ere some half-dozen ladies and gentlemen well
known in society--one of the latter being a sergeant-at-law, and a
judge accustomed to sift evidence and determine the difference between
truth and falsehood. The _seance_ was not, however, productive of
anything very strange. The only curious manifestation occurred with a
lath about two feet long and a quarter of an inch thick, which most
certainly rose off the table apparently of its own accord, and at one
time seemed disposed to walk about the room, but didn't. Two glass
ornaments, filled with flowers, were also attracted towards each
other, and subsequently parted company though no hands were near them.
The great anticipated incident of the evening was, however, a failure.
A Morse writing telegraphic machine had been prepared, and it was
hoped that the lever would be worked with spirit hands, but, after
waiting two hours, no indication was given of any movement, and the
experiment was abandoned in despair."

The well-known Walter Thornbury relates as follows his experience at a
spiritual _seance_:--

"I went up into a stuffy parlour and found about fourteen people,
hot, nervous, and evidently uncomfortable. They were staring at
some weird-looking pictures. On a long table were several
speaking-trumpets, formed of stiff brown and gilt paper. Some of the
visitors took up these, talked hollowly through them, and laughed with
uneasy scepticism. There were two ladies, several young men who looked
like clerks, a bluff man from Liverpool, and a dwarf. Presently
Messrs. A. and C. (two coarse-looking young men) entered, seated us
round the table, and requested us to join hands. The gas was then
turned down, and the _seance_ began. A. was at the end of the table,
facing C. at the other. There was at first a good deal of
half-hysterical laughing and nervous talking, and shy or bold voices
from here and there in the dark. The bluff Liverpool man objected to
joining hands--he had been to successful _seances_, where hands were
not joined. Mr. A. said that joining hands often improved 'the
conditions.' One did not know what was passing behind one, or what was
coming. So even the boldest of us 'held his breath for a time.' All at
once Mr. C., at the further end from me, began to gurgle and groan
like a person in an epileptic fit. Some one cried, 'Turn up the gas.'
It was done, and we beheld the medium with his head twisted like a
young laocoon in the folds of a red tablecloth. He dise