1893 MADEIKA 315 



morrow I expect the arrival here of Charlotte and 

 Mytsie. 1 . . . 



I forgot about the mesmerism article. You will 

 have seen that the writer rather caved in at the end, 

 so that one cannot well understand how much he him- 

 self supposes was genuine and how much imposture. 



But quite apart from (this), there is no question 

 in my mind that the facts, even as far as hitherto 

 established, are very perplexing. But on this account 

 there is all the more need for caution. I myself 

 went over the Paris Salpetriere two years ago, and 

 saw the doctors' experiments on a number of girls, 

 who were trotted out for my benefit. 



But there was such a lot of hocus pocus with 

 magnets that I was much disappointed. Even if 

 none of the girls were humbugging, I saw nothing 

 that could not be explained by suggestion. 



For the doctors made suggestions while perform- 

 ing the very experiments which were designed to 

 exclude suggestion. 



To M?*s. Vernon Boys. 



New Hotel, Madeira : February 1, 1803. 



My dear Marion, — If I have your husband's 

 permission still to call you so — your kind letter has 

 been a great solace to me, after my ineffectual efforts 

 to supply a sonnet for the great occasion. For it 

 shows me that your Laureate is forgiven, and my 

 friend, what that friend has always been. Besides, I 

 am now lonely — as my brace of Ethels has flown 



1 A favourite cousin, who died a few months after Mr. Romanes. 



