"Yes."
"What is your mother to do?"
Luisa was trembling from head to foot in anxious suspense. The table did not move.
"Answer," said the professor.
This time the table moved, but knocked out only an incomprehensible confusion of letters.
"We do not understand. Repeat."
The little table did not move again. "Repeat, I tell you!" said the professor, rather sharply.
"No, no!" begged Luisa. "Don't insist. Maria does not wish to answer." But the professor was bound to insist. "It is not admissible that a spirit should not answer. You know very well we have often before been unable to understand what they said."
Luisa rose, greatly agitated, saying that rather than force Maria she should prefer to cut the séance short. The professor remained seated, lost in thought. "Hush!" said he at last.
The table moved and once more began to knock.