Mr Scarletti's Ghost

by Linda Stratmann

  On the following Sunday, Reverend Vaughan showed no lessening of his endeavours to keep his flock on the true path. He took as his text 1 Timothy, chapter 4: ‘In the latter time some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and the doctrine of devils, speaking lies and hypocrisy …’ It had come to his notice, he said, that some of his flock were in danger of departing from their faith and heeding these lying, seducing spirits. Some had even dared to compare the demonstrations of mediums with the miracles of Jesus Christ. Reverend Vaughan was uncompromising. These so-called ‘miracles’ performed under the concealing cloak of Stygian darkness could only be the work of fraudulent false prophets living off the gullible who followed them like so many credulous sheep. He reminded the congregation that when the Lord Jesus Christ performed his miracles he did not do so in secrecy and darkness, but in the full light of day, so that all men might witness the glory of God’s goodness. Neither did He use the curious paraphernalia that, so he had been informed, these mediums employed. Jesus did not retire behind a curtain to change water into wine, and He preferred healing the sick to playing tambourines.

  When the service was over, there was a great deal of amused chatter from the faithful, but Louisa remained tight-lipped.

  When Mina next visited Eliza she took with her a gift of two of her stories. One was the tale of a young sailor, who, when he discovered that his shipmates were vicious thieves, refused to join in their depredations and was cruelly murdered, his body thrown overboard into a stormy sea. It sank to the ocean floor, many miles deep, where the handsome corpse was found by a beautiful mermaid, who entombed it in coral, and then fell in love with the sailor’s ghost. But she could not speak to him and he could not see her, so their love was doomed. She pined away and died, and after her death they were finally united. The second story concerned malevolent spirits that lived in a wooden chair. It was discovered that the chair had been made from the wood of a tree used to hang murderers and had absorbed their wicked influence at the moment of their deaths. The haunting, once its source was recognised, was quickly resolved with the aid of a sharp axe and a good fire.

  Eliza was eager to know what Mina was currently writing and so she described the tale of the ghostly orchestra, which was as yet incomplete. ‘I am not sure how to end it,’ she admitted. ‘I would like the heroine to escape the castle unharmed, but I fear readers may be tired of the device where she simply stumbles across another secret trapdoor, or a hidden passage, and I suppose it would be too much of a coincidence to have a prince or a good fairy arrive to rescue her.’

  ‘If I might suggest something?’ asked Eliza, timidly.

  ‘Oh, please do!’

  ‘Why not have the lady meet a friendly ghost who will show her the way?’

  ‘That is an excellent idea!’ said Mina.

  ‘Like you, I do not believe that the spirits of those who meant us no harm in life can mean anything but good after death. But the owner of the castle in your story – is that not meant to be Professor Gaskin? I have never seen him, of course, but Daniel has amused me greatly with descriptions of him.’

  ‘You are very perceptive to notice that,’ said Mina. ‘Yes, the character is inspired by the professor. Fortunately he is unlikely to read my stories, and even if he did I suspect that he would not recognise himself.’

  Eliza studied the engraving on the front cover of the mermaid story. The creature was more fish than woman, and what woman there was peered decorously from a waving mass of seaweed. ‘I wonder if I might write a story?’ she said. ‘I do so enjoy tales of the sea, and often wonder what it must be like to be able to swim so freely. If one was half woman and half fish it would be easy. Oh, but I should not steal your story from you, I must think of something else! An octopus man who can fly, perhaps!’

  They both laughed.

  The conversation turned to the correspondence in the Gazette, which Eliza had been following with considerable interest. ‘Daniel says he does not know quite what to make of Miss Eustace,’ said Eliza, ‘that is to say, is the lady a fraud or not? Have you spoken to her?’

  ‘No, but I will soon have the opportunity as she will be visiting us this afternoon with her new acolyte Mr Clee. He, I think, is one of those energetic young men who like to be at the forefront of everything, and can be neutral about nothing. If he cannot oppose something with all his might then he will propose it with equal force. He seems to admire Miss Eustace; perhaps they will make a match.’

  ‘You must come and tell me all about their visit,’ said Eliza, eagerly, ‘and perhaps I might even prevail upon the lady to call on me.’

  ‘That would be amusing, no doubt,’ said Mina, in a cautious tone, ‘but the lady must, I fear, be viewed in the light of a travelling conjurer, or as a kind of Madame Proserpina who tells fortunes on the West Pier for sixpence. The difference being that Miss Eustace plays tricks on the imagination and is more expensive.’

  ‘I will write to her,’ said Eliza. ‘Perhaps she will call on me, too. I have never seen a conjurer and should very much like to. Do you know where she lives?’

  ‘That is all a part of her mystery,’ said Mina, ‘I am not sure that anyone knows. If one must write to her then all correspondence should be addressed to Professor Gaskin.’

  ‘Then I will write to him – or better still, would you be so kind as to deliver a note to Miss Eustace this afternoon when she calls?’

  Mina hesitated, but knew that if she did not do so then Eliza would find another means of sending a letter to Miss Eustace. ‘I will,’ she said, reluctantly, ‘but only if you promise to heed my warnings, and above all, consult your brother and sister on the matter. If the lady demands large sums of money from you then she is a criminal and should be shown the door.’

  Before she left, Mina expressed her concerns to Anna. ‘Of course we must protect her,’ said Anna, ‘and I am very grateful that you have spoken to me, although I did suspect that it would come to this. But she is an adult with a mind of her own, and I would not prevent her from finding a diversion. I will permit a visit, but Eliza has no fortune to lose, so you may rest easy on that point.’

  Later that day Mina completed her new story, and the helpful shade that guided the heroine to freedom took the form of a girl of twelve, called Marianne, with long pale hair.

  Eleven

  Just as it had been an interesting exercise to see the Gaskins’ parlour in sunlight, so Mina was grateful for the long bright summer afternoon, which enabled her better to gaze on Miss Eustace.

  Soft shadowed gaslight that could be a friend to the vain had previously made the lady appear to be hardly more than twenty-five, but in Brighton’s famous white glare Mina saw that she was older, perhaps by as much as ten years. She had a steady gaze, large grey eyes and expressive hands.

  Mr Clee, who conducted her in a respectful manner, was not yet thirty, and determined to be cheerful good company whether this was required or not. He had a winning smile and made constant use of it, as if his entire mission in life was to fascinate ladies of all ages. Unlike so many young men whose opinion of themselves far outweighed the opinion of the world, Mr Clee had every chance of success. Louisa returned his smile prettily, and touched a brooch in her hair to ensure that it was still in place, and even the stony Simmons dared to blush, then quickly turned her head aside as if ashamed of her own susceptibility. Mina was immune to the charm of charming gentlemen, not that she had ever known it to be untrammelled by duty and pity.

  Mina had the duty of delivering Eliza Hamid’s letter to Miss Eustace, which, with some trepidation, she did.

  ‘How grateful I am that you have been so kind as to forgive my poor daughter,’ said Louisa. ‘The mortification I would have suffered had you experienced the smallest discomfort would have been immeasurable. I was at the time on the very point of inviting you here to conduct an evening séance, and I was afraid, as to some extent I still am, that it might prove to be impossible.’

  ‘No one has anything wi
th which to reproach themselves,’ said Miss Eustace, kindly, ‘and I see no reason why I cannot conduct a séance here.’

  ‘Then I hope we may agree on a suitable day,’ said Louisa eagerly, ‘and for your greater confidence, I will ensure that Mina is not present.’

  ‘Oh that will not be necessary,’ said Miss Eustace. She turned her dreamy look towards Mina. ‘In fact, Miss Scarletti, I would very much like you to be there.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Mina, surprised.

  ‘But does she not upset the vital energy?’ said Louisa, frowning.

  ‘Oh, not at all!’ exclaimed Mr Clee, with some alacrity. ‘In fact rather the reverse. After the last séance Miss Eustace observed to me that the figure of Phoebe has never been more brilliant or more clearly displayed or lasted so long. I have given this very careful thought and I believe that what we experienced was an etheric power that acts like electricity. Some individuals can exert either positive or negative forces and if they are placed in the right position they may become a human battery. The great majority of persons exert no force at all, and negatives are quite common, but positives like Miss Eustace are most rare. I have found that I am a very strong negative, and there may have been other negatives present at the last séance, but you, Miss Scarletti,’ he beamed, ‘you are a positive and you completed the arrangement. The forces that you were subjected to were too powerful for one so inexperienced, and it was this that made you stumble. It is our belief that you may, unknown to yourself, be a medium of most extraordinary power!’

  There was a long silence. Mina was not sure how to react, in fact she was not sure how she was expected to react. Should she show fear, modesty, pleasure? Certainly amazement was called for. ‘You amaze me,’ she said at last.

  ‘Is that all you can say?’ snapped her mother.

  ‘You take the news most calmly, if I might say so,’ said Miss Eustace with a smile. ‘When I was first told I was a medium I refused to believe it at all.’

  Disbelief, thought Mina. That was the option she had failed to consider.

  ‘Are you quite sure this is correct?’ she said. ‘There was nothing suggestive of this at the first séance I attended.’

  ‘I believe,’ said Mr Clee, ‘that your abilities have stayed hidden but it was your presence at the first séance that brought them out, only to be displayed at the subsequent event.’

  ‘This is very like what Mr Bradley told me,’ said Louisa. ‘I don’t know if you have met the gentleman, but he conducts meetings for the purposes of prayer and healing, and the spirits make themselves known through him.’

  ‘I have heard him mentioned very often, but we have never met,’ said Miss Eustace. ‘He has been invited to attend a séance but declined.’

  ‘Perhaps he is one of these positive people,’ said Louisa. ‘He is of the opinion that were he even to be in the same room as yourself, the powerful forces that he attracts might harm you, and thus with considerable regret he must stay away.’

  ‘He is a gentleman I would very much like to observe,’ said Mr Clee, ‘and there can be no harm in my attending his healing circle.’

  ‘I am sure it would be possible to arrange that,’ said Louisa patting the brooch in her hair yet again. ‘I suppose you are acquainted with what the Reverend Vaughan has been insinuating about Mr Bradley, that the spirits he brings to heal us come not from Heaven but quite another place. Not that we believe that for a moment. If his eyes could only be opened, what a wonderful thing that would be!’

  ‘All will come in time,’ said Miss Eustace, gently. ‘Those who commune with God will one day come to understand that the spirits are sent by Him as ministering angels.’

  Simmons had gone to the refreshment table and picked up a plate of small cakes to offer to the company. No one had especially noticed her, but she suddenly dropped the plate and gave a little scream, then stepped back with both hands clasped to her face.

  ‘What is it, Simmons?’ asked Louisa.

  Simmons, trembling with fright, extended a finger. ‘The table!’ she exclaimed. ‘It moved!’

  Everyone turned and stared at the table, which looked disinclined to repeat the demonstration.

  ‘Nonsense, Simmons, you have got yourself overexcited by all this talk of séances and probably knocked it with your foot,’ said Louisa. ‘And now you have made such a mess of crumbs!’

  ‘But it moved! I promise you it did!’ insisted Simmons.

  ‘If I might comment,’ said Mr Clee. ‘It is possible, since we know we have two positives and one negative in this room, that Miss Simmons might be another negative and thus complete the circle.’

  Louisa was about to ring for Rose, but turned to Mr Clee in astonishment. ‘What can you mean?’

  ‘Miss Simmons, if you could return to your place, and sit very quietly I will see if I can detect any disturbance in the ether,’ said Miss Eustace.

  Simmons crept back to her chair in the corner but could not avoid glancing at the table as if afraid of it.

  ‘Ah,’ said Miss Eustace after a brief interlude, ‘yes, I do feel it! Mr Clee, I believe you are correct.’

  Louisa seemed very taken aback by this, and not best pleased, since, thought Mina, her mother undoubtedly believed that anything remarkable in the household should repose in herself, not Mina, and most certainly not in her companion.

  ‘With your permission, Mrs Scarletti,’ said Miss Eustace, ‘we might try to conduct a test. Scientists nowadays are so insistent on tests for everything, and I am sure that I don’t mind that at all.’

  ‘Professor Gaskin would be most interested in the result,’ said Mr Clee. ‘Of course if you are concerned that you might offend Mrs Gaskin by our making important discoveries here and not within her circle—’

  ‘I am sure that Mrs Gaskin will be happy for the cause of science and is not looking for any credit for herself,’ said Louisa quickly. ‘What must we do?’

  It was soon arranged that for the sake of safety the table should be cleared of any moveables. Louisa rang for Rose who tidied up the spilled cakes and removed the tray. Everyone watched her very carefully as she did so, and there was a tangible sense of relief when she had departed.

  ‘Your maid is neither positive nor negative and she has not therefore created any disturbance in the energy,’ said Mr Clee, approvingly. ‘I suggest now that the four of us gather around the table.’ Louisa stood, but he smiled regretfully and said, ‘My apologies, Mrs Scarletti, but in this instance you can only be an observer and not a participant.’

  Louisa sat down. ‘Very well,’ she said, concealing her ill grace as best she could.

  Mr Clee jumped up and began arranging chairs so that four persons might sit around the little table, then with a gesture he invited Mina, Miss Eustace and Simmons to be seated.

  ‘Will we need to turn out the lights?’ enquired Louisa.

  ‘We will try it in the light first,’ said Miss Eustace. ‘We should begin by all placing both hands palm down on the table top.’

  Mina complied. She was seated opposite Simmons who was staring down at her hands afraid, as if they might jump up and do something she could not control. ‘If we close our eyes it will assist concentration,’ said Miss Eustace.

  Simmons’s eyes snapped tightly shut, but Mina simply lowered her eyelids to give the impression that they were closed. The table was so small that she could see from between her lashes not only her own hands but the left hand of Miss Eustace and the right of Mr Clee on either side of her.

  ‘What must we do now?’ asked Simmons tremulously.

  ‘We need only wait and pray silently,’ said Miss Eustace. ‘No one must move, and our hands must touch the table only very lightly so that we cannot unconsciously influence it by muscular pressure.’

  Mina feared that her mother was not much given to silence. When not the centre of attention she tended to fidget until she was, and there was a very real risk that she would pretend some spirit visitation in order to prove her credentials a
nd enter the thus far forbidden circle. Fortunately there was not long to wait. The table, which was not at all heavy, gave a little shudder, and then rocked gently from side to side. There were some soft tapping sounds, like little clicks.

  ‘Are you there?’ asked Mr Clee, eagerly. ‘If you are, dear friends, give three taps for yes.’

  There were three soft clicks.

  ‘Do you recognise a powerful medium in the room? You may give three taps for yes and one for no.’

  Three clicks and then a pause and three more.

  ‘Is that to mean that there are two?’

  Three clicks.

  ‘Is one of them Miss Scarletti?’

  Three clicks.

  ‘Miss Scarletti,’ said Mr Clee, ‘you may ask the spirit a question if you wish.’

  ‘I hardly know what to ask,’ said Mina. ‘Does the spirit know everything?’

  ‘It does, but it may choose what is right to impart to the living,’ said Miss Eustace.

  ‘I would like to know who the spirit was when alive,’ said Mina.

  ‘Then ask.’

  Mina paused. ‘Are you the spirit of my sister?’

  One click.

  ‘Are you the spirit of my father?’

  Three clicks.

  Despite herself, Mina found that she was trembling. Whether this was from the renewed sharp awareness of her loss, or anger that she was being so manipulated, or even the foolish hope that somehow her father was really in the room with her, she could not say.

  ‘Ask him if he is with God,’ said Louisa. Her voice was muffled as if she was holding a handkerchief to her face.

  ‘I need no séance to tell me that,’ said Mina. ‘But how do I know if this is indeed my father and not some false spirit come to delude me?’

  ‘You are too strong for false spirits to work through you,’ said Miss Eustace, ‘as am I.’

  ‘I cannot be so sure of that,’ said Mina. ‘And whatever question I was to ask would tell me nothing, since both a true and a false spirit would know the answer.’ But not, she thought, a fraud. ‘Father dear,’ she said, after a pause, ‘can you tell me the last words you spoke to me on the day that you passed into spirit?’