Account Written by Mr. Bertram Keightley, in June, 1884. (original) (raw)

[First published in Richard Hodgson's "Account of Personal Investigations in India,
and Discussion of the Authorship of the 'Koot Hoomi' Letters,"
Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research,
Volume III, 1885, Appendix VII, p. 357. ]

On the following day, [May 14th,] Madame Blavatsky and Mr. Judge being both at Enghien, where they had gone the previous day, I was sitting about 10:30 a.m., in the salon chatting with Mr. Oakley and Mr. Mohini. We had decided not to go to Enghien, and the subject had been dropped, when I felt a sudden impulse to go there. This suggestion of a change of plan was accepted after a little hesitation, Mr. Mohini having the same feeling. I therefore went to our room to get ready, and was engaged in arranging my toilette when I thought I heard Mr. Oakley calling me. Going out into the passage, just outside the door, I called to know what he wanted. Finding that he had not called me, I re-entered the room, Mr. Mohini following me from the salon at a yard or two’s distance. I had reached the middle of the room when I heard him calling me from the doorway, and turning round I saw him standing on the threshold. I must here state that needing a certain article which I thought was on the table, I had thoroughly searched everything on it, and had cleared a space at the end next the door to put my ring and glasses on.

On turning round then, I at once noticed a Chinese envelope lying as if carefully placed there, on the cleared end of the table next the door. This envelope I at once recognised as being like those used by Mahatma K. H., and also recognised his writing in the address. Having called my friend Mr. Oakley, Mr. Mohini opened the envelope, which contained a long letter from his Master K. H. (of 3 pages), and concluded with an order to him to take Mr. Oakley and myself with him to Enghien for a few hours, thus showing an acquaintance with the question previously under discussion, and also the fact, known only to three or four persons in London, and about the same number in Paris, that my friend Mr. Oakley was then in Paris and actually in the house. Mr. Oakley was staying with some friends about 20 minutes walk distant, while he was in Paris.