party appealed to Mr. Dropper's magnanimity to hear
his explanation, which Mr. Dropper consented to do.

The explanation developed the fact that fat party was Mr. James George
Boggs, late of the Department of the Interior, at Washington, who had
arrived that afternoon in the city with his sister, Mrs. Banger, wife of
Mr. Banger, of the firm of Steel, Banger & Co., who, it is already
stated, were Mr. Dropper's employers. They went directly to Mr. Banger's
counting-room, and whilst there it commenced to rain; Mr. Banger offered
Mr. Boggs Dropper's umbrella to walk up with, Boggs accepted it, and on
his way up had been stopped on suspicion of theft.

Dropper made a humiliating apology, swore eternal friendship to Boggs,
introduced him to Van Dam and Spout, and invited the party to his room
to spoil a snifter from his private bottle. They accepted the invitation
with commendable alacrity, and soon arrived at Mr. Dropper's cozy
apartment, which was situated on one of the streets intersecting
Broadway. At Mr. Dropper's request, they seated themselves in a circle
around the table, with the view of calling up the spirits, but whether
saintly or satanic, the compilers of these records do not venture an
opinion. After sitting three minutes and twenty seconds in solemn
silence, it was discovered that Dropper was a medium, as he was enabled
to bring up the spirits in tangible and unmistaken shape from his
closet, and forthwith communications of a very satisfactory character
were made to the circle. Indeed, the opinion was very generally
expressed, that the spirits were genuine spirits, and the medium an
excellent test medium, through which they should delight, in future, to
have further communications.

As they finished their wine a knock was heard at the door. Dropper
responded with a "Come in." An Irish servant put her head within the
apartment:

"Plase, sir," said she, "I have a caird here that a gintleman at the
door towld me to give to the red-headed gintleman as just come in."

Dropper viewed the card, and the four looked at each other for a moment,
apparently with a view of discovering who it was that answered the
description of a "red-headed gintleman." At last, Boggs spoke.

"I think it must be me," said he, receiving the card from Dropper, and
reading aloud, from the back of it, as follows:

"Sir, an old acquaintance desires to see you for a moment, in
relation to a matter involving your own interest."

"Sh