It is a great venture to speak openly of a personal expe­rience and we only do so for the following reasons. First we prefer that our story which is known in part to some should be wholly known as told by ourselves. Secondly we have collected so much evidence on the subject that it is possible now to consider it as a whole. Thirdly conditions are changing at Versailles and in a short time facts whi­ch were unknown and circumstances which were unusual may soon become commonplaces and will lose their for­ce as evidence that some curious psychological conditions must have been present either in ourselves or in the place.

It is not our business to explain or to understand nor do we pretend to understand what happened to put us into communication with so many true facts whi­ch nine years ago no one could have told us of in the­ir entirety. But in order that others may be able to jud­ge fairly of all the circumstances we have tried to record exactly what happened as simply and fully as possible.