SPIRITUALISM AND MATERIALISM

[circum]stances, his poverty, and other factors forced him to marry; and among his awkward original: "embarrassed" explanations, I sensed a vague desire that our relationship should not be completely ended because of it.

I cut this painful interview short. Despite my great sorrow, I did not see my friend again; in my singular and absolute love, I had no wish to willingly share the man I loved so much with another woman.

I later heard indirectly that he had married and was the father of a child.

Some years after this marriage, on a night in April 1893, I saw a human form entering my room. The figure, which appeared tall, was wrapped in a white veil that hid nearly its whole face. I watched with terror as it moved forward and bent over me. I felt its lips touch mine. But what lips! I shall never forget the impression they made on me. I felt no pressure, movement, or warmth—only cold—the cold of a dead mouth!

Yet, I felt a sense of relief and well-being during this long kiss. At no point during this vision did the name or image of my lost lover come to my mind original: "spirit". After waking up, I did not think about the dream until around noon, when I happened to look at a newspaper and read: "We hear from [town] X that the funeral of Mr. original: "M." (Monsieur) Y took place yesterday" (the article then described the deceased). The article concluded by attributing the death to an attack of typhoid fever typhoid fever: a life-threatening bacterial infection common in the 19th century, often spread through contaminated water or food, caused by the exhaustion of dedicated work.

"Dear friend," I thought, "when you were released from the rules of society original: "worldly conventions", you came to me to tell me that you had loved me, and would still love me after death. I thank you, and I love you still."

That is the event exactly as it happened. The old and convenient theory original: "hypothesis" of a simple hallucination no longer satisfies us today. What we must explain is why the death coincided with the apparition. Manifestations of this kind are so frequent that these coincidences can no longer be seen as accidental original: "fortuitous"; instead, they must be seen as a sign of cause and effect.