essible merriment that I suddenly stopped, and
letting what was boiling below my laughter come to the surface, I
exclaimed, in language far more shocking to ears polite than
Planchette's own: "And do you really think that Satan, the great
devil of hell, in whom you believe, is amusing himself with telling
you such truths as those, through a bit of board on wheels?"
"Really," replied the woman of genius, in a tone of lofty dignity,
"I cannot pretend to say whether or not it is _the_ devil; of one
thing I am very certain, the influence by which it speaks is
undoubtedly devilish." I turned in boundless amazement to the
younger lady, whose mischievous countenance, with a broad grin upon
it, at once settled all my doubts as to the devilish influence under
which Planchette had spoken such home truths to her family circle,
and I let the subject drop, remaining much astonished, as I often
am, at the degree to which _les gens d'esprit sont betes_.

I once attended some young friends to a lecture, as it called
itself, upon electro-biology. It was tedious, stupid, and
ridiculous; the only thing that struck me was the curious condition
of bewildered imbecility into which two or three young men, who
presented themselves to be operated upon, fell, under the influence
of the lecturer. I had reason to believe that there was no collusion
in the case, and therefore was surprised at the evident state of
stupor and mental confusion (even to the not being able to pronounce
their own name) which they exhibited when, after looking intently
and without moving at a coin placed in their hand for some time,
their faculties appeared entirely bewildered, and though they were
not asleep, they seemed hardly conscious, and opposed not the
slightest resistance to the orders they received to sit down, stand
up, to try to remember their names,--which they were assured they
could not, and did not,--and their general submission, of course in
very trifling matters, to the sort of bullying directions addressed
to them in a loud peremptory tone; to which they replied with the
sort of stupefied languor of persons half asleep or under the
influence of opium. I did not quite understand how they were thrown
into this curious condition by the mere assumption of an immovable
attitude and fixed gazing at a piece of coin; an exper