[On this point M. Aksakoff adds, February 15th, 1890: "M. Kaigorodoff informs me of the following peculiarity of his wife's (he married Mdlle. Stramm as his second wife in 1889):- During her ordinary sleep one can enter into conversation with her. She continues to sleep, answering questions, and describing the fantastic dreams which she sees. In her replies she generally uses the third person. On awaking, she remembers nothing. If during her sleep M. Kaigorodoff makes some passes over her face she immediately passes into magnetic (somnambulic) sleep: and the character of her conversation entirely changes. In her ordinary sleep 'spirits' never appear on the scene; in the secondary form of sleep, always. A few reverse passes, and the magnetic sleep gives place, with a sigh, to the ordinary sleep."]

(4) As to your question whether the communications have or have not included "many definite statements found to be untrue," [as is the case with so many similar series,] M. Kaigorodoff cannot recollect any such statements. As an instance to the contrary, he reminded me of a prediction made March 2nd, 1887, of which he informed me in his letter of August 25th, 1887 (still in my hands). It was announced to Mdlle. E. that her sister (who is in Switzerland) would be delivered in five months of a boy, who would not live more than three or four years. Mdlle. Emma did not even know at the time that her sister was expecting a baby. In fact the sister was delivered of a boy at the end of July, 1887.1

I pass on to the case of Duvanel, which needs some details to complete it.

The first question which presents itself to the mind is as follows: "What proof have we that Mdlle. Emma had not received a telegram announcing Duvanel's death?" I asked this question of M. Kaigorodoff by letter; I give an abstract of his reply.

(1) The death of Duvanel took place (by Wilna time) at about 4.30 p.m. On that day, from 7 p.m. till the beginning of the seance, M. Kaigorodoff, as he positively remembers, was constantly with Mdlle. E.; and even supposing that the telegram had been despatched half-an-hour after A. D.'s death (!), nevertheless it would have been impossible for a telegram sent from Switzerland to have been received and delivered at Wilna in the short interval between 5 and 7 p.m. On that day, moreover, Mdlle. E. did not leave the house after 3 p-m.

(2) All Mdlle. E.'s correspondence was addressed, care of Colonel Kaigoro-doff.

(3) The telegram could not have been received without the knowledge of the servants and the children. There would have been no reason for keeping it secret.

(4) The relations of Mdlle. E. are poor persons, and there was not sufficient motive for the immediate communication of this piece of news.

But might not a telegram have been sent by the friends or family of Duvanel? Considering that all relations between Duvanel and Mdlle. E. had been broken off in 1881, such a telegram would have had no reasonable object. Moreover, in my letter to Mdlle. E., I had begged her to tell me what was the exact place of D.'s death and whether those who lived with him could have known her address. To this she replied in her letter of April 16th, 1889. "D. died in a little hamlet of the Canton of Zurich, called, I think, Hirche', but I am not sure, for my brother [from whom I inquired] had himself forgotten the name. D. lived alone, and had only one brother, who lived in another town." Impossible, therefore, that a telegram should have been despatched immediately from that quarter.

When M. Kaigorodoff came to see me the second time, in January 1887, with the letter of Mdlle. E.'s father, I was struck with the identity of the expression, "un engorgement de sang," employed in the trance-message, which was in French, and also in the father's letter, which was likewise in French, to explain the cause of D.'s death. This identity of phrase appeared very strange, not to say suspicious. I drew M. Kaigorodoff's attention to it, and begged him to ask the medium about it, as soon as a seance gave the opportunity. This identity of expression suggested a curious action of telepathy.

This is what M. Kaigorodoff's letter, just received, says on the subject:-

"On the day after the seance of January 3rd (15th), 1887, Mdlle. E., not expecting to receive a letter from her father with the confirmation of the fact of D.'s death, wrote to her sister in Switzerland, stating that she had had a vision as though D. were dead, and asking whether this was really the case. The dream was an expedient used because Emma's relations had no knowledge of Spiritualism, still less of E.'s personal proceedings in that direction. The letter of Mdlle. E.'s sister arrived ten days after her father's letter. The sister, not knowing that their father had already announced D.'s death, desired to hide the fact from her [for a reason presently to be shown] and answered that D. was not dead, but gone to America".

1 One prediction has since proved erroneous; viz., that Madame Kaigorodoff her-self would have a boy; - whereas her child is a girl.

M. Kaigorodoff, after a six weeks' absence, returned to Wilna at the beginning of March 1887. At the first seance held, early in March, he begged of Louis (the controlling spirit) to explain the contradiction between the letters of the father and the sister of Mdlle. E. touching the death of Duvanel. The medium was entranced, and spoke in the name of Louis. M. Kaigorodoff took notes, and this is word for word the answer which was given:-

"He is dead; only [her] sister does not wish that she should know of his death, because it was not of a stoppage of blood (engorgement) as I had written." (The message of January 3rd (15th) 1887, had been given by automatic writing, in French.) "I could not tell the truth frankly (directement), for her health would have been affected by it".

"Where and how, then, did he die?"

"He died in the Canton of Zurich; but he killed himself, and she must not know it. She must remain ignorant of this, for if she learns, even indirectly, of his self-inflicted death, her health may suffer. You must not speak to her of the matter, for she suspects the truth".