ext to
the father and mother, whilst the child and his grandmother played at
our feet. One moment she was there; the next she had disappeared like a
flash into a mere cloud of mist, and even this was quickly withdrawn,
apparently through the floor. No trap-door theory could account for
this, because the _woman_ had disappeared, and only the wisp of ethereal
garments remained, before the latter were also dissipated. We must,
moreover, note the difficulty of working a trap door immediately under
the feet of a sceptical young physician, who at once investigated the
carpet, hoping in vain to find in it some solution of the mystery!

I have already mentioned that the whole incident took place, in light
sufficiently good to read a book without straining the eyes.

The poor little boy was terribly upset, and sobbed bitterly. His parents
said they had brought him many times before, and such a _fiasco_ had
never before taken place. Mrs Stoddart Gray was very indignant about it.

"Too bad! She ought to have _known_ she was staying too long, and
risking a fright for the child. If she had only gone back into the
cabinet he would not have been frightened. But she stayed too long and
had not enough strength to get back."

The child was too thoroughly frightened and upset to admit of any
consolation, and the parents were obliged to take him away, still
sobbing, and asking _why_ Granny had gone away like that and given him
such a fright.

A year later, in London, I took Dr Covernton--by appointment--to see Dr
Carl Hansen, who was then giving hypnotic treatment, and also doing some
work in demonstrations for the Society for Psychical Research. Dr Hansen
tried in vain to put either Dr Theodore Covernton or myself under the
influence, so was obliged to have recourse to his wife. Naturally this
was considered a "_most suspicious circumstance_" by my companion; but I
noticed that he was very much interested in his conversation with
her--from the medical point of view--and he was sufficiently honest to
admit that he could not explain what happened in his presence, upon any
normal hypothesis.

CHAPTER V

INDIA, 1890-1891

In the month of November 1890 I started with a young friend for my first
visit to India.

My companion was still at the age when social India was naturally more
interesting to her than either the historical or mystical aspects of the
country. And, for myself, I went there in those days rather to see the
g