TaNYA. Well then, daddy, come along to the porter's lodge.

FIRST PEASANT. Well, but how about our business? How, for example, about the applience of his hand to the signature? May we be in hopes?

TaNYA. We'll see in an hour's time.

SECOND PEASANT. You'll do the trick?

TaNYA [laughs] Yes, G.o.d willing!

Curtain.

ACT III

Evening of the same day. The small drawing-room in Leonid Fyodoritch's house, where the seances are always held. Leonid Fyodoritch and the Professor.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Well then, shall we risk a seance with our new medium?

PROFESSOR. Yes, certainly. He is a powerful medium, there is no doubt about it. And it is especially desirable that the seance should take place to-day with the same people. Grossman will certainly respond to the influence of the mediumistic energy, and then the connection and ident.i.ty of the different phenomena will be still more evident. You will see then that, if the medium is as strong as he was just now, Grossman will vibrate.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Then I will send for Simon and ask those who wish to attend to come in.

PROFESSOR. Yes, all right! I will just jot down a few notes. [Takes out his note-book and writes].

Enter Sahatof.

SAHaTOF. They have just settled down to whist in Anna Pavlovna's drawing-room, and as I am not wanted there--and as I am interested in your seance--I have put in an appearance here. But will there be a seance?

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Yes, certainly!

SAHaTOF. In spite of the absence of Mr. Kaptchitch's mediumistic powers?

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. _Vous avez la main heureuse._[11] Fancy, that very peasant whom I mentioned to you this morning, turns out to be an undoubted medium.

[11] LEONiD FYoDORITCH. You bring good luck.

SAHaTOF. Dear me! Yes, that is peculiarly interesting!

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Yes, we tried a few preliminary experiments with him just after dinner.

SAHaTOF. So you've had time already to experiment, and to convince yourself ...

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Yes, perfectly! And he turns out to be an exceptionally powerful medium.

SAHaTOF [incredulously] Dear me!

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. It turns out that it has long been noticed in the servants' hall. When he sits down to table, the spoon springs into his hand of its own accord! [To the Professor] Had you heard about it?

PROFESSOR. No, I had not heard that detail.

SAHaTOF [to the Professor]. But still, you admit the possibility of such phenomena?

PROFESSOR. What phenomena?

SAHaTOF. Well, spiritualistic, mediumistic, and supernatural phenomena in general.

PROFESSOR. The question is, what do we consider supernatural? When, not a living man but a piece of stone attracted a nail to itself, how did the phenomena strike the first observers? As something natural? Or supernatural?

SAHaTOF. Well, of course; but phenomena such as the magnet attracting iron always repeat themselves.

PROFESSOR. It is just the same in this case. The phenomenon repeats itself and we experiment with it. And not only that, but we apply to the phenomena we are investigating the laws common to other phenomena. These phenomena seem supernatural only because their causes are attributed to the medium himself. But that is where the mistake lies. The phenomena are not caused by the medium, but by psychic energy acting through a medium, and that is a very different thing. The whole matter lies in the law of equivalents.

SAHaTOF. Yes, certainly, but ...

Enter Tanya, who hides behind the hangings.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Only remember that we cannot reckon on any results with certainty, with this medium any more than with Home or Kaptchitch.

We may not succeed, but on the other hand we may even have perfect materialisation.

SAHaTOF. Materialisation even? What do you mean by materialisation?

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Why, I mean that some one who is dead--say, your father or your grandfather--may appear, take you by the hand, or give you something; or else some one may suddenly rise into the air, as happened to Alexey Vladimiritch last time.

PROFESSOR. Of course, of course. But the chief thing is the explanation of the phenomena, and the application to them of general laws.

Enter the Fat Lady.

FAT LADY. Anna Pavlovna has allowed me to join you.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Very pleased.

FAT LADY. Oh, how tired Grossman seems! He could scarcely hold his cup.

Did you notice [to the Professor] how pale he turned at the moment he approached the hiding-place? I noticed it at once, and was the first to mention it to Anna Pavlovna.

PROFESSOR. Undoubtedly,--loss of vital energy.

FAT LADY. Yes, it's just as I say, one should not abuse that sort of thing. You know, a hypnotist once suggested to a friend of mine, Vera Konshin (oh, you know her, of course)--well, he suggested that she should leave off smoking,--and her back began to ache!

PROFESSOR [trying to have his say] The temperature and the pulse clearly indicate ...

FAT LADY. One moment! Allow me! Well, I said to her: it's better to smoke than to suffer so with one's nerves. Of course, smoking is injurious; I should like to give it up myself, but, do what I will, I can't! Once I managed not to smoke for a fortnight, but could hold out no longer.

PROFESSOR [again trying to speak] Clearly proves ...