Abigail Ray's Vision, Part I [pp. 358-365]

ABIGAIL RA Y'S VISION.6
At length, it began to be whispered few favored boarders were generally inaboutthatshewas "aninfidel." Anun- vited. Miss Ray, Mr. Bofer, and myguarded expression dropped here and self were more frequently distinguished
there, a remark upon a sermon or a in this way than any of the other inmates
book, a sarcasm leveled at some relic of of the Barracks. It was on an occasion
an obsolete theology-of such chance of this sort that Mrs. Weir returned the
gatherings as these, the rumor was born. manuscript, stating how she had become
Then it was ascertained that Miss Ray possessed of it. Miss Ray, who was an
never attended church. When she went excellent trencher-woman, and always
forth on Sunday mornings, as was her seemed to enjoy these midnight repasts,
custom, instead of repairing, as she had had been talking in her most brilliant
permitted it to be supposed, to some strain, without, however, allowing her
place of worship, she took long, solitary conversation to prevent her from doing
walks to North Beach, or even as far as full justice to the rare-bit and the bottled
the Mission. Next came the discovery ale. When she unfolded the paper handthat there was neither Bible nor prayer- ed to her by our entertainer, she became
book in her room. More awful still, one singularly excited, and there was a pernight the gentle Ophelia surprised the ceptible tremor in her voice as she said
suspected skeptic deep in the perusal of " I suppose you think it very wicked?"
Bishop Colenso's just-published work "You had better get Mr. Crapely's
attacking the veracity of the Mosaic his- opinion," returned Mrs. Weir; "not betory. So absorbed was she in this he- ing an inquisitor myself, I did not feel at
retical volume, that she did not hear her liberty to read your private papers."
visitor's thrice - repeated knock; and "But the man, no doubt, said enough
when the latter finally entered, Miss to produce the impression that it was
Ray administered to her a sharp rebuke rank blasphemy; and, if you have no obfor intruding unannounced upon her pri- jection, I would like first to read it, and
vacy. As if all this were not sufficient then to explain how it came to be writto establish the charge, accident soon ten."
afterward supplied a crowning circum- The matter had already been suffistance that spoke her condemnation with ciently talked about to arouse curiosity,
all the terrible emphasis of the damna- and we were all eager to hear the vertory clauses of the Athanasian Creed. ses that had so shocked Mr. Crapely.
Mr. Crapely picked up in the hall (so he Shocking enough they proved, and they
stated) a copy of verses in the strong, lost nothing of their sinister point by the
unmistakable hand of Abigail Ray. On manner in which they were read. Mrs.
examination, the manuscript proved to Weir maintained a grave silence when
be a parody upon a well-known hymn, Miss Ray had concluded, and even Boas remarkable for its keen point and vigor fer, who valued himself on his "liberal
of expression as for the shocking irrev- ideas," looked almost frightened.
erence of its spirit. Mr. Crapely thought "And now for the explanation," said
it his duty to show this literary perform- Miss Ray, pouring herself a glass of ale,
ance to Mrs. Weir, who declined to read and drinking it off. "Some years ago,
it, and returned it to the supposed au- I became deeply interested in the investhor upon the refusal of the finder to do tigation of the phenomena of Spiritism.
so. I was for a long time a member of a pri Our hostess, who was in the habit of vate circle, and finally developed extrakeeping late hours, occasionally had a ordinary powers as a trance-medium.
little supper in her own room, to which a At one of our sdances, a spirit, claiming
I 872.]
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