"About twenty years ago," writes Mrs. Elliot, "I received some lettersby post, one of which contained 15 pounds in bank notes. Afterreading the letters I went into the kitchen with them in my hands. Iwas alone at the time. . . . Having done with the letters, I made aneffort to throw them into the fire, when I distinctly felt my handarrested in the act. It was as though another hand were gently laidupon my own, pressing it back. Much surprised, I looked at my handand then saw it contained, not the letters I had intended to destroy,but the bank notes, and that the letters were in the other hand. Iwas so surprised that I called out, 'Who's here?'" {80a}Nobody will call this "the touch of a vanished hand". Part of Mrs.Elliot's mind knew what she was about, and started an unreal butveracious feeling to warn her. We shall come to plenty of Hands notso readily disposed of.Next to touch, the sense most apt to be deceived is hearing. Everyone who has listened anxiously for an approaching carriage, has oftenheard it come before it came. In the summer of 1896 the writer, witha lady and another companion, were standing on the veranda at the backof a house in Dumfriesshire, waiting for a cab to take one of them tothe station. They heard a cab arrive and draw up, went round to thefront of the house, saw the servant open the door and bring out theluggage, but wheeled vehicle there was none in sound or sight. Yetall four persons had heard it, probably by dint of expectation.To hear articulate voices where there are none is extremely common inmadness, {80b} but not very rare, as Mr. Galton shows, among the sane.When the voices are veracious, give unknown information, they are inthe same case as truthful dreams. I offer a few from the experience,reported to me by himself, of a man of learning whom I shall call aBenedictine monk, though that is not his real position in life.
