If they differed on spiritualism in a somewhat more serious way than this, the reason must be sought in qualities which were deeper and more elemental in both their characters than any mere matter of opinion.

Mrs.Orr, in her excellent _Life of Browning_, states that the difficulty arose from Mrs.Browning's firm belief in psychical phenomena and Browning's absolute refusal to believe even in their possibility.

Another writer who met them at this time says, "Browning cannot believe, and Mrs.
Browning cannot help believing." This theory, that Browning's aversion to the spiritualist circle arose from an absolute denial of the tenability of such a theory of life and death, has in fact often been repeated.

But it is exceedingly difficult to reconcile it with Browning's character.

He was the last man in the world to be intellectually deaf to a hypothesis merely because it was odd.