116. Another lady, who lives in a country town, being seriously ill, saw, one
night about ten o'clock, in her bedroom, an old gentleman, an inhabitant of the same
town, whom she sometimes met in society, but with whom she was but very slightly
acquainted. This gentleman was sitting in an armchair, at the foot of her bed ; he took,
from time to time, a pinch of snuff, and looked as though he were watching her.
Surprised at such a visit, at such an hour, she was about to ask him the motive of his
coming, but he made a sign to her not to speak, and to go to sleep; several times she
was about to speak to him, but, each time, he renewed the signal, and, at last, she fell
asleep. Some days afterwards, having recovered from her illness, she received a visit from the same gentleman, but at a more suitable hour, and, this time, it
was really he; he wore the same clothes, carried the same snuff-box, and his manner
was just as before. Persuaded that he had visited her during her illness, she thanked
him for his kindness in coming to her; but the gentleman, much surprised, told her that
he had not had the pleasure of seeing her for a long time. The lady, who was cognisant
of spirit-phenomena, saw at once what had occurred; but, not caring to enter into
explanation of the matter, contented herself with saying that she had probably been
dreaming.
"As was no doubt the case!" the incredulous will say; but it is certain that this
lady was not asleep, any more than the one first mentioned. If she had been dreaming,
she must therefore have been dreaming when wide awake; in other words, she must
have been labouring under an hallucination. What a glorious word that is! What a
comprehensive explanation of everything that we do not comprehend ! As we have
already sufficiently refuted this objection, we will continue to address ourselves to
those who are able to understand us.
