“Well, I don’t know about that,” said Whitwell.

“Write ’em down in a row and see if we can’t pick out some sense.  I’ve had worse finds than this; no vowels at all sometimes; but here’s three.”

He wrote the letters down, while Jackson leaned back against the wall, in patient quiet.

“Well, sir,” said Whitwell, pushing the paper, where he had written the letters in a line, to Westover, “make anything out of ’em?”

Westover struggled with them a moment.  “I can make out one word-shaft.”

“Anything else?” demanded Whitwell, with a glance of triumph at Jackson.

Westover studied the remaining letters.  “Yes, I get one other word-broken.”

“Just what I done!  But I wanted you to speak first.  It’s Broken Shaft.  Jackson, she caught right onto what we was talkin’ about.  This life,” he turned to Westover, in solemn exegesis, “is a broken shaft when death comes.  It rests upon the earth, but you got to look for the top of it in the skies.  That’s the way I look at it.  What do you think, Jackson?  Jombateeste?”

“I think anybody can’t see that.  Better go and get some heye-glass.”

Westover remained in a shameful minority.  He said, meekly:  “It suggests a beautiful hope.”

Jackson brought his chair-legs down again, and put his hand on the planchette.

“Feel that tinglin’?” asked.  Whitwell, and Jackson made yes with silent lips.  “After he’s been workin’ the plantchette for a spell, and then leaves off, and she wants to say something more,” Whitwell explained to Westover, “he seems to feel a kind of tinglin’ in his arm, as if it was asleep, and then he’s got to tackle her again.  Writin’ steady enough now, Jackson!” he cried, joyously.  “Let’s see.”  He leaned over and read, “Thomas Jefferson—­” The planchette stopped, “My, I didn’t go to do that,” said Whitwell, apologetically.  “You much acquainted with Jefferson’s writin’s?” he asked of Westover.

The painter had to own his ignorance of all except the diction that the government is best which governs least; but he was not in a position to deny that Jefferson had ever said anything about a broken shaft.

“It may have come to him on the other side,” said Whitwell.

“Perhaps,” Westover assented.

The planchette began to stir itself again.  “She’s goin’ ahead !” cried Whitwell.  He leaned over the table so as to get every letter as it was formed.  “D—­Yes!  Death.  Death is the Broken Shaft.  Go on!” After a moment of faltering the planchette formed another letter.  It was a U, and it was followed by an R, and so on, till Durgin had been spelled.  “Thunder!” cried Whitwell.  “If anything’s happened to Jeff!”

Jackson lifted his hand from the planchette.

“Oh, go on, Jackson!” Whitwell entreated.  “Don’t leave it so!”

“I can’t seem to go on,” Jackson whispered, and Westover could not resist the fear that suddenly rose among them.  But he made the first struggle against it.  “This is nonsense.  Or, if there’s any sense in it, it means that Jeff’s ship has broken her shaft and put back.”