caused by
the blow given by the hammer. They thought there was no need of an
investigation either, because they had left Smith quite dead at eight in
the evening.

How Smith's dead body was spirited away and came to Jones's house has
been a mystery which will probably never be solved.

* * * * *

Thinking over the matter recorded above the writer has come to the
conclusion that probably a natural explanation might be given of the
affair.

Taking however all the facts of the case as given above to be true (and
there is no reason to suppose that they are not) the only explanation
that could be given and in fact that was given by some of the sceptical
minds of Agra at that time was as follows:--

"Smith was dead. Jones was a very old friend of his. He was rather
seriously affected. He must have, in an unconscious state of mind like a
somnambulist, carried the dead body of Smith to his own house without
being detected in the act. Then his own fevered imagination endowed
Smith with the faculty of speech, dead though the latter was; and in a
moment of--well--call it temporary insanity, if you please--he inflicted
the wound on the forehead of Smith's dead body."

This was the only plausible explanation that could be given of the
affair; but regard being had to the fact that Smith's dead body was
lying in an upper storey of the house and that there was a number of
servants between the death chamber and the main entrance to the house,
the act of removing the dead body without their knowing it was a
difficult task, nay utterly impracticable.

Over and above this it was not feasible to carry away even at night, the
dead body along the road, which is a well frequented thoroughfare,
without being observed by anybody.

Then there is the third fact that Jones was really not such a strong
person that he could carry alone Smith's body that distance with ease.

Smith's dead body as recovered in Jones' house had bare feet; whether
there was any dust on the feet, had not been observed by anybody;
otherwise some light might have been thrown on this apparently
miraculous incident.

WHAT THE PROFESSOR SAW.

This story is not so painful as the one entitled "_What Uncle Saw_." How
we wish that uncle had seen something else, but all the same how glad we
are that uncle did not see what the professor saw. The professor is an
M.A. of the University of Calcutta, in Chemistry, and is a Lecturer in