Seen and Unseen

cry, and my next reminiscence is con

e afternoon to an Oxford tea-party, with its usual sprinkling of women, married and unmar

in this Oxford drawing-room should chance to be a son of this bishop, whom we will call the Bishop of Granchester. I found that my surmise was correct; the young man was introduced to me, and we were soon deep in an interesting conversation about his parents, especially his mother, who had died when he was barely three

e said eagerly. "I have one or two old photographs taken of my mother when she w

sk a "chum" to entertain my hostess whilst he and I disc

will understand, and which often precedes some psychic happening. Just after we had finished dinner, it struck me suddenly, and for the first time, that my discomfort might be connected

en this promise, all unpleasant and disturbing influences disappeared, and I had a

ed about it all day. I am going to order dinner, and shall then be

iful message was given to me

n a state of profound ignorance. The little mother was anxious not to "give him away," nor betray confidences, and so her words were very guarded. There was evidently nothing in the least dishonourable or in any

"try to guess" more than I am told, and to forget what I am told

ains even now ringing in my ears, and if the son ever comes across this record

love so sacred a thing. Tell him to be very, very sur

ucing the sense without the exact wording, but I have no doubt at all tha

ard problem to solve: "W

eed to take the message, tacit

Blake-Mason might probably, and very naturally, resent my writing to him on the subj

private affairs of his discussed, and had taken upon myself to co

a possibility, which, nevert

ess lunatic, conveying a message whic

affairs; in which case he might become intensely interested in psychic matters, to the exclusion of more mundane affairs-

ainst the one pro of his mother's loving anx

e left for me but to send the message, and

olute bona fides and his mother's personality, and become too much absorbed by these psychic possibili

him, and I had nothing m

that he was annoyed, or that the message was quite wide of the mark. I never doubted his mother's presence

ing episodes to which all sensitives are exposed at times,

he corroboration of that message ca

an War, was sent to a London hospital to have the bullet, whi

occasional visits. I had gone to say good-bye to him on leaving town, when "by chance" (as we call it) he mentioned, for the first time, the name of his ward sister, adding how charmin

but I knew her mother and fat

eft the hospital, and as he seemed really anxious on the point I pr

nd showed me into a pretty sitting-room on the ground floor, saying that the sister would be with me shortly. The door opened again to admit a bright, pleasant-looking

ut we sat down, and had a long half hour's chat on much the sa

eps leading from the hospital-she had, in fact, turned towards her own apartments-wh

ell you of a letter he receive

red, without a touc

e need not write at the time, but I have been afraid he was hurt

inly he was not annoyed in any way. Far from it. He was intensely interested, and I have the best

have said, it was no affair of mine, from first to last; but the ve

w about the "Cu

g with a friend-now, alas! passed away-who had then a pretty house not fa

mongst them Mrs Alfred Wedgwood, to whom I had introduced her so

between us. Mrs Wedgwood was talking to Mr Desertis at the moment, but suddenly looked across the room at our sofa, and began describing v

d old man!" Mrs Wedgwood said; then turning round, she added: "Surely some of yo

her husband, who asked at once if th

e," said Mrs Wed

rly and

ing to his collar," continued Mrs

drily to his wife: "Then it cannot possibly be my father

affirmed that she had never seen anyone more

regretted this the more, because I was shortly going to stay with a friend at Windsor for my

o have some connection with the bene

tinue the sequ

as I supposed, long before the afternoon came to an end. It had pas

might come to tea towards the end of the week, as she had something very

bed here the other day, but her words were so graphic that I felt sure she was reall

derly couple had lived here, a husband and wife, that the husband had died, and that although the wife lived away from Wimbledon now, she could not be

e had been let through an agent, and as the present owner lived in

old lady if she had known this gentleman, and if so, would she describe him. She did this, almost word for word as Mrs Wedgwood had seen him. Also, she added,

Miss Farquhar's detective instincts, and prom

remarking that she felt sure someone ought

connected with the same old man. Without saying a word about this, I asked Mrs Wedgwood to come up into my room before she returned to Lo

is that old man, of course. He is earth-bound, I expect, and haunting the house. You had better take a message from him

essage, which began with an apology and regret

alise that it might cause you so much discomfort. That lady called me earth-bound, but if I am, it is only through my deep love for my dear wife, an

mber that it was most touching in its expressions

out raising inconvenient questions, my hostess and I settled that she should

hat this resulted from the message remaining undelivered and the poor old man's frantic endeavours to reach his wife's consciousness, I told my Wimbledon friend th

mine the address was procured, and thi

ould excuse my sending it, after more than a year's consideration of the question. I further intimated that although she might consider me a lunatic for my pains, I trusted there could be nothing t

a shower bath on

! "Her dear husband was quite the gentleman, both in clothes and appearan

er pitiful to think of the poor "young" man of six

dy's address had been given to my Wimbledon hostess, had aske

side of the veil! The marvel to me is that Love can still be s

e atmosphere (psychic) of rooms, especially rooms where

the south of England, and a very bright, c

luence of a strong man; on the contrary, the character appeared to me that of an essentially weak man-weak

never met. The influence I felt was certainly not that of the son I knew, who was b

asking to see a photograph of the latter. My mind was quite set at rest. It

Both my sons have slept there at different times," adding, "I am sure you

icated, I will describe to you the character of a man whom I feel sure must

ics already given, and one or two

the moment, but crossed the room to a cabinet, whence she took a ph

xactly described the character of my brother-in-law,

little incident is

th succumbed to influenza and bronchitis, were

ied from a very painful disease, and suffered terribly. He had grave faults, but, as you said, they came from weakness rather than wickedness. At anyrate, he was humble-minded, for h

ed and sad state of mind. I could realise his presence so clearly, partly, no doubt, from having sensed hi

ature on this side the veil can help a faulty creature on the other side. Personally, I have never h

love each other is to persuade them to help each other. Is it strange that the same r

that my prayers did help and comfort

er lightened. He thanked me for my sympathy and c

lse have done the work equally well-either a near r

ey could have done it equall

bit of work put into my hands, and at leas

w about the "Cu