iS74 A SPIRITUALISTIC SltANCE 455 



thing." We were in pitch darkness, and all I could do was to 

 bring my sense of touch to bear with extreme tension upon the 

 medium's hand^still well in my grip. 



Before long Medium became a good deal convulsed at in- 

 tervals, and soon a dragging sound was heard, and Mr. Y told 

 us that the arm-chair (mark its position) had moved up against 

 his leg, and was shoving against him. By degrees the arm- 

 chair became importunate, and by the manner of Mr. Y's re- 

 marks it was clear that his attention was entirely given to its 

 movements. 



Then I felt the fingers of the medium's left hand become 

 tense — in such a manner as to show that the muscles of the left 

 arm were contracting sympathetically with those of the other 

 arm on which a considerable strain was evidently being put. 

 Mr. Y's observations upon the eccentricities of the arm-chair 

 became louder — a noise was heard as of the chair descending 

 on the table and shoving the guitar before it (while at the same 

 time, or just before, there was a crash of a falling thermometer), 

 and the tension of the left arm ceased. The chair had got on to 

 the table. Says the Medium to Mr. Y, " Your hand was against 

 mine all the time." " Well, no," replied Mr. Y, " not quite. For 

 a moment as the chair was coming up I don't think it was." 

 But it was agreed that this momentary separation made no 

 difference. I said nothing, but, like the parrot, thought the 

 more. After this nothing further happened. But conversation 

 went on, and more than once the medium was careful to point 

 out that the chair came upon the table while his hand was really 

 in contact with Mr. Y's. 



G. D. will tell you if this is a fair statement of the facts. I 

 believe it is, for my attention was on the stretch for those mortal 

 two hours and a half, and I did not allow myself to be distracted 

 from the main points in any way. My conclusion is that Mr. X 

 is a cheat and an impostor, and I have no more doubt that he got 

 Mr. Y to sit on his right hand, knowing from the turn of his con- 

 versation that it would be easy to distract his attention, and 

 that he then moved the chair against Mr. Y with his leg, and 

 finally coolly lifted (it) on to the table than that I am writing 

 these lines. T. H. H. 



As Mr. G. Darwin wrote of the seance, " It has giyen me a 



lesson with respect to the worthlessness of evidence which I 



shall always remember, and besides will make me very difficult 



in trusting myself. Unless I had seen it, I could not have be- 



30 



