Seen and Unseen

887 had taken place, I sailed

olonies took place in Melbourne, som

hic, and would greatly enjoy hearing my American experiences. Fortunately, the lady arrived late, and we had already enjoyed some interesting conversation before she came. A wetter "wet blanket" it has never been my fortune to encounter. She was a very

ed the words: "Now go on making a fool of you

eather, which is disagreeable enough from sirocco in the

er of the house came

es, Miss Bates; we can talk about other things at any ti

ry, but I cannot possibly talk of these things before your friend-she paralyses me absolutely from any psychic p

did very much want Lizzie to hear about America too, but she has gone off to the other e

roduced to me. So when my young hostess asked "if she might bring Lizzie to see me at my h

hear that Miss Maynard had arrived to see me, and, moreover, had arrived alone. I had never spoken to the girl nor even consciously set eyes on her before, but I knew she must have come at least three miles from the suburb where she lived, and

s, and apologised for being unable to join in the tea-party, but felt rather desperate wh

sit, which Miss Boyle had been unable to carry out herself, she had mentioned that her friend

her: "I am so sorry to be so stupid to-day, Miss Maynard. I cannot talk, but I can listen; or do you th

w, of course, what may come, and as this is our first meeting

pencil very loosely between the second and third fingers, inste

ell versed in automatic writing then, I could not believe that any

eally coming?" I

er round, so that she could see it, for the first time. "Kindly give me that

nct caligraphy were submitted to me, and I saw that "Miscellaneous" had be

resting to me, for it began: "I who

s I discovered later), seemed to know little about the famous author beyond her name. Another, and infinitely inferior, lady writer had been discussed with bated breath the day before in Lizzie's presence. Her books-just then in the zenith of their popularity-had newly penetrated to the Colo

embered having often stayed at Oxford as a young woman, when Jow

but it amused me often to hear the dull and uninteresting people of some standing in the University, whom

often experienced on hearing similar remarks made, about a woman too far above her critics b

e gods, making the most of such an opportunity. On these occasions so many possible questio

ked the follow

r who had been so much discussed and so h

nswer: "I have no sympa

urned out, were as enthusiastic as those of most people in the Colony. It was not until several years later that

l. Moreover, I feared the answer must almost of necessity be coloured by the traditions of the latter, and

s that she was justified in the position

: "Certainly. We are one h

from the brain of an orthodox yo

alled Stella. Now my mother's name in earth life was Ellen, which has the same root for its origin. Of course, Miss

me, and I must be very careful to use without abusing it." I was too tired at the moment to ask whether "another year rolling b

hem out for me, took her departure, and left me to muse-so far as a racking brain would allow-on the curiou

istant connection with th

by literary matters, this lady had finally lost patience, and, without my knowledge, had gone on to New Zealand, and thence, as it turned out, to Samoa. When I heard of the New Zealand episode there was nothing for it but to follow her there, on a will-o'-the-wisp expedition, as it turned out,

e, as I have called it. For the delay led to my meeting-in a friend's house-Mr Arthur Kitchener (a younger brother of Lord Kitchener), who was introduced to me on the special ground that we were to be fellow-travellers to New Zealand a day or two l

they all remained on the lower deck, wishing I would come down and talk to them sometimes. In spite of these misconceptions on either side, Mr Kitchener and I became sufficiently friendly for him to give me a very kind and hospitable invitation to spend the last few days of the year at his "station," about nine

cepted, and he kindly promised to ask o

om the New Zealand lakes, and just before an expedition

rse, midsummer there. It lasts for ten days, and gives one the opportu

thout stopping for the night at Dunedin, whence we were to sail. But at the last moment a slight contretemps took place. Owing to some delay the steamer would

that no good purpose would be served by doing so. It is impossible on these occasions to convince anyone else that you are not pushing or "muscle moving," or generally playing tricks, and it has always seemed to me t

c meetings in Dunback or Dunedin, and evidently wished me to reconsider the matter. Also it happened to be the last day of the year, when people are always more inclin

th October-two months previously-had been rather vague, and that it might be interesting, if the chance came, to find out wheth

heavily." "Why, how extraordinary! that is exactly what I thought about you," etc. etc., it was

from October last-I referred

write automatically?

t would be very dangero

o hear? Shall I be

for the s

ly was: "Then shall I be

t for the first time. Remember my wa

t intuitively that Mr Kitchener thought I was deceiving myself into the idea that human muscles could not accoun

ady taken my hands off the table, when someone-Mr Kitchener, I think-banged it down four times, and then triumphantly observed: "Yes, of course, you will see somebody during the night, or rather at four o'clock

came to banging the leg of the table down four times, and ca

ave my first vision that night, though i

of December or first week in January out there, so it would have been fairly light bef

tanding about two or three feet from the wall, and parallel with the only window in the room; which faced the d

size or rather more, with one arm held out in a protecting fashion towards me, and some drapery about the head. The features were, moreover, quite distinct, and, as I afterwards realised, the counterpart of George Eliot's curious and Savonarola-like countenance. But at the moment, oddl

eling of blissful satisfaction which I have never exac

-much more-than a mere vision. I have spoken of the figure as diaphanous because it was not as solid as an ordinary human being, but, on the other hand, I could not see the wall through it: it was too solid for that. Then I remembered a story told in The Athen?um-of all papers-and written by a Dr Jephson, of his experience whilst paying a visit to Lord Offord, and making notes-late at night-in

as there, and Dr Jephson then realised for the first time that, although not consciously frightened or alarmed in any way, he was quite unable to speak to the

f she is still there." I turned deliberately, facing the window, and then realised that it was pitch dark in my room-not the

e done so in theory! I saw her as distinctly as I ever saw a marble statue in the Vatican Gallery by the light of noon. Although I had recalled the Jephson story so circumstantially, it never struck me that it might be interesting to attempt any conversation, and see whether I also were tongue-tied. I did not want to speak-there seemed no special reason for speaking. It w

or some ten minutes, and then it struck me that I had better lig

that I must have seen the figure at two-fifteen a.m., or possibly at two-ten a.m., for I think the experience lasted nearly five minutes altogether. Anyway, I felt sure that ten minutes, as nearly as possible, had elapsed

nse, and I confess I did not believe anything that came last night when so much joking was going on, but I was mistaken. I d

eted me, and then Mr

at four a.m. I am not at

I made a special note of the time. I was asleep again l

ave gone wrong; but we compared notes, and our watches wer

ded, Mr Kitchener had attempted to make me see a vision at four a.m., but as he confessed he had been fast asleep when I did see (an hour and th

ater, by which time I had visited the "Sounds," and many other places

Irish housekeeper, whose nationality I knew would prevent her thinking me a mere lunatic. By this time scept

housekeeper when she brought my hot water as to whether it could have been possible for Mr Kitchener or anyone else in the house to have access to a clean sheet or tablecloth, and to have masqueraded in the garden outside my room.

ow man or woman, masquerading in a white sheet in the garden outside, could convey the fairly solid figure of a faked "George Eliot," who stood wel

this step being strengthened by the curious coincidence which I had just discovered-i.e. that Mr Kitchener's housekeeper had lived with the Maynards when they had had a house in Dunedin, which wa

I have had reason since to believe that I was unconsciously impressed to leave out this special detail, in order that I might receive far better evidence than would have been possible under oth

friends the Maynards must be, and how kindly they had written to his excellent little housekeeper, sending her welcome gifts, and saying that her place had never been filled in their hearts,

n I tell you what we were doing that night. I was spending the week-end with our mutual friends Captain and Mrs Boyle" (in whos

me, and those in the house retiring to bed. Lily and I were too much excited to get into bed at once, so I suggested that we should try to compose a letter to Miss Pear

ot had used my hand to convey her message to you last October; might we not, remembering this, appeal to her to help us in our difficulty? So we gave up trying to write the letter ourselves, took down planchette from its shelf, and started again. In a few moments an excellent letter was written, giving your name as an introduction, with all the

" (Lizzie enclosed the script

u now-I have promised to g

ther's name in spirit life was Stella, so, of course, we knew

y accurately-in order to tell you about it, and the hour was just twelve-thirty a.m. Do write and tell us that was th

Dunedin and Melbourne, and I must confess to my own amazement when I found that it wa

n the two occurrences, until I casually asked a gentleman, who was staying in

t for a moment, and then raising his head, said: "As nearly an hour and three quarters as possible." This was pretty good evidence of the pract

d, I told him this story. He was greatly interested, but pointed out that it was useless from the e

n I had to get Miss Lizzie Maynard's testimony with regard to her letter to me, and finally, I think, the testimony of Lily Boyle and her father that Miss Maynard was their guest in Melbourne on the o

rst time after my travels, she referred to the letter she had received-under favo

alian girls, as they described themselves to m

composition, as the popular author think