ieur St. Gille in particular; that
learned body deputed two of its members, M. de Fouchy and Le Roi, to
accompany him to St. Germain-en-Laye, in order to verify the facts, and
to make their observations on the nature and causes of this
extraordinary faculty. In the course of this inquiry, a very singular
plan was laid and executed, to put Monsieur St. Gille's powers of
deception to the trial, by engaging him to exert them in the presence of
a large party, consisting of the commissaries of the Academy, and some
persons of the highest quality, who were to dine in the open forest near
St. Germain-en-Laye on a particular day. All the members of this party
were in the secret, except a certain lady, here designated by the title
of the Countess de B. who was pitched upon as a proper person for
Monsieur St. Gille's delusive powers, as she knew nothing either of him
or of ventriloquism; and possibly for another reason, which the Abbe,
through politeness, suppresses. She had been told in general, that this
party had been formed in consequence of a report, that an aerial spirit
had lately established itself in the forest of St. Germain-en-Laye; and
that a grand deputation from the Academy of Sciences was to pass the day
there, to inquire into the reality of the fact.

Monsieur St. Gille was one of the first of this select party; and,
previous to his joining the company in the forest, he completely
deceived one of the Commissaries of the Academy, who was then walking
apart from the rest, and whom he accidentally met. Just as he was
abreast of him, prepared and guarded as the academician was against a
deception of this kind, he verily believed that he heard his associate
M. de Fouchy, who was then with the company at above an hundred yards
distance, calling after him to return as expeditiously as possible. His
valet, too, after repeating to his master the purport of M. de Fouchy's
supposed acclamation, turned about towards the company, and, with the
greatest simplicity imaginable, bawled out as loud as he could, in
answer to him, "Yes, Sir."

After this promising beginning, the party sat down to dinner; and the
aerial spirit, who had been previously furnished with proper anecdotes
respecting the company, soon began to address the Countess of B.
particularly, in a voice that seemed to be in the air over their heads.
Sometimes he spoke to her from the tops of the trees around them, or
from the surface of the ground, but at a great di