(257) "On three occasions, each time by different persons, I have been seen when not present in the body. The first instance that I was thus seen was by my sister-in-law, who was sitting up with me, the night after the birth of my first child. She looked towards the bed where I was sleeping, and distinctly saw me and my double; the first my natural body, the second spiritualised and fainter; several times she shut her eyes, but on opening them there was still the same appearance, and the vision only faded away after some little time. She thought it a sign of my death. I did not hear of it for many months.

' The second instance was by my niece; she was staying with us at Dorchester. It was rather early on a spring morning; she opened her bedroom door, and saw me ascending the flight of steps opposite her room, fully dressed in the morning black gown, white collar, and cap, which I was then wearing for my mother-in-law. She did not speak, but saw me, as she thought, go into the nursery. At breakfast she said to her uncle, 'My aunt was up early this morning, I saw her go into the nursery.' 'Oh! no, Jane,' my husband answered, ' she was not very well, and is going to have her breakfast before coming down'.

"The third instance was the most remarkable. We had a small house at Weymouth, where we occasionally went for the sea. A Mrs. Samways waited on us when there, and took care of the house in our absence; she was a nice quiet woman, thoroughly trustworthy, the aunt of my dear old servant Kitty Balston, then living with us at Dorchester. She had written to her aunt the day before the vision occurred, telling her of the birth of my youngest child, and that I was going on well. The next night Mrs. Samways went to a meeting-house, near Clarence Buildings; she was a Baptist. Before leaving she locked an inner door leading into a small courtyard behind the house, and the street-door after her, carrying both keys in her pocket. On her return, unlocking the street-door, she perceived a light at the end of the passage, and on going nearer saw, as she thought, the yard-door open. The light showed the yard and everything in it, but in the midst she clearly recognised me, in white garments, looking very pale and worn. She was terribly frightened, rushed into a neighbour's house (Captain Court's), and dropped in the passage. After recovering, Captain Court went with her into the house, which was exactly as she had left it, and the yard-door securely locked.

I was taken very faint about the same time, and lingered for many weeks, hovering between life and death."1

Professor Sidgwick has visited Mrs. Stone, and after thoroughly questioning her on her narrative, he writes (September 23rd, 1884): - "She certainly understands thoroughly the importance of accuracy. She said she had heard of her apparition direct from the seers, in the two first cases mentioned. She had never heard of her sister-in-law having had any other hallucination before this time (1833) or afterwards, until very lately, when she has had an apparition of a dead person. She is old, and Mrs. Stone is unwilling to trouble her on the matter. Nor does she think that her niece, Jane Studley (who is dead), ever had any other hallucination. As regards the third instance, Mrs. Stone only heard it after her recovery, from Kitty Balston, whose account - as repeated by Mrs. Stone - was that Mrs. Stone was taken ill in the evening, or rather just before the evening, and was quite unconscious at the time when she was seen by Mrs. Samways".

1 Taken in connection with these instances, the following experience of Mrs. Stone's own is of considerable interest. (See p. 363, note).

"When about 9 or 10 years old I was sent to a school in Dorchester as a day boarder; it was here my first curious experience occurred that I can clearly remember. I was in an upper room in the school, standing with some others, in a class opposite our teacher, Miss Mary Lock; suddenly I found myself by her side, and looking towards the class saw myself distinctly - a slim, pale girl, in a white frock and pinafore. I felt a strong anxiety to get back, as it were, but it seemed a violent and painful effort, almost struggle, when accomplished. I was much frightened, but did not mention it till many years after".

I may mention that Mrs. Stone's daughter has had a similar experience; so that here is perhaps another example of hereditary tendenoy.

In the last of Mrs. Stone's cases, we should naturally conclude that the appearance, if telepathic, was connected with her illness; but the other two appearances seem to have been purely casual. Possibly, however, the first may have been due to her sister-in-law's failing to focus the two eyes together, which is a common infirmity in some cases of debility; but we should expect a person who suffered in this way to be aware that she was in the habit of seeing objects double.

Since this case was printed, a hallucination representing the same person has been seen by a fourth percipient. Mrs. Glanville writes from Shute Haye, Walditch, Bridport, on Aug. 23, 1886: -

"After breakfast this morning, I was outside the breakfast-room window, looking about, when I saw Mrs. Stone walking up one of the paths by the side of the lawn. I followed her. The path is long and winds round. I saw her turn the corner into a path that led through the orchard, but when I came there I could not see her. I wondered at her walking so quickly as to go out of sight, and strolled on, following the path, which led me back to the house. Here I saw Mrs. Stone talking to the gardener. She was surprised when I asked her how I could have missed her, and said she had not been walking at all, had not left her plants. Well, I saw her, her black dress, her white cap, her walk, Mrs. Stone certainly, but whether out of herself, or by an impression on my brain, I cannot tell - but I never saw anything more distinctly." [A plan of the paths was enclosed].

Mrs. Stone writes, Aug. 25, 1886: -

"You wish me to give an account of my proceedings when Mrs. Glanville saw my double. About 10 on the morning of Monday, August 23rd, I had gone direct from the house to water some flowers in a greenhouse marked in Mrs. Glanville's plan. My mind was rather disturbed at not hearing from my son. I was watering in a rather dazed, mechanical way, but did not lose consciousness. Walking from the place I met Mrs. Glanville, who said, 'How could you get here without my seeing you? ' I had not been near the spot where she saw me".

The percipient in this case has had one other visual hallucination representing a living person, which was very likely telepathic. She thus describes it: -

"I remember one experience of the same sort happening when I was a girl. I certainly did see an old gentleman in the street who was then on his death-bed, but nobody would believe it. He was standing outside his shop-door; there were two other men, with him. I can see him now in my mind's eye - a tall thin man; I knew his face quite well. When I said at dinner that Mr. Worth was better, for I had seen him in the street, my father told me he had just called, and Mr. Worth was very ill, in fact dying, and I must be mistaken".