the unknown guest-第9章

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ond　with　the　family　and　also　with　a　Mme。　Nitchinof；　who　kept　a　school　at　Kazan　to　which　Mlles。　Moratief；　Mme。　Buscarlet's　former　pupils；　went　after　her　departure。

On　the　night　of　the　9th　of　December　（O。　S。）　of　the　same　year；　Mme。　Buscarlet　had　a　dream　which　she　described　the　following　morning　in　a　letter　to　Mme。　Moratief；　dated　10　December。　She　wrote；　to　quote　her　own　words：

〃You　and　I　were　on　a　country…road　when　a　carriage　passed　in　front　of　us　and　a　voice　from　inside　called　to　us。　When　we　came　up　to　the　carriage；　we　saw　Mlle。　Olga　Popoi　lying　across　it；　clothed　in　white；　wearing　a　bonnet　trimmed　with　yellow　ribbons。　She　said　to　you：

〃'I　called　you　to　tell　you　that　Mme。　Nitchinof　will　leave　the　school　on　the　17th。'

〃The　carriage　then　drove　on。〃

A　week　later　and　three　days　before　the　letter　reached　Kazan；　the　event　foreseen　in　the　dream　was　fulfilled　in　a　tragic　fashion。　Mme。　Nitchinof　died　on　the　16th　of　an　infectious　disease；　and　on　the　17th　her　body　was　carried　out　of　the　school　for　fear　of　infection。

It　is　well　to　add　that　both　Mme。　Buscarlet's　letter　and　the　replies　which　came　from　Russia　were　communicated　to　Professor　Flournoy　and　bear　the　postmark　dates。

Such　premonitory　dreams　are　frequent；　but　it　does　not　often　happen　that　circumstances　and　especially　the　existence　of　a　document　dated　previous　to　their　fulfilment　give　them　such　incontestable　authenticity。

We　may　remark　in　passing　the　odd　character　of　this　premonition；　which　however　is　fully　in　accordance　with　the　habits　of　our　unknown　guest。　The　date　is　fixed　precisely；　but　only　a　veiled　and　mysterious　allusion　（the　woman　lying　across　the　carriage　and　cloaked　in　white）　is　made　to　the　essential　part　of　the　prediction；　the　illness　and　death。

Was　there　a　coincidence；　a　vision　of　the　future　pure　and　simple；　or　a　vision　of　the　future　suggested　by　telepathic　influence？　The　theory　of　coincidence　can　be　defended；　if　need　be；　here　as　everywhere　else；　but　would　be　very　extraordinary　in　this　case。　As　for　telepathic　influence；　we　should　have　to　suppose　that；　on　the　9th　of　December；　a　week　before　her　death；　Mme。　Nitchinof　had　in　her　subconsciousness　a　presentiment　of　her　end　and　that　she　transmitted　this　presentiment　across　some　thousands　of　miles；　from　Kazan　to　Geneva；　to　a　person　with　whom　she　had　never　been　intimate。　It　is　very　complex；　but　possible；　for　telepathy　often　has　these　disconcerting　ways。　If　this　were　so；　the　case　which　would　be　one　of　latent　illness　or　even　of　self…suggestion；　and　the　preexistence　of　the　future；　without　being　entirely　disproved；　would　be　less　clearly　established。

5

Let　us　pass　to　other　examples。　I　quote　from　an　excellent　article　of　the　importance　of　precognitions；　by　Messrs。　Pickering　and　Sadgrove；　which　appeared　in　the　Annales　des　Sciences　Psychiques　for　1　February　1908；　the　summary　of　an　experiment　by　Mrs。　A。　W。　Verrall　told　in　full　detail　in　Vol。　XX　of　the　Proceedings。　Mrs。　Verrall　is　a　celebrated　〃automatist〃；　and　her　〃cross…correspondence〃　occupy　a　whole　volume　of　the　Proceedings。　Her　good　faith；　her　sincerity；　her　fairness　and　her　scientific　precision　are　above　suspicion；　and　she　is　one　of　the　most　active　and　respected　members　of　the　Society　for　Psychical　Research。

On　the　11th　of　May；　1901；　at　11。10　p。m。；　Mrs。　Verrall　wrote　as　follows：

〃Do　not　hurry　　　date　this　　　hoc　est　quod　voluitandem。　｛greek　here｝　A。　W。　V。　｛greek　here｝。　calx　pedibus　inhaerens　difficultatem　superavit。　magnopere　adiuvas　persectando　semper。　Nomen　inscribere　iam　possumsic；　en　tibi！〃＇1＇

＇1＇　Xenoglossy　is　well　known　not　to　be　unusual　in　automatic　writing；　sometimes　even　the　'automatist'　speaks　or　writes　languages　of　which　he　is　completely　ignorant。　The　Latin　and　Greek　passages　are　translated　as　follows：

〃This　is　what　I　have　wanted　at　last。　Justice　and　joy　speak　a　word　to　the　wise。　A。W。V。　and　perhaps　someone　else。　Chalk　sticking　to　the　feet　has　got　over　the　difficulty。　You　help　greatly　by　always　persevering。　Now　I　can　write　a　namethus；　here　it　is！〃


After　the　writing　comes　a　humorous　drawing　representing　a　bird　walking。

That　same　night；　as　there　were　said　to　be　〃uncanny　happenings〃　in　some　rooms　near　the　London　Law　Courts；　the　watchers　arranged　to　sit　through　the　night　in　the　empty　rooms。　Precautions　were　taken　to　prevent　intrusion　and　powdered　chalk　was　spread　on　the　floor　of　the　two　smaller　rooms；　〃to　trace　anybody　or　anything　that　might　come　or　go。〃　Mrs。　Verrall　knew　nothing　of　the　matter。　The　phenomena　began　at　12：43　A。M。　and　ended　at　2：09　A。M。　The　watchers　noticed　marks　on　the　powdered　chalk。　On　examination　it　was　seen　that　the　marks　were　〃clearly　defined　bird's　footprints　in　the　middle　of　the　floor；　three　in　the　left…hand　room　and　five　in　the　right…hand　room。〃　The　marks　were　identical　and　exactly　2　3/4　inches　in　width；　they　might　be　compared　to　the　footprints　of　a　bird　about　the　size　of　a　turkey。　The　footprints　were　observed　at　2：30　A。　M。；　the　unexplained　phenomena　had　begun　at　12：43　that　same　morning。　The　words　about　〃chalk　sticking　to　the　feet〃　are　a　singularly　appropriate　comment　on　the　events；　but　the　remarkable　point　is　that　Mrs。　Verrall　wrote　what　we　have　said　ONE　HOUR　AND　THIRTY…THREE　MINUTES　BEFORE　THE　EVENTS　TOOK　PLACE。

The　persons　who　watched　in　the　two　rooms　were　questioned　by　Mr。　J。　G。　Piddington；　a　member　of　the　council　of　the　S。　P。　R。；　and　declared　that　they　had　not　any　expectation　of　what　they　discovered。

I　need　hardly　add　that　Mrs。　Verrall　had　never　heard　anything　about　the　happenings　in　the　haunted　house　and　that　the　watchers　were　completely　ignorant　of　Mrs。　Verrall's　existence。

Here　then　is　a　wry　curious　prediction　of　an　event；　insignificant　in　itself；　which　is　to　happen；　in　a　house　unknown　to　the　one　who　foretells　it；　to　people　whom　she　does　not　know　either。　The　spiritualists；　who　score　in　this　case；　not　without　some　reason；　will　have　it　that　a　spirit；　in　order　to　prove　its　existence　and　its　intelligence；　organized　this　little　scene　in　which　the　future；　the　present　and　the　past　are　all　mixed　up　together。　Are　they　right？　Or　is　Mrs。　Verrall's　subconsciousness　roaming　like　this；　at　random；　in　the　future？　It　is　certain　that　the　problem　has　seldom　appeared　under　a　more　baffling　aspect。

6

We　will　now　take　another　premonitory　dream；　strictly　controlled　by　the　committee　of　the　S。　P。　R。＇1＇　Early　in　September；　1893；　Annette；　wife　of　Walter　Jones；　tobacconist；　of　Old　Gravel　Lane；　East　London；　had　her　little　boy　ill。　One　night　she　dreamt　that　she　saw　a　cart　drive　up　and　stop　near　when　she　was。　It　contained　three　coffins；　〃two　white　and　one　blue。　One　white　coffin　was　bigger　than　the　other；　and　the　blue　was　the　biggest　of　the　three。〃　The　driver　took　out　the　bigger　white　coffin　and　left　it　at　the　mother's　feet；　driving　off　with　the　others。　Mrs。　Jones　told　her　dream　to　her　husband　and　to　a　neighbour；　laying　particular　stress　on　the　curious　circumstance　that　one　of　the　coffins　was　blue。

＇1＇　Proceedings；　vol。　xi。；　p。　493。


On　the　10th　of　September；　a　friend　of　Mr。　and　Mrs。　Jones　was　confined　of　a　boy；　who　died　on　the　29th　of　the　same　month。　Their　own　little　boy　died　on　the　following　Monday；　the　2nd　of　October；　being　then　sixteen　months　old。　It　was　decided　to　bury　the　two　children　on　the　same　day。　On　the　morning　of　the　day　chosen；　the　parish　priest　informed　Mr。　and　Mrs。　Jones　that　another　child　had　died　in　the　neighbourhood　and　that　its　body　would　be　brought　into　church　along　with　the　two　others。　Mrs。　Jones　remarked　to　her　husband：

〃If　the　coffin　is　blue；　then　my　dream　will　come　true。　For　the　two　other　coffins　were　white。〃

The　third　coffin　was　brought；　it　was　blue。　It　remains　to　be　observed　that　the　dimensions　of　the　coffins　corresponded　exactly　with　the　dream　premonitions；　the　smallest　being　that　of　the　child　who　died　first；　the　next　that　of　the　little　Jones　boy；　who　was　sixteen　months　old；　and　the　largest；　the　blue　one；　that　of　a　boy　six　years　of　age。

Let　us　take；　more　or　less　at　random；　another　case　from　the　inexhaustible　Proceedings。＇1＇　The　report　is　written　by　Mr。　Alfred　Cooper　and　attested　by　the　Duchess　of　Hamilton；　the　Duke　of　Manchester　and　another　gentleman　to　whom　the　duchess　related　the　incident　before　the　fulfilment　of　the　prophetic　vision：

＇1＇　Proceedings；　vol。　xi。；　p。　505。　


〃A　fortnight　before　the　death　of　the　late　Earl　of　L。；〃　says　Mr。　Cooper；　〃in　1882；　I　called　upon　the　Duke　of　Hamilton；　in　Hill　Street；　to　see　him　professionally。　After　I　had　finished　seeing　him；　we　went　into　the　drawing…room　where　the　duchess　was；　and　the　duke　said　to　me：

〃'Oh；　Cooper；　how　is　the　earl？'

〃The　duchess　said；　'What　earl？'　and；　on　my　answering；　'Lord　L；'　she　replied：

〃'That　is　very　odd。　I　have　had　a　most　extraordinary　vision。　I　went　to　bed；　but；　after　being　in　bed　a　short　time；　I　was　not　exactly　asleep；　but　thought　I　saw　a　scene　as　if　from　a　play　before　me。　The　actors　in　it　were　Lord　L；　in　a　chair；　as　if　in　a　fit；　with　a　man　standing　near　him　with　a　red　beard。　He　was　by　the　side　of　a　bath；　over　which　bath　a　red　lamp　was　distinctly　shown。'

〃I　then　said：

〃'I　am　attending　Lord　L　at　present；　there　is　very　little　the　matter　with　him；　he　is　not　going　to　die；　he　will　be　all　right　very　soon。'

〃Well；　he　got　better　for　a　week　and　was　nearly　well；　but；　at　the　end　of　six　or　seven　days　after　this；　I　was　called　to　see　him　suddenly。　He　had　inflammation　of　both　lungs。

〃I　called　in　Sir　William　Jenner；　but　in　six　days　he　was　a　dead　man。　There　were　two　male　nurses　attending　on　him；　one　had　been　taken　ill。　But；　when　I　saw　the　other；　the　dream　of　the　duchess　was　exactly　represented。　He　was　standing　near　a　bath　over　the　earl　and；　strange　to　say；　his　beard　was　red。　There　was　the　bath　with　the　red　lamp　over　it；　and　this　brought　the　story　to　my　mind。

〃The　vision　seen　by　the　duchess　was　told　two　weeks　before　the　death　of　Lord　L。　It　is　a　most　remarkable　thing。〃

7

But　it　is　impossible　to　find　space　for　the　many　instances　related。　As　I　have　said；　there　are　hundreds　of　them；　making　their　tracks　in　every　direction　across　the　plains　of　the　future。　Those　which　I　have　quoted　give　a　sufficient　idea　of　the　predominating　tone　and　the　general　aspect　of　this　sort　of　story。　It　is　nevertheless　right　to　add　that　many　of　them　are　not　at　all　tragic　and　that　premonition　opens　its　mysterious　and　capricious　vistas　of　the　future　in　connection　with　the　most　diverse　and　insignificant　events。　It　cares　but　little　for　the　human　value　of　the　occurrence　and　puts　the　vision　of　a　number　in　a　lottery　in　the　same　plane　as　the　most　dramatic　death。　The　roads　by　which　it　reaches　us　are　also　unexpected　and　varied。　Often；　as　in　the　examples　quoted；　it　comes　to　us　in　a　dream。　Sometimes；　it　is　an　auditory　or　visual　hallucination　which　seizes　upon　us　while　awake；　sometimes；　an　indefinable　but　clear　and　irresistible　presentiment；　a　shapeless　but　powerful　obsession；　an　absurd　but　imperative　certainty　which　rises　from　the　depths　of　our　inner　darkness；　where　perhaps　lies　hidden　the　final　answer　to　every　riddle。

One　might　illustrate　each　of　these　manifestations　with　numerous　examples。　I　will　mention　only　a　few；　selected　not　among　the　most　striking　or　the　most　attractive；　but　among　those　which　have　been　most　strictly　tested　and　investigated。＇1＇　A　young　peasant　from　the　neighbourhood　of　Ghent；　two　months　before　the　drawing　for　the　conscription；　anno