122 LETTERS ON NATURAL MAGIC. 



1. The first illusion to which Mrs. A. was subject was 

 one which affected only the ear. On the 26th of De- 

 cember, 1830, about half-past four in the afternoon, she 

 was standing near the fire in the hall, and on the point 

 of going up stairs to dress, when she heard, as she sup- 

 posed, her husband's voice calling her by name, " 

 Come here ! come to me !" She imagined that he was 

 calling at the door to have it opened, but upon going 

 there and opening the door she was surprised to find no 

 person there. Upon returning to the fire, she again heard 

 the same voice calling out very distinctly and loudly, 



' ' Come, come here !" She then opened two other 



doors of the same room, and upon seeing no person she 

 returned to the fire-place. After a few moments she 



heard the same voice still calling, " Come to me, come ! 



come away !" in a loud, plaintive, and somewhat impa- 

 tient tone. She answered as loudly, " Where are you ? 

 I don't know where you are ;" still imagining that he 

 was somewhere in search of her : but receiving no 

 answer she shortly went up stairs. On Mr. A.'s return 

 to the house, about half an hour afterwards, she inquired 

 why he called to her so often, and where he was ; and she 

 was of course greatly surprised to learn that he had not 

 been near the house at the time. A similar illusion, 

 which excited no particular notice at the time, occurred to 

 Mrs. A. when residing at Florence about ten years before, 

 and when she was in perfect health. When she was un- 

 dressing after a ball, she heard a voice call her repeatedly 

 by name, and she was at that time unable to account for it. 



2. The next illusion which occurred to Mrs. A. was of 

 a more alarming character. On the 30th of December, 

 about four o'clock in the afternoon, Mrs. A. came down 

 stairs into the drawing-room, which she had quitted only 

 a few minutes before, and on entering the room she saw 

 her husband, as she supposed, standing with his back to 



