Complete Works of Wilkie Collins (2189 page)

Q
. (continued.) What can you tell us about his hair?
A
. It is so very curious! — he reminds me of some one whom I have seen; and yet I don’t know who. If he were a little nearer to me, I could tell so much more about him!
Q
. I command him to come nearer. Now look — what do you see ?
A
. It is all black round his head; I can’t see — magnetize the mirror.
Q
. Now I have magnetized it; is the blackness gone?
A
. A little of it.
Q
. Now; what about his hair?
A
. It has the appearance of being dark.
Q
. Can’t you speak more positively about it?
A
. I am trying to find out the colour of his hair, but it puzzles me: it is so very dark all round him.
Q
. Can’t you disperse the darkness?
A
. Yes; it is going, (
wiped the mirror
.) Now, his hair does not look dark; it seems light.
Q
. Be more particular: which is it, dark or light? You said it was dark just now. Why?
A
. Because it was dark then over his hair. Now it is clearer, I see that his hair is light.
Q
. What sort of light hair?

She waited some time without answering this question; then suddenly exclaimed: — ”If that gentleman — I forget his name — would give me his hand I think I could find out everything.” She was asked which of the two gentlemen present she meant — was it my friend “No!” — Was it Mr. C — ? (mentioning my name.) — ”Yes!” Remembering that my brother was the person whom I had secretly chosen that she should see, you will easily imagine how deep an interest was excited by V — ’s request. It was the first palpable manifestation of the mysterious instinct which was now gradually directing her aright to the object of her search.

Turning over the task of writing down the questions and answers to my friend, I gave V — my hand, without saying anything. Almost immediately afterwards, I felt the magnetic influence communicating itself from her to me. The sensation was precisely like that produced by a mild shock from a galvanic battery —
i. e.
a slight feeling of
tingling
in the hand, and of numbness all up the arm. Whenever I felt this sensation at all on the increase, I changed the hand I gave to V — : otherwise, I think it more than probable that I should have been soon thrown into the magnetic sleep myself!

Shortly after V — took my hand, her brow contracted, and a nervous twitching appeared in the muscles of her face. The questions were thus continued: —
Q
. Why did you wish Mr. C — to give you his hand?
A
. I don’t know yet; it was an idea that occurred to me. Wait! There is some connexion between Mr. C — and the man I am looking at in the mirror: I don’t know what connexion — but — (
here she paused, and smiled
.) — Yes! I have found out: they are a little alike!
Q
. Alike in what?.
A.
Something alike in their faces, (
right
.) I was certain, from the first, that the face in the mirror reminded me of another face that I had seen.
Q
. Can you tell us anything more about the hair?
A.
I have told you already that it is light hair. Magnetize the mirror for me: I want to find out what these two gentlemen are to each other. (
A pause here
.)
Q
. How is the man in the mirror dressed?
A
. In grey trousers, and in a dark (it looks black) morning coat and waistcoat. (
This was subsequently found to be right.
) I am getting very tired; I wish the gentleman who holds my hand would think of the man I see in the mirror; it would help me to find out about him.
Q
. What are you laughing at now?
A.
I can’t help laughing at Mr. C — , he forgets he is in communication (
en rapport
) with me, and is telling his friend my answers in a whisper, as if he thought I could not hear him!

(This was the fact! I
had
forgotten that I was in communication with her, and that, whisper as faintly as I might, she could now hear every word I said!)

Q.
(continued) Can you not tell us something more about the man in the mirror?
A.
His nose is rather long; his eyes are blue; his mouth is of middling size, his skin is fair, his complexion is pale, (
Right in every instance
.) Stop! I have discovered it! HE IS THIS GENTLEMAN’S BROTHER!
Q
. You are right. Now go on describing the man in the mirror — has he any whiskers?
A
. Yes: light whiskers, (
right
,) I see his hair very clearly now; it is of a lightish red (
right
.)

(It may be useful to state here, that the resemblance between my brother and myself is only what is termed “a family resemblance.” While mentioning
his
personal appearance in detail, she could get no hints from
mine.
In expression and general outline of face, we are considered to be alike; but in every other respect — as to eyes, hair, complexion, and so on — we differ completely.)

On the questions being resumed, she complained of excessive fatigue, and of the re-appearance of a mist on the mirror. She was asked to describe more fully my brother’s dress. Her answers were now given unwillingly and painfully; and subsequent inquiry showed them to be wrong. She was so thoroughly wearied, as to be almost incapable of holding up the mirror; and, between each interrogation, she constantly petitioned to be released from any further exertion. The points on which she was mistaken were these: — 1st. In describing my brother as a little older than I was. 2nd. In saying that he wore a scarf round his neck. 3rd. In asserting that he had rings on the fingers of his left hand. But I must again repeat, that these three mistakes (her
only
mistakes, be it observed) were made after her faculties had been kept for two hours incessantly on the stretch; after she had herself told us that fatigue was overpowering her; and after it was perfectly obvious to every one present, from her voice and manner, that her attention was flagging over her task from excessive fatigue. Accordingly, after she had given the answer numbered “3rd,” further questioning was abandoned as useless in her then exhausted condition. She was awakened at ten minutes past eleven; and our second experiment in
clairvoyance
was put off till the next evening.

W. W. C.

(To be continued.)

Letter 5
—
The Leader
6 March 1852

LETTER V. — TO G. H. LEWES

YOU will not be surprised to hear that the result of our first experiment in
clairvoyance
had the effect of making my friend and myself ardently desirous of witnessing a second. Nothing we had hitherto seen on any previous evening had (to use a common but expressive phrase) so “completely staggered us” as this last phenomenon of the magnetic second sight. To attempt to reason about it seemed perfectly hopeless: there was something too weird and supernatural about the whole process of
clairvoyance
for the sort of discussion which men give to practical everyday-wonders. The mysterious shaping of the vision seen by V — ; its gradual growth on the mirror, from a round spot to separate arms and legs, and thence to a perfect human figure — that figure the exact similitude of a person whom the
clairvoyant
had never seen; the working of the occult spiritual sympathies which taught her (unaided by the faintest hint, the slightest betrayal of emotion from any one present), first, vaguely to connect the vision she saw with
me
, then instinctively to assist herself by contact with my hand and connexion with my thoughts, in discovering the relationship which had been rigidly and entirely kept a secret from her — these were marvels that defied logical analysis as completely as they outraged logical probabilities. All that we had seen and heard literally passed belief; and yet, what was to be done but believe it? Disbelieve it! you will say. So I would willingly if I could only believe, to begin with, that the intimate friends of
my
intimate friends were impostors, and that my fellow spectator and I were both of us fools. Other people may be able to assume this comfortable hypothesis — I, unfortunately, cannot!

One impression was strongly conveyed by V — ’s manner and language during the progress of our experiment — viz., that her spiritual sympathies and mental instincts were so extended in range, and so sharpened in intensity, while she was in the magnetic state, that her mind could act and her thoughts move in the most intimate connexion with the minds and thoughts of others. It is, I am well aware, a sufficiently perilous and daring assertion to say, that one human being is really able under any circumstances, to “read the thoughts” of another; yet to this conclusion every word and action of V — ’s, at the time when she asked me to take her hand and think of the person whose name I had written down, seems inevitably to lead. If any rational explanation can be given of the wonders of
clairvoyance
, it must, I think, be sought for in this direction; it must start from the assertion, that the
clairvoyant
possesses a mysterious insight into the mind, a mysterious sympathy with the inmost feelings of the individual whose duty it is to think of the person, or the place appointed to test the capabilities of the magnetic second-sight. A, for instance, secretly thinks of some friend or relative, a perfect stranger to B, whom B is to behold and describe. B, however, is able to think with the thoughts and feel with the feelings of A; and, guided by that sympathy, goes aright, therefore, to the discovery the object which A has appointed for search. This mode of explanation might, perhaps, be made to throw some little light on the mysteries of
clairvoyance
but even if it be admitted as satisfactory, how much that is incomprehensible and marvellous must still remain unelucidated! The subject, after all, defies any analysis — the mystery is to be seen, yet not to be penetrated. It is best asserted by the practical results that we can really and truly see and hear for ourselves. To those results, therefore, let me return.

On the evening of our second experiment, the black mirror was dispensed with. V — was placed in and easy chair by the fireside, and magnetized in the usual manner. The duty of selecting the new test for her capabilities was then accorded to my friend, Mr. S — , the gentleman whom I have mentioned as having been present on the occasion of our former experiment.

Mr. S — had only a few days since returned from Paris. The card of one of his French friends happened to be in his pocket, and he gave it to V — as the object of the new search in which we were now to employ her. The Count and I looked at this card before it was handed to the
clairvoyante.
The letters on it were so faintly and minutely printed in what the writing masters call “hair-strokes” that it was very difficult to read them by candle light. When we at length succeeded in doing so, we found that the name was perfectly unknown to both of us — perfectly unknown indeed to every one in the room but Mr. S — . I further inquired of that gentleman whether he had mentioned his French friend’s name, or any subject in immediate connexion with it — either by letter, during his absence, or personally, on his return to England — to any relatives or friends in the town where we were now staying. He assured me that he had not. He had even forgotten that he had brought away the card in his pocket, until he accidentally drew it forth a moment ago; and he was, moreover, quite certain that he had neither directly nor indirectly mentioned to a single soul in England under what circumstances he had seen his French friend, when that friend gave him the card.

The first question asked of V — was, whether she could read the name. She sat with her eyes closed, as usual, away from the candles, and holding the card in her lap. After a long pause, she said that the writing was so small and indistinct that she could not read it correctly; two things, however, she could discover — the name was a French name, and the name of a man.

Finding her so far right, Mr. S — inquired of our host whether V — would be able to tell him where and under what circumstances he had last seen his French friend. The Count replied that he had no doubt she could; and recommended Mr. S — to place himself in communication with her; and ask all the necessary questions himself, as the person present best qualified to put them. Mr. S — took the advice. Except in one or two unimportant cases, it was he and not the magnetizer who interrogated V — . I took down the questions and answers myself as they passed. You will find the results of our second experiment which I am now about to submit to you, even more extraordinary and more startling than those which proceeded from our first.

Question
. Where did I last see the French gentleman?
A
. At Paris, (
right
.)
Q
. In what place did I see him; was it out of doors or in?
A
. In doors; in a room, (
right
.)
Q
. At what time of day did I see him?
A
. In the morning, (
right.
)
Q
. At what sort of visit was it that I saw him?
A
. At a breakfast visit, (
right
.)
Q
. How many people were seated at table?
A
. Seven, (
right
.)
Q
. How many ladies and how many gentlemen were there in the company?
A
. Four gentlemen and three ladies, (
right
.)
Q
. Tell me something more about the ladies; were they married ladies or unmarried ladies?
A
. One was a married lady; the two others were not, (
right
.)