"First, several faces, one after another, of great beauty appeared, and in amazement we saw--and as I was standing close up to the medium, even touching him--I saw most plainly, several times, a perfect face and form of exquisite womanhood partially issue from Dr Monck, about the region of the heart. Then, after several attempts, the full-formed figure, in a nebulous condition at first, but growing solider as it issued from the medium, left Dr Monck and stood, a separate individuality, two or three feet off, bound to him by a slender attachment, as of gossamer, which, at my request, 'Samuel,' the control, severed with the medium's left hand, and there stood embodied a spirit form of unutterable loveliness, robed in attire spirit-spun--a meshy webwork from no mortal loom, of a fleeciness inimitable, and of transfiguration whiteness truly glistening." Now, as Mr Podmore somewhat satirically points out: "It is difficult to believe that the exquisite spirit form which presented itself to Mr Colley's glowing imagination was merely a confection of masks, stuffed gloves, and muslin, actuated by a jointed rod, but we cannot help remembering, if Mr Colley did not, that articles of this kind had, a twelve-month previously, been found, under compromising circumstances, in the possession of Dr Monck." The recognitions which take place at _séances_ are undoubtedly to a large extent sense deceptions. There is now a professional medium at whose _séances_ spirit faces are constantly being recognised. Of course the performance takes place in the dark. A faintly illuminated slate shows the profiles against the background, and one or other of the members generally recognises it. The mouth and chin of the female faces shown at these _séances_ are generally veiled, but this does not appear to affect the recognition. On the whole, the testimony for and against the reality of spirits at the better class of _séance_ is pretty evenly balanced. I hesitate to disturb it, although remarking, parenthetically, that the believers have the most, if not the best, of the literature on the subject. And for those who are deeply perplexed there is always the theory of hallucination to fall back upon. CHAPTER XII SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY