red to consult the spirits as to
a heavy loss which he had experienced the night before. He had left, he
said, a sum of money in his pantaloons pocket upon going to bed. In the
morning he had changed his clothes and gone out, forgetting to remove
the notes. Returning in an hour in great haste, he discovered that the
garment still lay upon the chair where he had thrown it, but that the
money was missing. I at once desired him to be seated, and proceeded
to ask him certain questions, in a chatty way, about the habits of his
household, the amount lost, and the like, expecting thus to get some
clue which would enable me to make my spirits display the requisite
share of sagacity in pointing out the thief. I learned readily that he
was an old and wealthy man, a little close, too, I suspected, and that
he lived in a large house with but two servants, and an only son about
twenty-one years old. The servants were both women who had lived in the
household many years, and were probably innocent. Unluckily, remembering
my own youthful career, I presently reached the conclusion that the
young man had been the delinquent. When I ventured to inquire a little
as to his habits, the old gentleman cut me very short, remarking that he
came to ask questions, and not to be questioned, and that he desired at
once to consult the spirits. Upon this I sat down at a table, and, after
a brief silence, demanded in a solemn voice if there were any spirits
present. By industriously cracking my big toe-joint I was enabled to
represent at once the presence of a numerous assembly of these worthies.
Then I inquired if any one of them had been present when the robbery was
effected. A prompt double knock replied in the affirmative. I may say
here, by the way, that the unanimity of the spirits as to their use of
two knocks for "yes" and one for "no" is a very remarkable point, and
shows, if it shows anything, how perfect and universal must be the
social intercourse of the respected departed. It is worthy of note,
also, that if the spirit--I will not say the medium--perceives after one
knock that it were wiser to say yes, he can conveniently add the second
tap. Some such arrangement in real life would, it appears to me, be
highly desirable.

It seemed that the spirit was that of Vidocq, the French detective. I
had just read a translation of his memoirs, and he seemed to me a very
available spirit to call upon.

As soon as I explained that the spirit who ans