the unknown guest-第4节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


d　and　he　was　left　in　pitch　darkness。　The　next　day；　remembering　the　tales　told　by　the　two　servants；　he　made　enquiries　in　the　village。　At　first　he　could　find　out　nothing；　but　finally　an　old　lawyer　told　him　that　he　had　heard　that　the　grandfather　of　the　present　owner　of　the　house　had　strangled　his　wife　and　then　cut　his　own　throat　on　the　very　spot　where　Mr。　X。　Z。　had　seen　the　apparition。　He　was　unable　to　give　the　exact　date　of　this　double　event；　but　Mr。　X。　Z。　consulted　the　parish　register　and　found　that　it　had　taken　place　on　a　22nd　of　September。

On　the　22nd　of　September　of　the　following　year；　a　friend　of　Mr。　G's　arrived　to　make　a　short　stay。　The　morning　after　his　arrival；　he　came　down；　pale　and　tired；　and　announced　his　intention　of　leaving　immediately。　On　being　questioned；　he　confessed　that　he　was　afraid；　that　he　had　been　kept　awake　all　night　by　the　sound　of　groans；　blasphemous　oaths　and　cries　of　despair；　that　his　bedroom　door　had　been　opened；　and　so　forth。

Three　years　afterwards；　Mr。　X。　Z。　had　occasion　to　call　on　the　landlord　of　the　house；　who　lived　in　London；　and　saw　over　the　mantelpiece　a　picture　which　bore　a　striking　resemblance　to　the　figure　which　he　had　seen　in　the　passage。　He　pointed　it　out　to　his　friend　Mr。　G；　saying：

〃That　is　the　man　whom　I　saw。〃

The　landlord；　in　reply　to　their　questions；　said　that　the　painting　was　a　portrait　of　his　grandfather；　adding　that　he　had　been　〃no　credit　to　the　family。〃

Evidently；　this　does　not　in　any　way　prove　the　existence　of　ghosts　or　the　survival　of　man。　It　is　quite　possible　that；　in　spite　of　Mr。　X。　Z。's　undoubted　good　faith；　imagination　played　a　subtle　but　powerful　part　in　these　marvels。　Perhaps　it　was　set　going　by　the　stories　of　the　two　servants；　insignificant　gossip　to　which　no　attention　was　paid　at　the　time；　but　which　probably　found　its　way　down　into　the　weird　and　fertile　depths　of　the　subconsciousness。　The　image　was　next　transmitted　by　suggestion　to　the　visitor　frightened　by　a　sleepless　night。　As　for　the　recognition　of　the　portrait；　this　is　either　the　weakest　or　the　most　impressive　part　of　the　story；　according　to　the　theory　that　is　being　defended。

It　is　none　the　less　certain　that　there　is　some　unfairness　in　suggesting　this　explanation　for　every　incident　of　the　kind。　It　means　stretching　to　the　uttermost　and　perhaps　stretching　too　far　the　elastic　powers　of　that　amiable　maid…of…all…work；　telepathy。　For　that　matter；　there　are　cases　in　which　the　telepathic　interpretation　is　even　more　uncertain；　as　in　that　described　by　Miss　R。　C。　Morton　in　vol。　viii。　of　the　Proceedings。

The　story　is　too　long　and　complicated　to　be　reproduced　here。　It　is　unnecessary　to　observe　that；　in　view　of　the　character　of　Miss　Morton；　a　lady　of　scientific　training；　and　of　the　quality　of　the　corroborative　testimony；　the　facts　themselves　seem　incontestable。

The　case　is　that　of　a　house　built　in　1860；　whose　first　occupier　was　an　Anglo…Indian；　the　next　tenant　being　an　old　man　and　the　house　then　remaining　unlet　for　four　years。　In　1882；　when　Captain　Morton　and　big　family　moved　in；　there　had　never；　so　far　as　they　knew；　been　any　question　of　its　being　haunted。　Three　months　afterwards；　Miss　Morton　was　in　her　room　and　on　the　point　of　getting　into　bed；　when　she　heard　some　one　at　the　door　and　went　to　it；　thinking　that　it　might　be　her　mother。　On　opening　the　door；　she　found　no　one　there；　but；　going　a　few　steps　along　the　passage；　she　saw　a　tall　lady；　dressed　in　black；　standing　at　the　head　of　the　stair。　She　did　not　wish　to　make　the　others　uneasy　and　mentioned　the　occurrence　to　no　one　except　a　friend；　who　did　not　live　in　the　neighborhood。

But　soon　the　same　figure　dressed　in　black　was　seen　by　the　various　members　of　the　household；　by　a　married　sister　on　a　visit　to　the　house；　by　the　father；　by　the　other　sister；　by　a　little　boy；　by　a　neighbour；　General　A；　who　saw　a　lady　crying　in　the　orchard　and；　thinking　that　one　of　the　daughters　of　the　house　was　ill；　sent　to　enquire　after　her。　Even　the　Mortons'　two　dogs　on　more　than　one　occasion　clearly　showed　that　they　saw　the　phantom。

It　was；　as　a　matter　of　fact　very　harmonious：　it　said　nothing；　it　wanted　nothing；　it　wandered　from　room　to　room；　without　any　apparent　object；　and；　when　it　was　spoken　to；　it　did　not　answer　and　only　made　its　escape。　The　household　became　accustomed　to　the　apparition；　it　troubled　nobody　and　inspired　no　terror。　It　was　immaterial；　it　could　not　be　touched；　but　yet　it　intercepted　the　light。　After　making　enquiries；　they　succeeded　in　identifying　it　as　the　second　wife　of　the　Anglo…Indian。　The　Morton　family　had　never　seen　the　lady；　but；　from　the　description　which　they　gave　of　the　phantom　to　those　who　had　known　her；　it　appeared　that　the　likeness　was　unmistakable。　For　the　rest；　they　did　not　know　why　she　came　back　to　haunt　a　house　in　which　she　had　not　died。　After　1887；　the　appearances　became　less　frequent；　distinct；　ceasing　altogether　in　1889。

5

Let　us　assume　that　the　facts　as　reported　in　the　Proceedings　are　certain　and　indisputable。　We　have　very　nearly　the　ideal　case；　free　from　previous　or　ambient　suggestion。　If　we　refuse　to　believe　in　the　existence　of　ghosts；　if　we　are　absolutely　positive　that　the　dead　do　not　survive　their　death；　then　we　must　admit　that　the　hallucination　took　birth　spontaneously　in　the　imagination　of　Miss　Morton；　an　unconscious　medium；　and　was　subsequently　trained　by　telepathy　to　all　those　around　her。　In　my　opinion；　this　explanation；　however　arbitrary　and　severe　it　may　be；　is　the　one　which　it　behooves　us　to　accept；　pending　further　proofs。　But　it　must　be　confessed　that；　in　thus　extending　our　incredulity；　we　render　it　very　difficult　for　the　dead　to　make　its　existence　known。

We　possess　a　certain　number　of　cases　of　kind；　rigorously　investigated；　cases　probably　representing　but　an　infinitesimal　part　of　those　which　might　be　collected。　Is　it　possible　that　they　one　and　all　elude　the　telepathic　explanation？　It　would　be　necessary　to　make　a　study　of　them；　conducted　with　the　most　scrupulous　and　unremitting　attention；　for　the　question　is　not　devoid　of　interest。　If　the　existence　of　ghosts　were　well…established；　it　would　mean　the　entrance　into　this　world；　which　we　believe　to　be　our　world；　of　a　new　force　that　would　explain　more　than　one　thing　which　we　are　still　far　from　understanding。　If　the　dead　interfere　at　one　point；　there　is　a　reason　why　they　should　not　interfere　at　every　other　point。　We　should　no　longer　be　alone；　among　ourselves；　in　our　hermetically…closed　sphere；　as　we　are　perhaps　only　too　ready　to　imagine　it。　We　should　have　to　alter　more　than　one　of　our　physical　and　moral　laws；　more　than　one　of　our　ideas；　and　it　would　no　doubt　be　the　most　important　and　the　most　extraordinary　revelation　that　would　be　expected　in　the　present　state　of　our　knowledge　and　since　the　disappearance　of　the　old　positive　religions。　But　we　are　not　there　yet：　the　proof　of　all　this　is　still　in　the　nursery…stage；　and　I　do　not　know　if　it　will　ever　get　beyond　that。　Nevertheless　the　fact　remains　that；　in　these　impenetrable　regions　of　mystery　which　we　are　now　exploring；　the　one　weak　spot　lies　here；　the　one　wall　in　which　there　seems　to　be　a　chinka　strange　one　enoughgiving　a　glimpse　into　the　other　world。　It　is　narrow　and　vague　and　behind　it　there　is　still　darkness；　but　it　is　not　without　significance　and　we　shall　do　well　not　to　lose　sight　of　it。

6

Let　us　observe　that　this　survival　of　the　dead；　as　the　neospiritualists　conceive　it；　seems　much　less　improbable　since　we　have　been　studying　more　closely　the　manifestations　of　the　extraordinary　and　incontestable　spiritual　force　that　lies　hidden　within　ourselves。　It　is　not　dependent　in　our　thought；　nor　on　our　consciousness；　nor　on　our　will；　and　very　possibly　it　is　not　dependent　either　on　our　life。　While　we　are　still　breathing　on　this　earth　it　is　already　surmounting　most　of　the　great　obstacles　that　limit　and　paralyse　our　existence。　It　acts　at　a　distance　and　so　to　speak　without　organs。　It　passes　through　matter；　disaggregates　it　and　reconstitutes　it。　It　seems　to　possess；　the　gift　of　ubiquity。　It　is　not　subject　to　the　laws　of　gravity　and　lifts　weights　out　of　all　proportion　with　the　real　and　measurable　strength　of　the　body　whence　it　is　believed　to　emanate。　It　releases　and　removes　itself　from　that　body；　it　comes　and　goes　freely　and　takes　to　itself　substances　and　shapes　which　it　borrows　all　around　it；　and　therefore　it　is　no　longer　so　strange　to　see　it　surviving　for　a　time　that　body　to　which　it　does　not　appear　to　be　as　indissolubly　bound　as　is　our　conscious　existence。　Is　it　necessary　to　add　that　this　survival　of　a　part　of　ourselves　which　we　hardly　know　and　which　besides　seems　incomplete；　incoherent　and　ephemeral　is　wholly　without　prejudice　to　nor　fate　in　the　eternity　of　the　worlds？　But　this　is　a　question　which　we　are　not　called　upon　to　study　here。

I　shall　perhaps　be　asked：

〃If　it　is　becoming　increasingly　difficult　for　all　these　factsand　there　are　more　of　them　accumulating　every　dayto　be　embraced　in　the　telepathic　or　psychometric　theory；　why　not　frankly　accept　the　spiritualistic　explanation；　which　is　the　simplest；　which　has　an　answer　for　everything　and　which　is　gradually　encroaching　on　all　the　others？〃

That　is　true：　it　is　the　simplest　theory；　perhaps　too　simple；　and；　like　the　religious　theory；　it　dispenses　as　from　all　effort　or　seeking。　We　have　nothing