t stop it. By George! look at that flourish. I didn't
do that. I never wrote a flourish in my life."

"Do try to be serious," Mrs. Grantly warned them. "An atmosphere of
levity does not conduce to the best operation of Planchette."

"There, that will do, I guess," Uncle Robert said as he took his hand
away. "Now let's see."

He bent over and adjusted his glasses. "It's handwriting at any rate,
and that's better than the rest of you did. Here, Lute, your eyes are
young."

"Oh, what flourishes!" Lute exclaimed, as she looked at the paper. "And
look there, there are two different handwritings."

She began to read: "This is the first lecture. Concentrate on this
sentence: 'I am a positive spirit and not negative to any condition.'
Then follow with concentration on positive love. After that peace and
harmony will vibrate through and around your body. Your soul--The other
writing breaks right in. This is the way it goes: Bullfrog 95, Dixie 16,
Golden Anchor 65, Gold Mountain 13, Jim Butler 70, Jumbo 75, North Star
42, Rescue 7, Black Butte 75, Brown Hope 16, Iron Top 3."

"Iron Top's pretty low," Mr. Barton murmured.

"Robert, you've been dabbling again!" Aunt Mildred cried accusingly.

"No, I've not," he denied. "I only read the quotations. But how the
devil--I beg your pardon--they got there on that piece of paper I'd like
to know."

"Your subconscious mind," Chris suggested. "You read the quotations in
to-day's paper."

"No, I didn't; but last week I glanced over the column."

"A day or a year is all the same in the subconscious mind," said Mrs.
Grantly. "The subconscious mind never forgets. But I am not saying that
this is due to the subconscious mind. I refuse to state to what I think
it is due."

"But how about that other stuff?" Uncle Robert demanded. "Sounds like
what I'd think Christian Science ought to sound like."

"Or theosophy," Aunt Mildred volunteered. "Some message to a neophyte."

"Go on, read the rest," her husband commanded.

"This puts you in touch with the mightier spirits," Lute read. "You
shall become one with us, and your name shall be 'Arya,' and you
shall--Conqueror 20, Empire 12, Columbia Mountain 18, Midway 140--and,
and that is all. Oh, no! here's a last flourish, Arya, from Kandor--that
must surely be the Mahatma."

"I'd like to have you explain that theosophy stuff on the basis of the
subconscious mind, Chris," Uncle Robert challenged.

Chris shrugged his shoulders. "No expl