her father, who had been dead some
time, had been a Belgian, and she spoke English, Flemish, and
French, with perfect facility. Her widowed parent was chiefly
supported by her industry: and, in the midst of trying
circumstances, her temper was gay and cheerful, and her health
excellent. That she had never seen Mr K---- we were sure; and of
her probity and incapacity for feigning we had every reason to be
convinced. With our request, conveyed to her through one of the
ladies of our family, for whom she had conceived a warm affection,
she complied without hesitation. Not being of a nervous, though of
an excitable temperament, she had no fears whatever about what she
was to undergo. On the contrary, she had rather a desire to know
what the sensation of being mesmerised might be. Of the phenomena
which were to be developed in the mesmeric state, she knew
absolutely nothing; thus all deceptive imitation of them, on her
part, was rendered impossible.

"About nine o'clock in the evening, our party assembled for what,
in foreign phrase, is called 'une seance magnetique.' Anna M----,
our mesmerisee, was already with us. Mr K---- arrived soon after,
and was introduced to his young patient, whose name we had
purposely avoided mentioning to him in the morning; not that we
feared imposition on either hand, but that we were determined, by
every precaution, to prevent any one from alleging that imposition
had been practised. Utterly unknown as the parties were to each
other, a game played by two confederates was plainly out of the
question. Almost immediately after the entrance of Mr K---- we
proceeded to the business of the evening. By his directions
Mademoiselle M---- placed herself in an arm-chair at one end of the
apartment, while he occupied a seat directly facing hers. He then
took each of her hands in one of his, and sat in such a manner as
that the knees and feet of both should be in contact. In this
position he remained for some time motionless, attentively
regarding her with eyes as unwinking as the lidless orbs which
Coleridge has attributed to the Genius of destruction. We had been
told previously to keep utter silence, and none of our
circle--composed of some five or six persons--felt inclined to
transgress this order. To me, novice as I was at