"My wife always sat at a small low table, in a low chair, leaning backwards. I sat about eight feet distant, at a rather higher table, and with my back towards her while writing down the questions. It was absolutely impossible that any gesture, or play of features, on my part, could have been visible or intelligible to her. As a rule she kept her eyes shut; but never became in the slightest degree hypnotic, or even naturally drowsy." In all 309 questions with their answers were recorded under these conditions, before the experiments were finally abandoned on account of their prejudicial effect on Mrs. Newnham's health. The extracts from Mr. Newnham's note-book given below show that Mrs. Newnham throughout had some kind of knowledge, not always apparently complete, of the terms of the question.[49] But she was not herself consciously aware of the purport either of the question or of the answer written through her hand. _January 29th._ 13. Is it the operator's brain, or some external force, that moves the Planchette? Answer "brain" or "force." A. Will. 14. Is it the will of a living person, or of an immaterial spirit, distinct from that person? Answer "person" or "spirit." A. Wife. 15. Give first the wife's Christian name; then, my favourite name for her. (This was accurately done.) 27. What is your own name? A. Only you. 28. We are not quite sure of the meaning of the answer. Explain. A. Wife. Failing to get more than this at the outset, we returned to the same thought after question 114; when, having been closely pressed on another subject, we received the curt reply--"Told all I know." _February 18th._ 117. Who are you that writes, and has told all you know? A. Wife. 118. But does no one tell wife what to write? If so, who? A. Spirit. 119. Whose spirit? A. Wife's brain. 120. But how does wife's brain know (certain) secrets? A. Wife's spirit unconsciously guides. 121. But how does wife's spirit know things it has never been told? A. No external influence. 122. But by what _internal_ influence does it know (these) secrets? A. You cannot know. Mr. Newnham, who was a Mason, took the opportunity on several occasions of questioning the planchette on details of the Masonic ritual and archæology--of which Mrs. Newnham was of course ignorant--with very surprising results. It will be seen from the extracts which follow that Mrs. Newnham's answers showed not only an acquaintance with the terms of the question, but even a fragmentary knowledge of the correct answer--knowledge which under the circumstances could hardly have been derived elsewhere than from the questioner's brain. _March 26th._ 166. Of what language is the first syllable of the Great Triple R.A. Word?[50] A. Don't know.