other age, if the spirit
of a man be but worn down to it, he may be conscious of its presence?

One other detail: On the left side of the skirt of the black dress was,
as I thought at first, a shapeless bunch of white ribbon. Then, as I
looked more intently or as the vision defined itself more clearly, I
perceived what it was. It was the hand of a man, clenched and knotted in
agony, which held on with a convulsive grasp to the fold of the dress.
The rest of the crouching figure was a mere vague outline, but that
strenuous hand shone clear on the dark background, with a
sinister suggestion of tragedy in its frantic clutch. The man is
frightened-horribly frightened. That I can clearly discern. What has
terrified him so? Why does he grip the woman's dress? The answer lies
amongst those moving figures in the background. They have brought danger
both to him and to her. The interest of the thing fascinated me. I
thought no more of its relation to my own nerves. I stared and stared
as if in a theatre. But I could get no farther. The mist thinned.
There were tumultuous movements in which all the figures were vaguely
concerned. Then the mirror was clear once more.

The doctor says I must drop work for a day, and I can afford to do
so, for I have made good progress lately. It is quite evident that the
visions depend entirely upon my own nervous state, for I sat in front of
the mirror for an hour tonight, with no result whatever. My soothing day
has chased them away. I wonder whether I shall ever penetrate what they
all mean? I examined the mirror this evening under a good light, and
besides the mysterious inscription "Sanc. X. Pal.," I was able to
discern some signs of heraldic marks, very faintly visible upon the
silver. They must be very ancient, as they are almost obliterated. So
far as I could make out, they were three spear-heads, two above and one
below. I will show them to the doctor when he calls tomorrow.

Jan. 14.--Feel perfectly well again, and I intend that nothing else
shall stop me until my task is finished. The doctor was shown the marks
on the mirror and agreed that they were armorial bearings. He is deeply
interested in all that I have told him, and cross-questioned me
closely on the details. It amuses me to notice how he is torn in two by
conflicting desires--the one that his patient should lose his symptoms,
the other that the medium--for so he regards me--should solve this
mystery of the past. He advised con