the unknown guest-第10节

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ise　the　question　would　be　settled。　There　are　some　which；　while　exceedingly　striking　at　first　sight　and　offering　every　guarantee　that　could　be　desired　to　authenticity；　nevertheless　do　not　imply　a　real　knowledge　of　the　future　and　can　be　interpreted　in　another　manner。　I　give　one；　to　serve　as　an　instance；　it　is　reported　by　Dr。　Alphonse　Teste　in　his　Manuel　pratique　du　magnetisme　animal。

On　the　8th　of　May；　Dr。　Teste　magnetizes　Mme。　Hortensein　the　presence　of　her　husband。　She　is　no　sooner　asleep　than　she　announces　that　she　has　been　pregnant　for　a　fortnight；　that　she　will　not　go　her　full　time；　that　〃she　will　take　fright　at　something；〃　that　she　will　have　a　fall　and　that　the　result　will　be　a　miscarriage。　She　adds　that；　on　the　12th　of　May；　after　having　had　a　fright；　she　will　have　a　fainting…fit　which　will　last　for　eight　minutes；　and　she　then　describes；　hour　by　hour；　the　course　of　her　malady；　which　will　end　in　three　days'　loss　of　reason；　from　which　she　will　recover。

On　awaking；　she　retains　no　recollection　of　anything　that　has　passed；　it　is　kept　from　her；　and　Dr。　Teste　communicates　his　notes　to　Dr。　Amidee　Latour。　On　the　12th　of　May；　he　calls　on　M。　and　Mme。；　finds　them　at　table　and　puts　Mme。　to　sleep　again；　whereupon　she　repeats　word　for　word　what　she　told　him　four　days　before。　They　wake　her　up。　The　dangerous　hour　is　drawing　near。　They　take　every　imaginable　precaution　and　even　close　the　shutters。　Mme。；　made　uneasy　by　these　extraordinary　measures　which　she　is　quite　unable　to　understand；　asks　what　they　are　going　to　do　to　her。　Half…past　three　o'clock　strikes。　Mme。　rises　from　the　sofa　on　which　they　have　made　her　sit　and　wants　to　leave　the　room。　The　doctor　and　her　husband　try　to　prevent　her。

〃But　what　is　the　matter　with　you？〃　she　asks。　〃I　simply　must　go　out。〃

〃No；　madame；　you　shall　not：　I　speak　in　the　interest　of　your　health。〃

〃Well；　then；　doctor；〃　she　replies；　with　a　smile；　〃if　it　is　in　the　interest　of　my　health；　that　is　all　the　more　reason　why　you　should　let　me　go　out。〃

The　excuse　is　a　plausible　one　and　even　irresistible；　but　the　husband；　wishing　to　carry　the　struggle　against　destiny　to　the　last；　declares　that　he　will　accompany　his　wife。　The　doctor　remains　alone；　feeling　somewhat　anxious；　in　spite　of　the　rather　farcical　turn　which　the　incident　has　taken。　Suddenly；　a　piercing　shriek　is　heard　and　the　noise　of　a　body　falling。　He　runs　out　and　finds　Mme。　wild　with　fright　and　apparently　dying　in　her　husband's　arms。　At　the　moment　when；　leaving　him　for　an　instant；　she　opened　the　door　of　the　place　where　she　was　going；　a　rat；　the　first　seen　there　for　twenty　years；　rushed　at　her　and　gave　her　so　great　a　start　that　she　fell　flat　on　her　back。　And　all　the　rest　of　the　prediction　was　fulfilled　to　the　letter；　hour　by　hour　and　detail　by　detail。

3

To　make　it　quite　clear　in　what　spirit　I　am　undertaking　this　study　and　to　remove　at　the　beginning　any　suspicion　of　blind　or　systematic　credulity；　I　am　anxious；　before　going　any　further；　to　say　that　I　fully　realize　that　cases　of　this　kind　by　no　means　carry　conviction。　It　is　quite　possible　that　everything　happened　in　the　subconscious　imagination　of　the　subject　and　that　she　herself　created；　by　self…suggestion；　her　illness；　her　fright；　her　fall　and　her　miscarriage　and　adapted　herself　to　most　of　the　circumstances　which　she　had　foretold　in　her　secondary　state。　The　appearance　of　the　rat　at　the　fatal　moment　is　the　only　thing　that　would　suggest　a　precise　and　disquieting　vision　of　an　inevitable　future　event。　Unfortunately；　we　are　not　told　that　the　rat　was　perceived　by　other　witnesses　than　the　patient；　so　that　there　is　nothing　to　prove　that　it　also　was　not　imaginary。　I　have　therefore　quoted　this　inadequate　instance　only　because　it　represents　fairly　well　the　general　aspect　and　the　indecisive　value　of　many　similar　cases　and　enable　us　to　note　once　and　for　all　the　objections　which　can　be　raised　and　the　precautions　which　we　should　take　before　entering　these　suspicious　and　obscure　regions。

We　now　come　to　an　infinitely　more　significant　and　less　questionable　case　related　by　Dr。　Joseph　Maxwell；　the　learned　and　very　scrupulous　author　of　Les　Phenomenes　Psychiques；　a　work　which　has　been　translated　into　English　under　the　title　of　Metapsychical　Phenomena。　It　concerns　a　vision　which　was　described　to　him　eight　days　before　the　event　and　which　he　told　to　many　people　before　it　was　accomplished。　A　sensitive　perceived　in　a　crystal　the　following　scene：　a　large　steamer；　flying　a　flag　of　three　horizontal　bars；　black；　white　and　red；　and　bearing　the　name　Leutschland；　was　sailing　in　mid…ocean。　The　boat　was　suddenly　enveloped　in　smoke；　a　great　number　of　sailors；　passengers　and　men　in　uniform　rushed　to　the　upper　deck；　and　the　boat　went　down。

Eight　days　afterwards；　the　newspapers　announced　the　accident　to　the　Deutschland；　whose　boiler　had　burst；　obliging　the　steamboat　to　stand　to。

The　evidence　of　a　man　like　Dr。　Maxwell；　especially　when　we　have　to　do　with　a　so…to…speak　personal　incident；　possesses　an　importance　on　which　it　is　needless　to　insist。　We　have　here；　therefore；　several　days　beforehand；　the　very　clear　prevision　of　an　event　which；　moreover；　in　no　way　concerns　the　percipient：　a　curious　detail；　but　one　which　is　not　uncommon　in　these　cases。　The　mistake　in　reading　Leutschland　for　Deutschland；　which　would　have　been　quite　natural　in　real　life；　adds　a　note　of　probability　and　authenticity　to　the　phenomenon。　As　for　the　final　act；　the　foundering　of　the　vessel　in　the　place　of　a　simple　heaving　to；　we　must　see　in　this；　as　Dr。　J。　W。　Pickering　and　W。　A。　Sadgrove　suggest；　〃the　subconscious　dramatization　of　a　subliminal　inference　of　the　percipient。〃　Such　dramatization；　moreover；　are　instinctive　and　almost　general　in　this　class　of　visions。

If　this　were　an　isolated　case；　it　would　certainly　not　be　right　to　attach　decisive　importance　to　it；　〃but；〃　Dr。　Maxwell　observes；　〃the　same　sensitive　has　given　me　other　curious　instances；　and　these　cases；　compared　with　others　which　I　myself　have　observed　or　with　those　of　which　I　have　received　first…hand　accounts；　render　the　hypothesis　of　coincidence　very　improbable；　though　they　do　not　absolutely　exclude　it。〃＇1＇

＇1＇　Maxwell：　Metapsychical　Phenomena；　p。　202。


4

Another　and　perhaps　more　convincing　case；　more　strictly　investigated　and　established；　a　case　which　clearly　does　not　admit　of　explanation；　by　the　theory　of　coincidence；　worthy　of　all　respect　though　this　theory　be；　is　that　related　by　M。　Theodore　Flournoy；　science　professor　at　the　university　of　Geneva；　in　his　remarkable　work；　Esprits　et　Mediums。　Professor　Flournoy　is　known　to　be　one　of　the　most　learned　and　most　critical　exponents　of　the　new　science　of　metapsychics。　He　even　carries　his　fondness　for　natural　explanations　and　his　repugnance　to　admit　the　intervention　of　superhuman　powers　to　a　point　where　it　is　often　difficult　to　follow　him。　I　will　give　the　narrative　as　briefly　as　possible。　It　will　be　found　in　full　on　pp。　348　to　362　of　his　masterly　book。

In　August；　1883；　a　certain　Mme。　Buscarlet；　whom　he　knew　personally；　returned　to　Geneva　after　spending　three　years　with　the　Moratief　family　at　Kazan　as　governess　to　two　girls。　She　continued　to　correspond　with　the　family　and　also　with　a　Mme。　Nitchinof；　who　kept　a　school　at　Kazan　to　which　Mlles。　Moratief；　Mme。　Buscarlet's　former　pupils；　went　after　her　departure。

On　the　night　of　the　9th　of　December　（O。　S。）　of　the　same　year；　Mme。　Buscarlet　had　a　dream　which　she　described　the　following　morning　in　a　letter　to　Mme。　Moratief；　dated　10　December。　She　wrote；　to　quote　her　own　words：

〃You　and　I　were　on　a　country…road　when　a　carriage　passed　in　front　of　us　and　a　voice　from　inside　called　to　us。　When　we　came　up　to　the　carriage；　we　saw　Mlle。　Olga　Popoi　lying　across　it；　clothed　in　white；　wearing　a　bonnet　trimmed　with　yellow　ribbons。　She　said　to　you：

〃'I　called　you　to　tell　you　that　Mme。　Nitchinof　will　leave　the　school　on　the　17th。'

〃The　carriage　then　drove　on。〃

A　week　later　and　three　days　before　the　letter　reached　Kazan；　the　event　foreseen　in　the　dream　was　fulfilled　in　a　tragic　fashion。　Mme。　Nitchinof　died　on　the　16th　of　an　infectious　disease；　and　on　the　17th　her　body　was　carried　out　of　the　school　for　fear　of　infection。

It　is　well　to　add　that　both　Mme。　Buscarlet's　letter　and　the　replies　which　came　from　Russia　were　communicated　to　Professor　Flournoy　and　bear　the　postmark　dates。

Such　premonitory　dreams　are　frequent；　but　it　does　not　often　happen　that　circumstances　and　especially　the　existence　of　a　document　dated　previous　to　their　fulfilment　give　them　such　incontestable　authenticity。

We　may　remark　in　passing　the　odd　character　of　this　premonition；　which　however　is　fully　in　accordance　with　the　habits　of　our　unknown　guest。　The　date　is　fixed　precisely；　but　only　a　veiled　and　mysterious　allusion　（the　woman　lying　across　the　carriage　and　cloaked　in　white）　is　made　to　the　essential　part　of　the　prediction；　the　illness　and　death。

Was　there　a　coincidence；　a　vision　of　the　future　pure　and　simple；　or　a　vision　of　the　future　suggested　by　telepathic　influence？　The　theory　of　coincidence　can　be　defended；　if　need　be；　here　as　everywhere　else；　but　would　be　very　extraordinary　in　this　case。　As　for　telepathic　influence；　we　should　have　to　suppose　that；　on　the　9th　of　December；　a　week　before　her　death；　Mme。　Nitchinof　had　in　her　subco