ting from it when five stones
rapped up against the door from the inside. He reopened the door and
saw them lying there upon the floor. Sir William Barrett had meanwhile
come down, but had seen nothing. His stay was a short one. I
afterwards made four visits of about two hours each to the grotto, but
got nothing direct, though I saw the new brickwork all chipped about by
the blows which it had received. The forces appeared to have not the
slightest interest in psychical research, for they never played up to
an investigator, and yet their presence and action have been
demonstrated to at least seven different observers, and, as I have
said, they left their traces behind them, even to the extent of picking
the flint stones out of the new cement which was to form the floor, and
arranging them in tidy little piles. The obvious explanation that the
boy was an adept at mischief had to be set aside in view of the fact
that the phenomena occurred in his absence. One extra man of science
wandered on to the scene for a moment, but as his explanation was that
the movements occurred through the emanation of marsh-gas, it did not
advance matters much. The disturbances are still proceeding, and I
have had a letter this very morning (February 21st, 1918) with fuller
and later details from Mr. Hesketh, the Engineer.

What is the REAL explanation of such a matter? I can only say that I
have advised Mr. Jaques to dig into the bluff under which he is
constructing his cellar. I made some investigation myself upon the top
of it and convinced myself that the surface ground at that spot has at
some time been disturbed to the depth of at least five feet. Something
has, I should judge, been buried at some date, and it is probable that,
as in the case cited in the text, there is a connection between this
and the disturbances. It is very probable that Mr. Rolfe is, unknown
to himself, a physical medium, and that when he was in the confined
space of the cellar he turned it into a cabinet in which his magnetic
powers could accumulate and be available for use. It chanced that
there was on the spot some agency which chose to use them, and hence
the phenomena. When Mr. Jaques went alone to the grotto the power left
behind by Mr. Rolfe, who had been in it all morning, was not yet
exhausted and he was able to get some manifestations. So I read it,
but it is well not to be dogmatic on such matters. If there is
systematic digging I should ex