-known
clairvoyants, hoping to receive some satisfactory solution of the
mystery, and also, possibly, a sign decided upon between him and this
lady. They were both interested in psychic matters, and had agreed to
believe in no communications from the other side purporting to come from
one or other of them, unless this preliminary sign were given.

Mrs Besant--an intimate friend of Mr Stead--was one of the oracles
consulted, and was very confident of being able to find out all details,
including the mystic sign.

But both she and Mr Leadbeater were as absolutely unsuccessful as less
gifted mortals proved to be.

In spite of exceptional opportunities for coming in touch with the most
noted psychics, in spite of the valuable clue given by hair cut after
death, the test seemed quite hopeless, since twelve of the best
clairvoyants had been consulted, and all had failed in turn.

A few weeks after hearing about this from Mr Stead, I was invited by an
old friend in London to meet at her house, at luncheon, Miss Rowan
Vincent, a non-professional sensitive, well known to many of my readers.

I had never seen this lady before, and had little speech with her during
the meal.

She was talking very earnestly to a military man--the son-in-law of our
hostess--whilst the latter and I were having an interesting conversation
to ourselves.

General Maxwell, having a train to catch, did not accompany us to the
drawing-room.

On arrival there Miss Rowan Vincent said to me very kindly: "Can I do
anything for _you_ now, Miss Bates? Shall I try if I can see anything
for you?"

Something induced me, quite against my will, to say: "Do you ever get
messages by writing, Miss Vincent?"

"No; I have never done so, but I can try," she answered rather eagerly.

How I bewailed my stupidity in making such a suggestion! I had diverted
her mind from her own special gift, which was that of seeing a person's
psychic surroundings, and had switched her on to an entirely novel and
untried experiment. I had not even the excuse of being specially
interested in automatic writing, which was so easily obtained at home;
whereas I was greatly interested in seeing whether any of my "other
side" friends could make themselves perceptible through this sensitive.

However, the mischief was done past remedy. The suggestion had taken
firm root in Miss Rowan Vincent's mind, and she was not to be diverted
from it. So I resigned myself patiently to the results o