95. (Communication with the disturbing spirit of the rue des Noyers.)
1. (Evocation.)
"Why do you call me? Do you want to have some stones thrown at you? In that
case, we should soon see you scampering away, though you look so brave!"
2. We should not be frightened even though you threw stones at us; we ask you
to tell us if it is really in your power to do so?
"Perhaps I could not, here; you have a guardian who looks so sharply after you."
3. Was there any one in the rue des Noyers who helped you in playing off your
tricks on the inmates of that house?
"Certainly, I had a capital instrument, and no wise and priggish spirit to hinder
me; for I am merry and like to amuse myself sometimes."
4. Who was the person that served as your instrument?
"A maidservant."
5. Was she your auxiliary unawares?
"Oh yes; poor girl she was the most frightened of them all."
6. Did you do this from ill-will?
" I ? I had no ill-will whatever ; but you men, who get hold of everything, will
turn this to your advantage."
7. What do you mean? We do not understand you.
"What I wanted was to amuse myself; but you spiritists will study the thing, and
you will have one more fact to prove that we exist."
8. You say you had no ill-will; but you broke all the windows of the apartment;
and that was a real injury of your doing!
"That's a mere trifle."
9. Where did you get the things you threw into the house?
"They are common enough ; I found them in the yard, and in the neighbouring
gardens."
10. Did you find them
all, or did you fabricate some of them? (See Chap. VIII.)
"I created nothing, composed nothing."
11. If you had not found them, could you have made them?
"That would have been more difficult; but we can mix things together, and so
make a sort of a whole."
12. Now tell us how you threw them?
"Ah! that is more difficult to tell. I helped myself by the electric nature of the
girl, joined to my own, which is less material; we were able thus to transport these
objects between us."
13. You would not object, I think, to give us some information about yourself.
Tell us, first of all, if you have been long dead?
"A long time ; full fifty years."
14. What (lid you do when living?
"Not much good; I did rough work, such as picking up rags, &c., in this quarter;
and people used to tease me, because I was too fond of Goodman Noah's red liquor. So
I wanted to make them all decamp from the house."
15. Is it of yourself, and of your own free-will, that you have answered our
questions?
"I had an instructor."
16. Who?
"Your good King Louis."
Remark. - This question was suggested by the nature of some of the above
answers, which appeared to be beyond the attainment of this spirit, both in point of
ideas, and of expression. There is nothing surprising in his having been aided by more
enlightened spirit, wishing to take advantage of this occasion, in order to give us
information; on the contrary, cases of the kind are very common. But there was a
remarkable peculiarity in the present instance, the influence of another spirit being
made apparent in the very writing of the answers in which he intervened, and which
was more even and flowing than the rough and irregular writing of the rag-picker,
which was indistinct, and of a different character.
17. What are you doing now? do you ever think of your future?
"Not yet; I am a wanderer. People think so little of me upon the earth; nobody
prays for me. I am not helped, and therefore I do not exert myself."
Remark.-We shall see, farther on, how much we may contribute to the comfort
and advancement of inferior spirits, by prayer and counsel.
18. What was your name when living?
"Jeannet."
19. Well, Jeannet, we will pray for you. Tell us if out evocation has given you
pleasure, or whether it has annoyed you?
"Pleasure, rather; for you are kind, good folks, though somewhat too grave. You
have listened to me, and I am pleased with that."
"JEANNET."
