"You must not imagine, my friends, that spiritualistic phenomena can always be produced at will, like a physical experiment in a laboratory. Often no phenomena take place at all, and still more often certain unknown influences modify or alter them, so that frequently we obtain only imperfect results, or phenomena entirely different from what we expected. You should remember that really we are here to observe and not to experiment. Let us now join hands round the table," and so saying the professor, having lowered the lamp, placed his hands wide apart with his fingers lightly resting on the table. The others proceeded to do the same in order to complete the circle.
At this moment Riche heard a slight movement, and quietly turning his head noticed Pierre getting up from his chair.
In spite of the dim light Pierre saw that Riche was watching his movements and walking up to the doctor on tip-toe whispered in his ear, "Please tell the company as soon as this performance is over, that I was obliged to go to my chambers at once on urgent business, and much as I regret it, it will be quite impossible for me to return to-night."
Riche squeezed his hand and nodding assent, Pierre unobserved by the others left the room.
Silently, and in a state of expectation bordering almost on excitement the eight members of the circle sat round the table; Delapine, Renée, Villebois, Madame Villebois, Payot, Céleste, Riche and Marcel, the latter completing the circle with Delapine.
The professor was the first to break the silence—
"I must request each one of you," he said authoritatively, "on no account to touch any one of the four legs of this table. I have specially tied tissue paper round each leg in such a way that if any one of you touches it the paper will be soiled or crumpled."
"Why did you put a red screen round the lamp, and turn the light down low like that?" asked Riche.
"For the same reason that you use a red light when developing a photographic plate," replied Delapine. "Because it is well-known that a white light would spoil the plate. And in the same way the vibrations of white light interfere with the intensely rapid vibrations which produce our phenomena. But hush," he continued in an audible whisper, "I feel the presence of some mysterious force."