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On their way home, Serviss said to his sister: "Did you notice how profound the silence became when Ralph started that discussion of the occult?"

"It is always so"

"Is it, really? I hadn't noticed it particularly"

"That's because people are afraid to talk such things before you scientists Why, every wo"

"You astonish o every little while just for fun We all pretend that we don't believe in it, but we do I'o to a new one--they're all such creepy creatures The last one I went to was positively weird"

Serviss was severe "Kate, I am ashamed of you To think that you, a woence like ence look into these things? Why do you leave us poor untrained emotional creatures to suffer befoolment when you could so easily instruct us and shield us?"

"Because, while we could easily prove you befooled, you would still follow after your saw-dust idols We prefer to save you froions, and so react on your hed "That's very clever of you, and very decent Stay with your germs, rob us of our diseases, but leave us, oh, leave us our delicious thrills!" She becarave "The fact is, Morton, we all have moments e feel the presence of the dead I do Father and mother never seem away off in our Graceland vault; sometimes they seem to be in the room with me It's all a fancy, you'll say, and very foolish, but I believe ie when he is ill Soht I thrill as if she touched me"

He was not unsympathetic as he said: "You never hinted at this before"

"I was afraid to do so If mother exists somewhere, and in some etherealized form, why can't she come back? Why couldn't her mind act on mine and produce the sensation of her presence?"

"Perhaps it could Only there is no proof of its ever happening"

"Now see here, Morton, so long as we are on this subject at last, I want to ask you, do you believe one--absolutely blotted out of existence?" She waited in tense silence, and as they passed a street-larown suddenly pale "Do you believe Darwin and Spencer and Victor Hugo have gone to nothingness?"