Mr. D. was at one time disposed to think that the housemaid was in some way connected with the disturbances, but he could trace no evidence. She was a young girl who had not been out to service before. She got into such a state of nervous excitement about the occurrences, that brain fever or something serious was feared. She had only been in the house a few weeks previous to the commencement of the manifestations, and nothing occurred after she left. Mr. D. was, however, perfectly convinced that she had nothing to do voluntarily with the bell-ringing.[11] The second paper by Mr. Myers is devoted exclusively to some "strange experiences" which occurred several years previous to 1891, at the village of Swanland, a few miles from Hull, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The evidence is that of John Bristow, who states he was an eye-witness. There were no intellectual phenomena, nothing but the apparently meaningless throwing about of pieces of wood--directed, however, by some intelligence, so as to attract attention without doing harm. Here again what value the case has rests almost solely on its having received the critical study of Mr. Myers.[12] FOOTNOTES: [1] Report of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society, p. 228. [2] Report on Spiritualism of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society, together with the Evidence, Oral and Written, and a Selection from the Correspondence. Two editions have been published. Both are out of print. [3] Report, &c., pp. 7-13. [4] Report, &c., pp. 390-391. [5] _Proceedings S.P.R._, vol. i. p. 240 [6] See _Proceedings S.P.R._, vol. iv. pp. 29-33. [7] See _Proceedings S.P.R._, vol. iv. pp. 33-35. [8] Vol. vii. pp. 146-198 and pp. 383-394. [9] For full account see _Proceedings S.P.R._, vol. vii. pp. 159-160. [10] _Proceedings S.P.R._, vol. vii. p. 160. [11] See the full account in Part XIX. of the _Proceedings of the S.P.R._, which part is included in vol. vii., and may be obtained separately for 2s. 6d. [12] See _Proceedings S.P.R._, vol. vii. pp. 383-394. CHAPTER III THE PRODUCTION OF SOUND WITHOUT ANY APPARENT PHYSICAL CAUSE If the tipping of small tables when the hands of the sitters are in contact is excepted--under which circumstances it is generally impossible to determine whether the result is psychical, or due merely to muscular action unconsciously exercised--the production of raps and other sounds is the most frequent of the phenomena under consideration. They are, however, generally so intermixed with other phenomena that it is difficult to treat them separately. THE DIALECTICAL SOCIETY. In the extracts from the Report of the Committee of the Dialectical Society given in the preceding chapter, it will be remembered that raps and other noises are referred to as being frequently heard, and also as apparently produced by an intelligent agency. TESTIMONY OF PROFESSOR W. F. BARRETT, F.R.S.