3499. They came in front above and spoke with the greatest earnestness, striving in the meantime by every cunning art to prevent anything being divulged concerning them. The particular arts they employed it is not necessary to relate, only that they aimed to snatch away the ideas of others, and that they induced a multitude of illusions with a view to prevent their detection, which was continued for a long time. Hence it was given to know that they were of such a quality in their lifetime as made them unwilling that anything they did or thought should be exposed, assuming a counterfeit face and speech, and all with a view to defraud others of their property. As a consequence of this habit, contracted in the life of the body, they fall into a similar practice, in the other life, of seizing whatever comes in their way, and concealing their thoughts and actions, though I do not recollect of their resorting to false pretenses and actual lies, only that they employed a species of craft in concealing their transactions, and by a simulated cast of countenance deceiving all they could. They continued this practice for nearly ten or twelve hours, laboring with all their might to prevent exposure. I did not perceive a manifest fraud, and they now convey themselves stealthily away.