Chapter 8 SéANCE WITH MISS HELEN BEERY AT ONSET.

"Spirits are never finely touched

But to fine issues; nor Nature never lends

The smallest scruple of her excellence,

But, like a thrifty goddess, she determines

Herself the glory of the creditor,

Both thanks and use."

At one of Miss Helen Berry's séances at Onset in the summer of 1885, there came a young female spirit, apparently about sixteen years old. She took me by both hands and led me up to the cabinet, where she greeted me very warmly. As she could bear more light than most of the forms, I had no difficulty in studying her face and figure. She was a little below the average height, lithe and graceful in all her movements. A cloud of dark golden hair drifted around her neck and shoulders, falling far below her waist. Her dress was pure white, of a rich fabric, so thin that it revealed a form beautiful as the finest Greek statue. She appeared more like a dream of ideal life, than a creature who had ever walked the earth.

There are moments of exultation in the life of every artist, when his soul reaches out to visions of great beauty. No canvas or marble can record these visions. In his associations with the world, he may, at times, catch glimpses that remind him of what he has seen, but nowhere does he realize, as a whole, the perfection of those forms that have allured him from his ordinary surroundings.

Was this charming creature one of those beings who had haunted my dreams?-who, in the still hours of the night, had sometimes dispelled the darkness by the glow of her presence?

If I hesitated a moment in recognizing her, it was because she had never before appeared clothed in so beautiful a form, or if so I had failed to appreciate it. Perhaps it was due, in part, to the negative condition I was in, which allowed a freer and more perfect development, undisturbed by any mental action on my part; and this idea is strengthened by the fact that, in all my connection with these séances, what I most desired to obtain seldom came until after I had become more or less indifferent about it. As I stood beside this form, I passed my fingers through her long silken tresses, and put my hand upon her finely formed head. As she laid her face to mine, she said in the most earnest yet tender tones, "You did not think I would come." This was true; tired with my journey and the sultry heat, I was indifferent to taking an active part in the séance. I was, however, in a listless way, interested in what came to others, and had given up expecting that anything would come to me; and yet, had I reflected for a moment, I should have known that at any true séance, where I was present and the conditions favorable, it would have been hardly possible for her to keep away. The consciousness of her presence at other times than in the séance-room is no uncommon occurrence with me.

In the séance-room, where she comes so strong and substantial, I have often put forth little playful, but somewhat provocative remarks, in order to draw out, as far as possible, an expression of her character. Sometimes these things excited her, but never, except for the moment, disturbed the harmony between us.

At this interview I was not in a condition of mind likely to attract spirits, whether in or out of the flesh. In the course of conversation, I dropped a remark that disturbed her. She grasped my hand nervously, her chest rose and fell with increased respiration, and without making any reply she retreated to the cabinet.

Thinking it possible that I might have displeased her, and that she would not return, I went to my seat. A moment afterward, I was surprised by her rushing out and kneeling down in front of me. Throwing her bare arms around my neck and pulling my head down to her, that others might not listen to what was said, she poured forth, in the most earnest and impassioned strain, her thoughts; talking as only a woman can talk under the highest inspiration.

I had long since abandoned all doubts of the existence of these beings, and had been, in a quiet and affectionate way, studying the different phases of character manifested by them. Like many others who have investigated this subject, I had met with things which I could not understand or harmonize with my experience. This was leading me to conclusions that I intuitively felt were not true, and yet I could not extricate myself from the network of apparent evidence that surrounded me.

That she understood my mental condition, was evinced by the fact that her whole force and energy were directed to this one subject. Her form trembled and vibrated with emotion as she uttered sentence after sentence in clear explanation of what had perplexed me. Raising her head, and tossing back her long hair, she grasped both my hands, and, with a face beaming with light, said:

"It seems strange to you, but what can I do? We are subject to conditions; and if I come at all, it must be in harmony with them. There are spheres and circles we cannot penetrate, if the controlling influence is against us. We are still human, still yearning for affection,-that love which is the silken cord that binds us all. What would you not do to reach those dear to your heart? You understand me now."

There was a remarkably childlike simplicity in the way she unburdened her mind, giving free expression to her feelings, bearing me mentally along with her, until I was lost to everything else. That is all. There are thoughts and feelings which no language can express. Like the silvery notes of a sweet song that echo in the distance, they revel in their freedom from restraint, and forever elude our grasp.

I know the breath that fans my cheek,

The thoughts, the words I cannot speak,

The arms that round me twine.

What need of words when thoughts are told

In light that gleams like burnished gold,

With pulse that throbs to mine?

Never before had I listened to such eloquence. Every word, with its rich intonation, is indelibly stamped upon my memory, and I regret that, for personal reasons, it cannot be recorded here.

Exhausted by her long effort, as she rose and led me to the cabinet, I noticed that her form was rapidly changing. Suddenly, like the extinguishing of a light, she passed into that invisible space whence she came.

There were no "test conditions" here; and there might have been a dozen confederates, for aught I can prove. It is barely possible that this delightful being belonged on this side of life; but whether on this side or the other, in the fulness of my artistic nature, I thanked God that such beauty could exist anywhere. The evidence of truthfulness in what came to me at this séance rests on something stronger than barred windows and locked doors;-it was in the complete embodiment of the character, both mentally and physically.

The séance closed, and I returned to Glen Cove by the road that skirts the shore. The south wind played with the blue waters of the bay, throwing up myriads of little waves that danced in the moonlight. As I stood gazing upon the sea, baring my feverish brow to the cooling breeze, I felt that my whole nature was flowing out into a vast circle of being. Thoughts, words, feelings, all blended with the mellow light which flooded the scene. If I was not supremely happy, it was not from lack of harmony with everything around me.

There is ever a tinge of sadness in the background of life. With the beauty of the waves comes the low moan as they break upon the shore. With the warmth of friendship, comes the pain of parting, and, sadder still, that relentless fate that hurries us from those we love into the dim, uncertain future. The sands of life are golden only where thought diffuses itself without shadows, and the light that charms us flows from the object of our affections.

It was late, and I retired for the night-closed my eyes, but not to sleep. The walls of my room disappeared, and my vision swept over an undefined and illimitable space. Before me like a mist, but perfectly outlined, glided the beautiful being who only a few minutes before had come so close to me. Soon she was joined by others, lightly drifting, floating through the air.

As round the mountain's craggy steep

The trailing vapors curve and sweep,

So, hand in hand and side by side,

Through space unmeasured, soft they glide.

Now there, now here-so far, so near-

With outstretched arms they beckoned me,

And, like the murmur of the sea,

Their voices broke upon my ear.

As they passed near me, a hand was laid upon my face; I started, sprang up, looked around; there was no one in the room. All was still save the low surging of the tide that swept the beach below.

* * *