servile copy of this. Should we suppose that
the bewilderment caused by death is so great in certain individuals that
it is some time before they perceive the change in their environment? It
is difficult to admit this. Should we suppose these speeches are
automatisms of the communicator, rendered half unconscious towards the
end of the sitting by the heavy atmosphere of the medium's organism?
But, when the communication is not direct, when an intermediary is
speaking through the organism, what should we think? Are these traits
thrown in intentionally by the communicator, the better to prove his
identity? No doubt these incidents are very embarrassing to the
spiritistic hypothesis. On the other hand, if we allow that the
self-styled communicators are created by the entranced Mrs Piper from
the elements she finds here and there in the minds of living persons,
these incidents are quite natural; it would be surprising not to meet
with them. I mention the difficulty in passing; it will not fall to my
lot to solve it.

However this may be, Mrs Blodgett left the sitting convinced that she
had been conversing with her own consciousness externalised, and not
with the spirit of her sister. But if it had not been for the previous
incident of the letter, which had invited distrust, and if Mrs Blodgett
had had less judgment, she would probably have left the sitting
convinced that she had been talking to her defunct sister. Many
spiritualists must commit like errors every day. This shows what
circumspection is needed in such studies as these.

Mrs Blodgett asked Dr Hodgson to have some sittings for her, to try
again to obtain the text of the famous letter.[42] At the sitting of
August 1, 1888, Dr Hodgson gave Phinuit a lock of Hannah Wild's hair.
Phinuit began by saying it was not her hair; he then recognised his
mistake, but said that someone else must have touched it. Then he gave a
new version of the letter. "This letter is concerned with an incident in
Hannah's former life," he affirmed. Then he dictated, "It's something
about Hannah's early history, that letter is. At one time I met a person
whom I loved. A circumstance in our affection changed my whole life. Had
it not been for this one thing I should have been married and happy.
Consequently I went into religious work, and did all the good I could.
Whoever reads this letter after I am gone will know why I remained
Hannah Wild...." Mrs Blodgett's comment on this text is very