Ghost Stories · Chapter
In the Tube explained
Anthony Carling and the narrator discuss the nature of time and eternity after a dinner party.
What happens
Anthony Carling and the narrator discuss the nature of time and eternity after a dinner party. Anthony argues that time is merely a convention and that true existence is eternal. He then recounts a supernatural experience where he communicated with the tormented spirit of Sir Henry Payle, a suicide who committed a violent act against his wife. The spirit appears in Anthony's room, bearing the wounds of his death, and charges Anthony with a message for Lady Payle. The chapter explores themes of guilt, remorse, and the possibility of communication with the dead.
Themes in this chapter
Guilt and Retribution
The central theme: Sir Henry Payle's spirit is trapped in a hell of remorse for his violent actions, and his message to his wife is one of contrition.
Death and the Afterlife
The chapter explores the possibility of communication with the dead and the nature of the afterlife, particularly the idea of a soul in hell.
Time and Eternity
Anthony Carling's philosophical discourse on time as a convention and the reality of eternity frames the supernatural events.
Characters to notice
- Anthony Carling
Host of the dinner party and the narrator's companion; he shares his philosophical views on time and eternity and recounts his supernatural encounter with the spirit of Sir Henry Payle.
- Unknown Narrator
The guest who stays overnight; he listens to Anthony's story and experiences the supernatural presence in the room.
- Sir Henry Payle
The deceased man whose spirit appears; he committed suicide by throwing himself in front of a train after attempting to strangle his wife.
- Lady Madingley
Mentioned as Lady Payle; Sir Henry's estranged wife whom he assaulted and threatened.
Key passages
“It is possible that the dead may have communication with the living, and it was not that exactly that so terrified me, for such communication, as we know it, comes voluntarily from them. But here was something icy-cold and crime-laden, that was chased back from the peace that would not pacify it.”
The narrator acknowledges that the dead can contact the living, but this presence felt different—it was cold and burdened with crime, rejected by the peace it sought.
Describes the unique terror of the supernatural encounter.
“I have talked to a soul in the hell of remorse, which is the only possible hell.”
Anthony claims he has communicated with a soul suffering from remorse, which he considers the only true form of hell.
Anthony's interpretation of the spirit's torment.
“Time is nothing more than an infinitesimal point in eternity, just as space is an infinitesimal point in infinity.”
Anthony argues that time is a tiny fragment of eternity, similar to how space is a tiny part of infinity.
Anthony's philosophical view on the nature of time.