Two evenings after this, thanks to an arrangement by letter and the promise of an ample fee, I found Madame Vulpes awaiting me at her residence alone. She was a coarse-featured woman, with keen and rather cruel dark eyes, and an exceedingly sensual expression about her mouth and under jaw1. She received me in perfect silence, in an apartment on the ground floor, very sparsely2 furnished. In the centre of the room, close to where Mrs. Vulpes sat, there was a common round mahogany table. If I had come for the purpose of sweeping3 her chimney, the woman could not have looked more indifferent to my appearance. There was no attempt to inspire the visitor with awe4. Everything bore a simple and practical aspect. This intercourse6 with the spiritual world was evidently as familiar an occupation with Mrs. Vulpes as eating her dinner or riding in an omnibus.
“You come for a communication, Mr. Linley?” said the medium, in a dry, businesslike tone of voice.
“By appointment — yes.”
“What sort of communication do you want — a written one?”
“Yes, I wish for a written one.”
“From any particular spirit?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever known this spirit on this earth?”
“Never. He died long before I was born. I wish merely to obtain from him some information which he ought to be able to give better than any other.”
“Will you seat yourself at the table, Mr. Lin-ley,” said the medium, “and place your hands upon it?”
I obeyed, Mrs. Vulpes being seated opposite to me, with her hands also on the table. We remained thus for about a minute and a half, when a violent succession of raps came on the table, on the back of my chair, on the floor immediately under my feet, and even on the window-panes. Mrs. Vulpes smiled composedly.
“They are very strong to-night,” she remarked. “You are fortunate.” She then continued, “Will the spirits communicate with this gentleman?”
Vigorous affirmative.
“Will the particular spirit he desires to speak with communicate?”
A very confused rapping followed this question.
“I know what they mean,” said Mrs. Vulpes, addressing herself to me; “they wish you to write down the name of the particular spirit that you desire to converse7 with. Is that so?” she added, speaking to her invisible guests.
That it was so was evident from the numerous affirmatory responses. While this was going on, I tore a slip from my pocket-book and scribbled8 a name under the table.
“Will this spirit communicate in writing with this gentleman?” asked the medium once more.
After a moment’s pause, her hand seemed to be seized with a violent tremor9, shaking so forcibly that the table vibrated. She said that a spirit had seized her hand and would write. I handed her some sheets of paper that were on the table and a pencil. The latter she held loosely in her hand, which presently began to move over the paper with a singular and seemingly involuntary motion. After a few moments had elapsed, she handed me the paper, on which I found written, in a large, uncultivated hand, the words, “He is not here, but has been sent for.” A pause of a minute or so ensued, during which Mrs. Vulpes remained perfectly10 silent, but the raps continued at regular intervals11. When the short period I mention had elapsed, the hand of the medium was again seized with its convulsive tremor, and she wrote, under this strange influence, a few words on the paper, which she handed to me. They were as follows:
“I am here. Question me.
“Leeuwenhoek.”
I was astounded12. The name was identical with that I had written beneath the table, and carefully kept concealed13. Neither was it at all probable that an uncultivated woman like Mrs. Vulpes should know even the name of the great father of microscopies. It may have been biology; but this theory was soon doomed14 to be destroyed. I wrote on my slip — still concealing15 it from Mrs. Vulpes — a series of questions which, to avoid tediousness, I shall place with the responses, in the order in which they occurred:
I.— Can the microscope be brought to perfection?
Spirit — Yes.
I.— Am I destined16 to accomplish this great task?
Spirit.— You are.
I.— I wish to know how to proceed to attain17 this end. For the love which you bear to science, help me!
Spirit — A diamond of one hundred and forty carats, submitted to electro-magnetic currents for a long period, will experience a rearrangement of its atoms inter5 se and from that stone you will form the universal lens.
I.— Will great discoveries result from the use of such a lens?
Spirit — So great that all that has gone before is as nothing.
I.— But the refractive power of the diamond is so immense that the image will be formed within the lens. How is that difficulty to be surmounted18?
Spirit — Pierce the lens through its axis19, and the difficulty is obviated20. The image will be formed in the pierced space, which will itself serve as a tube to look through. Now I am called. Good-night.
I can not at all describe the effect that these extraordinary communications had upon me. I felt completely bewildered. No biological theory could account for the discovery of the lens. The medium might, by means of biological rapport21 with my mind, have gone so far as to read my questions and reply to them coherently. But biology could not enable her to discover that magnetic currents would so alter the crystals of the diamond as to remedy its previous defects and admit of its being polished into a perfect lens. Some such theory may have passed through my head, it is true; but if so, I had forgotten it. In my excited condition of mind there was no course left but to become a convert, and it was in a state of the most painful nervous exaltation that I left the medium’s house that evening. She accompanied me to the door, hoping that I was satisfied. The raps followed us as we went through the hall, sounding on the balusters, the flooring, and even the lintels of the door. I hastily expressed my satisfaction, and escaped hurriedly into the cool night air. I walked home with but one thought possessing me — how to obtain a diamond of the immense size required. My entire means multiplied a hundred times over would have been inadequate22 to its purchase. Besides, such stones are rare, and become historical. I could find such only in the regalia of Eastern or European monarchs23.
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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sparsely
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| adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地 | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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inter
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| v.埋葬 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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7
converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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scribbled
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| v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下 | |
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tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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12
astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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13
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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14
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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18
surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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axis
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| n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线 | |
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20
obviated
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| v.避免，消除（贫困、不方便等）( obviate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
rapport
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| n.和睦，意见一致 | |
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22
inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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23
monarchs
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| 君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 ) | |
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