n in taking this step being
strengthened by the curious coincidence which I had just
discovered--_i.e._ that Mr Kitchener's housekeeper had lived with the
Maynards when they had had a house in Dunedin, which was later burnt
down, as so often happens in the Colonies. "Jane" had lost sight of the
Maynard family for years, and was much excited by my promising to write
and tell them of my meeting with her.

Of course, I mentioned my strange experience and all the details
connected with it--_except_ the exact hour of the occurrence. It was by
a pure oversight (as I supposed) that this fact was omitted. I have had
reason since to believe that I was unconsciously impressed to leave out
this special detail, in order that I might receive far better evidence
than would have been possible under other circumstances. Had I mentioned
the hour of the vision, the imagination of my young friends in Melbourne
might have been at work as regards the hour of _their_ experience, which
was as follows:--

Several weeks after leaving Dunback I reached Auckland, and received
amongst other letters one from Lizzie Maynard in answer to mine. Mr
Kitchener had also written, saying what nice girls my friends the
Maynards must be, and how kindly they had written to his excellent
little housekeeper, sending her welcome gifts, and saying that her
place had never been filled in their hearts, and so forth. Lizzie's
letter to me began also about the excellences of "Jane," and the
curious coincidence through which she had been once more put in touch
with her; then she went on to say:

"It is indeed very remarkable about your experience, dear Miss Bates,
but I think you will consider it much more remarkable when I tell you
what _we_ were doing that night. I was spending the week-end with our
mutual friends Captain and Mrs Boyle" (in whose house she and I had
encountered Mrs Burroughes), "and Lily Boyle and I were sleeping in
the same room, as the house was full.

"On the evening of 31st December there was a little dance arranged, to
'dance the old year out and the new year in,' and at midnight we
dispersed, the visitors going home, and those in the house retiring to
bed. Lily and I were too much excited to get into bed at once, so I
suggested that we should try to compose a letter to Miss Pearl" (this
being the lady whose writings they greatly admired. I had allowed them
to use my name as an introduction, should they wish to communicate with
her at any t