第1章

PREFACE。

ThekindwayinwhichthisseriesofpapershasbeenreceivedhasbeenapleasuregreaterthanIdaredtoanticipate。IfeltthatI

wasalatecomerinthemidstofacrowdofardentandeagercandidatesforpublicattention,thatIhadalreadyhadmyday,andthatif,liketheunfortunateFrenchmanweusedreadabout,Ihad"comeagain,"IoughtnottosurprisedifIreceivedthewelcomeof"MonsieurTonson。"

Ithasnotprovedso。Myoldreadershavecomeforwardinthepleasantestpossiblewayandassuredmethattheyweregladtoseemeagain。Thereisnoneed,therefore,ofapologiesorexplanations。I

thoughtIhadsomethinglefttosayandIhavefoundlisteners。InwritingthesepapersIhavehadoccupationandkeptmyselfinrelationwithmyfellow—beings。Newsympathies,newsourcesofencouragement,ifnotofinspiration,haveopenedthemselvesbeforemeandcheatedtheleastpromisingseasonoflifeofmuchthatseemedtorenderitdrearyanddepressing。WhatparticularlypleasedmehasbeenthefreedomofcriticismswhichIhaveseenfromdisadvantageouscomparisonsofmylaterwithmyearlierwritings。

Ishouldlikealittlerestfromliteraryworkbeforetherequiescatensuresmyreposefromearthlylabors,butIwillnotberashenoughtopromisethatIwillnotevenonceagaingreetmyoldandnewreadersiftheimpulsebecomesirresistibletorenewacompanionshipwhichhasbeentomesuchasourceofhappiness。

BEVERLYFARM,Mass。,August,1891。

O。W。H。

OVERTHETEACUPS。

I

INTRODUCTION。

ThisseriesofpaperswasbeguninMarch,1888。Asinglenumberwasprinted,whenitwasinterruptedthecourseofevents,andnotresumeduntilnearlyyearslater,inJanuary,1890。TheplanoftheserieswasnotformedinmymindwhenIwrotethenumber。InreturningtomytaskIfoundthatmyoriginalplanhadshapeditselfintheundergroundlaboratoryofmythoughtsothatsomechangeshadtobemadeinwhatIhadwritten。AsIproceeded,theslightstorywhichformedapartofmyprogrammeelopeditselfwithoutanyneedofmuchcontrivanceonmy,part。Givencertaincharactersinawriter"sconception,iftheyarerealtohim,astheyoughttobetheywillactinsuchorsuchaway,accordingtothelawoftheirnature。Itwasprettysafetoassumethatintimaterelationswouldspringupbetweensomemembersofourmixedcompany;anditwasnotrashconjecturethatsomeoftheseintimaciesmightendinsuchattachmentaswouldfurnishushints,atleast,ofalove—story。

Astothecourseoftheconversationswhichwouldtakeplace,verylittlecouldbeguessedbeforehand。Varioussubjectsofinterestwouldbelikelytopresentthemselves,withoutdefiniteorder,oftentimesabruptlyand,asitwouldseem,capriciously。

Conversationinsuchamixedcompanyasthatof"TheTeacups"islikelytobesuggestiveratherthanexhaustive。Continuousdiscourseisbetteradaptedtothelecture—roomthantothetea—table。Thereisquiteenoughofit,Ifeartoomuch,——inthesepages。Butthereadermusttakethereportsofourtalksastheywerejotteddown。

ApatchworkquiltisnotlikeapieceofGobelintapestry;butithasitsplaceanditsuse。

Somewillfeelatemptationtocomparetheseconversationswiththoseearlierones,andremarkunamiablyupontheirdifference。Thisishardlyfair,andiscertainlynotwise。Theyareproducedunderverydifferentconditions,andbetraythatfactineveryline。Itisbettertotakethembythemselves;and,ifmyreaderfindsanythingtopleaseorprofitfrom,Ishallbecontented,andhe,Ifeelsure,willnotbeungrateful。

Thereaderswhotakeupthisvolumemayrecollectaseriesofconversationsheldmanyyearsagooverthebreakfast—table,andreportedfortheirmoreorlessprofitableentertainment。Thosewerenotveryearlybreakfastsatwhichthetalkstookplace,butatanyratethesunwasrising,andtheguestshadnotasyettiredthemselveswiththelaborsoftheday。Themorningcupofcoffeehasanexhilarationaboutitwhichthecheeringinfluenceoftheafternoonoreveningcupofteacannotbeexpectedtoreproduce。Thetoilsoftheforenoon,theheatsofmidday,inthewarmseason,theslantinglightofthedescendingsun,orthesoberedtranslucencyoftwilighthavesubduedthevivacityoftheearlyday。Yetundertheinfluenceofthebenignstimulantmanytrainsofthoughtwhichwillbearrecalling,maysuggestthemselvestosomeofourquietcircleandprovenotuninterestingtoacertainnumberofreaders。

Howearlymanyofmyoldbreakfastcompanionswentofftobed！Iamthinkingnotmerelyofthosewhosatroundourtable,butofthatlargercompanyoffriendswholistenedtoourconversationsasreported。Deargirlwiththesilkenringlets,dearboywiththedown—shadowedcheek,yourgrandfather,yourgrandmother,turnedoverthefreshlyprintedleavesthattoldthestoryofthoseearliermeetingsaroundtheplainboardwheresomanythingsweresaidandsung,notallofwhichhavequitefadedfrommemoryofthisoverburdenedandforgetfultime。Yourfather,yourmother,foundthescatteredleavesgatheredinavolume,andsmileduponthemasnotuncompanionableacquaintances。Mytea—tablemakesnopromises。

Thereisnoprogrammeofexercisestostudiedbeforehand。WhatifI

shouldcontentmyselfwithasinglereportofwhatwassaidanddoneoverourteacups？Perhapsmyyoungreaderwouldbegladtoletmeoff,fortherearetalkersenoughwhohavenotyetlefttheirbreakfast—tables;andnobodycanblametheyoungpeopleforpreferringthethoughtsandthelanguageoftheirowngeneration,withallitsfuturebeforeit,tothoseoftheirgrandfatherscontemporaries。

Myreader,youngorold,willpleasetoobservethatIhaveleftmyselfentirefreedomastothesourcesofwhatmaybesaidovertheteacups。Ihavenottoldhowmanycupsarecommonlyontheboard,butbyusingthepluralIhaveimpliedthatthereisatleastoneothertalkerorlistenerbesidemyself,andforallthatappearstheremaybeadozen。Therewillbenoregulationlengthtomyreports,—noattempttomakeoutacertainnumberofpages。Ihavenocontracttofillsomanycolumns,nopledgetocontributesomanynumbers。IcanstoponthisfirstpageifIdonotcaretosayanythingmore,andletthisarticlestandbyitselfifsominded。

Whatasenseoffreedomitgivesnottowritebytheyardorthecolumn！

WhenonewritesforanEnglishreviewormagazineatsomanyguineasasheet,thetemptationisverygreattomakeone"scontributioncoverasmanysheetsaspossible。Weallknowthemetallictasteofarticleswrittenunderthispowerfulstimulus。IfBacon"sEssayshadbeenfurnishedbyamodernhandtothe"QuarterlyReview"atfiftyguineasasheet,whatagreatbookitwouldhavetakentoholdthem！

Thefirstthingwhichsuggestsitselftome,asIcontemplatemyslightproject,istheliabilityofrepeatingintheeveningwhatI

mayhavesaidinthemorninginoneformoranother,andprintedintheseorotherpages。Whenitsuddenlyflashesintotheconsciousnessofawriterwhohadbeenlongbeforethepublic,"Why,Ihavesaidallthatonceoroftenerinmybooksoressays,andhereitisagain;thesameoldthought,thesameoldimage,thesameoldstory！"itirritateshim,andislikelytostirupthemonosyllablesofhisunsanctifiedvocabulary。Heseesinimaginationathousandreaders,smilingoryawningastheysaytothemselves,"Wehavehadallthatbefore,"andturntoanotherwriter"sperformanceforsomethingnotquitesostaleandsuperfluous。Thisiswhatthewritersaystohimselfaboutthereader。

Theidiot！Doesthesimpletonreallythinkthateverybodyhasreadallhehaswritten？Doeshereallybelievethateverybodyremembersallofhis,writer"s,wordshemayhappentohaveread？AtoneofthosefamousdinnersofthePhiBetaKappaSociety;wherenoreporterwaseveradmitted,andwhichnothingeverleaksoutaboutwhatissaidanddone,Mr。EdwardEverett,inhisafter—dinnerspeech,quotedtheselinesfromtheAEneid,givingaliberalEnglishversionofthem,whichheappliedtotheOrationjustdeliveredbyMr。Emerson:

Tresimbristortiradios,tresnubisaquosaeAddiderant,rutilitresignis,etalitisAustri。

Hisnephew,theingenious,inventive,andinexhaustible。EdwardEverettHale,tellsthestoryofthisquotation,andofthevarioususestowhichitmightpliedinafter—dinnerspeeches。HowoftenheventuredtorepeatitatthePhiBetaKappadinnersIamnotsure;

butashereproduceditwithhislivelyembellishmentsandfreshversionsandartfulcircumlocutions,notonepersonintenrememberedthathehadlistenedtothosesamewordsinthosesameaccentsonlyatwelvemonthago。Thepoordeludedcreatureswhotakeitforgrantedthatalltheworldrememberswhattheyhavesaid,andlaughatthemwhentheysayitoveragain,mayprofitbythisrecollection。Butwhatifonedoessaythesamethings,——ofcourseinalittledifferentformeachtime,——overher？Ifhehasanythingtosayworthsaying,thatisjustwhatbeoughttodo。Whetherheoughttoornot,itisverycertainthatthisiswhatallwhowritemuchorspeakmuchnecessarilymustandwilldo。Thinkoftheclergymanwhopreachesfiftyorahundredormoresermonseveryyearforfiftyyears！Thinkofthestumpspeakerwhoshoutsbeforeahundredaudiencesduringthesamepoliticalcampaign,alwaysusingthesamearguments,illustrations,andcatchwords！Thinkoftheeditor,asCarlylehaspicturedhim,threshingthesamestraweverymorning,untilweknowwhatiscomingwhenweseethefirstline,aswedowhenwereadthelargecapitalsattheheadofathrillingstory,whichendsinanadvertisementofanall—cleansingsoaporanall—

curingremedy！

Thelatch—keywhichopensintotheinnerchambersofmyconsciousnessfits,asIhavesufficientreasontobelieve,theprivateapartmentsofagoodmanyotherpeople"sthoughts。Thelongerwelive,themorewefindwearelikeotherpersons。WhenImeetwithanyfactsinmyownmentalexperience,IfeelalmostsurethatIshallfindthemrepeatedoranticipatedinthewritingsortheconversationofothers。Thisfeelinggivesoneafreedomintellinghisownpersonalhistoryhecouldnothaveenjoyedwithoutit。Mystorybelongstoyouasmuchastome。Detefabulanarratur。Changethepersonalpronoun,——thatisall。Itgivesmanyreadersasingularpleasuretofindawritertellingthemsomethingtheyhavelongknownorfelt,butwhichtheyhaveneverbeforefoundanyonetoputinwordsforthem。AnauthordoesnotalwaysknowwhenheisdoingtheserviceoftheangelwhostirredthewatersofthepoolofBethesda。Manyareaderisdelightedtofindhissolitarythoughthasacompanion,andisgratefultothebenefactorwhohasstrengthenedhim。Thisistheadvantageofthehumblereaderovertheambitiousandself—

worshippingwriter。Itisnotwithhimpereantilli,butbeatisuntilliquipronobisnostradixerunt,—Blessedarethosewhohavesaidourgoodthingsforus。

WhatIhavebeensayingofrepetitionsleadsmeintoatrainofreflectionslikewhichIthinkmanyreaderswillfindsomethingintheirownmentalhistory。Theareaofconsciousnessiscoveredbylayersofhabitualthoughts,asasea—beachiscoveredwithwave—

worn,roundedpebbles,shaped,smoothed,andpolishedbylongattritionagainsteachother。Thesethoughtsremainverymuchthesamefromdaytoday,fromweektoweek;andaswegrowolder,frommonthtomonth,andfromyeartoyear。Thetidesofwakeningconsciousnessrollinuponthemdailyasweuncloseoureyelids,andkeepupthegentlemovementandmurmurofordinarymentalrespirationuntilweclosethemagaininslumber。Whenwethinkwearethinking,weareforthemostpartonlylisteningtosoundofattritionbetweentheseinertelementsofintelligence。Theyshifttheirplacesalittle,theychangetheirrelationstoeachother,theyrolloverandturnupnewsurfaces。Nowandthenanewfragmentiscastinamongthem,tobewornandroundedandtakesitsplacewiththeothers,butthepebbledfloorofconsciousnessisalmostasstationaryasthepavementofacitythoroughfare。

ItsohappensthatatthisparticulartineIhavesomethingtotellwhichIamquitesureisnotoneofrolledpebbleswhichmyreaderhasseenbeforeinanyofmypages,or,asIfeelconfident,inthoseofanyotherwriter。

IfmyreaderaskswhyIdonotsendthestatementIamgoingtomaketosomeoneofthespecialperiodicalsthatdealwithsuchsubjects,myansweris,thatIliketotellmyownstoriesatmyowntime,inownchosencolumns,wheretheywillbereadbyaclassofreaderswithwhomIliketotalk。

Allmenoflettersorofscience,allwriterswellknowntothepublic,areconstantlytamperedwith,inthesedays,byaclassofpredaceousandhungryfellow—laborerswhomaybecollectivelyspokenofasthebrain—tappers。Theywantanauthor"sideasonthesubjectswhichinterestthem,theinquirers,fromthegravestreligiousandmoralquestionstothemosttrivialmattersofhishabitsandhiswhimsandfancies。Someoftheirquestionshecannotanswer;somehedoesnotchoosetoanswer;someheisnotyetreadytoanswer,andwhenheisreadyhepreferstoselecthisownorganofpublication。

Idonotfindfaultwithallthebrain—tappers。Someofthemaredoingexcellentservicebyaccumulatingfactswhichcouldnototherwisebeattained。Rutonegetstiredofthestringsofquestionssenthim,towhichheisexpectedtoreturnananswer,plucked,ripeorunripe,fromhisprivatetreeofknowledge。Thebraintappersareliketheownerofthegoosethatlaidthegoldeneggs。Theywouldhavetheembryosandgermsofone"sthoughtsoutofthementaloviducts,andcannotwaitfortheirspontaneousevolutionandextrusion。

ThestoryIhavepromisedis,onthewhole,themostremarkableofaserieswhichImayhavetoldinpartatsomepreviousdate,butwhich,ifIhavenottold,maybeworthrecallingatafuturetime。

SomefewofmyreadersmayrememberthatinaformerpaperI

suggestedthepossibilityoftheexistenceofanidioticareainthehumanmind,correspondingtotheblindspotinthehumanretina。I

trustthatIshallnotbethoughttohaveletmywitsgowanderinginthatregionofmyownintellectualdomain,whenIrelateasingularcoincidencewhichverylatelyoccurredinmyexperience,andaddafewremarksmadebyoneofourcompanyonthedelicateanddifficultbutfascinatingsubjectwhichitforcesuponourattention。Iwillfirstcopythememorandummadeatthetime:

"Remarkablecoincidence。OnMonday,April18th,beingattablefrom6。30P。M。to7。30,with________and________thetwoladiesofmyhousehold,Itoldthemofthecaseof"trialbybattel"offeredbyAbrahamThorntonin1817。Imentionedhisthrowingdownhisglove,whichwasnottakenupbythebrotherofhisvictim,andsohehadtobeletoff,fortheoldlawwasstillinforce。ImentionedthatAbrahamThorntonwassaidtohavecometothiscountry,"and[Iaddedhemaybelivingnearus,foraughtthatIknow。"Irosefromthetable,andfoundanEnglishletterwaitingforme,leftwhileIsatatdinner。dcopythefirstportionofthisletter:

"20ALFREDPLACE,West（nearMuseum）

SouthKensington,LONDON,S。W。

April7,1887。

DR。O。W。HOLMES:

DEARSIR,——Intravelling,theotherday,ImetwithareprintoftheveryinterestingcaseofThorntonformurder,1817。TheprisonerpleadedsuccessfullytheoldWagerofBattel。Ithoughtyouwouldliketoreadtheaccount,andsenditwiththis……

Yoursfaithfully,FRED。RATHBONE。""

Mr。Rathboneisawell—knowndealerinoldWedgwoodandeighteenth—

centuryart。Asafriendofmyhospitableentertainer,Mr。Willett,hehadshownmemanyattentionsinEngland,butIwasnotexpectinganycommunicationfromhim;andwhen,freshfrommyconversation,I

foundthisletterjustarrivedbymail,andleftwhileIwasattable,andonbreakingthesealreadwhatIhadafewmomentsbeforebeen;telling,Iwasgreatlysurprised,andimmediatelymadeanoteoftheoccurrence,asgivenabove。

Ihadlongbeenfamiliarwithallthedetailsofthiscelebratedcase,,buthadnotreferredtoit,sofarasIcanremember,formonthsoryears。Iknowofnotrainofthoughtwhichledmetospeakofitonthatparticularday。Ihadneveralludedtoitbeforeinthatcompany,norhadIeverspokenofitwithMr。Rathbone。

Itoldthisstoryoverourteacups。AmongthecompanyatthetableisayoungEnglishgirl。Sheseemedtobeamusedbythestory。

"Fancy！"shesaid,——"howveryveryodd！""Itwasastrikingandcuriouscoincidence,"saidtheprofessorwhowaswithusatthetable。"Asremarkableastwoteaspoonsinonesaucer,"wasthecommentofacollegeyouthwhohappenedtobeoneofthecompany。

ButthememberofourcirclewhomthereaderwillhereafterknowasNumberSeven,beganstirringhisteainanervoussortofway,andI

knewthathewasgettingreadytosaysomethingaboutthecase。Aningeniousmanheis,withabrainlikeatinder—box,itscontentscatchingatanysparkthatisflyingabout。Ialwaysliketohearwhathesayswhenhistinderbrainhasasparkfallintoit。Itdoesnotfollowthatbecauseheisoftenwronghemaynotsometimesberight,forheisnofool。Hetreatedmynarrativeveryseriously。

Thereaderneednotbestartledatthenewtermsheintroduces。

Indeed,Iamnotquitesurethatsomethinkingpeoplewillnotadopthisviewofthematter,whichseemstohaveadegreeofplausibilityashestatesandillustratesit。

"Theimpulsewhichledyoutotellthatstorypasseddirectlyfromtheletter,whichcamechargedfromthecellsofthecerebralbatteryofyourcorrespondent。Thedistanceatwhichtheactiontookplace[theletterwasleftonashelftwenty—fourfeetfromtheplacewhereIwassitting]showsthischargetohavebeenofnotableintensity。

"Brainactionthroughspacewithoutmaterialsymbolism,suchasspeech,expression,etc。,isanalogoustoelectricalinduction。

Chargetheprimeconductorofanelectricalmachine,andagold—leafelectrometer,farofffromit,willatoncebedisturbed。

Electricity,asweallknow,canbestoredandtransportedasifitwereameasurablefluid。

"Yourincidentisatypicalexampleofcerebralinductionfromasourcecontainingstoredcerebricity。Iusethisword,nottobefoundinmydictionaries,asexpressingthebrain—cellpowercorrespondingtoelectricity。Thinkhowlongitwasbeforewehadattainedanyrealconceptionofthelawsthatgovernthewonderfulagent,whichnowworksinharnesswiththeothertrainedandsubduedforces！Itisnaturalthatcerebricityshouldbethelastoftheunweighableagenciestobeunderstood。Thehumaneyehadseenheavenandearthandallthatinthemisbeforeitsawitselfasourinstrumentsenableustoseeit。Thisfactofyours,whichseemssostrangetoyou,belongstoagreatseriesofsimilarfactsfamiliarlyknownnowtomanypersons,andbeforelongtoberecognizedasgenerallyasthoserelatingtotheelectrictelegraphandtheslaving`dynamo。"

"What！youcannotconceiveofachargeofcerebricityfasteningitselfonaletter—sheetandclingingtoitforweeks,whileitwasshufflingaboutinmail—bags,rollingovertheocean,andshakenupinrailroadcars？Andyettheodorofagrainofmuskwillhangroundanoteoradressforalifetime。DoyounotrememberwhatProfessorSillimansays,inthatpleasantjournalofhis,aboutthelittleebonycabinetwhichMary,QueenofScots,broughtwithherfromFrance,——how"itsdrawersstillexhalethesweetestperfumes"？

Iftheycouldholdtheirsweetnessformorethantwohundredyears,whyshouldnotawrittenpageretainforaweekoramonththeequallymysteriouseffluencepouredoveritfromthethinkingmarrow,anddiffuseitsvibrationstoanotherexcitablenervouscentre？"

Ihavesaidthatalthoughourimaginativefriendisgiventowildspeculations,heisnotalwaysnecessarilywrong。Weknowtoolittleaboutthelawsofbrain—forcetobedogmaticwithreferencetoit。I

am,myself,therefore,fullyinsympathywiththepsychologicalinvestigators。Whenitcomestothevariouspretendedsciencesbywhichmenandwomenmakelargeprofits,attemptsatinvestigationareveryapttobeusedaslucrativeadvertisementsforthecharlatans。

Butaseriesofinvestigationsofthesignificanceofcertainpopularbeliefsandsuperstitions,acarefulstudyoftherelationsofcertainfactstoeachother,——whetherthatofcauseandeffect,ormerelyofcoincidence,——isatasknotunworthyofsober—mindedandwell—trainedstudentsofnature。Suchaseriesofinvestigationshasbeenrecentlyinstituted,andwasreportedatalatemeetingheldintheroomsoftheBostonNaturalHistorySociety。Theresultswere,mostlynegative,andinonesenseadisappointment。Asinglecase,relatedbyProfessorRoyce,attractedagooddealofattention。Itwasreportedinthenextmorning"snewspapers,andwillbegivenatfulllength,doubtless,inthenextnumberofthePsychologicalJournal。Theleadingfactswere,briefly,these:AladyinHamburg,Germany,wrote,onthe22dofJunelast,thatshehadwhatshesupposedtobenightmareonthenightofthe17th,fivedaysbefore。

"Itseemed,"shewrote,"tobelongtoyou;tobeahorridpaininyourhead,asifitwerebeingforciblyjammedintoanironcasque,orsomesuchpleasantinstrumentoftorture。"Itprovedthatonthatsame17thofJunehersisterwasundergoingapainfuloperationatthehandsofadentist。"Nosinglecase,"addsProfessorRoyce,"proves,orevenmakesprobable,theexistenceoftelepathictoothaches;butifthereareanymorecasesofthissort,wewanttohearofthem,andthatallthemorebecausenofolk—loreandnosupernaturalhorrorshaveasyetmingledwiththenaturalandwell—

knownimpressionsthatpeopleassociatewiththedentist"schair。"

ThecaseIhavegivenis,Iamconfident,absolutelyfreefromeverysourceoferror。IdonotrememberthatMr。RathbonehadcommunicatedwithmesincehesentmeaplentifulsupplyofmistletoeayearagolastChristmas。TheaccountIreceivedfromhimwascutoutof"TheSportingTimes"ofMarch5,1887。Myownknowledgeofthecasecamefrom"Kirby"sWonderfulMuseum,"aworkpresentedtomeatleastthirtyyearsago。Ihadnotlookedattheaccount,spokenofit,northoughtofitforalongtime,whenitcametomebyakindofspontaneousgeneration,asitseemed,havingnoconnectionwithanyprevioustrainofthoughtthatIwasawareof。Iconsidertheevidenceofentireindependence,apartfrompossible"telepathic"

causation,completelywater—proof,airtight,incombustible,andunassailable。

Ireferred,whenfirstreportingthiscuriouscaseofcoincidence,withsuggestivecircumstances,totwoothers,oneofwhichIsaidwasthemostpicturesqueandtheotherthemostunlikely,asitwouldseem,tohappen。Thisisthefirstofthosetwocases:——

GrenvilleTudorPhillipswasayoungerbrotherofGeorgePhillips,mycollegeclassmate,andofWendellPhillips,thegreatorator。HelivedinEuropealargepartofhislife,butatlastreturned,and,intheyear1863,diedatthehouseofhisbrotherGeorge。Ireadhisdeathinthepaper;but,havingseenandheardverylittleofhimduringhislife,shouldnothavebeenmuchimpressedbythefact,butforthefollowingoccurrence:betweenthetimeofGrenvillePhillips"sdeathandhisburial,Iwaslookinginuponmybrother,thenlivinginthehouseinwhichwewerebothborn。Somebookswhichhadbeenmyfather"swerestoredinshelvesintheroomIusedtooccupywhenatCambridge。Passingmyeyeoverthem,anolddarkquartoattractedmyattention。ItmustbeaBible,Isaidtomyself,perhapsarareone,——the"Breeches"Bibleorsomeotherinterestingspecimen。Itookitfromtheshelves,and,asIdidso,anoldslipofpaperfelloutandflutteredtothefloor。OnliftingitIreadthesewords:

ThenameisGrenvilleTudor。

Whatwasthemeaningofthisslipofpapercomingtolightatthistime,afterreposingundisturbedsolong？Therewasonlyonewayofexplainingitspresenceinmyfather"soldBible;——acopyoftheScriptureswhichIdidnotremembereverhavinghandledorlookedintobefore。Inchristeningachildtheministerisliabletoforgetthename,justatthemomentwhenheoughttorememberit。MyfatherpreachedoccasionallyattheBrattleStreetChurch。Itakethisforgranted,forIremembergoingwithhimononeoccasionwhenhedidso。Nothingwasmorelikelythanthatheshouldbeaskedtoofficiateatthebaptismoftheyoungersonofhiswife"sfirstcousin,JudgePhillips。Thisslipwashandedhimtoremindhimofthename:Hebroughtithome,putitinthatoldBible,andthereitlayquietlyfornearlyhalfacentury,when,asifithadjustheardofMr。Phillips"sdecease,itflewfromitshiding—placeandstartledtheeyesofthosewhohadjustreadhisnameinthedailycolumnofdeaths。Itwouldbehardtofindanythingmorethanamerecoincidencehere;butitseemscuriousenoughtobeworthtelling。

Thesecondofthesetwolaststoriesmustbetoldinprosaicdetailtoshowitswholevalueasacoincidence。