ust died one of the saddest of deaths, having been lost in the
Australian scrub twelve years before.

These raps were still stronger than those of Mr. Hogarth, being
violent, and following immediately on the question wherever a negative
or affirmative was used.

Mr. Dempster said he had been a powerful young man, of the most
unquestionable determination, and that the raps were always consonant
to the character of the spirit when in life. He eagerly turned to
identify him. The name was correctly given; the date of his death; the
length of time he had existed without food and water, and the clothes
he had on when he died. Then a message was sent to his aged mother, who
had so long mourned for her youngest born, that he was expecting her
soon to join him in the spirit land. The place where the old lady lived
was mentioned, and her state of health was described as being bad.

"All perfectly true, perfectly true, Mr. Hogarth. Poor Tom! His was a
distressing fate. I expected that we should have something good in
manifestations this evening, but I scarcely looked for anything so
perfectly satisfactory as this. Every name and every date exactly
correct. Are you not convinced now?"

"I am certainly very much staggered," said Francis. "Have you been
thinking much about your friend or his mother lately?"

"Not particularly that I know of; but I liked him very much, and I
often think of his solitary death."

"Have you heard that his mother is in bad health?"

"She has been an invalid for years, and you heard her age; but we must
make a note of the date, and ascertain if she is particularly worse
to-night. I feel sure that there are not many days of this earth for
her, and how blessed a thing it is that we have such an assurance of a
reunion and recognition as these communications give to us."

When Francis got into the open air after the excitement of the evening,
he was inclined to think that all had been a dream or a delusion, but
the answer and the names recurred with startling significance; the
difficulty and almost the impossibility of any cheat or collusion, and
the apparent sincerity of all who had been sitting by him during the
manifestations, increased the bewilderment of his mind.

"I must see Jane about this to-morrow," said he; "her clear head can
perhaps solve this curious problem; but if I had not seen it, I would
not have believed what I saw. Will she believe without seeing? Yes, she
will receive my testimo