"Then nothing would convince you of the existence of ghosts, Harry1," I said, "except seeing one."
"Not even seeing one, my dear Jim," said Harry. "Nothing on earth would make me believe in them, unless I were turned into a ghost myself."
So saying, Harry drained his glass of whisky toddy, shook out the last ashes from his pipe, and went off upstairs to bed. I sat for a while over the remnants of my cigar, and ruminated2 upon the subject of our conversation. For my own part, I was as little inclined to believe in ghosts as anybody; but Harry seemed to go one degree beyond me in scepticism. His argument amounted in brief to this,—that a ghost was by definition the spirit of a dead man in a visible form here on earth; but however strange might be the apparition3 which a ghost-seer thought he had observed, there was no evidence possible or actual to connect such apparition with any dead person whatsoever4. It might resemble the deceased in face and figure, but so, said Harry, does a portrait. It might resemble him in voice and manner, but so does an actor or a mimic5. It might resemble him in every possible particular, but even then we should only be justified6 in saying that it formed a close counterpart of the person in question, not that it was his ghost or spirit. In short, Harry maintained, with considerable show of reason, that nobody could[Pg 322] ever have any scientific ground for identifying any external object, whether shadowy or material, with a past human existence of any sort. According to him, a man might conceivably see a phantom7, but could not possibly know that he saw a ghost.
Harry and I were two Oxford8 bachelors, studying at the time for our degree in Medicine, and with an ardent9 love for the scientific side of our future profession. Indeed, we took a greater interest in comparative physiology10 and anatomy11 than in physic proper; and at this particular moment we were stopping in a very comfortable farm-house on the coast of Flintshire for our long vacation, with the special object of observing histologically a peculiar12 sea-side organism, the Thingumbobbum Whatumaycallianum, which is found so plentifully13 on the shores of North Wales, and which has been identified by Professor Haeckel with the larva of that famous marine15 ascidian from whom the Professor himself and the remainder of humanity generally are supposed to be undoubtedly16 descended17. We had brought with us a full complement18 of lancets and scalpels, chemicals and test-tubes, galvanic batteries and thermo-electric piles; and we were splendidly equipped for a thorough-going scientific campaign of the first water. The farm-house in which we lodged19 had formerly20 belonged to the county family of the Egertons; and though an Elizabethan manor21 replaced the ancient defensive22 building which had been wisely dismantled23 by Henry VIII., the modern farm-house into which it had finally degenerated24 still bore the name of Egerton Castle. The whole house had a reputation in the neighbourhood for being haunted by the ghost of one Algernon Egerton, who was beheaded under James II. for his participation25, or rather his intention to participate, in Monmouth's rebellion. A wretched portrait of the hapless Protestant hero hung upon the wall of our joint26 sitting-room27, having[Pg 323] been left behind when the family moved to their new seat in Cheshire, as being unworthy of a place in the present baronet's splendid apartments. It was a few remarks upon the subject of Algernon's ghost which had introduced the question of ghosts in general; and after Harry had left the room, I sat for a while slowly finishing my cigar, and contemplating28 the battered29 features of the deceased gentleman.
As I did so, I was somewhat startled to hear a voice at my side observe in a bland30 and graceful31 tone, not unmixed with aristocratic hauteur32, "You have been speaking of me, I believe,—in fact, I have unavoidably overheard your conversation,—and I have decided33 to assume the visible form and make a few remarks upon what seems to me a very hasty decision on your friend's part."
I turned round at once, and saw, in the easy-chair which Harry had just vacated, a shadowy shape, which grew clearer and clearer the longer I looked at it. It was that of a man of forty, fashionably dressed in the costume of the year 1685 or thereabouts, and bearing a close resemblance to the faded portrait on the wall just opposite. But the striking point about the object was this, that it evidently did not consist of any ordinary material substance, as its outline seemed vague and wavy34, like that of a photograph where the sitter has moved; while all the objects behind it, such as the back of the chair and the clock in the corner, showed through the filmy head and body, in the very manner which painters have always adopted in representing a ghost. I saw at once that whatever else the object before might be, it certainly formed a fine specimen35 of the orthodox and old-fashioned apparition. In dress, appearance, and every other particular, it distinctly answered to what the unscientific mind would unhesitatingly have called the ghost of Algernon Egerton.
Here was a piece of extraordinary luck! In a house with two trained[Pg 324] observers, supplied with every instrument of modern experimental research, we had lighted upon an undoubted specimen of the common spectre, which had so long eluded36 the scientific grasp. I was beside myself with delight. "Really, sir," I said, cheerfully, "it is most kind of you to pay us this visit, and I'm sure my friend will be only too happy to hear your remarks. Of course you will permit me to call him?"
The apparition appeared somewhat surprised at the philosophic37 manner in which I received his advances; for ghosts are accustomed to find people faint away or scream with terror at their first appearance; but for my own part I regarded him merely in the light of a very interesting phenomenon, which required immediate39 observation by two independent witnesses. However, he smothered40 his chagrin—for I believe he was really disappointed at my cool deportment—and answered that he would be very glad to see my friend if I wished it, though he had specially41 intended this visit for myself alone.
I ran upstairs hastily and found Harry in his dressing-gown, on the point of removing his nether42 garments. "Harry," I cried breathlessly, "you must come downstairs at once. Algernon Egerton's ghost wants to speak to you."
Harry held up the candle and looked in my face with great deliberation. "Jim, my boy," he said quietly, "you've been having too much whisky."
"Not a bit of it," I answered, angrily. "Come downstairs and see. I swear to you positively43 that a Thing, the very counterpart of Algernon Egerton's picture, is sitting in your easy-chair downstairs, anxious to convert you to a belief in ghosts."
It took about three minutes to induce Harry to leave his room; but at last, merely to satisfy himself that I was demented, he gave way and accompanied me into the sitting-room. I was half afraid that the spectre would have taken umbrage44 at my long delay, and gone off in a huff and a[Pg 325] blue flame; but when we reached the room, there he was, in propria persona, gazing at his own portrait—or should I rather say his counterpart?—on the wall, with the utmost composure.
"Well, Harry," I said, "what do you call that?"
Harry put up his eyeglass, peered suspiciously at the phantom, and answered in a mollified tone, "It certainly is a most interesting phenomenon. It looks like a case of fluorescence; but you say the object can talk?"
"Decidedly," I answered, "it can talk as well as you or me. Allow me to introduce you to one another, gentlemen:—Mr. Henry Stevens, Mr. Algernon Egerton; for though you didn't mention your name, Mr. Egerton, I presume from what you said that I am right in my conjecture45."
"Quite right," replied the phantom, rising as it spoke46, and making a low bow to Harry from the waist upward. "I suppose your friend is one of the Lincolnshire Stevenses, sir?"
"Upon my soul," said Harry, "I haven't the faintest conception where my family came from. My grandfather, who made what little money we have got, was a cotton-spinner at Rochdale, but he might have come from heaven knows where. I only know he was a very honest old gentleman, and he remembered me handsomely in his will."
"Indeed, sir," said the apparition coldly. "My family were the Egertons of Egerton Castle, in the county of Flint, Armigeri; whose ancestor, Radulphus de Egerton, is mentioned in Domesday as one of the esquires of Hugh Lupus, Earl Palatine of Chester. Radulphus de Egerton had a son——"
"Whose history," said Harry, anxious to cut short these genealogical details, "I have read in the Annals of Flintshire, which lies in the next room, with the name you give as yours on the fly-leaf. But it[Pg 326] seems, sir, you are anxious to converse47 with me on the subject of ghosts. As that question interests us all at present, much more than family descent, will you kindly49 begin by telling us whether you yourself lay claim to be a ghost?"
"Undoubtedly I do," replied the phantom.
"The ghost of Algernon Egerton, formerly of Egerton Castle?" I interposed.
"Formerly and now," said the phantom, in correction. "I have long inhabited, and I still habitually50 inhabit, by night at least, the room in which we are at present seated."
"The deuce you do," said Harry warmly. "This is a most illegal and unconstitutional proceeding51. The house belongs to our landlord, Mr. Hay: and my friend here and myself have hired it for the summer, sharing the expenses, and claiming the sole title to the use of the rooms." (Harry omitted to mention that he took the best bedroom himself and put me off with a shabby little closet, while we divided the rent on equal terms.)
"True," said the spectre good-humouredly; "but you can't eject a ghost, you know. You may get a writ52 of habeas corpus, but the English law doesn't supply you with a writ of habeas animam. The infamous53 Jeffreys left me that at least. I am sure the enlightened nineteenth century wouldn't seek to deprive me of it."
"Well," said Harry, relenting, "provided you don't interfere54 with the experiments, or make away with the tea and sugar, I'm sure I have no objection. But if you are anxious to prove to us the existence of ghosts, perhaps you will kindly allow us to make a few simple observations?"
"With all the pleasure in death," answered the apparition courteously55. "Such, in fact, is the very object for which I've assumed visibility."
"In that case, Harry," I said, "the correct thing will be to get out[Pg 327] some paper, and draw up a running report which we may both attest57 afterwards. A few simple notes on the chemical and physical properties of a spectre will be an interesting novelty for the Royal Society, and they ought all to be jotted59 down in black and white at once."
This course having been unanimously determined60 upon as strictly61 regular, I laid a large folio of foolscap on the writing-table, and the apparition proceeded to put itself in an attitude for careful inspection62.
"The first point to decide," said I, "is obviously the physical properties of our visitor. Mr. Egerton, will you kindly allow us to feel your hand?"
"You may try to feel it if you like," said the phantom quietly, "but I doubt if you will succeed to any brilliant extent." As he spoke, he held out his arm. Harry and I endeavoured successively to grasp it: our fingers slipped through the faintly luminous63 object as though it were air or shadow. The phantom bowed forward his head; we attempted to touch it, but our hands once more passed unopposed across the whole face and shoulders, without finding any trace whatsoever of mechanical resistance. "Experience the first," said Harry; "the apparition has no tangible64 material substratum." I seized the pen and jotted down the words as he spoke them. This was really turning out a very full-blown specimen of the ordinary ghost!
"The next question to settle," I said, "is that of gravity.—Harry, give me a hand out here with the weighing-machine.—Mr. Egerton, will you be good enough to step upon this board?"
Mirabile dictu! The board remained steady as ever. Not a tremor65 of the steelyard betrayed the weight of its shadowy occupant. "Experience the second," cried Harry, in his cool, scientific way: "the apparition has the specific gravity of atmospheric66 air." I jotted down this note also, and quietly prepared for the next observation.
"Wouldn't it be well," I inquired of Harry, "to try the weight in vacuo?[Pg 328] It is possible that, while the specific gravity in air is equal to that of the atmosphere, the specific gravity in vacuo may be zero. The apparition—pray excuse me, Mr. Egerton, if the terms in which I allude67 to you seem disrespectful, but to call you a ghost would be to prejudge the point at issue—the apparition may have no proper weight of its own at all."
"It would be very inconvenient68, though," said Harry, "to put the whole apparition under a bell-glass: in fact, we have none big enough. Besides, suppose we were to find that by exhausting the air we got rid of the object altogether, as is very possible, that would awkwardly interfere with the future prosecution69 of our researches into its nature and properties."
"Permit me to make a suggestion," interposed the phantom, "if a person whom you choose to relegate70 to the neuter gender71 may be allowed to have a voice in so scientific a question. My friend, the ingenious Mr. Boyle, has lately explained to me the construction of his air-pump, which we saw at one of the Friday evenings at the Royal Institution. It seems to me that your object would be attained72 if I were to put one hand only on the scale under the bell-glass, and permit the air to be exhausted73."
"Capital," said Harry: and we got the air-pump in readiness accordingly. The spectre then put his right hand into the scale, and we plumped the bell-glass on top of it. The connecting portion of the arm shone through the severing74 glass, exactly as though the spectre consisted merely of an immaterial light. In a few minutes the air was exhausted, and the scales remained evenly balanced as before.
"This experiment," said Harry judicially75, "slightly modifies the opinion which we formed from the preceding one. The specific gravity evidently amounts in itself to nothing, being as air in air, and as vacuum in vacuo. Jot58 down the result, Jim, will you?"
I did so faithfully, and then turning to the spectre I observed, "You[Pg 329] mentioned a Mr. Boyle, sir, just now. You allude, I suppose, to the father of chemistry?"
"And uncle of the Earl of Cork," replied the apparition, promptly76 filling up the well-known quotation77. "Exactly so. I knew Mr. Boyle slightly during our lifetime, and I have known him intimately ever since he joined the majority."
"May I ask, while my friend makes the necessary preparations for the spectrum78 analysis and the chemical investigation79, whether you are in the habit of associating much with—er—well, with other ghosts?"
"Oh yes, I see a good deal of society."
"Contemporaries of your own, or persons of earlier and later dates?"
"Dates really matter very little to us. We may have Socrates and Bacon chatting in the same group. For my own part, I prefer modern society—I may say, the society of the latest arrivals."
"That's exactly why I asked," said I. "The excessively modern tone of your language and idioms struck me, so to speak, as a sort of anachronism with your Restoration costume—an anachronism which I fancy I have noticed in many printed accounts of gentlemen from your portion of the universe."
"Your observation is quite true," replied the apparition. "We continue always to wear the clothes which were in fashion at the time of our decease; but we pick up from new-comers the latest additions to the English language, and even, I may say, to the slang dictionary. I know many ghosts who talk familiarly of 'awfully81 jolly hops,' and allude to their progenitors82 as 'the governor.' Indeed, it is considered quite behind the times to describe a lady as 'vastly pretty,' and poor Mr. Pepys, who still preserves the antiquated83 idiom of his diary, is looked upon among us as a dreadfully slow old fogey."
"But why, then," said I, "do you wear your old costumes for ever? Why[Pg 330] not imitate the latest fashions from Poole's and Worth's, as well as the latest cant84 phrase from the popular novels?"
"Why, my dear sir," answered the phantom, "we must have something to mark our original period. Besides, most people to whom we appear know something about costume, while very few know anything about changes in idiom,"—that I must say seemed to me, in passing, a powerful argument indeed—"and so we all preserve the dress which we habitually wore during our lifetime."
"Then," said Harry irreverently, looking up from his chemicals, "the society in your part of the country must closely resemble a fancy-dress ball."
"Without the tinsel and vulgarity, we flatter ourselves," answered the phantom.
By this time the preparations were complete, and Harry inquired whether the apparition would object to our putting out the lights in order to obtain definite results with the spectroscope. Our visitor politely replied that he was better accustomed to darkness than to the painful glare of our paraffin candles. "In fact," he added, "only the strong desire which I felt to convince you of our existence as ghosts could have induced me to present myself in so bright a room. Light is very trying to the eyes of spirits, and we generally take our constitutionals between eleven at night and four in the morning, stopping at home entirely85 during the moonlit half of the month."
"Ah, yes," said Harry, extinguishing the candles; "I've read, of course, that your authorities exactly reverse our own Oxford rules. You are all gated, I believe, from dawn to sunset, instead of from sunset to dawn, and have to run away helter-skelter at the first streaks86 of daylight, for fear of being too late for admission without a fine of twopence. But you will allow that your usual habit of showing yourselves only in the very darkest places and seasons naturally militates somewhat against the credibility of your existence. If all apparitions87 would only follow your sensible example by coming out before two scientific people in a[Pg 331] well-lighted room, they would stand a much better chance of getting believed: though even in the present case I must allow that I should have felt far more confidence in your positive reality if you'd presented yourself in broad daylight, when Jim and I hadn't punished the whisky quite as fully14 as we've done this evening."
When the candles were out, our apparition still retained its fluorescent88, luminous appearance, and seemed to burn with a faint bluish light of its own. We projected a pencil through the spectroscope, and obtained, for the first time in the history of science, the spectrum of a spectre. The result was a startling one indeed. We had expected to find lines indicating the presence of sulphur or phosphorus: instead of that, we obtained a continuous band of pale luminosity, clearly pointing to the fact that the apparition had no known terrestial element in its composition. Though we felt rather surprised at this discovery, we simply noted89 it down on our paper, and proceeded to verify it by chemical analysis.
The phantom obligingly allowed us to fill a small phial with the luminous matter, which Harry immediately proceeded to test with all the resources at our disposal. For purposes of comparison I filled a corresponding phial with air from another part of the room, which I subjected to precisely90 similar tests. At the end of half an hour we had completed our examination—the spectre meanwhile watching us with mingled91 curiosity and amusement; and we laid our written quantitative92 results side by side. They agreed to a decimal. The table, being interesting, deserves a place in this memoir93. It ran as follows:—
Chemical Analysis of an Apparition.
Atmospheric air 96.45 per cent.
Aqueous vapour 2.31 "
Carbonic acid 1.08 "
Tobacco smoke 0.16 "
Volatile94 alcohol A trace
————-
100.00 "
The alcohol Harry plausibly95 attributed to the presence of glasses which[Pg 332] had contained whisky toddy. The other constituents96 would have been normally present in the atmosphere of a room where two fellows had been smoking uninterruptedly ever since dinner. This important experiment clearly showed that the apparition had no proper chemical constitution of its own, but consisted entirely of the same materials as the surrounding air.
"Only one thing remains97 to be done now, Jim," said Harry, glancing significantly at a plain deal table in the corner, with whose uses we were both familiar; "but then the question arises, does this gentleman come within the meaning of the Act? I don't feel certain about it in my own mind, and with the present unsettled state of public opinion on this subject, our first duty is to obey the law."
"Within the meaning of the Act?" I answered; "decidedly not. The words of the forty-second section say distinctly 'any living animal.' Now, Mr. Egerton, according to his own account, is a ghost, and has been dead for some two hundred years or thereabouts: so that we needn't have the slightest scruple98 on that account."
"Quite so," said Harry, in a tone of relief. "Well then, sir," turning to the apparition, "may I ask you whether you would object to our vivisecting you?"
"Mortuisecting, you mean, Harry," I interposed parenthetically. "Let us keep ourselves strictly within the utmost letter of the law."
"Vivisecting? Mortuisecting?" exclaimed the spectre, with some amusement. "Really, the proposal is so very novel that I hardly know how to answer it. I don't think you will find it a very practicable undertaking99: but still, if you like, yes, you may try your hands upon me."
We were both much gratified at this generous readiness to further the cause of science, for which, to say the truth, we had hardly felt prepared. No doubt, we were constantly in the habit of maintaining that vivisection didn't really hurt, and that rabbits or dogs rather enjoyed[Pg 333] the process than otherwise; still, we did not quite expect an apparition in human form to accede100 in this gentlemanly manner to a personal request which after all is rather a startling one. I seized our new friend's hand with warmth and effusion (though my emotion was somewhat checked by finding it slip through my fingers immaterially), and observed in a voice trembling with admiration101, "Sir, you display a spirit of self-sacrifice which does honour to your head and heart. Your total freedom from prejudice is perfectly102 refreshing103 to the anatomical mind. If all 'subjects' were equally ready to be vivisected—no, I mean mortuisected—oh,—well,—there," I added (for I began to perceive that my argument didn't hang together, as "subjects" usually accepted mortuisection with the utmost resignation), "perhaps it wouldn't make much difference after all."
Meanwhile Harry had pulled the table into the centre of the room, and arranged the necessary instruments at one end. The bright steel had a most charming and scientific appearance, which added greatly to the general effect. I saw myself already in imagination drawing up an elaborate report for the Royal Society, and delivering a Croonian Oration80, with diagrams and sections complete, in illustration of the "Vascular104 System of a Ghost." But alas105, it was not to be. A preliminary difficulty, slight in itself, yet enormous in its preventive effects, unhappily defeated our well-made plans.
"Before you lay yourself on the table," said Harry, gracefully106 indicating that article of furniture to the spectre with his lancet, "may I ask you to oblige me by removing your clothes? It is usual in all these operations to—ahem—in short, to proceed in puris naturalibus. As you have been so very kind in allowing us to operate upon you, of course you won't object to this minor107 but indispensable accompaniment."
"Well, really, sir," answered the ghost, "I should have no personal[Pg 334] objection whatsoever; but I'm rather afraid it can't be done. To tell you the truth, my clothes are an integral part of myself. Indeed, I consist chiefly of clothes, with only a head and hands protruding108 at the principal extremities109. You must have noticed that all persons of my sort about whom you have read or heard were fully clothed in the fashion of their own day. I fear it would be quite impossible to remove these clothes. For example, how very absurd it would be to see the shadowy outline of a ghostly coat hanging up on a peg110 behind a door. The bare notion would be sufficient to cast ridicule111 upon the whole community. No, gentlemen, much as I should like to gratify you, I fear the thing's impossible. And, to let the whole secret out, I'm inclined to think, for my part, that I haven't got any independent body whatsoever."
"But, surely," I interposed, "you must have some internal economy, or else how can you walk and talk? For example, have you a heart?"
"Most certainly, my dear sir, and I humbly112 trust it is in the right place."
"You misunderstand me," I repeated: "I am speaking literally113, not figuratively. Have you a central vascular organ on your left-hand side, with two auricles and ventricles, a mitral and a tricuspid valve, and the usual accompaniment of aorta114, pulmonary vein115, pulmonary artery116, systole and diastole, and so forth117?"
"Upon my soul, sir," replied the spectre with an air of bewilderment, "I have never even heard the names of these various objects to which you refer, and so I am quite unable to answer your question. But if you mean to ask whether I have something beating just under my fob (excuse the antiquated word, but as I wear the thing in question I must necessarily use the name), why then, most undoubtedly I have."
"Will you oblige me, sir," said Harry, "by showing me your wrist? It is[Pg 335] true I can't feel your pulse, owing to what you must acknowledge as a very unpleasant tenuity in your component118 tissues: but perhaps I may succeed in seeing it."
The apparition held out its arm. Harry instinctively119 endeavoured to balance the wrist in his hand, but of course failed in catching120 it. We were both amused throughout to observe how difficult it remained, after several experiences, to realize the fact that this visible object had no material and tangible background underlying121 it. Harry put up his eyeglass and gazed steadily122 at the phantom arm; not a trace of veins123 or arteries124 could anywhere be seen. "Upon my word," he muttered, "I believe it's true, and the subject has no internal economy at all. This is really very interesting."
"As it is quite impossible to undress you," I observed, turning to our visitor, "may I venture to make a section through your chest, in order, if practicable, to satisfy myself as to your organs generally?"
"Certainly," replied the good-humoured spectre; "I am quite at your service."
I took my longest lancet from its case and made a very neat cut, right across the sternum, so as to pass directly through all the principal viscera. The effect, I regret to say, was absolutely nugatory125. The two halves of the body reunited instantaneously behind the instrument, just as a mass of mercury reunites behind a knife. Evidently there was no chance of getting at the anatomical details, if any existed, underneath126 that brocaded waistcoat of phantasmagoric satin. We gave up the attempt in despair.
"And now," said the shadowy form, with a smile of conscious triumph, flinging itself easily but noiselessly into a comfortable arm-chair, "I hope you are convinced that ghosts really do exist. I think I have pretty fully demonstrated to you my own purely127 spiritual and immaterial[Pg 336] nature."
"Excuse me," said Harry, seating himself in his turn on the ottoman: "I regret to say that I remain as sceptical as at the beginning. You have merely convinced me that a certain visible shape exists apparently128 unaccompanied by any tangible properties. With this phenomenon I am already familiar in the case of phosphorescent gaseous129 effluvia. You also seem to utter audible words without the aid of a proper larynx or other muscular apparatus130; but the telephone has taught me that sounds exactly resembling those of the human voice may be produced by a very simple membrane131. You have afforded us probably the best opportunity ever given for examining a so-called ghost, and my private conviction at the end of it is that you are very likely an egregious132 humbug133."
I confess I was rather surprised at this energetic conclusion, for my own faith had been rapidly expanding under the strange experiences of that memorable134 evening. But the visitor himself seemed much hurt and distressed135. "Surely," he said, "you won't doubt my word when I tell you plainly that I am the authentic136 ghost of Algernon Egerton. The word of an Egerton of Egerton Castle was always better than another man's oath, and it is so still, I hope. Besides, my frank and courteous56 conduct to you both to-night, and the readiness with which I have met all your proposals for scientific examination, certainly entitle me to better treatment at your hands."
"I must beg ten thousand pardons," Harry replied, "for the plain language which I am compelled to use. But let us look at the case in a different point of view. During your occasional visits to the world of living men, you may sometimes have travelled in a railway carriage in your invisible form."
"I have taken a trip now and then (by a night train, of course), just to see what the invention was like."
"Exactly so. Well, now, you must have noticed that a guard insisted from[Pg 337] time to time upon waking up the sleepy passengers for no other purpose than to look at their tickets. Such a precaution might be resented, say by an Egerton of Egerton Castle, as an insult to his veracity137 and his honesty. But, you see, the guard doesn't know an Egerton from a Muggins: and the mere38 word of a passenger to the effect that he belongs to that distinguished138 family is in itself of no more value than his personal assertion that his ticket is perfectly en règle."
"I see your analogy, and I must allow its remarkable139 force."
"Not only so," continued Harry firmly, "but you must remember that in the case I have put, the guard is dealing140 with known beings of the ordinary human type. Now, when a living person introduces himself to me as Egerton of Egerton Castle, or Sir Roger Tichborne of Alresford, I accept his statement with a certain amount of doubt, proportionate to the natural improbability of the circumstances. But when a gentleman of shadowy appearance and immaterial substance, like yourself, makes a similar assertion, to the effect that he is Algernon Egerton who died two hundred years ago, then I am reluctantly compelled to acknowledge, even at the risk of hurting that gentleman's susceptible141 feelings, that I can form no proper opinion whatsoever of his probable veracity. Even men, whose habits and constitution I familiarly understand, cannot always be trusted to tell me the truth: and how then can I expect implicitly143 to believe a being whose very existence contradicts all my previous experiences, and whose properties give the lie to all my scientific conceptions—a being who moves without muscles and speaks without lungs? Look at the possible alternatives, and then you will see that I am guilty of no personal rudeness when I respectfully decline to accept your uncorroborated assertions. You may be Mr. Algernon Egerton, it is true, and your general style of dress and appearance certainly[Pg 338] bears out that supposition; but then you may equally well be his Satanic Majesty144 in person—in which case you can hardly expect me to credit your character for implicit142 truthfulness145. Or again, you may be a mere hallucination of my fancy: I may be suddenly gone mad, or I may be totally drunk,—and now that I look at the bottle, Jim, we must certainly allow that we have fully appreciated the excellent qualities of your capital Glenlivet. In short, a number of alternatives exist, any one of which is quite as probable as the supposition of your being a genuine ghost; which supposition I must therefore lay aside as a mere matter for the exercise of a suspended judgment146."
I thought Harry had him on the hip147, there: and the spectre evidently thought so too; for he rose at once and said rather stiffly, "I fear, sir, you are a confirmed sceptic upon this point, and further argument might only result in one or the other of us losing his temper. Perhaps it would be better for me to withdraw. I have the honour to wish you both a very good evening." He spoke once more with the hauteur and grand mannerism148 of the old school, besides bowing very low at each of us separately as he wished us good-night.
"Stop a moment," said Harry rather hastily. "I wouldn't for the world be guilty of any inhospitality, and least of all to a gentleman, however indefinite in his outline, who has been so anxious to afford us every chance of settling an interesting question as you have. Won't you take a glass of whisky and water before you go, just to show there's no animosity?"
"I thank you," answered the apparition, in the same chilly149 tone; "I cannot accept your kind offer. My visit has already extended to a very unusual length, and I have no doubt I shall be blamed as it is by more reticent150 ghosts for the excessive openness with which I have conversed151 upon subjects generally kept back from the living world. Once more,"[Pg 339] with another ceremonious bow, "I have the honour to wish you a pleasant evening."
As he said these words, the fluorescent light brightened for a second, and then faded entirely away. A slightly unpleasant odour also accompanied the departure of our guest. In a moment, spectre and scent48 alike disappeared; but careful examination with a delicate test exhibited a faint reaction which proved the presence of sulphur in small quantities. The ghost had evidently vanished quite according to established precedent152.
We filled our glasses once more, drained them off meditatively153, and turned into our bedrooms as the clock was striking four.
Next morning, Harry and I drew up a formal account of the whole circumstance, which we sent to the Royal Society, with a request that they would publish it in their Transactions. To our great surprise, that learned body refused the paper, I may say with contumely. We next applied154 to the Anthropological155 Institute, where, strange to tell, we met with a like inexplicable156 rebuff. Nothing daunted157 by our double failure, we despatched a copy of our analysis to the Chemical Society; but the only acknowledgment accorded to us was a letter from the secretary, who stated that "such a sorry joke was at once impertinent and undignified." In short, the scientific world utterly158 refuses to credit our simple and straightforward159 narrative160; so that we are compelled to throw ourselves for justice upon the general reading public at large. As the latter invariably peruse161 the pages of "Belgravia," I have ventured to appeal to them in the present article, confident that they will redress162 our wrongs, and accept this valuable contribution to a great scientific question at its proper worth. It may be many years before another chance occurs for watching an undoubted and interesting Apparition under such favourable163 circumstances for careful observation; and all the above information may be regarded as absolutely correct, down to five places[Pg 340] of decimals.
Still, it must be borne in mind that unless an apparition had been scientifically observed as we two independent witnesses observed this one, the grounds for believing in its existence would have been next to none. And even after the clear evidence which we obtained of its immaterial nature, we yet remain entirely in the dark as to its objective reality, and we have not the faintest reason for believing it to have been a genuine unadulterated ghost. At the best we can only say that we saw and heard Something, and that this Something differed very widely from almost any other object we had ever seen and heard before. To leap at the conclusion that the Something was therefore a ghost, would be, I venture humbly to submit, without offence to the Psychical164 Research Society, a most unscientific and illogical specimen of that peculiar fallacy known as Begging the Question.
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1
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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ruminated
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| v.沉思( ruminate的过去式和过去分词 )；反复考虑；反刍；倒嚼 | |
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3
apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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4
whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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5
mimic
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| v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人 | |
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6
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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10
physiology
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| n.生理学，生理机能 | |
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11
anatomy
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| n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织 | |
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12
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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plentifully
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| adv. 许多地，丰饶地 | |
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14
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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15
marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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17
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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18
complement
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| n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足 | |
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19
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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20
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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21
manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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defensive
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| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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23
dismantled
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| 拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消 | |
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24
degenerated
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| 衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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participation
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| n.参与，参加，分享 | |
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26
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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27
sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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28
contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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29
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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30
bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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31
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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32
hauteur
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| n.傲慢 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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34
wavy
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| adj.有波浪的，多浪的，波浪状的，波动的，不稳定的 | |
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35
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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36
eluded
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| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的过去式和过去分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
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philosophic
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| adj.哲学的，贤明的 | |
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38
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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39
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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40
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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41
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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42
nether
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| adj.下部的，下面的；n.阴间；下层社会 | |
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43
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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44
umbrage
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| n.不快；树荫 | |
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45
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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46
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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47
converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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48
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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49
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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50
habitually
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| ad.习惯地，通常地 | |
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51
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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52
writ
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| n.命令状，书面命令 | |
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53
infamous
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| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
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54
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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55
courteously
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| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
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56
courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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57
attest
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| vt.证明，证实；表明 | |
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58
jot
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| n.少量；vi.草草记下；vt.匆匆写下 | |
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59
jotted
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| v.匆忙记下( jot的过去式和过去分词 )；草草记下，匆匆记下 | |
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60
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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61
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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62
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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63
luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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64
tangible
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| adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的 | |
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65
tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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66
atmospheric
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| adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的 | |
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67
allude
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| v.提及，暗指 | |
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68
inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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69
prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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70
relegate
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| v.使降级，流放，移交，委任 | |
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71
gender
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| n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性 | |
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72
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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73
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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74
severing
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的现在分词 )；断，裂 | |
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75
judicially
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| 依法判决地，公平地 | |
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76
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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77
quotation
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| n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情 | |
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78
spectrum
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| n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列 | |
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79
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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80
oration
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| n.演说，致辞，叙述法 | |
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81
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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82
progenitors
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| n.祖先( progenitor的名词复数 )；先驱；前辈；原本 | |
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83
antiquated
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| adj.陈旧的，过时的 | |
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84
cant
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| n.斜穿，黑话，猛扔 | |
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85
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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86
streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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87
apparitions
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| n.特异景象( apparition的名词复数 )；幽灵；鬼；（特异景象等的）出现 | |
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88
fluorescent
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| adj.荧光的，发出荧光的 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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90
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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91
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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quantitative
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| adj.数量的，定量的 | |
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memoir
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| n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录 | |
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94
volatile
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| adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质 | |
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plausibly
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| 似真地 | |
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96
constituents
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| n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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100
accede
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| v.应允，同意 | |
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101
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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102
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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103
refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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104
vascular
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| adj.血管的，脉管的 | |
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105
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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106
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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107
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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108
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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109
extremities
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| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
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110
peg
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| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
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111
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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112
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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113
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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114
aorta
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| n.主动脉 | |
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115
vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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116
artery
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| n.干线，要道；动脉 | |
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117
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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118
component
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| n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的 | |
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119
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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120
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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121
underlying
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| adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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arteries
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| n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道 | |
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nugatory
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| adj.琐碎的，无价值的 | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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gaseous
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| adj.气体的，气态的 | |
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apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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membrane
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| n.薄膜，膜皮，羊皮纸 | |
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egregious
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| adj.非常的，过分的 | |
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humbug
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| n.花招，谎话，欺骗 | |
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memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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veracity
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| n.诚实 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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susceptible
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| adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的 | |
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implicit
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| a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的 | |
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implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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truthfulness
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| n. 符合实际 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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hip
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| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
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mannerism
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| n.特殊习惯，怪癖 | |
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chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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reticent
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| adj.沉默寡言的；言不如意的 | |
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conversed
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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precedent
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| n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的 | |
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meditatively
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| adv.冥想地 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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anthropological
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| adj.人类学的 | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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daunted
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| 使（某人）气馁，威吓( daunt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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peruse
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| v.细读，精读 | |
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redress
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| n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除 | |
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favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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psychical
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| adj.有关特异功能现象的；有关特异功能官能的；灵魂的；心灵的 | |
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