An account

I have had other similar strong impressions at distant intervals, and as far as I can recollect they have corresponded with the reality. I cannot say if I have had any such impressions which have not corresponded with the reality, but my opinion is that I have had none such. Mr. Saunders' account of the particular incident is as follows : — 242 TRANSFERENCE OF IDEAS [chap. San Claudio, Sandown, Isle of Wight. March 12th, 1883. (44) On Thursday evening last (8th inst.) in the house of friends with whom we were staying at Tavistock, Devon, I suddenly asked my wife ' What she was thinking of ? ' She replied, ' I cannot get M. R. and A. F. out of my head all day ; they will run through all my thoughts.' I replied, ' What makes you think of them V She said, ' I don't know, but it seems just as if they were married,' to which I asked, ' Have you any reason to suppose they would be married to-day 1 ' She replied, ' Oh no ! I am sure Mary would not be married during Lent.' I then allowed my mind to travel to the house where M. R. resided in London, when I became immediately conscious of receiving the strongest possible conviction that they were married that day, so that I quickly but firmly replied, 'They are married to-day, and we shall see the wedding announced in the Times on Saturday] at which there was a general titter. However, I was so convinced of the accuracy of our joint thoughts that I foolishly offered to wager the whole of my belongings on the truth of it, and until seeing the confirmation, I was anxious to risk anything in support of my belief. I may here mention that there were present, who could testify to the foregoing conversation, three independent witnesses, quite unknown to the persons referred to as M. R. and A. F. Neither of the latter had been seen nor communicated with by my wife for nearly six months, but I had seen them once about three months before. We knew they were to be married, but understood not until April or May. This knowledge and the question of Lent made my wife doubtful as to the fulfilment of her presentiment when I pressed her finally at noon on Saturday ; soon after which, on reaching Exeter station, I procured a copy of the Times, and before opening it again declared my conviction absolutely unshaken. As you may have guessed, there was the notice of marriage, as having taken place on the 8th inst., all right. [We have verified this fact independently.] I may conclude by saying this notice is all we know of the wedding, no communication having passed between us and any member of the bride's or bridegroom's family, &c. Further, if you deem it of sufficient importance I will supply correct names and addresses of all parties interested, as I feel sure our Tavistock friends could not object to contributing to scientific truth by testifying to the facts. The ladies who were present when Mr. and Mrs. Saunders had this impression corroborate as follows, in a letter written to Mr. Saunders from Harleigh House, Tavistock : — After a lengthy discussion you both emphatically concluded that she was married on that day. We were quite sceptical at the time, but on receipt of the Times the proofs were quite convincing.