“Take for instance the case of a man who is taking the photograph of a mirage.  He is photographing place X from place Y, when X and Y are, say, 200 miles apart, and it may be that his camera is facing east while place X is actually towards the west of place Y.”

In school I had read a little of Science and Chemistry and could make a dry analysis of a salt; but this was an item too big for my limited comprehension.

The fact, however, remains and I believe it, that Smith’s first wife did come back to this terrestrial globe of ours over eight years after her death to give a sitting for a photograph in a form which, though it did not affect the retina of our eye, did impress a sensitized plate; in a form that did not affect the retina of the eye, I say, because Jones must have been looking at his sitters at the time when he was pressing the bulb of the pneumatic release of his time and instantaneous shutter.

The story is most wonderful but this is exactly what happened.  Smith says this is the first time he has ever seen, or heard from, his dead wife.  It is popularly believed in India that a dead wife gives a lot of trouble, if she ever revisits this earth, but this is, thank God, not the experience of my friend, Mr. Smith.

It is now over seven years since the event mentioned above happened; and the dead girl has never appeared again.  I would very much like to have a photograph of the two ladies taken once more; but I have never ventured to approach Smith with the proposal.  In fact, I learnt photography myself with a view to take the photograph of the two ladies, but as I have said, I have never been able to speak to Smith about my intention, and probably never shall.  The L10, that I spent on my cheap photographic outfit may be a waste.  But I have learnt an art which though rather costly for my limited means is nevertheless an art worth learning.

THE MAJOR’S LEASE.

A curious little story was told the other day in a certain Civil Court in British India.

* * * * *

A certain military officer, let us call him Major Brown, rented a house in one of the big Cantonment stations where he had been recently transferred with his regiment.

This gentleman had just arrived from England with his wife.  He was the son of a rich man at home and so he could afford to have a large house.  This was the first time he had come out to India and was consequently rather unacquainted with the manners and customs of this country.

[Illustration:  This is a rough plan, the original of which was probably in the Major’s handwriting.]