下载辰思小说免费APP
If，whenyouwrote，youcouldwriteonTWOsheetssothatIcouldshowherone，andonthatoneifyoucouldshowclearlythatIreallyWASinJamaicathissummer，andhadcometherebybeingremovedfromaship，itwouldbeofgreatservicetome。Itwouldcertainlyaddtotheloadofmyobligationtoyou——aloadthatIfearIcanneverfullyrepay。Althoughifgratitude……“Andsoforth。
Attheendherepeatedhisrequestformetoburntheletter。
SotheremarkablestoryofMr。Ledbetter’sVacationends。Thatbreachwithhisauntwasnotoflongduration。Theoldladyhadforgivenhimbeforeshedied。
10。THESTOLENBODY
Mr。BesselwastheseniorpartnerinthefirmofBessel，Hart，andBrown，ofSt。Paul’sChurchyard，andformanyyearshewaswellknownamongthoseinterestedinpsychicalresearchasaliberal-mindedandconscientiousinvestigator。Hewasanunmarriedman，andinsteadoflivinginthesuburbs，afterthefashionofhisclass，heoccupiedroomsintheAlbany，nearPiccadilly。Hewasparticularlyinterestedinthequestionsofthoughttransferenceandofapparitionsoftheliving，andinNovember，1896，hecommencedaseriesofexperimentsinconjunctionwithMr。Vincey，ofStapleInn，inordertotesttheallegedpossibilityofprojectinganapparitionofone’sselfbyforceofwillthroughspace。
Theirexperimentswereconductedinthefollowingmanner:Atapre-
arrangedhourMr。BesselshuthimselfinoneofhisroomsintheAlbanyandMr。Vinceyinhissitting-roominStapleInn，andeachthenfixedhismindasresolutelyaspossibleontheother。Mr。Besselhadacquiredtheartofself-hypnotism，and，sofarashecould，heattemptedfirsttohypnotisehimselfandthentoprojecthimselfasa“phantomoftheliving“acrosstheinterveningspaceofnearlytwomilesintoMr。Vincey’sapartment。Onseveraleveningsthiswastriedwithoutanysatisfactoryresult，butonthefifthorsixthoccasionMr。VinceydidactuallyseeorimaginehesawanapparitionofMr。Besselstandinginhisroom。Hestatesthattheappearance，althoughbrief，wasveryvividandreal。HenoticedthatMr。Bessel’sfacewaswhiteandhisexpressionanxious，and，moreover，thathishairwasdisordered。ForamomentMr。Vincey，inspiteofhisstateofexpectation，wastoosurprisedtospeakormove，andinthatmomentitseemedtohimasthoughthefigureglancedoveritsshoulderandincontinentlyvanished。
Ithadbeenarrangedthatanattemptshouldbemadetophotographanyphantasmseen，butMr。Vinceyhadnottheinstantpresenceofmindtosnapthecamerathatlayreadyonthetablebesidehim，andwhenhedidsohewastoolate。Greatlyelated，however，evenbythispartialsuccess，hemadeanoteoftheexacttime，andatoncetookacabtotheAlbanytoinformMr。Besselofthisresult。
HewassurprisedtofindMr。Bessel’souterdoorstandingopentothenight，andtheinnerapartmentslitandinanextraordinarydisorder。Anemptychampagnemagnumlaysmasheduponthefloor；
itsneckhadbeenbrokenoffagainsttheinkpotonthebureauandlaybesideit。Anoctagonaloccasionaltable，whichcarriedabronzestatuetteandanumberofchoicebooks，hadbeenrudelyoverturned，anddowntheprimrosepaperofthewallinkyfingershadbeendrawn，asitseemedforthemerepleasureofdefilement。Oneofthedelicatechintzcurtainshadbeenviolentlytornfromitsringsandthrustuponthefire，sothatthesmellofitssmoulderingfilledtheroom。Indeedthewholeplacewasdisarrangedinthestrangestfashion。ForafewminutesMr。Vincey，whohadenteredsureoffindingMr。Besselinhiseasychairawaitinghim，couldscarcelybelievehiseyes，andstoodstaringhelplesslyattheseunanticipatedthings。
Then，fullofavaguesenseofcalamity，hesoughttheporterattheentrancelodge。“WhereisMr。Bess
