I saw you at the reception, and
you were dressed precisely as you are now. When they told me a moment
ago that I should find a friend in this room, your image rose before me,
dress and all, just as I had seen you at the reception."

Those are the facts. She was not at the reception at all, or anywhere
near it; but I saw her there nevertheless, and most clearly and
unmistakably. To that I could make oath. How is one to explain this? I
was not thinking of her at the time; had not thought of her for years.
But she had been thinking of me, no doubt; did her thoughts flit through
leagues of air to me, and bring with it that clear and pleasant vision
of herself? I think so. That was and remains my sole experience in
the matter of apparitions--I mean apparitions that come when one
is (ostensibly) awake. I could have been asleep for a moment; the
apparition could have been the creature of a dream. Still, that is
nothing to the point; the feature of interest is the happening of the
thing just at that time, instead of at an earlier or later time, which
is argument that its origin lay in thought-transference.

My next incident will be set aside by most persons as being merely a
"coincidence," I suppose. Years ago I used to think sometimes of making
a lecturing trip through the antipodes and the borders of the Orient,
but always gave up the idea, partly because of the great length of the
journey and partly because my wife could not well manage to go with me.
Towards the end of last January that idea, after an interval of years,
came suddenly into my head again--forcefully, too, and without any
apparent reason. Whence came it? What suggested it? I will touch upon
that presently.

I was at that time where I am now--in Paris. I wrote at once to Henry
M. Stanley (London), and asked him some questions about his Australian
lecture tour, and inquired who had conducted him and what were the
terms. After a day or two his answer came. It began:

"The lecture agent for Australia and New Zealand is par
excellence Mr. R. S. Smythe, of Melbourne."

He added his itinerary, terms, sea expenses, and some other matters,
and advised me to write Mr. Smythe, which I did--February 3d. I began my
letter by saying in substance that while he did not know me personally
we had a mutual friend in Stanley, and that would answer for an
introduction. Then I proposed my trip, and asked if he would give me the
same terms which he had giv