292 



MY LIFE 



[Chap. 



becomes the theory of imposture or delusion. I know that 

 the facts are real natural phenomena, just as certainly as I 

 know any other curious facts in nature. 



" Allow me to narrate one of the scores of equally remark- 

 able things I have witnessed, and this one, though it certainly 

 happened in the dark, is thereby only rendered more difficult 

 to explain as a trick. 



" The place was the drawing-room of a friend of mine, a 

 brother of one of our best artists. The witnesses were his 

 own and his brother's family, one or two of their friends, 

 myself, and Mr. John Smith, banker, of Malton, Yorkshire, 

 introduced by me. The medium was Miss Nichol. We sat 

 round a pillar-table in the middle of the room, exactly under 

 a glass chandelier. Miss Nichol sat opposite me, and my 

 friend, Mr. Smith, sat next her. We all held our neighbour's 

 hands, and Miss Nichol's hands were both held by Mr. Smith, 

 a stranger to all but myself, and who had never met Miss N. 

 before. When comfortably arranged in this manner the 

 lights were put out, one of the party holding a box of 

 matches ready to strike a light when asked. 



"After a few minutes' conversation, during a period of 

 silence, I heard the following sounds in rapid succession : 

 a slight rustle, as of a lady's dress ; a little tap, such as 

 might be made by setting down a wineglass on the table ; 

 and a very slight jingling of the drops of the glass chandelier. 

 An instant after Mr. Smith said, ' Miss Nichol is gone.' The 

 match-holder struck a light, and on the table (which had 

 no cloth) was Miss Nichol seated in her chair, her head just 

 touching the chandelier. 



" I had witnessed a similar phenomenon before, and was 

 able to observe coolly ; and the facts were noted down soon 

 afterwards. Mr. Smith assured me that Miss Nichol simply 

 glided out of his hands. No one else moved or quitted hold 

 of their neighbour's hands. There was not more noise than 

 I have described, and no motion or even tremor of the table, 

 although our hands were upon it. 



" You know Miss N.'s size and probable weight, and can 

 judge of the force and exertion required to lift her and her 



