'Twixt two worlds : a narrative of the life and work of William Eglinton

General Testimony to PsycJiograpliy. ii5
A lady, the wife of a late Mayor of Bolton, after describing the production in less
than half a minute, under the ordinary conditions, of a message containing no less than one
hundred and twenty-six words, or more than eight times as many words as the swiftest penman
could write in the same length of time, goes on to testify that afterwards "when holding the
Fig. 20.— Handwriting of Mr. Eglinton.
slates at arm's length between us, higher than the table and away from it, in this position I
was allowed to ask for any word, and it was written directly. The little pencil was always
found at the end of the last letter, and once we saw it hanging there, as a needle would hang
on to a magnet. I have not observed that this has been named in any account of the
Fig. 21.—Handwriting of Dr. Nichols' Daughter.
writing. I said I should like something in another language. I chose French, but I wish I
had chosen some less familiar
'
language. Without delay the words were written : Voire ami
n'est pas ici. Dicu votts be'nit.' On my new folding slate, which was never out of my sight,
I bore away four messages in different hands ; one was the familiar formula,
' Let this convince