SPIRITUALISTIC EXPERIENCES 345 



earrings. The figure had bare feet, was somewhat taller than 

 Miss Cook, and, though there was a general resemblance, was 

 quite distinct in features, figure, and hair. After half an hour 

 or more this figure would retire, close the curtains, and some- 

 times within a few seconds would say, " Come and look." We 

 then opened the curtains, turned up the lamp, and Miss Cook 

 was found in a trance in the chair, her black dress, laced- 

 boots, etc., in the most perfect order as when she arrived, 

 while the full-gown white-robed figure had totally disappeared. 



Mr. Robert Chambers introduced me to a wealthy Scotch 

 lady, Miss Douglas, living in South Audley Street, and at 

 her house I attended many seances, and met there Mr. 

 Hensieigh Wedgwood, and several other London spiritualists. 

 Perhaps the most interesting of these were a series with Mr. 

 Haxby, a young man engaged in the post-office and a remark- 

 able medium for materializations. He was a small man, and 

 sat in a small drawing-room on the first floor separated by 

 curtains from a larger one, where the visitors sat in a subdued 

 light. After a few minutes, from between the curtains would 

 appear a tall and stately East Indian figure in white robes, 

 a rich waistband, sandals, and large turban, snowy white, and 

 disposed with perfect elegance. Sometimes this figure would 

 walk round the room outside the circle, would lift up a large 

 and very heavy musical box, which he would wind up and 

 then swing round his head with one hand. He would often 

 come to each of us in succession, bow, and allow us to feel 

 his hands and examine his robes. We asked him to stand 

 against the door-post and marked his height, and on one 

 occasion Mr. Hensieigh Wedgwood brought with him a shoe- 

 maker's measuring-rule, and at our request, Abdullah, as he 

 gave his name, took off a sandal, placed his foot on a chair, 

 and allowed it to be accurately measured with the sliding- 

 rule. After the seance Mr. Haxby removed his boot and had 

 his foot measured by the same rule, when that of the figure 

 was found to be full one inch and a quarter the longer, while 

 in height it was about half a foot taller. A minute or two 

 after Abdullah had retired into the small room, Haxby was 



