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Page 19
"That can only be a matter of theory," replied Dr. Hull; "the accident
has never happened."
"But it might happen."
"Yes, it might happen."
"Is not the spirit as much dependent on the medium for dematerializing
and resuming the spirit-form, as for materializing?" asked Paul.
"I see what you mean," said Dr. Hull. "You think that in case the medium
should die during a materialization, the spirit might be left in a
materialized state. How does it strike you, Mrs. Legrand?"
"I don't know," replied that lady, with her eyes closed. "Spirits require
our aid as much to lay aside their bodies as to assume them. If the
medium died meantime, I should think that the spirit might find some
trouble in dematerializing."
"Is it not possible," said Paul, "that it might be unable to
dematerialize at all? Would not the medium's death close against it the
only door by which it could return to the spirit-world, shutting it out
in this life with us henceforth? More than that: would not the already
materialized spirit be in a position to succeed to the physical life
which the medium relinquished? Already possessed of a part of the
medium's vitality, would not the remainder naturally flow to it when
given up in death, and thus complete its materialization?"
"And give it an earthly body like ours?" exclaimed Miss Ludington.
"Yes, like ours," replied Paul. "I suppose it would simply take up its
former life on earth where it had been left off, ceasing to possess a
spirit's powers, and knowing only what and whom it knew at the point when
its first life on earth had ceased."
"After what I have seen to-night, nothing will ever seem impossible to me
again," said Miss Ludington.
"As Miss Ludington suggests," observed Dr. Hull, "in spiritualism one
soon ceases to consider whether a thing be wonderful or not, but only if
it be true. And so as to this matter. Now, if the death of a medium
should be absolutely instantaneous, the spirit might, indeed, be unable
to dematerialize, and might even succeed to the medium's earth life, as
you suggest. The trouble with the theory--and it seems to me a fatal
one--is, that death is almost never, if indeed it is ever, absolutely
instantaneous but only comparatively so; and it seems to me that the
least possible interval of time would be sufficient to enable the spirit
to dematerialize. Consequently, it strikes me, that while the result you
suppose is theoretically possible, it could, practically, never occur.
Still, the subject is one of mere conjecture at most, and one opinion is,
perhaps, as good as another."
"I think you are probably right," said Paul; "it was only a fancy I had."
"Why does Mrs. Legrand persist in giving seances if she is not in a fit
condition?" said Miss Ludington.
"Well," replied Dr. Hull, "you see we spiritualists do not regard death
as so serious a matter as do many others. Our mediums, especially, who
stand with one hand clasped by spirits and the other by mortals, are
almost indifferent which way they are drawn; besides, you see, she is
recognized as the most fully developed medium in the United States
to-day, and many spirits, which cannot materialize through other mediums,
are dependent upon her; she feels that she has a duty to discharge
towards the spirit-world, at whatever risk to herself. I doubt if
to-night's seance, for example, would have been successful with any other
medium."
Immediately after this conversation Miss Ludington and Paul took their
departure. Dr. Hull went, out with them to the carriage, and was obliged
to remind them of the little matter of Mrs. Legrand's fee, which they had
entirely forgotten.
CHAPTER VII.
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