the unknown guest-第6节

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I　was　and　what　I　was　doing。　Without　a　second's　hesitation；　Mme。　M　declared　that　I　was　very　far　away；　in　a　foreign　country　where　they　spoke　a　language　which　she　did　not　understand。　She　saw　first　a　paved　yard；　shaded　by　a　big　tree；　with　a　building　on　the　left　and　a　garden　at　the　back：　a　rough　but　not　inapt　description　of　Krall's　stables；　which　my　wife　did　not　know　and　which　I　myself　had　not　seen　at　the　time　when　I　wrote　the　note。　She　next　perceived　me　in　the　midst　of　the　horses；　examining　them；　studying　them　with　an　absorbed；　anxious　and　tired　air。　This　was　true；　for　I　found　those　visits；　which　overwhelmed　me　with　a　sense　of　the　marvelous　and　kept　my　attention　on　the　rack；　singularly　exhausting　and　bewildering。　My　wife　asked　her　if　I　intended　to　buy　the　horses。　She　replied：

〃Not　at　all；　he　is　not　thinking　of　it。〃

And；　seeking　her　words　as　though　to　express　an　unaccustomed　and　obscure　thought；　she　added：

〃I　don't　know　why　he　is　so　much　interested；　it　is　not　like　him。　He　has　no　particular　passion　for　horses。　He　has　some　lofty　idea　which　I　can't　quite　discover。　。　。　。〃

She　made　two　rather　curious　mistakes　in　this　experiment。　The　first　was　that；　at　the　time　when　she　saw　me　in　Krall's　stable…yard；　I　was　no　longer　there。　She　had　received　her　vision　just　in　the　interval　of　a　few　hours　between　two　visits。　Experience　shows；　however；　that　this　is　a　usual　error　among　psychometers。　They　do　not；　properly　speaking；　see　the　action　at　the　very　moment　of　its　performance；　but　rather　the　customary　and　familiar　action；　the　principal　thing　that　preoccupies　either　the　person　about　whom　they　are　being　consulted　or　the　person　consulting　them。　They　frequently　go　astray　in　time。　There　is　not；　therefore；　necessarily　any　simultaneity　between　the　action　and　the　vision；　and　it　is　well　never　to　take　their　statements　in　this　respect　literally。

The　other　mistake　referred　to　our　dress：　Krall　and　I　were　in　ordinary　town　clothes；　whereas　she　saw　us　in　those　long　coats　which　stable…lads　wear　when　grooming　their　horses。

Let　us　now　make　every　allowance　for　my　wife's　unconscious　suggestions：　she　knew　that　I　was　at　Elberfeld　and　that　I　should　be　in　the　midst　of　the　horses；　and　she　knew　or　could　easily　conjecture　my　state　of　mind。　The　transmission　of　thought　is　remarkable；　but　this　is　a　recognized　phenomenon　and　one　of　frequent　occurrence　and　we　need　not　therefore　linger　over　it。

The　real　mystery　begins　with　the　description　of　a　place　which　my　wife　had　never　seen　and　which　I　had　not　seen　either　at　the　time　of　writing　the　note　which　established　the　psychometrical　communication。　Are　we　to　believe　that　the　appearance　of　what　I　was　one　day　to　see　was　already　inscribed　on　that　prophetic　sheet　of　paper；　or　more　simply　and　more　probably　that　the　paper　which　represented　myself　was　enough　to　transmit　either　to　my　wife's　subconsciousness　or　to　Mme。　M；　whom　at　that　time　I　had　never　met；　an　exact　picture　of　what　my　eyes　beheld　three　or　four　hundred　miles　away？　But；　although　this　description　is　exceedingly　accuratepaved　yard；　big　tree；　building　on　the　left；　garden　at　the　backis　it　not　too　general　for　all　idea　of　chance　coincidence　to　be　eliminated？　Perhaps；　by　insisting　further；　greater　precision　might　have　been　obtained；　but　this　is　not　certain；　for　as　a　role　the　pictures　follow　upon　one　another　so　swiftly　in　the　medium's　vision　that　he　has　no　time　to　perceive　the　details。　When　all　is　said；　experiences　of　this　kind　do　not　enable　us　to　go　beyond　the　telepathic　explanation。　But　here　is　a　different　one；　in　which　subconscious　suggestion　cannot　play　any　part　whatever。

Some　days　after　the　experiment　which　I　have　related；　I　received　from　England　a　request　for　my　autograph。　Unlike　most　of　those　which　assail　an　author　of　any　celebrity；　it　was　charming　and　unaffected；　but　it　told　me　nothing　about　its　writer。　Without　even　noticing　from　what　town　it　was　sent　to　me；　after　showing　it　to　my　wife；　I　replaced　it　in　its　envelope　and　took　it　to　Mme。　M。　She　began　by　describing　us；　my　wife　and　myself；　who　both　of　us　had　touched　the　paper　and　consequently　impregnated　it　with　our　respective　〃fluids。〃　

I　asked　her　to　pass　beyond　us　and　come　to　the　writer　of　the　note。　She　then　saw　a　girl　of　fifteen　or　sixteen；　almost　a　child；　who　had　been　in　rather　indifferent　health；　but　who　was　now　very　well　indeed。　The　girl　was　in　a　beautiful　garden；　in　front　of　a　large　and　luxurious　house　standing　in　the　midst　of　rather　hilly　country。　She　was　playing　with　a　big；　curly…haired；　long…eared　dog。　Through　the　branches　of　the　trees　one　caught　a　glimpse　of　the　sea。

On　inquiry；　all　the　details　were　found　to　be　astonishingly　accurate；　but；　as　usual；　there　was　a　mistake　in　the　time；　that　is　to　say；　the　girl　and　her　dog　were　not　in　the　garden　at　the　instant　when　the　medium　saw　them　there。　Here　again　an　habitual　action　had　obscured　a　casual　movement；　for；　as　I　have　already　said；　the　vision　very　rarely　corresponds　with　the　momentary　reality。

4

There　is　nothing　exceptional　in　the　above　example；　I　selected　it　from　among　many　others　because　it　is　simple　and　clear。　Besides；　this　kind　of　experience　is　already；　so　to　speak；　classical；　or　at　least　should　be　so；　were　it　not　that　everything　relating　to　the　manifestations　of　our　subconsciousness　is　always　received　with　extraordinary　suspicion。　In　any　case；　I　cannot　too　often　repeat　that　the　experiment　is　within　everybody's　reach；　and　it　rarely　fails　to　achieve　absolute　success　with　capable　psychometers；　who　are　pretty　well　known　and　whom　it　is　open　to　any　one　to　consult。

Let　us　add　that　it　can　be　extended　much　further。　If；　for　instance；　I　had　acted　as　I　did　in　similar　cases　and　asked　the　medium　questions　about　the　young　girl's　home…circle；　about　the　character　of　her　father；　the　health　of　her　mother；　the　tastes　and　habits　of　her　brothers　and　sisters；　she　would　have　answered　with　the　same　certainty；　the　same　precision　as　one　might　do　who　was　not　only　a　close　acquaintance　of　the　girl's；　but　endowed　with　much　more　penetrating　faculties　of　intuition　than　a　normal　observer。　In　short；　she　would　have　felt　and　expressed　all　that　this　girl's　subconsciousness　would　have　felt　with　regard　to　the　persons　mentioned。　But　it　must　be　admitted　that；　as　we　are　here　no　longer　speaking　of　facts　that　are　easily　verified；　confirmation　becomes　infinitely　more　difficult。

There　could　be　no　question；　in　the　circumstances；　of　transmission　of　thought；　since　both　the　medium　and　I　were　ignorant　of　everything。　Besides；　other　experiments；　easily　devised　and　repeated　and　more　rigourously　controlled；　do　away　with　that　theory　entirely。　For　instance；　I　took　three　letters　written　by　intimate　friends；　put　each　of　them　in　a　double　envelope　and　gave　them　to　a　messenger　unacquainted　with　the　contents　of　the　envelopes　and　also　with　the　persons　in　question　to　take　to　Mme。　M。　On　arriving　at　the　house；　the　messenger　handed　the　clairvoyant　one　of　the　letters；　selected　at　random；　and　did　nothing　further　beyond　putting　the　indispensable　questions；　likewise　at　random；　and　taking　down　the　medium's　replies　in　shorthand。　Mme。　M　began　by　giving　a　very　striking　physical　portrait　of　the　lady　who　had　written　the　letter；　followed　this　up　with　an　absolutely　faithful　description　of　her　character；　her　habits；　her　tastes；　her　intellectual　and　moral　qualities；　and　ended　by　adding　a　few　details　concerning　her　private　life；　of　which　I　myself　was　entirely　unaware　and　of　which　I　obtained　the　confirmation　shortly　afterwards。　The　experiment　yielded　just　as　remarkable　results　when　continued　with　the　two　other　letters。

In　the　face　of　this　mystery；　two　explanations　may　be　offered；　both　equally　perplexing。　On　the　one　hand；　we　shall　have　to　admit　that　the　sheet　of　paper　handed　to　the　psychometer　and　impregnated　with　human　〃fluid〃　contains；　after　the　manner　of　some　prodigiously　compressed　gas；　all　the　incessantly　renewed；　incessantly　recurring　images　that　surround　a　person；　all　his　past　and　perhaps　his　future；　his　psychology；　his　state　of　health；　his　wishes；　his　intentions；　often　unknown　to　himself；　his　most　secret　instincts；　his　likes　and　dislikes；　all　that　is　bathed　in　light　and　all　that　is　plunged　in　darkness；　his　whole　life；　in　short；　and　more　than　his　personal　and　conscious　life；　besides　all　the　lives　and　all　the　influences；　good　or　bad；　latent　or　manifest；　of　all　who　approach　him。　We　should　have　here　a　mystery　as　unfathomable　and　at　least　as　vast　as　that　of　generation；　which　transmits；　in　an　infinitesimal　particle；　the　mind　and　matter；　with　all　the　qualities　and　all　the　faults；　all　the　acquirements　and　all　the　history；　of　a　series　of　lives　of　which　none　can　tell　the　number。

On　the　other　hand；　if　we　do　not　admit　that　so　much　energy　can　lie　concealed　in　a　sheet　of　paper；　continuing　to　exist　and　develop　indefinitely　there；　we　must　necessarily　suppose　that　an　inconceivable　network　of　nameless　forces　is　perpetually　radiating　from　this　same　paper；　forces　which；　cleaving　time　and　space；　detect　instantaneously；　anywhere　and　at　any　distance；　the　life　that　gave　them　life　and　place　themselves　in　complete　communication；　body　and　soul；　senses　and　thoughts；　past　and　future；　consciousness　and　subconsciousness；　with　an　existence　lost　amid　the　innumerous　host　of　men　who　people　this　earth。　It　is；　indeed；　exactly　what　happens　in　the　experiments