"I will appear to thee," was the reply.

"How?"

"Thou wilt see".

A few days later Sophie was returning home from a soiree; it was nearly 4 a.m. She was just retiring, and was at the door between her bedroom and the dining-room, there being no lights in the latter, when she saw on the wall of the dining-room, in sight of the door at which she stood, a luminous round spot, with, as it were, shoulders. This lasted for two or three seconds, and disappeared, ascending towards the ceiling. Sophie immediately assured herself that it was not the reflection of any light coming from the street.

At the seance on the following Tuesday, an explanation of this appearance being asked for, "Schura" replied:-

"It was the outline of a head with shoulders. I cannot appear more distinctly. I am still weak".

Many other details, which I have passed over, tended to convince Sophie of the reality of "Schura's" identity, yet she could not bring herself to carry out that which "Schura" desired her to do. She therefore proposed as a suitable compromise that she should acquaint Nikolaus's parents with what had occurred.

This proposal aroused "Schura's" strongest displeasure, expressed by violent movements of the saucer, and by the sentence:-

"That will lead to nothing;" - after which disparaging epithets followed, impossible to repeat here, especially applicable to persons of weak and irresolute character, with whom the energetic and decisive "Schura" had no patience - epithets which are not found in dictionaries, but which were expressions used by "Schura" in her lifetime, and characteristic of her. This was confirmed in the sequel.

Nevertheless Sophie continued to hesitate, and at each successive seance "Schura" insisted more and more imperatively that Sophie must act at once. This is very important to notice, as we shall see later. This want of resolution on the part of Sophie was ascribed by "Schura" to the influence of Mrs. von Wiesler. From the beginning "Schura" had seemed to bear a grudge against Mrs. von Wiesler. From the first seance she addressed Sophie only. She never permitted Mrs. von Wiesler to ask a question. Whenever she attempted to do so, she met her with a - "Be silent - be silent!" Whereas in addressing Sophie she overwhelmed her with the tenderest expressions.

How great was the astonishment and consternation of the ladies, when at the seance on the 26th of February the first words were:-

"It is too late. Thou wilt repent it bitterly. The pangs of remorse will follow thee. Expect his arrest!"

These were "Schura's" last words. From this time she was silent. A seance was attempted on the following Tuesday, but there was no result. The seances of Mrs. von Wiesler and her daughter were from that time entirely given up.

While these seances were being held, Mrs. von Wiesler naturally kept me informed of what transpired, and consulted with me as to what was to be done in view of the extraordinary character of "Schura's" requests. Some time after they had ceased Mrs. von Wiesler, to satisfy her own conscience and to comfort her daughter, resolved to communicate the whole episode to the parents of Nikolaus. They paid no attention to it. Nothing was elicited that any fault could be found with. The family were quite satisfied in regard to Nikolaus's conduct. But it is important to bear in mind the fact that these Spiritualistic communications were made known to the parents before the final issue. When during the remainder of the year everything went on happily, Sophie became fully convinced that all the communications were only lies, and formed a resolution that she would never again occupy herself with Spiritualistic seances.

Another year passed without any special event. But on the 9th of March, 1887, the secret police suddenly searched Nikolaus's rooms. He was arrested in his own house, and within twenty-four hours was exiled from St Petersburg. It came out later that his crime was taking part in anarchical assemblies - assemblies which were held in the months of January and February 1885, exactly corresponding with the time when "Schura" was insisting that steps should then be taken to dissuade Nikolaus from taking part in such meetings. Only now were the communications of "Schura" estimated at their true value. The notes which Mrs. von Wiesler had made were read again and again by the families both of "Schura" and of Nikolaus. "Schura's" identity in all those manifestations was recognised as incontestably demonstrated, in the first place, by the main fact in relation to Nikolaus, by other intimate particulars, and also by the totality of the features which characterised her personality. This mournful occurrence fell like a fresh thunderclap on Nikolaus's family, and they had only to thank God that the errors of the young man were not followed by more fatal results.

In order to estimate this incident aright, it is of great importance to establish the relations which existed between the two young ladies. I have requested Madame and Mdlle. von Wiesler to give me on this, as on the previous points, a written memorandum in full detail; and from that memorandum I extract what follows [somewhat abridged here]:-

In December 1880 Madame von Wiesler and her daughter paid a Christmas visit to "Schura's" grandfather, Senator N., where Sophie saw "Schura" for the first time. Sophie was then about thirteen years old, and "Schura" even younger. Sophie was astonished to see "Schura's" writing-table covered with books [and had a talk with her about favourite authors]. The two girls often saw each other at a distance in the recreation-room of their school during the winter, but "Schura" was soon transferred to another school. [They met once at a country-house without exchanging a word, and saw each other once across a theatre. Sophie, in fact, had had one childish talk with "Schura"; Madame von Wiesler had never had any real talk with her.] Hence it is clear that the relations of these ladies with "Schura" were of the most distant kind, and that they could not know anything of her political secrets.