Account Written
by Mr. [Bertram] Keightley,
in June, 1884.
[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 twos
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.
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