, do you believe that the Ouija Board gave the
messages exactly as I have detailed the proceedings to you?"

"I do," said Blair, "that is, I believe you have told the exact truth of
what you observed."

"Then, can you refuse to believe that the message came from the spirit
of my dead boy? Who else knew of his death? How could any one know of
it?"

"True enough," and Blair shook his head, noncommittally.

Crane sighed. "You don't believe," he said, but without annoyance.
"Yet, remember, greater minds and wiser brains than yours believe. Are
not you a little presumptuous to set your opinion against theirs?"

"I don't mean to be presumptuous, Mr. Crane," Blair spoke decidedly,
"but I do think my opinion on this subject as good as any man's."

"Then you are condemning the matter, unheard, which you will allow is
not strictly just."

"Come, come, Blair," said Shelby, distressed at his attitude, "don't
discuss things of which you know nothing. Mr. Crane has gone deeply into
the subject and must know more about it than we do." He gave Blair a
positive glance of reproof, and tried to make him see that he must stop
combating their host's theories, if only for reasons of common
politeness.

"But I'm interested," persisted Blair. "If Peter came here and told his
father he was dead,-- I want to look into these things. You see, it's
the first time I've ever been up against a real case of this sort. Own
up, Shelby, it's all mighty queer."

Benjamin Crane looked kindly at Blair. "That's the talk, my boy. If
you're really interested, come round some night, and with you here,
Peter may talk through, all the better."

"Rubbish!" Shelby thought, silently, but aloud, he only said:

"Yes, Blair, do that. And drop the subject for the present. Is Julie at
home, Mrs. Crane?"

"No; she's away for a few days. Poor child, she will be heartbroken. She
adored Peter Boots," and Mrs. Crane again gave way to tears.

"What does Julie think about the messages?" asked Blair, thoughtfully.

"We didn't tell her," said Crane. "She's so emotional, and--well, of
course, we couldn't help hoping that it mightn't be true. And, too,
Julie hates all talk of spiritism."

"Sensible girl!" thought Shelby, as Mrs. Crane was saying:

"But Julie went to Sir Rowland's lectures and she was deeply
interested."

"Lectures?" asked Blair.

"Yes; there have been a great many this season. I'm sorry you had to
miss them. They're over now. But I can't see h