July 1892 - The Emma Hardinge Britten Archive

204
Spiritual Gleanings.
The chamber was a very small one, with at the end, a
'sort of raised dais, on which was crouched a most hideous
old woman. She was a mere skeleton, and her face was
wizened and shrivelled up as small as an infant's, but a
pair of dark eyes seemed to blaze with light. A small
lamp was in the room, but even with it I could see that
'her hair, which was in tangled grey masses about her
shoulders, showed a distinct phosphorescent light.
Noticing that I was looking at her hair, she raised her
shrivelled hands, and passing them through and through
the long locks, she made sparks fly out and bright gleams
':()f light show all over it. I saw that the little platform
was made of coarse, dull, greenish glass. The woman
stood up, and at that moment the old priest brought to
. the doorway a small goat. It looked in and seemed very
. frightened. No sooner did the woman raise her hand
I than it became still, slowly advanced sideways towards
her, and, as it reached the platform, fell down, and was
quickly drawn towards her, lying perfectly passive on its
side. She then went through the same sort of thing
with a cat, which was brought in a basket, two pigeons,
and a snake, making them do all sorts of curious antics,
making the snake stand perfectly perpendicular, like a
'stick or young sapling. The birds she brought to her by
a curious drawing process through the air; they did not
fly, and they seemed averse to going, but were invisibly
compelled to advance to her.
She then asked, through my servant, whether I would
,care to be operated on myself, or should they get in a
native. I despatched my servant for a coolie. He
brought in an exceedingly tall, handsome lad, who had a