Note: From now on we shall remove the formula of evocation from these conversations which is always the same, unless its answer presents any particularity.
1. Which sensations did you experience on leaving this Earthly life?
—I couldn’t tell. I still experience a perturbation.
Are you happy?
— No.
3. Why aren’t you happy?
—I miss life…I don’t know. I experience a pungent pain. Life would have released me from this…I wish my body would rise from the grave.
4. Do you regret not have been buried in your country, but among the Christians?
—Yes. Indian soil would weigh less over my body.
5. What do you think about the eulogies given to your mortal remains?
—They were too stingy: I was the Queen and not everyone bent their knees before me…Leave me…I am forced to speak…I do not want you to know what I became… Behold, I was Queen.
6. We respect your hierarchy and ask you to respond to instruct us. Do you think that one day your son will recover the paternal domains?
—My blood will certainly reign as it is worthy of that.
7. Do you give the same importance to the reintegration of your son to the throne of Oude as when you were alive?
—My blood cannot be confused with the crowd.
8. What is your opinion about the true cause of the Indian uprise?
—The Indian was made to be the master in their house.
9. What do you think about the future of that country?
—India will be great among the nations.
10. It was not possible to attest your place of birth in the death certificate. Can you say it now?
—I was born out of the noblest blood in India. I believe I was born in Delhi.
11. You who always lived in the splendors of luxury and surrounded by honors, what are your thoughts now?
—They were owned to me.
12. Does your Earthly position confer you a more elevated position in the world where you are today?
—I am always Queen…May they send me slaves to serve me! I don’t know, it seems that they are not concerned with me here…Nevertheless, I am always myself.
13. Were you an adept of the Muslim religion or an Indian religion?
—Muslim; but I was too great to worry about God.
14. Which difference you observe between your religion and the Christian religion, regarding man’s future happiness?
—Christian religion is absurd as it considers all men brothers.
15. What is your opinion about Mohamed?
—He was not the son of a King.
16. Did he have a divine mission?
—Why would I care?
17. What is your opinion about Christ?
—The son of the carpenter is not worthy of occupying my thoughts
.
18. What do you think about the Muslim custom of subtracting women from men’s eyes?
—I believe women were made to dominate. I was a woman.
19. Have you ever been jealous of the freedom women enjoy in Europe?
—No. Why should I bother with their freedom? Are their servants on their knees?
20. What is your opinion about woman’s condition, in general, in the human species?
—Why bother with women? If you talked about Queens!
21. Do you remember any other existence on Earth, prior to the one you just left?
—I must have always been Queen.
22. Why did you respond so promptly to our appeal?
—I did not want to come; I was forced…Do you think I would bother to answer? Who do you think you are before me?
23. Who forced you to come?
—I don’t know…However, there may not be anybody greater than me here.
24. Where are you located?
—Near Ermance.
25. Under which form are you here?
—I am always Queen…Do you think I am no more? You are not much respectful…Know this that one should address Queens differently.
26. Why can’t we see you?
—I don’t want you to.
27. If we could see you would that be with your dresses, ornaments and jewelry?
—Certainly!
28. How can that be that having left all that behind, your spirit has kept the appearance, especially with your clothes and jewelry?
—They have not left me…I am always as beautiful as I was…I don’t know the idea you make of me! It is true that you never saw me.
29. Which impression you experience among us?
—If I could I would not be here. You treat me with such little respect! I don’t want to be treated like this…Call me Majesty; otherwise I will respond no more.
30. Your Majesty knew the French language?
—Why not? I knew everything.
31. Would your Majesty prefer to answer in English?
—No…Won’t you leave me alone?…I want to leave…Leave me. Do you think I am submitted to your caprices?…I am a Queen, not a slave.
32. We kindly ask you to answer two or three more questions.
St. Louis’ response, who was present:
Leave the poor astray lady! Have pity on her blindness. May she serve you as an example! You do not know how much her pride suffers.
Note. This conversation offers several lessons. Evoking this fallen greatness, now in the grave, we did not expect very profound answers, given the type of education women have in that country. We thought we could find in this spirit, if not philosophy, at least a truer sense of reality and healthier ideas about the vanities and earthly greatness. Far from it, her earthly ideas preserved all their strengths: it is pride, which loses nothing of its illusions, struggling against its own weakness and that, indeed, must suffer a lot from its impotence. Having foreseen responses of an entirely different nature, we had prepared several questions that have lost their meaning. The answers were so different from what we expected, as also the other persons present, that we could not find in them the influence of a strange thought. They have, however, such a characteristic hallmark of personality, which clearly demonstrate the identity of the manifested spirit. We are impressed, and rightly so, to see Lemaire, the man degraded and sullied by all crimes, manifest in his language, from beyond the grave, feelings which denote a certain elevation and a very accurate assessment of the situation, while the Queen of Oude, whose social position could have developed the moral sense in her, worldly ideas have not suffered any change. It seems easy to explain the reason for this anomaly. For more degraded he could be, Lemaire lived in the midst of a civilized and enlightened society, which had reacted over his rude nature; without realizing it, he had absorbed some rays of light which surrounded him and it was that very light that brought up in him thoughts which were muffled by his abjection, but whose germ, nonetheless, subsisted. The situation is completely different with the Queen of Oude: the environment in which she lived, the habits, the absolute lack of intellectual culture, everything should have contributed to maintain the ideas that she acquired since her childhood in all their vigor. Nothing could change that primitive nature maintained by her empire of prejudice.
