Renée clapped her hands for sheer joy, and gave her mother a close embrace. "Oh! mother, how very strange to think that I never knew you were so near. Why is it that you have never shown yourself to me before, except for a moment when Henri was in a trance?" "I can only reveal myself to you in the presence of a medium who happens to be in a state of trance at the time, because I have to clothe myself with the earthly particles of his body which I subtract from it when he is in that condition, as I cannot do it when he is awake. If you were to weigh Henri now you would find half his weight gone." Renée looked at Delapine's body, and to her horror she saw it had shrunk to two-thirds its former size, but her mother calmed her and reassured her at once. "You need not be in the least alarmed, my darling, he will get all his substance restored to him the moment I am gone." "Oh! mother, how you did frighten me," she said, "but do you manufacture the drapery you are wearing, as well as your body, out of the substance of his body as well?" "Yes, everything, and in a few moments, without the least difficulty." "Why do you surround yourself with such thick white stuff?" "The drapery is thrown out to protect our psychic bodies from the light which acts injuriously on us when materialized," her mother replied. "Now, Renée dear, I must leave you because I cannot hold my power any longer, and besides it will injure Delapine if I do, as although he has returned to his body, he is so very weak that a very little thing might really kill him now. I will come again and see you very soon." Her mother kissed her affectionately on both cheeks, and then relaxing her hold, she slowly melted down into the ground and vanished. Renée was too excited to sleep any more that night, so she got up and lit the lamp. She held it close to Delapine, and to her surprise she saw that he had returned to his former size and weight. As she continued to gaze on his features, she noticed that the muscles of his face twitched. Suddenly Delapine moved his fingers, which caused the bell to ring so loudly that it woke up all the household, and they all came running into the room attired in their dressing gowns, or the first garments that they could lay their hands on. "What is the matter?" they all exclaimed. "Have any thieves got into the house?" "Oh! no," said Renée, smiling, "it was Delapine who rang the bell. He moved his hands, I saw him do it, and immediately the bell sounded." "Are you sure of this?" they all cried with one voice. "As certain as that I am standing here," she replied. They all looked at the professor, and distinctly observed the muscles of his face twitch. "I think we will sit up to-night and watch him, what do you say to that, Riche?" The doctor agreed, and accordingly they made themselves as comfortable as they could in a couple of armchairs.