ed, and shawls pinned
up before the cracks in the same, ere they would favor mortals with an
exhibition. Finally, dim outlines revealed themselves through the
obscurity. We made out a female figure (it was the cook, so Miss Prowley
whispered) who was haranguing the assembly at the rate of a word every
thirty seconds, or thereabouts.

_Cook as Twynintuft:_--"I am Mister Twynintuft. I set lots by you all. I
left my bright spirit-home to come here to-day. The squashes was musty
afore they was brought into the house. No blame to the cook. Them
pickled termarterses couldn't keep into spring, and so I tell you now.
The spheres is a dry place, and everythin' is most a-beautiful here."

_Betty, the housemaid, loquitur._--(She appears in the character of
Red-Jacket, a popular personation upon these occasions,--it being very
easy to talk _Indian_ by the simple recipe of transposing the nominative
and objective cases of the personal pronoun.) "Me don't like what you
say, old Twyney! I's name's Red-Jacket. Pale-face give fire-water to I.
The squashes was good enough till cook left 'em out in the rain. Me have
hunting-ground in fifth sphere. When me puts up tomatoes in the
spirit-world, me rosins 'em when they bile. Great influence comes from I
to-day; also, much development."

"Dr. Burge," whispered I, "you claim to have devoted some time to the
examination of these delusions; but I will venture to say you have never
witnessed anything so humiliating as this!"

"My dear Sir," murmured the Doctor in return, "the remark shows you to
be a novice indeed. Why, I have listened to hours of no better drivel
than this, fathered, not upon Indians and unknown elocutionists, but
upon some of the wisest and most saintly spirits whose mortal teachings
ever blessed mankind."

"Do you think these people voluntary impostors?"

"No; it would be nearer the truth to say that they are voluntary victims
of a mental epidemic like that which developed itself in the St. Vitus's
dance of the Middle Ages. The subjects of that disease went through the
same spasms, convulsions, and painful racking of the limbs which
accompany such cases of this personation as are not designed deceptions.
Even those accidentally present, when the effects of the ancient
contagion were exhibited, became infected and were irresistibly impelled
to join in the extravagance. Look at Miss Turligood and Mr. Stellato,
and see if the parallel is not supported."

The individuals n