Genre:

Short Fiction, Drollery, Serial

Subjects:

Invention, Light, Magic, Supernaturalism

    Describing how his 'military acquaintance', Pipkin, points to 'some lady' and instead of giving a 'thrilling tale' about her, 'simply' winks and shakes his head 'in an ambiguous manner'. Likens this knowing gesture to the 'ambiguous manner in which Hamlet anticipated his friends would assume when keeping the celebrated Ghost Secret'. Speculates that 'Professor Pepper once made similar remarks to Mr. Dicks when the "Spectral Illusion" was first introduced to the public'—an allusion to the 'secret' mechanism of the stage illusion invented by Pepper and Dircks.