"Theoretically but not practically," I replied. "They resolve
themselves, more or less, into a question of evidence; I would never
believe one man's word on the subject without further proof, because it
is always a fair solution of the difficulty to suppose him the victim of
a delusion. There are so many cases of mysterious appearances, however,
vouched for upon overwhelming evidence, that I am compelled to admit
their truth, at the same time believing they would be scientifically
explainable if we understood all the laws governing this world and could
more clearly distinguish between the spiritual and the material. There
is one thing usually noticeable about these appearances which, to my
mind, is very significant: they never actually do anything, they only
appear to do it and vanish away, leaving behind them no sign of their
presence."
"Are you prepared to accept that narrative as true?" said the Doctor.
"The balance of evidence compels me to accept it," I replied. "There
appears to be no motive for fraud; one could, of course, invent theories
to account for the apparition, but I am forced to believe, nevertheless,
that two highly trustworthy men did actually imagine that they saw the
organist's ghost. Whether they actually did so or not is another
matter.
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