raised his 

 arm. Would any ghost be afraid of the Doctor extending his hand ? The 

 fact no doubt occurred as related. The explanation is that the narrator had 

 been much impressed by a certain picture, which a correspondent soon 

 identified as a portrait of " Parsons, the Jesuit Father." The description 

 given is that of the priest who was described by the Doctor in one of his 

 books. The association of ideas in the library of a Norfolk house con- 

 nected with the Walpoles, with whom Parsons had been a leader, gave rise, 

 during a period of " forty winks " at midnight, to the spectre. 



In the interesting letters written upon " Natural Magic " by Sir David 

 Brewster, the subject of Spectral Illusions is treated at some length, and with 

 undoubted authority. Sir David thought the subject worth discussing with 

 reference to the illusions or spectres mentioned by Dr. Hibbert. Sir David 

 Brewster gives his own experiences which occurred while he was staying at 

 the house of a lady in the country. 



The illusions appear to have affected her ear as well as the eye. We 

 shall see in the next chapter how intimately sound and light are connected, 

 and how the eyes and ears are equally impressed, though in a different way, 

 by the vibration of particles. The lady referred to was about to go 

 upstairs to dress for dinner one afternoon, when she heard her husband's 

 voice calling to her by name. She opened the door, and nobody was out- 

 side ; and when she returned for a moment to the fire she heard the voice 

 again calling, "Come to me; come, come away," in a somewhat impatient 

 tone. She immediately went in search of her husband, but he did not come 

 in till half an hour afterwards, and of course said he had not called, and told 

 her where he had been at the time some distance away. This happened 

 on the 26th December, 1830, but a more alarming occurrence took place 

 four days after. 



About the same time in the afternoon of the 3Oth December, the 

 lady came into the drawing-room, and to her great astonishment she per- 

 ceived her husband standing with his back to the fireplace. She had seen 

 him go out walking a short time previously, and was naturally surprised to 

 find he had returned so soon. He looked at her very thoughtfully, and 

 made no answer. She sat down close beside him at the fire, and as he still 

 gazed upon her she said, " Why don't you say something ! " The figure 

 immediately moved away towards the window at the farther end of the room, 

 still gazing at her, " and it passed so close that she was struck by the 

 circumstance of hearing no step nor sound, nor feeling her dress brushed 

 against, nor even any agitation of the air." Although convinced this was 

 not her husband, the lady never fancied there was anything supernatural in 

 the appearance of the figure. Subsequently she was convinced that it was 

 a spectral illusion, although she could not see through the figure which 

 appeared as substantial as the reality. 



