nt or attempting to "fish," to use
a technical term.

These statements included my own life and studies and chief interests,
and the number and sex of my immediate family; also the attitude of the
various members towards myself, and in each case the special statement
was absolutely correct.

Her first words were: "You are in great anxiety, I see. It is about the
illness of an elderly man. _Two_ people with whom you are in very
intimate relations are ill, I see, but I will tell you now of the one
you wish to hear about especially."

She went on to describe not only my brother's surroundings and illness
at the time, but also his permanent state of paralysis, adding that he
was now in the country, for she saw green trees all round him and
waving grass. As my brother's life for many years had been spent
entirely between London and the seaside, this was a good bit of
evidence. As a matter of fact, he was spending a few weeks in a
country cottage for the first time in his life.

The single point where she failed was as to the _time_ of his passing
away. She saw at once that the illness was one from which he could not
permanently recover, and gave the approximate time very tentatively. "We
cannot see times exactly--they come only in symbols. For instance, I see
now falling leaves; it looks like an autumn scene, and so I infer that
means later on--perhaps October or November."

This, as I have said, was the only mistake in the whole interview. My
brother passed to the Higher Life on 24th September.

When I saw his valet in town later, I asked him about the trees, and he
explained that owing to the great heat, the leaves were all over the
ground, and gave an autumnal look to everything.

Most of us noticed the same appearance in London and elsewhere, even
quite early in September 1906.

The _second_ friend lying dangerously ill was a puzzle to me at the
time; but within five days of my brother's transition, I heard of the
death of Judge Forbes, who was one of my most intimate friends, as Mrs
Arnold had truly observed. His illness was a very short one; but on
comparing notes with members of his family I found that he had taken to
his bed three days _before_ my visit to Mrs Arnold, and was already very
seriously ill, although I had no knowledge of the fact for more than a
week after my interview with her.

Before closing these personal records I must say a few words on the much
vexed question of psychic photographs.