over the teacups-第3章

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table；　and　found　an　English　letter　waiting　for　me；　left　while　I　sat

at　dinner。　　d　copy　the　first　portion　of　this　letter：





'20　ALFRED　PLACE；　West　（near　Museum）

South　Kensington；　LONDON；　S。　　W。

April　7；　1887。



DR。　O。　W　。　HOLMES：



DEAR　SIR；In　travelling；　the　other　day；　I　met　with　a　reprint　of　the

very　interesting　case　of　Thornton　for　murder；　1817。　　The　prisoner

pleaded　successfully　the　old　Wager　of　Battel。　　I　thought　you　would

like　to　read　the　account；　and　send　it　with　this。。。。



Yours　faithfully；



FRED。　　RATHBONE。'〃



Mr。　　Rathbone　is　a　well…known　dealer　in　old　Wedgwood　and　eighteenth…

century　art。　　As　a　friend　of　my　hospitable　entertainer；　Mr。　Willett；

he　had　shown　me　many　attentions　in　England；　but　I　was　not　expecting

any　communication　from　him；　and　when；　fresh　from　my　conversation；　I

found　this　letter　just　arrived　by　mail；　and　left　while　I　was　at

table；　and　on　breaking　the　seal　read　what　I　had　a　few　moments　before

been；　telling；　I　was　greatly　surprised；　and　immediately　made　a　note

of　the　occurrence；　as　given　above。



I　had　long　been　familiar　with　all　the　details　of　this　celebrated

case；；　but　had　not　referred　to　it；　so　far　as　I　can　remember；　for

months　or　years。　　I　know　of　no　train　of　thought　which　led　me　to　speak

of　it　on　that　particular　day。　　I　had　never　alluded　to　it　before　in

that　company；　nor　had　I　ever　spoken　of　it　with　Mr。　Rathbone。



I　told　this　story　over　our　teacups。　　Among　the　company　at　the　table

is　a　young　English　girl。　　She　seemed　to　be　amused　by　the　story。

〃Fancy！〃　she　said；〃how　very　very　odd！〃　　〃It　was　a　striking　and

curious　coincidence；〃　said　the　professor　who　was　with　us　at　the

table。　　〃As　remarkable　as　two　teaspoons　in　one　saucer；〃　was　the

comment　of　a　college　youth　who　happened　to　be　one　of　the　company。

But　the　member　of　our　circle　whom　the　reader　will　hereafter　know　as

Number　Seven；　began　stirring　his　tea　in　a　nervous　sort　of　way；　and　I

knew　that　he　was　getting　ready　to　say　something　about　the　case。　　An

ingenious　man　he　is；　with　a　brain　like　a　tinder…box；　its　contents

catching　at　any　spark　that　is　flying　about。　　I　always　like　to　hear

what　he　says　when　his　tinder　brain　has　a　spark　fall　into　it。　　It　does

not　follow　that　because　he　is　often　wrong　he　may　not　sometimes　be

right；　for　he　is　no　fool。　　He　treated　my　narrative　very　seriously。



The　reader　need　not　be　startled　at　the　new　terms　he　introduces。

Indeed；　I　am　not　quite　sure　that　some　thinking　people　will　not　adopt

his　view　of　the　matter；　which　seems　to　have　a　degree　of　plausibility

as　he　states　and　illustrates　it。



〃The　impulse　which　led　you　to　tell　that　story　passed　directly　from

the　letter；　which　came　charged　from　the　cells　of　the　cerebral　battery

of　your　correspondent。　　The　distance　at　which　the　action　took　place

＇the　letter　was　left　on　a　shelf　twenty…four　feet　from　the　place　where

I　was　sitting＇　shows　this　charge　to　have　been　of　notable　intensity。



〃Brain　action　through　space　without　material　symbolism；　such　as

speech；　expression；　etc。；　is　analogous　to　electrical　induction。

Charge　the　prime　conductor　of　an　electrical　machine；　and　a　gold…leaf

electrometer；　far　off　from　it；　will　at　once　be　disturbed。

Electricity；　as　we　all　know；　can　be　stored　and　transported　as　if　it

were　a　measurable　fluid。



〃Your　incident　is　a　typical　example　of　cerebral　induction　from　a

source　containing　stored　cerebricity。　　I　use　this　word；　not　to　be

found　in　my　dictionaries；　as　expressing　the　brain…cell　power

corresponding　to　electricity。　　Think　how　long　it　was　before　we　had

attained　any　real　conception　of　the　laws　that　govern　the　wonderful

agent；　which　now　works　in　harness　with　the　other　trained　and　subdued

forces！　　It　is　natural　that　cerebricity　should　be　the　last　of　the

unweighable　agencies　to　be　understood。　　The　human　eye　had　seen　heaven

and　earth　and　all　that　in　them　is　before　it　saw　itself　as　our

instruments　enable　us　to　see　it。　　This　fact　of　yours；　which　seems　so

strange　to　you；　belongs　to　a　great　series　of　similar　facts　familiarly

known　now　to　many　persons；　and　before　long　to　be　recognized　as

generally　as　those　relating　to　the　electric　telegraph　and　the　slaving

‘dynamo。'



〃What！　you　cannot　conceive　of　a　charge　of　cerebricity　fastening

itself　on　a　letter…sheet　and　clinging　to　it　for　weeks；　while　it　was

shuffling　about　in　mail…bags；　rolling　over　the　ocean；　and　shaken　up

in　railroad　cars？　　And　yet　the　odor　of　a　grain　of　musk　will　hang

round　a　note　or　a　dress　for　a　lifetime。　　Do　you　not　remember　what

Professor　Silliman　says；　in　that　pleasant　journal　of　his；　about　the

little　ebony　cabinet　which　Mary；　Queen　of　Scots；　brought　with　her

from　France；how　'its　drawers　still　exhale　the　sweetest　perfumes'？

If　they　could　hold　their　sweetness　for　more　than　two　hundred　years；

why　should　not　a　written　page　retain　for　a　week　or　a　month　the

equally　mysterious　effluence　poured　over　it　from　the　thinking　marrow；

and　diffuse　its　vibrations　to　another　excitable　nervous　centre？〃



I　have　said　that　although　our　imaginative　friend　is　given　to　wild

speculations；　he　is　not　always　necessarily　wrong。　　We　know　too　little

about　the　laws　of　brain…force　to　be　dogmatic　with　reference　to　it。　　I

am；　myself；　therefore；　fully　in　sympathy　with　the　psychological

investigators。　　When　it　comes　to　the　various　pretended　sciences　by

which　men　and　women　make　large　profits；　attempts　at　investigation　are

very　apt　to　be　used　as　lucrative　advertisements　for　the　charlatans。

But　a　series　of　investigations　of　the　significance　of　certain　popular

beliefs　and　superstitions；　a　careful　study　of　the　relations　of

certain　facts　to　each　other；whether　that　of　cause　and　effect；　or

merely　of　coincidence；is　a　task　not　unworthy　of　sober…minded　and

well…trained　students　of　nature。　　Such　a　series　of　investigations　has

been　recently　instituted；　and　was　reported　at　a　late　meeting　held　in

the　rooms　of　the　Boston　Natural　History　Society。　　The　results　were；

mostly　negative；　and　in　one　sense　a　disappointment。　　A　single　case；

related　by　Professor　Royce；　attracted　a　good　deal　of　attention。　　It

was　reported　in　the　next　morning's　newspapers；　and　will　be　given　at

full　length；　doubtless；　in　the　next　number　of　the　Psychological

Journal。　　The　leading　facts　were；　briefly；　these：　A　lady　in　Hamburg；

Germany；　wrote；　on　the　22d　of　June　last；　that　she　had　what　she

supposed　to　be　nightmare　on　the　night　of　the　17th；　five　days　before。

〃It　seemed；〃　she　wrote；　〃to　belong　to　you；　to　be　a　horrid　pain　in

your　head；　as　if　it　were　being　forcibly　jammed　into　an　iron　casque；

or　some　such　pleasant　instrument　of　torture。〃　　It　proved　that　on　that

same　17th　of　June　her　sister　was　undergoing　a　painful　operation　at

the　hands　of　a　dentist。　　〃No　single　case；〃　adds　Professor　Royce；

〃proves；　or　even　makes　probable；　the　existence　of　telepathic

toothaches；　but　if　there　are　any　more　cases　of　this　sort；　we　want　to

hear　of　them；　and　that　all　the　more　because　no　folk…lore　and　no

supernatural　horrors　have　as　yet　mingled　with　the　natural　and　well…

known　impressions　that　people　associate　with　the　dentist's　chair。〃



The　case　I　have　given　is；　I　am　confident；　absolutely　free　from　every

source　of　error。　　I　do　not　remember　that　Mr。　Rathbone　had

communicated　with　me　since　he　sent　me　a　plentiful　supply　of　mistletoe

a　year　ago　last　Christmas。　　The　account　I　received　from　him　was　cut

out　of　〃The　Sporting　Times〃　of　March　5；　1887。　　My　own　knowledge　of

the　case　came　from　〃Kirby's　Wonderful　Museum；〃　a　work　presented　to　me

at　least　thirty　years　ago。　　I　had　not　looked　at　the　account；　spoken

of　it；　nor　thought　of　it　for　a　long　time；　when　it　came　to　me　by　a

kind　of　spontaneous　generation；　as　it　seemed；　having　no　connection

with　any　previous　train　of　thought　that　I　was　aware　of。　　I　consider

the　evidence　of　entire　independence；　apart　from　possible　〃telepathic〃

causation；　completely　water…proof；　airtight；　incombustible；　and

unassailable。



I　referred；　when　first　reporting　this　curious　case　of　coincidence；

wi