"'A ladies' school.'
"On enquiry Mr. Funk found that a ladies' school was there, and that the Principal was a Professor Charles West.
"On consulting his old ledgers, he found that this was the very man to whom he had promised to return the coin.
"At a future sitting Mr. Funk said to George, 'Why could you not tell me his name right away?'
"'I don't know,' replied George, 'For some reason Mr. Beecher would not tell me. He said he was not concerned about the return of the coin, all he wanted was to give me a test which would convince me that there was a direct communication between the two worlds, and having succeeded in that, he cared nothing more about it.'
"After receiving this surprising answer, Mr. Funk sent the two coins again to the Mint, and received the reply that the director had consulted the assistant in the department of coins in the British Museum and was assured that the black coin was the genuine one.
"The most remarkable thing about the whole affair," added Delapine, "is that Mr. Funk happened to be the only man present at the séances who had ever heard of the Widow's Mite, and he had not the slightest conception of any of the facts which George had told him through the medium. The incident had occurred nine years before, and the whole history of the coin had not only passed completely out of his mind, but the fact, which George told him about it, was entirely new to him. Hence it was out of the question that the medium could have read his mind. How then are we to account for this revelation except by some intelligence on the other side of the Veil?"
"It must have been a put-up job—in fact a case of fraud, or else one of forgetfulness," said Duval.
"No, my dear sir, that is impossible. Forgetfulness has nothing to do with it, as Mr. Funk was certain that his instructions to return the coin had been carried out to the letter. Why, even the owners of the coin never knew it was missing. Besides, no one except the cashier ever had access to the safe, and they had never known or even seen the medium."
"Ah, Pierre," replied Villebois, laughing, "confess that Delapine has fairly answered your objection."