med air of inattention. Grasping the table
firmly between my knees, I threw myself back in the chair, and waited,
with eyes fixed on vacancy, for the pull. It came. For some seconds
it was pull spirit, hold muscle; the muscle, however, prevailed, and
the table remained at rest. Up to the present moment, this interesting
fact is known only to the particular spirit in question and myself.

A species of mental scene-painting, with which my own pursuits had
long rendered me familiar, was employed to figure the changes and
distribution of spiritual power. The spirits, it was alleged, were
provided with atmospheres, which combined with and interpenetrated
each other, and considerable ingenuity was shown in demonstrating the
necessity of time in effecting the adjustment of the atmospheres. A
rearrangement of our positions was proposed and carried out; and soon
afterwards my attention was drawn to a scarcely sensible vibration on
the part of the table. Several persons were leaning on the table at
the time, and I asked permission to touch the medium's hand. 'Oh! I
know I tremble,' was her reply. Throwing one leg across the other, I
accidentally nipped a muscle, and produced thereby an involuntary
vibration of the free leg. This vibration, I knew, must be
communicated to the floor, and thence to the chairs of all present. I
therefore intentionally promoted it. My attention was promptly drawn
to the motion; and a gentleman beside me, whose value as a witness I
was particularly desirous to test, expressed his belief that it was
out of the compass of human power to produce so strange a tremor. 'I
believe,' he added, earnestly, 'that it is entirely the spirits'
work.' 'So do I,' added, with heat, the candid and warmhearted old
gentleman A. 'Why, sir,' he continued, 'I feel them at this moment
shaking my chair.' I stopped the motion of the leg. 'Now, sir,' A.
exclaimed, 'they are gone.' I began again, and A. once more affirmed
their presence. I could, however, notice that there were doubters
present, who did not quite know what to think of the manifestations. I
saw their perplexity; and, as there was sufficient reason to believe
that the disclosure of the secret would simply provoke anger, I kept
it to myself.

Again a period of conversation intervened, during which the spirits
became animated. The evening was confessedly a dull one, but matters
appeared to brighten towards its close. The spirits were requested to