The strange transfiguration of Hannah Stubbs
She felt that she had wounded her husband, and disappointed him in
some way, by refusing to go into the séance chamber, and she was
fearful of the request being renewed.
The next day passed much the same. The Professor spoke kindly to her,
when he had occasion to speak, but he addressed her as seldom as
possible, and sat for the greater part of the time that he spent at
home, with his head buried in his hands.
On the third day, whilst the Doctor was out, Hannah brought her
husband an apple-green merino dress, and a bright blue bonnet, and
some under-linen which she had purchased with part of the money he had
given her.
“I never ’ad sich beautiful things in my life afore,” she said, with a
broad grin, as she displayed them for his approval, “ain’t they
’ansome?”
“Very pretty, indeed, Hannah--very pretty!” replied the Professor, as
he returned to his book.
“I never ’ad so much money in my ’and at a time afore either,”
continued Hannah, “and I thought these would be nice for me to walk
out with you, Sig-nor, in the Parks or elsewheres!”
“Yes! my girl, yes!” he said, as he raised his head for an instant and
smiled at her.
Ricardo’s smile was very sweet. It broke Hannah down completely, and
she began to sob.
“Why! what’s the matter now?” he inquired. “Is there anything more
that you want, my dear? If there is, and I can afford it, it shall be
yours.”
“O! no! no! ’tain’t that,” cried the girl, “but you’ve been that good
to me, Sig-nor, and I can see as you’re not ’appy, and I’m afeared
you’re sorry now that you was so foolish as to marry a pore, ignorant
creetur like me. I’d been fitter for Joe, Sir, but even ’_e_ didn’t
think me good enough, and I’m so feared you’ve repented of your
goodness to me.”
And Hannah wept unaffectedly. The Professor drew her towards him and
kissed her wet cheek. “You are quite mistaken, my dear. I do not
regret, nor repent, anything. But if you really think that I have been
kind to you, wouldn’t you like to do something for me in return?”
“I’d cut off my right ’and for you this moment,” replied Hannah, with
fervour.
“Well, sit down by my side, and let me tell you a little story. When I
was a young man, Hannah, five-and-twenty years ago, I married a young
lady, whom I loved very much indeed!”
“Lor!” cried the girl, “you was married to a real lady, and yet you
can bear with me!”
“Well! she died! I need not tell you how she died, but her death made
me a very miserable man, because we had had a little misunderstanding
beforehand, and it happened so suddenly, that there was no time for a
reconciliation. The wish to see her, or hear from her again, haunted
me for years, but I thought there was no hope of it, until I fell upon
some old scientific books and learned that it is possible for those
whom we call dead, to re-visit this earth!”
“Lor!” exclaimed Hannah, with wide open eyes, “but that’s all
rubbidge, sure-ly!”
“Why! how can you ask me such a question? What do you suppose the
apparitions--the ladies and gentlemen--whom you see sometimes, are?”
“I dunno, I’m sure! Shadders, I s’pose, but they gives me the creeps!
O! Sig-nor I can’t abear ’em! I’d rayther run a hundred miles the
other way.”
“But why do you fear them, Hannah? They cannot harm you!”
“I dunno that! They looks very queer sometimes, and the woices as I
’ears--gruff ’uns and squeaky ’uns!--they makes me trimble all over,
as if I’d got cold!”
“But they cannot hurt you, Hannah,” persisted the Professor, “and when
I met you at Mrs. Battleby’s, and heard that you possessed that
wonderful capacity for seeing spirits, I was delighted. I felt that my
dead wife would come back to me through you, and she has! On three
occasions I have communicated with her, but not long enough to hear
her say that she has forgiven me, and loves me still--and now, just
when I hoped I should see her as often as I chose, you tell me you
will not sit with me any more! That is what has made me sad, Hannah.”
Notwithstanding her rough training and ignorance, Hannah had much
natural intelligence, and she realised the situation at once.
“That’s what you married me for, then,” she remarked.
The Professor felt ashamed. He did not know what to say. He began by
answering, “No! no!” but broke off short.
“I will not tell you a lie,” he said. “When I married you, my dear, I
certainly did hope that, having you always with me, I should also have
the constant pleasure of communicating with my dead wife. For I am
getting an old man now, Hannah, and I should like to make sure that
there is another life, before I quit this one. But all that I said to
you, when I asked you to become my wife, was true. I will make your
future my care to the utmost of my ability, and when I die, you will
find that you are not left quite penniless. My savings have been
scanty, but, such as they are, they will all be yours. It was your
mediumship (by which I mean your power of seeing and attracting
spirits from the other world), that first drew me to you, Hannah, but
if you really dislike sitting with me, I will not ask you to do so
again. And in all other things, you will find me the same, I hope, and
your friend, my dear, till Death parts us.”
“I see,” said the girl, thoughtfully, “I’m to take all, as you may
say, and give nothink in return. I see it plain now, Professor, and
I’m not that sort, as you’ll find. I know you’re good and true, and
that you’ll take care as the sperrits and things don’t ’urt me, while
I’m asleep. So, if you please, I’ll sit as often as you wishes, and
we’ll go into the dark room to-night, as soon as the Doctor returns
’ome. I couldn’t ’ave ever wore this beautiful gownd,” added Hannah
with a sob in her throat, “and remembered the while as you give it me,
and I ’ad done nothink for you in return. So that’s settled, ain’t
it?--and you won’t never ’ear me say again as I won’t do anythink as
you arsk me!”
And from that day the séances commenced anew.
CHAPTER X.
Notwithstanding her acquiescence, Hannah displayed such genuine
terror at the idea of entering the dark séance room, that Ricardo had
pity on her, and held a sitting downstairs first, at which he
consulted “James” as to what was best to be done. By his advice, the
black hangings were taken down, and a cabinet formed by a curtain hung
across one corner of the apartment, behind which was placed a chair. A
lamp was lit and the two men were directed to sit at the table,
holding Hannah’s hands in either of theirs. Feeling herself in the
presence of her husband and his friend, the girl’s fears were allayed,
and in a few minutes, she went under control, and wresting her hands
from their grasp, rose and entered the cabinet of her own accord. Then
“James” told Ricardo and Steinberg to lower the light until it was a
mere glimmer--to close the door--and to seat themselves at the further
end of the little chamber.
Steinberg was earnest in his pursuit of Science--Ricardo, in his
pursuit of Leonora--so they did as they were directed, and waited
patiently for the result. In an incredibly short space of time, the
curtain was shaken--then pulled asunder--and the laughing, mischievous
face of Leonora peeped out. The Professor was in ecstasy. He knelt
down upon the bare floor, as though he were worshipping a divine
creature. But his adoration was not given, because the appearance of a
spirit from the dead endowed him with the blessed certainty of
Everlasting Life, but because the materialised spirit was the creature
of his imagination. Steinberg, on the other hand, regarded the
appearance of Leonora with unstinted wonder and satisfaction, simply
because her coming was another step gained in the difficult task which
he had set himself to learn. As a Spirit, he hailed her advent with
the keenest interest--as a Woman, he did not admire either her person
or herself. She evinced none of the sorrow which a wife, whose
thoughtlessness at the least, had led her husband into a serious
crime, might have been supposed to feel--neither did she exhibit much
pleasure at meeting him again. Her behaviour was more that of a
coquette, who wished to regain the admiration she had forfeited, than
of a loving woman. She smiled and beckoned to Ricardo, but as soon as
he approached the cabinet, she would dart inside and be lost to view.
Apparently she was, or had been, a very handsome woman, but there was
nothing attractive in her appearance. Her large black eyes were void
of tenderness--her smiles were affected--each motion of her supple
body seemed made in order to raise Ricardo’s ardour, without
gratifying it. Had she not been his friend’s wife, the Doctor would
have called her by some opprobrious epithets--as it was, he regarded
her simply as a curiosity, and hailed her coming only because she
came.
The advent of Mrs. Carlile had a different effect upon him. She had
been only his friend--scarcely that. Had she lived, he would have
spoken of her as his patient. But her unfortunate and early death,
occurring, as it did, under his own hands, had invested her memory
with a certain tender compassion, which gave him the right, as it
were, to hail her as a friend from the other Land. She came, not only
to convince him of the Great Truth, but to console and comfort him
under his disappointment. She came with pity and forgiveness beaming
from her eyes, and trembling on her lips, and made him feel, each time
he saw her, that Earth was valueless and the next World the Haven to
which we must look for consolation.
The sittings, once more begun, were continued steadily every evening.
Neither Ricardo, nor Steinberg, were aware of the danger that might
accrue to the medium from these frequent séances. Hannah did not seem
to suffer from sitting, and once she had overcome her childish fear of
the Invisibles, declared herself ready to gratify their curiosity,
whenever they asked her to do so.
Doctor Steinberg was only at home three evenings in the week, but the
Professor sat with his wife, whether his friend joined them or not,
and frequently in the daytime he would take Hannah up into the séance
chamber, and hold converse with Leonora all by himself.
She did not always come to him. These things are not ordered by our
earthly wishes, and we have no control over them. Often, when
Steinberg was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Mrs.
Carlile--sometimes, when she had even promised to come to him--a
figure would emerge from the cabinet, and on inspection prove to be
that of an old man, utterly unknown to either of them--or a child
would run across the room, as if in play, and, startled by their
addressing it, run behind the curtain again and be seen no more. To
the doctor, who looked upon these manifestations as fresh proofs of
Immortality, one spirit was as good as another, but to the Professor,
whose whole thoughts were fixed upon Leonora, such disappointments
fell keenly, and he would not be satisfied until he had sat again to
give Leonora an opportunity of manifesting her presence to him.
Accordingly, he took to having séances by himself, and Hannah, who
had never objected to doing as he asked since that first day, became
his willing victim. Indeed, the girl even seemed to grow to like being
a medium--her low spirits disappeared--she often went singing about
the house--and no more was heard of her false young man, nor of her
mother.
One afternoon as the Professor sat alone in the séance chamber, with
Hannah entranced behind the curtain, the now familiar form of Leonora
stepped out of the cabinet. She was clothed in some soft, clinging
white material which showed plainly the lissom figure beneath it--her
dark hair was unbound and fell below her waist--her small white hand
beckoned him to approach her. Ricardo crept on tiptoe to the dark