the matter. I am not interested in it."
Sarah at this moment opened the door and showed in Cummings, for
which I was
thankful, for I felt it would put a stop to this
foolish table-turning. But I was entirely
mistaken; for, on the
subject being opened again, Cummings said he was most interested in
Spiritualism, although he was bound to
confess he did not believe
much in it; still, he was
willing to be convinced.
I
firmly declined to take any part in it, with the result that my
presence was ignored. I left the three sitting in the parlour at a
small round table which they had taken out of the drawing-room. I
walked into the hall with the
ultimateintention of
taking a little
stroll. As I opened the door, who should come in but Gowing!
On
hearing what was going on, he proposed that we should join the
circle and he would go into a
trance. He added that he KNEW a few
things about old Cummings, and would INVENT a few about Mrs. James.
Knowing how dangerous Gowing is, I declined to let him take part in
any such foolish
performance. Sarah asked me if she could go out
for half an hour, and I gave her
permission, thinking it would be
more comfortable to sit with Gowing in the kitchen than in the cold
drawing-room. We talked a good deal about Lupin and Mr. and Mrs.
Murray Posh, with whom he is as usual spending the evening. Gowing
said: "I say, it wouldn't be a bad thing for Lupin if old Posh
kicked the bucket."
My heart gave a leap of
horror, and I rebuked Gowing very sternly
for joking on such a subject. I lay awake half the night thinking
of it - the other hall was spent in nightmares on the same subject.
May 31. - I wrote a stern letter to the laundress. I was rather
pleased with the letter, for I thought it very satirical. I said:
"You have returned the handkerchiefs without the colour. Perhaps
you will return either the colour or the value of the
handkerchiefs." I shall be rather curious to know what she will
have to say.
More table-turning in the evening. Carrie said last night was in a
measure successful, and they ought to sit again. Cummings came in,
and seemed interested. I had the gas lighted in the drawing-room,
got the steps, and repaired the cornice, which has been a bit of an
eyesore to me. In a fit of unthinkingness - if I may use such an
expression, - I gave the floor over the parlour, where the seance
was
taking place, two loud raps with the
hammer. I felt sorry
afterwards, for it was the sort of
ridiculous, foolhardy thing that
Gowing or Lupin would have done.
However, they never even referred to it, but Carrie declared that a
message came through the table to her of a wonderful
description,
concerning someone whom she and I knew years ago, and who was quite
unknown to the others.
When we went to bed, Carrie asked me as a favour to sit to-morrow
night, to
oblige her. She said it seemed rather
unkind and
unsociable on my part. I promised I would sit once.
June 1. - I sat
reluctantly at the table in the evening, and I am
bound to admit some curious things happened. I
contend they were
coincidences, but they were curious. For
instance, the table kept
tilting towards me, which Carrie construed as a desire that I
should ask the spirit a question. I obeyed the rules, and I asked
the spirit (who said her name was Lina) if she could tell me the
name of an old aunt of whom I was thinking, and whom we used to
call Aunt Maggie. The table spelled out C A T. We could make
nothing out of it, till I suddenly remembered that her second name
was Catherine, which it was
evidentlytrying to spell. I don't
think even Carrie knew this. But if she did, she would never
cheat. I must admit it was curious. Several other things
happened, and I consented to sit at another seance on Monday.
June 3. - The laundress called, and said she was very sorry about
the handkerchiefs, and returned ninepence. I said, as the colour
was completely washed out and the handkerchiefs quite spoiled,
ninepence was not enough. Carrie replied that the two
handkerchiefs
originally only cost
sixpence, for she remembered
bring them at a sale at the Holloway BON MARCHE. In that case, I
insisted that threepence buying should be returned to the
laundress. Lupin has gone to stay with the Poshs for a few days.
I must say I feel very
uncomfortable about it. Carrie said I was
ridiculous to worry about it. Mr. Posh was very fond of Lupin,
who, after all, was only a mere boy.
In the evening we had another seance, which, in some respects, was
very
remarkable, although the first part of it was a little
doubtful. Gowing called, as well as Cummings, and begged to be
allowed to join the
circle. I wanted to object, but Mrs. James,
who appears a good Medium (that is, if there is anything in it at
all), thought there might be a little more spirit power if Gowing
joined; so the five of us sat down.
The moment I turned out the gas, and almost before I could get my
hands on the table, it rocked
violently and tilted, and began
moving quickly across the room. Gowing shouted out: "Way oh!
steady, lad, steady!" I told Gowing if he could not
behave himself
I should light the gas, and put an end to the seance.
To tell the truth, I thought Gowing was playing tricks, and I
hinted as much; but Mrs. James said she had often seen the table go
right off the ground. The spirit Lina came again, and said, "WARN"
three or four times, and declined to explain. Mrs. James said
"Lina" was
stubborn sometimes. She often
behaved like that, and
the best thing to do was to send her away.
She then hit the table
sharply, and said: "Go away, Lina; you are
disagreeable. Go away!" I should think we sat nearly three-
quarters of an hour with nothing
happening. My hands felt quite
cold, and I suggested we should stop the seance. Carrie and Mrs.
James, as well as Cummings, would not agree to it. In about ten
minutes' time there was some tilting towards me. I gave the
alphabet, and it spelled out S P O O F. As I have heard both
Gowing and Lupin use the word, and as I could hear Gowing silently
laughing, I directly accused him of pushing the table. He denied
it; but, I regret to say, I did not believe him.
Gowing said: "Perhaps it means 'Spook,' a ghost."
I said: "YOU know it doesn't mean anything of the sort."
Gowing said: "Oh! very well - I'm sorry I 'spook,'" and he rose
from the table.
No one took any notice of the
stupid joke, and Mrs. James suggested
he should sit out for a while. Gowing consented and sat in the
arm-chair.
The table began to move again, and we might have had a wonderful
seance but for Gowing's
stupid interruptions. In answer to the
alphabet from Carrie the table spelt "NIPUL," then the "WARN" three
times. We could not think what it meant till Cummings
pointed out
that "NIPUL" was Lupin spelled
backwards. This was quite exciting.
Carrie was particularly excited, and said she hoped nothing
horrible was going to happen.
Mrs. James asked if "Lina" was the spirit. The table replied
firmly, "No," and the spirit would not give his or her name. We
then had the message, "NIPUL will be very rich."
Carrie said she felt quite relieved, but the word "WARN" was again
spelt out. The table then began to oscillate
violently, and in
reply to Mrs. James, who spoke very
softly to the table, the spirit
began to spell its name. It first spelled "DRINK."
Gowing here said: "Ah! that's more in my line."
I asked him to be quiet as the name might not be completed.
The table then spelt "WATER."
Gowing here interrupted again, and said: "Ah! that's NOT in my
line. OUTSIDE if you like, but not inside."
Carrie appealed to him to be quiet.
The table then spelt "CAPTAIN," and Mrs. James startled us by
crying out, "Captain Drinkwater, a very old friend of my father's,
who has been dead some years."
This was more interesting, and I could not help thinking that after
all there must be something in Spiritualism.
Mrs. James asked the spirit to interpret the meaning of the word
"Warn" as
applied to "NIPUL." The
alphabet was given again, and we
got the word "BOSH."
Gowing here muttered: "So it is."
Mrs. James said she did not think the spirit meant that, as Captain
Drinkwater was a perfect gentleman, and would never have used the
word in answer to a lady's question. Accordingly the
alphabet was
given again.
This time the table spelled
distinctly "POSH." We all thought of
Mrs. Murray Posh and Lupin. Carrie was getting a little
distressed, and as it was getting late we broke up the
circle.
We arranged to have one more to-morrow, as it will be Mrs. James'
last night in town. We also determined NOT to have Gowing present.
Cummings, before leaving, said it was certainly interesting, but he
wished the spirits would say something about him.
June 4. - Quite looking forward to the seance this evening. Was
thinking of it all the day at the office.
Just as we sat down at the table we were annoyed by Gowing entering
without knocking.
He said: "I am not going to stop, but I have brought with me a
sealed
envelope, which I know I can trust with Mrs. Pooter. In
that sealed
envelope is a strip of paper on which I have asked a
simple question. If the spirits can answer that question, I will
believe in Spiritualism."
I ventured the expression that it might be impossible.
Mrs. James said: "Oh no! it is of common
occurrence for the
spirits to answer questions under such conditions - and even for
them to write on locked slates. It is quite worth
trying. If
'Lina' is in a good
temper, she is certain to do it."
Gowing said: "All right; then I shall be a firm
believer. I shall
perhaps drop in about half-past nine or ten, and hear the result."
He then left and we sat a long time. Cummings wanted to know
something about some under
taking in which he was
concerned, but he
could get no answer of any
descriptionwhatever - at which he said
he was very disap
pointed and was afraid there was not much in
table-turning after all. I thought this rather
selfish of him.
The seance was very similar to the one last night, almost the same
in fact. So we turned to the letter. "Lina" took a long time
answering the question, but
eventually spelt out "ROSES, LILIES,
AND COWS." There was great rocking of the table at this time, and
Mrs. James said: "If that is Captain Drinkwater, let us ask him
the answer as well?"
It was the spirit of the Captain, and, most
singular, he gave the
same
identical answer: "ROSES, LILIES, AND COWS."
I cannot describe the
agitation with which Carrie broke the seal,
or the
disappointment we felt on
reading the question, to which the
answer was so inappropriate. The question was, "WHAT'S OLD
POOTER'S AGE?"
This quite
decided me.
As I had put my foot down on Spiritualism years ago, so I would
again.
I am pretty easy-going as a rule, but I can be
extremely firm when
driven to it.
I said slowly, as I turned up the gas: "This is the last of this
nonsense that shall ever take place under my roof. I regret I
permitted myself to be a party to such
tomfoolery. If there is
anything in it - which I doubt - it is nothing of any good, and I
WON'T HAVE IT AGAIN. That is enough."
Mrs. James said: "I think, Mr. Pooter, you are rather over-
stepping - "
I said: "Hush, madam. I am master of this house - please
understand that."
Mrs. James made an
observation which I
sincerely hope I was
mistaken in. I was in such a rage I could not quite catch what she
said. But if I thought she said what it sounded like, she should
never enter the house again.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Lupin leaves us. We dine at his new apartments, and hear some
extraordinary information
respecting the
wealth of Mr. Murray Posh.