Lizzie went on to say how nervous they were about writing the letter, fearing that so popular an author might not take any notice of the badly expressed letter of two young colonial girls. However, she did her best, and Lily Boyle did _her_ best, and the result was a hopeless failure! "Then," continued Lizzie, "a happy thought struck me--George Eliot had used my hand to convey her message to you last October; might we not, remembering this, appeal to her to help us in our difficulty? So we gave up trying to write the letter ourselves, took down planchette from its shelf, and started again. In a few moments an excellent letter was written, giving your name as an introduction, with all the little points you had specially begged us to remember in connection with Miss Pearl's probable prejudices. It was so splendidly written, and so quickly, that you can imagine our delight! We could not bear to give up planchette even after both our names had been signed, and I said pleadingly: '_Oh, don't go away! Do stop and tell us something more._' "In large letters, as you see" (Lizzie enclosed the script), "was written very decidedly: "NO, I CANNOT STAY WITH YOU NOW--I HAVE PROMISED TO GO AND SEE STELLA'S DAUGHTER. "I remembered, dear Miss Bates, that G. Eliot had said your mother's name in spirit life was _Stella_, so, of course, we knew that she meant us to understand that she was going to see _you_. "Unfortunately, you did not mention the hour of her visit, but we took the time when enclosed message was written--very accurately--in order to tell you about it, and the hour was just twelve-thirty A.M. Do write and tell us that was the time when she appeared to you--we feel sure it must have been--but are longing to have our idea confirmed, etc. etc." Now my young friends had evidently entirely forgotten the difference in time between Dunedin and Melbourne, and I must confess to my own amazement when I found that it was considerably over the sixty minutes, which I should have vaguely supposed it to be. In fact, I was rather disappointed to think there was so wide a margin between the two occurrences, until I casually asked a gentleman, who was staying in my hotel, if he could tell me the difference in time between the two cities. "Not exactly, I'm afraid, but it is considerably over an hour. Ah, there is a good atlas! I can easily calculate it for you." He remained silent for a moment, and then raising his head, said: "As nearly an hour and three quarters as possible." This was pretty good evidence of the practically simultaneous experience of my friends in Melbourne at twelve-thirty A.M., with my own at two-fifteen A.M. in the neighbourhood of Dunedin. When I first became acquainted with Mr Myers, shortly after my return from Australia and New Zealand, I told him this story. He was greatly interested, but pointed out that it was useless from the evidential point of view unless I would take the trouble to write one or two letters to the Colonies.