the unknown guest-第3章

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＇1＇　On　the　same　grounds；　we　will　also　leave　on　one　side　the　theosophical　hypothesis；　which；　like　the　others；　begins　by　calling　for　an　act　of　adherence；　of　blind　faith。　Its　explanations；　though　often　ingenious；　are　no　more　than　forcible　but　gratuitous　asservations　and；　as　I　said　in　Our　Eternity；　do　not　give　us　the　shadow　of　the　commencement　of　a　proof。

＇2＇　Annales　des　Sciences　Psychiques：　April　November　1907。


It　was　one　of　those　moments　in　which　a　doubt　which　one　had　thought　for　ever　abolished　grips　the　most　unbelieving。　For　the　first　time；　perhaps；　he　looked　around　him　with　uncertainty　and　wondered　in　what　world　he　was。　As　for　the　faithful　adherents　of　the　unknown；　who　had　long　understood　that　we　must　resign　ourselves　to　understanding　nothing　and　he　prepared　for　every　sort　of　surprise　there　was　here；　all　the　same；　even　for　them；　a　mystery　of　another　character；　a　bewildering　mystery；　the　only　really　strange　mystery；　more　torturing　than　all　the　others　together；　because　it　verges　upon　ancestral　fears　and　touches　the　most　sensitive　point　of　our　destiny。

4

The　spiritualistic　argument　most　worthy　of　attention　is　that　supplied　by　the　apparitions　of　the　dead　and　by　haunted　houses。　We　will　take　no　account　of　the　phantasms　that　precede；　accompany　or　follow　hard　upon　death：　they　are　explained　by　the　transmission　of　a　violent　motion　from　one　subconsciousness　to　another；　and；　even　when　they　are　not　manifested　until　several　days　after　death；　it　may　still　he　contended　that　they　are　delayed　telepathic　communications。　But　what　are　we　to　say　of　the　ghosts　that　spring　up　more　than　a　year；　nay；　more　than　ten　years　after　the　disappearance　of　the　corpse？　They　are　very　rare；　I　know；　but　after　all　there　are　some　that　are　extremely　difficult　to　deny；　for　the　accounts　of　their　actions　are　attested　and　corroborated　by　numerous　and　trustworthy　witnesses。　It　is　true　that　here　again；　where　it　is　in　most　cases　a　question　of　apparitions　to　relations　or　friends；　we　may　be　told　that　we　are　in　the　presence　of　telepathic　incidents　or　of　hallucinations　of　the　memory。　We　thus　deprive　the　spiritualists　of　a　new　and　considerable　province　of　their　realm。　Nevertheless；　they　retain　certain　private　desmesnes　into　which　our　telepathic　explanations　do　not　penetrate　so　easily。　There　have　in　fact　been　ghosts　that　showed　themselves　to　people　who　had　never　known　or　seen　them　in　the　flesh。　They　are　more　or　less　closely　connected　with　the　ghosts　in　haunted　houses；　to　which　we　must　revert　for　a　moment。

As　I　said　above；　it　is　almost　impossible　honestly　to　deny　the　existence　of　these　houses。　Here　again　the　telepathic　interpretation　enforces　itself　in　the　majority　of　cases。　We　may　even　allow　it　a　strange　but　justifiable　extension；　for　its　limits　are　scarcely　known。　It　has　happened　fairly　often；　for　instance；　that　ghosts　come　to　disturb　a　dwelling　whose　occupiers　find；　in　response　to　their　indications；　bones　hidden　in　the　walls　or　under　the　floors。　It　is　even　possible；　as　in　the　case　of　William　Moir；＇1＇　which　was　as　strictly　conducted　and　supervised　as　a　judicial　enquiry；　that　the　skeleton　is　buried　at　some　distance　from　the　house　and　dates　more　than　forty　years　back。　When　the　remains　are　removed　and　decently　interred；　the　apparitions　cease。

＇1＇　Proceedings；　vol。　vi。；　pp。　35…41。


But　even　in　the　case　of　William　Moir　there　is　no　sufficient　reason　for　abandoning　the　telepathic　theory。　The　medium；　the　〃sensitive；〃　as　the　English　say；　feels　the　presence　or　the　proximity　of　the　bones；　some　relation　established　between　them　and　hima　relation　which　certainly　is　profoundly　mysteriousmakes　him　experience　the　last　emotion　of　the　deceased　and　sometimes　allows　him　to　conjure　up　the　picture　and　the　circumstances　of　the　suicide　or　murder；　even　as；　in　telepathy　between　living　persons；　the　contact　of　an　inanimate　object　is　able　to　bring　him　into　direct　relation　with　the　subconsciousness　of　its　owner。　The　slender　chain　connecting　life　and　death　is　not　yet　entirely　broken；　and　we　might　even　go　so　far　as　to　say　that　everything　is　still　happening　within　our　world。

But　are　there　cases　in　which　every　link；　however　thin；　however　subtle　we　may　deem　it；　is　definitely　shattered？　Who　would　venture　to　maintain　this？　We　are　only　beginning　to　suspect　the　elasticity；　the　flexibility；　the　complexity　of　those　invisible　threads　which　bind　together　objects；　thoughts；　lives；　emotions；　all　that　is　on　this　earth　and　even　that　which　does　not　yet　exist　to　that　which　exists　no　longer。　Let　us　take　an　instance　in　the　first　volume　of　the　Proceedings：　M；　X。　Z。；　who　was　known　to　most　of　the　members　of　the　Committee　on　Haunted　Houses；　and　whose　evidence　was　above　suspicion；　went　to　reside　in　a　large　old　house；　part　of　which　was　occupied　by　his　friend　Mr。　G。　Mr。　X。　Z。　knew　nothing　of　the　history　of　the　place　except　that　two　servants　of　Mr。　G's　had　given　him　notice　on　account　of　strange　noises　which　they　had　heard。　One　nightit　was　the　22nd　of　SeptemberMr。　X。　Z。；　on　his　way　up　to　his　bedroom　in　the　dark；　saw　the　whole　passage　filled　with　a　dazzling　and　uncanny　light；　and　in　this　strange　light　he　saw　the　figure　of　an　old　man　in　a　flowered　dressing…gown。　As　he　looked；　both　figure　and　light　vanished　and　he　was　left　in　pitch　darkness。　The　next　day；　remembering　the　tales　told　by　the　two　servants；　he　made　enquiries　in　the　village。　At　first　he　could　find　out　nothing；　but　finally　an　old　lawyer　told　him　that　he　had　heard　that　the　grandfather　of　the　present　owner　of　the　house　had　strangled　his　wife　and　then　cut　his　own　throat　on　the　very　spot　where　Mr。　X。　Z。　had　seen　the　apparition。　He　was　unable　to　give　the　exact　date　of　this　double　event；　but　Mr。　X。　Z。　consulted　the　parish　register　and　found　that　it　had　taken　place　on　a　22nd　of　September。

On　the　22nd　of　September　of　the　following　year；　a　friend　of　Mr。　G's　arrived　to　make　a　short　stay。　The　morning　after　his　arrival；　he　came　down；　pale　and　tired；　and　announced　his　intention　of　leaving　immediately。　On　being　questioned；　he　confessed　that　he　was　afraid；　that　he　had　been　kept　awake　all　night　by　the　sound　of　groans；　blasphemous　oaths　and　cries　of　despair；　that　his　bedroom　door　had　been　opened；　and　so　forth。

Three　years　afterwards；　Mr。　X。　Z。　had　occasion　to　call　on　the　landlord　of　the　house；　who　lived　in　London；　and　saw　over　the　mantelpiece　a　picture　which　bore　a　striking　resemblance　to　the　figure　which　he　had　seen　in　the　passage。　He　pointed　it　out　to　his　friend　Mr。　G；　saying：

〃That　is　the　man　whom　I　saw。〃

The　landlord；　in　reply　to　their　questions；　said　that　the　painting　was　a　portrait　of　his　grandfather；　adding　that　he　had　been　〃no　credit　to　the　family。〃

Evidently；　this　does　not　in　any　way　prove　the　existence　of　ghosts　or　the　survival　of　man。　It　is　quite　possible　that；　in　spite　of　Mr。　X。　Z。's　undoubted　good　faith；　imagination　played　a　subtle　but　powerful　part　in　these　marvels。　Perhaps　it　was　set　going　by　the　stories　of　the　two　servants；　insignificant　gossip　to　which　no　attention　was　paid　at　the　time；　but　which　probably　found　its　way　down　into　the　weird　and　fertile　depths　of　the　subconsciousness。　The　image　was　next　transmitted　by　suggestion　to　the　visitor　frightened　by　a　sleepless　night。　As　for　the　recognition　of　the　portrait；　this　is　either　the　weakest　or　the　most　impressive　part　of　the　story；　according　to　the　theory　that　is　being　defended。

It　is　none　the　less　certain　that　there　is　some　unfairness　in　suggesting　this　explanation　for　every　incident　of　the　kind。　It　means　stretching　to　the　uttermost　and　perhaps　stretching　too　far　the　elastic　powers　of　that　amiable　maid…of…all…work；　telepathy。　For　that　matter；　there　are　cases　in　which　the　telepathic　interpretation　is　even　more　uncertain；　as　in　that　described　by　Miss　R。　C。　Morton　in　vol。　viii。　of　the　Proceedings。

The　story　is　too　long　and　complicated　to　be　reproduced　here。　It　is　unnecessary　to　observe　that；　in　view　of　the　character　of　Miss　Morton；　a　lady　of　scientific　training；　and　of　the　quality　of　the　corroborative　testimony；　the　facts　themselves　seem　incontestable。

The　case　is　that　of　a　house　built　in　1860；　whose　first　occupier　was　an　Anglo…Indian；　the　next　tenant　being　an　old　man　and　the　house　then　remaining　unlet　for　four　years。　In　1882；　when　Captain　Morton　and　big　family　moved　in；　there　had　never；　so　far　as　they　knew；　been　any　question　of　its　being　haunted。　Three　months　afterwards；　Miss　Morton　was　in　her　room　and　on　the　point　of　getting　into　bed；　when　she　heard　some　one　at　the　door　and　went　to　it；　thinking　that　it　might　be　her　mother。　On　opening　the　door；　she　found　no　one　there；　but；　going　a　few　steps　along　the　passage；　she　saw　a　tall　lady；　dressed　in　black；　standing　at　the　head　of　the　stair。　She　did　not　wish　to　make　the　others　uneasy　and　mentioned　the　occurrence　to　no　one　except　a　friend；　who　did　not　live　in　the　neighborhood。

But　soon　the　same　figure　dressed　in　black　was　seen　by　the　various　members　of　the　household；　by　a　married　sister　on　a　visit　to　the　house；　by　the　father；　by　the　other　sister；　by　a　little　boy；　by　a　neighbour；　General　A；　who　saw　a　lady　crying　in　the　orchard　and；　thinking　that　one　of　the　daughters　of　the　house　was　ill；　sent　to　enquire　after　her。　Even　the　Mortons'　two　dogs　on　more　than　one　occasion　clearly　showed　that　they　saw　the　phantom。

It　was；　as　a　matter　of　fact　very　harmonious：　it　said　nothing；　it　wanted　nothing；　it　wandered　from　room　to　room；　without　any　apparent　object；　and；　when　it　was　spoken　to；　it　did　not　answer　and　only　made　its　escape。　The　household　became　accustomed　to　the　apparition；　it　troubled　nobody　and　inspired　no　terror。　It　was　immaterial；　it　could　not　be　touched；　but　yet　it　intercepted　the　light。　After　making　enquiries；　they　succeeded　in　identifying　it　as　the　second　wife　of　the　Anglo…Indian。　The　Morton　family　had　never　seen　the　lady；　but；　from　the　description　which　they　gave　of　the　phantom　to　those　who　had　known　her；　it　appeared　that　the　likeness　was　unmistakable。　For　the　rest；　they　did　not　know　why　she　came　back　to　haunt　a　house　in　which　she　had　not　died。　After　1887；　the　appearances　became　less　frequent；　distinct；　ceasing　altogether　in　1889。

5

Let　us　assume　that　the　facts　as　reported　in　the　Proceedings　are　certain　and　indisputable。　We　have　very　nearly　the　ideal　case；　free　from　previous　or　ambient　suggestion。　If　we　refuse　to　believe　in　the　existence　of　ghosts；　if　we　are　absolutely　positive　that　the　dead　do　not　survive　their　death；　then　we　must　admit　that　the　hallucination　took　birth　spontaneously　in　the　imagination　of　Miss　Morton；　an　unconscious　medium；　and　was　subsequently　trained　by　telepathy　to　all　those　around　her。　In　my　opinion；　this　explanation；　however　arbitrary　and　severe　it　may　be；　is　the　one　which　it　behooves　us　to　accept；　pending　further　proofs。　But　it　must　be　confessed　that；　in　thus　extending　our　incredulity；　we　render　it　very　difficult　for　the　dead　to　make　its　existence　known。

We　possess　a　certain　number　of　cases　of　kind；　rigorously　investigated；　cases　probably　representing　but　an　infinitesimal　part　of　those　which　might　be　collected。　Is　it　possible　that　they　one　and　all　elude　the　telepathic　explanation？　It　would　be　necessary　to　make　a　study　of　them；　conducted　with　the　most　scrupulous　and　unremitting　attention；　for　the　question　is　not　devoid　of　interest。　If　the　existence　of　ghosts　were　well…established；　it　would　mean　the　entrance　into　this　world；　whi