Short Fiction · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Short Fiction by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.
Chapter 1
The Ghost and the Bonesetter
Terry Neil, a bonesetter and farmer, is compelled to sit up overnight in the old castle as a tribute to the family. Despite his fear of the resident ghost—the old squire who haunts the castle—he and the steward Lawrence Connor attempt to keep watch. After drinking and a terrifying encounter, Terry finds himself on the floor at dawn, having broken a chair leg, and the ghost is never seen again.
Chapter 2
The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh
Sir Robert Ardagh, the last heir of an ancient Irish family, returns from foreign service with a mysterious and malevolent valet named Jacque. Lady Ardagh develops a deep antipathy toward Jacque, but Sir Robert refuses to dismiss him. One night, Sir Robert's bell rings violently; a servant discovers Jacque lounging defiantly while Sir Robert appears terrified and submissive. Jacque orders the carriage prepared, and Sir Robert complies. Later, Sir Robert calmly predicts his own death that night, despite being in perfect health, and gives funeral directions. His sisters-in-law arrive to find Lady Ardagh in despair, and Sir Robert reiterates his prophecy with chilling certainty.
Chapter 3
The Last Heir of Castle Connor
The narrator, Mr. Purcell, recounts his friendship with young O'Connor, the last heir of an ancient Irish Catholic family. He describes O'Connor's return from abroad, the joyous welcome from the local community, and his mother's deep love for him. The chapter ends with Purcell's later visit to the now-desolate Castle Connor, where he finds O'Connor's mother still grieving her lost son.
Chapter 4
The Drunkard's Dream
A clergyman recounts the story of Pat Connell, a reformed drunkard who, after a terrifying dream of damnation, resolves to change his ways. Despite his reformation, Connell dies from a fall down the stairs, mirroring the fate foreshadowed in his dream, leaving the narrator to ponder the mysterious connection between dreams and divine warning.
Chapter 5
Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess
The narrator, Lady Margaret, recounts her early life under her reclusive father and her uncle Sir Arthur T⸺n, who was suspected of murder. After her father's death, she is forced to live with her uncle, who pressures her to marry her cousin Edward. She refuses, leading to a plot to murder her, which is accidentally thwarted when the assassins kill her friend instead. The Frenchwoman involved is captured and confesses, implicating Sir Arthur. The chapter ends with Lady Margaret's grief and reflection on divine retribution.
Chapter 6
The Bridal of Carrigvarah
The chapter recounts the tragic story of Ellen Heathcote, a beautiful young woman who dies of a broken heart after being abandoned by young O'Mara. The narrator, a clergyman, is summoned too late to her deathbed. The narrative also introduces the isolated Heathcote household, the O'Mara family, and the manipulative Edward Dwyer, who later becomes an informer after the 1798 rebellion.
Chapter 7
Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter
The narrator recounts a strange tale told by Captain Vandael about a painting by the Dutch artist Godfrey Schalken. The painting depicts a mysterious scene involving Schalken's lost love, Rose Velderkaust, and a grotesque suitor, Mynher Vanderhausen. The story follows Schalken's apprenticeship under Gerard Douw, Douw's arrangement of Rose's marriage to the wealthy but sinister Vanderhausen, and Schalken's terrifying vision of Rose leading him to a vault where Vanderhausen's demonic form appears. Schalken later painted the scene as a faithful record of the supernatural event.
Chapter 8
Scraps of Hibernian Ballads
The narrator defends Irish poetry against claims of mere comicality, presenting genuine specimens of indigenous verse. He introduces the self-educated poet Michael Finley, who refused to write down his compositions, and includes Finley's ballad of Phaudhrig Crohoore, a tale of love, rivalry, and a dramatic wedding interruption.
Chapter 9
Jim Sulivan’s Adventures in the Great Snow
Jim Sulivan, a decent but henpecked husband, endures constant abuse from his fiery wife Nell Gorman. After a violent quarrel, he storms out into a snowstorm and is presumed dead when a traveler's corpse is mistaken for his. Nell quickly remarries Andy Curtis, but when the thaw reveals Jim alive, a comedic confrontation ensues. The priest resolves the confusion by forcing Jim and Nell to remarry, while Andy receives a minor penance for his haste.
Chapter 10
A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family
This chapter, extracted from the legacy of the late Francis Purcell, recounts the tragic history of a Tyrone family, involving themes of love, betrayal, and supernatural retribution.
Chapter 11
An Adventure of Hardress Fitzgerald, a Royalist Captain
Hardress Fitzgerald, a Royalist captain in King James's army, recounts his adventures after the Battle of the Boyne. Disguised in Dublin, he is eventually captured by a group of Irish kernes but later escapes and finds his way to General Sarsfield, who entrusts him with a dangerous mission to deliver a secret packet to General Boisleau in Limerick.
Chapter 12
The Quare Gander
The narrator, riding through the Irish countryside, meets a local man who tells the story of Terence Mooney and his remarkable gander. The gander is discovered by the fairy doctor Jer Garvan to be possessed by the soul of Terence's own father. A plan is devised to force the gander to speak and reveal its desires, involving a threat to sell it for roasting in Tipperary.
Chapter 13
Spalatro
A young man recounts his harrowing experiences after being lured into a supernatural mansion by an old man. He is warned by a mysterious girl to avoid food, drink, and words of love to escape eternal peril. He witnesses a grotesque, demonic ball and later finds himself in a desolate chamber, tormented by visions and a near-suicidal encounter with a harlequin figure. After a period of illness and recovery, he encounters the old man again in a decaying street, leading to further eerie events.
Chapter 14
The Fatal Bride
An old bachelor recounts his past romantic disappointments and introduces a story set in Dublin about fifty years prior, involving Sir Arthur Chadleigh, a hard-living baronet whose wife eloped with Lord Kildalkin. The narrator, drawn into a mysterious nocturnal adventure, is led to a house where he discovers the dying Miss Chadleigh in a bedchamber, guarded by a sinister old woman and Doctor Robertson, leading to a tense confrontation.
Chapter 15
The Mysterious Lodger
The narrator recounts the terrifying experiences of his household with a mysterious lodger, Mr. Smith, whose presence brings supernatural dread and blasphemous influence. After the death of their baby, the lodger's voice is heard in the dark, questioning God's justice and sowing doubt. The narrator's wife later confronts the lodger, commanding him to leave in God's name. The family's fear escalates when their daughter Fanny sees an invisible specter threatening her baby brother, leading the narrator to resolve to end the lodger's stay.
Chapter 16
Billy Malowney's Taste of Love and Glory
The chapter opens with a vivid description of a summer evening in the Irish countryside, where the narrator and a bare-legged companion wait for a tax-cart. The companion, a local fisherman, tells the story of Billy Malowney, a lively young man known for dancing, fighting, and courting. Billy falls in love with Molly Donovan, a modest girl, and after some initial resistance from her parents, they marry. The wedding is a grand celebration. However, after a quarrel with Molly, Billy storms off, gets drunk, and is recruited into the Welsh Fusiliers. He becomes a skilled soldier, fighting against Napoleon, and is eventually reported killed in battle, a story relayed by a peddler who heard it from a corporal.
Chapter 17
Ghost Stories of Chapelizod
The narrator introduces Chapelizod as an ancient Irish village rich in supernatural legends, contrasting its former prosperity as a summer residence for viceroys and headquarters of the Royal Irish Artillery with its current decay. He humorously laments the lack of official inquiry into Ireland's supernatural agents and sets the stage for several ghost stories tied to the melancholy town.
Chapter 18
The Village Bully
Bully Larkin, a brutal pugilist in Chapelizod, provokes a fight with young Ned Moran over a romantic rivalry. Despite being outmatched, Ned refuses to give in and is beaten nearly to death, later dying from consumption. Three years later, Larkin encounters a supernatural apparition of Ned on the same hill, leading to a paralytic stroke and a miserable, impoverished life until his death.
Chapter 19
The Sexton’s Adventure
Bob Martin, the sexton of Chapelizod, is a man of curious mind and fondness for drink, who forms a close friendship with the melancholy publican Philip Slaney. After Slaney's suicide, Bob reforms his ways but is later tempted by a mysterious stranger who appears to be the spectre of the suicide, leading to a supernatural confrontation that reaffirms his vow of temperance.
Chapter 20
The Spectre Lovers
Peter Brien, a young idler living with his grandmother Ally Moran, stumbles home drunk late one night and sees ghostly visions from the past: white cabins, a phantom regiment of the Royal Irish, and a ruined house where he encounters spectral figures. His grandmother identifies the ghostly officer as old Colonel Grimshaw, and later, Major Vandeleur's mother reveals the house belonged to the wicked Captain Devereux, who ruined a young woman and died in a duel. Peter becomes obsessed with finding treasure in the ruins, but dies after a fall while climbing the walls.
Chapter 21
Some Gossip About Chapelizod
This chapter paints a vivid picture of Chapelizod as a ghostly, decaying village, once proud but now a shadow of its past. It recounts the disbanding of the Royal Irish Artillery due to centralization, the transition of old soldiers to Kilmainham, and the decline of local life. The narrative also includes tales of ghostly encounters, such as Bob Martin's sightings, and anecdotes about Luttrell's dealings with the devil and Dean Swift's wit, blending local folklore with historical reflection.
Chapter 22
An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street
The narrator describes his and his friend Tom Ludlow's terrifying experiences in a haunted house on Aungier Street, Dublin. The narrator is plagued by a recurring nightmare of a sinister portrait of an old man in a crimson dressing-gown that appears at his window. Tom initially scoffs at his friend's fears but later suffers his own terrifying encounter, leading to a shared panic. The chapter concludes with the house's eventual destruction by fire and the narrator's reflection on the supernatural events.
Chapter 23
Ultor de Lacy: A Legend of Cappercullen
The chapter recounts the legend of Ultor de Lacy, a spectral figure tied to the ruins of Cappercullen, whose restless spirit is said to haunt the area due to a tragic past involving betrayal and loss.
Chapter 24
I: The Jacobite’s Legacy
The narrator recalls Irish family traditions of a supernatural nature, focusing on the De Lacy family and their ruined castle in Cappercullen. The dying Jacobite De Lacy bequeaths to his young son Ultor a black box containing a portrait and a written sheet, with instructions to claim a small estate and not marry before thirty. Ultor later settles in Ireland, marries, and has two daughters, Alice and Una, before his wife dies young.
Chapter 25
II: The Fairies in the Castle
After the failed Rebellion of '45, Ultor de Lacy is attainted and his estate forfeited. His daughters, Alice and Una, are forced to take refuge in a ruined tower of the old castle with two loyal servants. Local boys mistake their light for a fairy's and one boy, Shaeen Mull Ryan, is caught and brought before the ladies, who playfully pretend to be fairies before releasing him with a warning.
Chapter 26
III: The Priest’s Adventures in the Glen
The priest's secret visits to the castle are thwarted by supernatural disturbances, including losing his way in a mirage of the castle and being confronted by a terrifying giant figure, leading him to abandon his spiritual duties and leaving the young ladies more isolated than ever.
Chapter 27
IV: The Light in the Bell Tower
Old Laurence and the family are disturbed by a mysterious red light appearing in the Bell Tower. Despite attempts to investigate, the source remains elusive. Over time, the family grows accustomed to the phenomenon, though Laurence and Peggy Sullivan remain uneasy, while the young ladies begin to jest about it.
Chapter 28
V: The Man with the Claret Mark
Old Peggy Sullivan claims to have seen a thin-faced man with a red mark on his cheek at the window, and later Laurence, a trusted servant, sees the same figure and fires a pistol at him, only to miss and see the figure dissolve into ivy and masonry. Ultor De Lacy then reveals to his elder daughter Alice that he has arranged a marriage for Una with a French gentleman, and during a walk with Alice, they encounter the same spectral figure, which terrifies Ultor and prompts him to pursue it in vain, leading to a desperate discussion about the curse haunting their family.
Chapter 29
VI: Voices
Una grows pale, loses her spirit, and becomes secretive and cold toward her sister Alice. She insists on sleeping in a separate room, claiming she will die otherwise. Alice hears strange voices at night—Una's contralto answering a deep male voice from the glen. She sees a shadow of a man in Spanish dress on the wall. Their father Ultor De Lacy returns, listens to Alice's account with unease, and plans to hasten their departure to Paris.
Chapter 30
VII: Una’s Love
Una's sister Alice witnesses Una's increasingly strange behavior, culminating in a night of terror where Una appears to be under a supernatural influence. Una disappears, leaving behind only a purse embroidered with 'Una's love' and chalked words 'Ultor De Lacy, Ultor O’Donnell'. De Lacy's attempts to save her through exorcism fail, and Una is later seen as a ghostly apparition singing sad ballads in the glen.
Chapter 31
VIII: Sister Agnes and the Portrait
After Ultor De Lacy's death, his daughter Alice discovers a portrait among his effects that horrifyingly matches a phantom from her memory. A narrative reveals that in 1601, Walter De Lacy executed Roderic O'Donnell, who cursed the De Lacy family. The portrait was used to warn children of the lineage. Old Miss Croker heard the story from Alice, now Sister Agnes, a nun in Dublin.
Chapter 32
Borrhomeo the Astrologer
Set during the plague of Milan in 1630, the story follows the astrologer and alchemist Borrhomeo, who is visited by a mysterious young man claiming to possess the elixir of life and the philosopher's stone. The stranger reveals himself as a demonic figure, and Borrhomeo, tempted by promises of immortality and wealth, agrees to a diabolical pact: he must smear a pestilential virus on the doors of churches and religious houses. He is arrested after being seen in the act, and the mob destroys his instruments.
Chapter 33
An Authentic Narrative of a Haunted House
The narrator, an invalid, moves with his family into a seemingly modern seaside house. Soon after arrival, his wife sees a tall, dark figure beside her bed. Servants report glimpses of a retreating, one-eyed woman with a strange red light, who vanishes when pursued. The narrator later learns from a friend that the house is actually an old government store, once isolated and suitable for secret crimes. The family leaves after their stay, and the narrator offers no further explanation, leaving the mystery unresolved.
Chapter 34
My Aunt Margaret's Adventure
Aunt Margaret recounts a terrifying supernatural encounter at a remote inn, where she is haunted by a spectral presence and a mysterious child, leading to a night of dread and a lasting impression of the uncanny.
Chapter 35
I: Aunt Margaret at Home
The chapter introduces Aunt Margaret, a shrewd and frugal woman living a rustic life in a three-storied house with her maid Winnifred Dobbs. It describes her character, her household, and her frustration with a tenant who owes rent, leading her to decide to travel to Winderbrooke to confront the matter personally.
Chapter 36
II: My Aunt Margaret on the Road
Aunt Margaret and her maid Winnifred Dobbs embark on a long journey to Winderbrooke, delayed by the late arrival of driver Tom Teukesbury and the slow, struggling bay mare. After a brief rest and meal on the hill, Aunt Margaret discovers that Winderbrooke is much farther than she thought, leading to her frustration and a tense silence.
Chapter 37
III: The Moon Rises
Aunt Margaret, Winnie Dobbs, and Tom Teukesbury continue their journey to Winderbrooke, changing horses at Dramworth. As dusk falls, they become lost on a wild moorland, with Tom growing increasingly uneasy as they fail to find the expected landmarks.
Chapter 38
IV: Perturbation
Aunt Margaret, Winnie Dobbs, and driver Tom Teukesbury become lost on a lonely heath at night, growing increasingly frightened and frustrated as they search for the London road. After a tense journey marked by arguments and fatigue, they finally spot a low, two-storied public house.
Chapter 39
V: The Good Woman
Aunt Margaret, Winnie, and Tom arrive at an inn called The Good Woman after being misled by the driver. The innkeeper's maid is suspicious and unwelcoming, refusing to let Tom stay overnight. After Tom departs, the two women are left alone in the inn, where they hear faint female lamentations.
Chapter 40
VI: The White Chamber
Aunt Margaret and Winnie Dobbs arrive at a gloomy inn called The Good Woman, where they are led to a large, old-fashioned room known as the white chamber. After settling in, Aunt Margaret observes the desolate inn yard and a mysterious man watching at the gate. The chambermaid, Nell, behaves oddly and suspiciously, closing the shutters abruptly and questioning their origin, leaving Aunt Margaret unsettled.
Chapter 41
VII: An Accident Befalls the Candle
Aunt Margaret, after a tense encounter with the impertinent maid, remains awake late into the night. She observes suspicious activity in the stable-yard involving Nell and a man with a dog. The maid confronts her about burning candle and fire late, inspects Winnie's feet, and ultimately extinguishes the candle, leaving Aunt Margaret in darkness.
Chapter 42
VIII: Of a Figure Seen by My Aunt
Aunt Margaret, angered by the chambermaid's conduct, retires to her room but is later awakened by a noise. She investigates, fearing her trunk is being stolen, but finds it safe. While trying to return to her room in the dark, she overhears a woman weeping and the chambermaid speaking of murder, heightening her unease.
Chapter 43
IX: The Funeral Visitation
Aunt Margaret, terrified by the suspicious activities in the inn, witnesses a woman with a hammer and steel blade, then hides in a bedroom. Two men and the woman enter carrying a coffin, place it on the bed beside her, and she discovers a dead man instead of Winnie. She screams, faints, and later learns she entered the wrong room.
Chapter 44
X: How It All Happened
The chapter reveals the backstory of The Good Woman inn, which was once prosperous on the old London road but fell into decline after a new road bypassed it. The innkeeper, deeply in debt and hiding from creditors, died suddenly, and his death was kept secret to avoid legal complications. This explains the mystery and suspicion surrounding Aunt Margaret and Winnie Dobbs' arrival, as the inn's staff feared they might be law enforcement. The widow's grief and the secret burial plans are clarified, and the chapter concludes with Aunt Margaret's visit to Winderbrooke being satisfactory.
Chapter 45
Wicked Captain Walshawe, of Wauling
The story recounts the life and death of the wicked Captain Walshawe, a cruel and dissolute man who terrorized his household and community. After his death, his ghost haunts the area, particularly troubling his former servant and others who cross him, until a final confrontation brings a measure of peace.
Chapter 46
I: Peg O’Neill Pays the Captain’s Debts
The chapter introduces Captain James Walshawe, a scamp who eloped with an Irish heiress, Peg O'Neill, in 1766. He married her for her fortune, spent her income, and broke her heart, while she lived in fear with her grim Irish servant, Molly Doyle. The story begins with his death in 1822 at age 81.
Chapter 47
II: The Blessed Candle
Captain Walshawe, in a drunken and volatile state, disrupts the wake of his wife Peg O'Neill, who has died and been laid out in a Carmelite habit with a blessed candle in her hand. He angrily confiscates the candle, locks it away with other oddments, and later tolerates the presence of a Roman Catholic clergyman. The chapter explores his guilt, superstition, and the folkloric belief that the candle traps the soul.
Chapter 48
III: My Uncle Watson Visits Wauling
After the burial of his wife, Captain Walshawe reigns alone at Wauling for over forty years, growing increasingly gouty, corpulent, and ill-tempered. He dies without repentance, and his cousin and heir, Mr. Watson, a Methodist class leader, arrives for the funeral, shocked by the size of the coffin.
Chapter 49
IV: In the Parlour
My uncle Watson, a truthful man, recounts a stormy night at Wauling where he, the doctor, and the attorney stayed. No will was found for the Captain, but the leases were missing. My uncle suspected the attorney of theft and delivered a pointed sermon on honesty. After the others retired, he retrieved a wax candle from a press and was startled by gravel against the window.
Chapter 50
V: The Bedchamber
The narrator's uncle retires to his bedchamber during a stormy night, where he experiences a series of unsettling noises and disturbances, including the curtains falling open, a thump on the table, and a mysterious knock at the door, all of which he attempts to rationalize as natural phenomena.
Chapter 51
VI: The Extinguisher Is Lifted
Uncle Watson, unable to sleep, experiences a series of eerie sensations and visions. After a brief doze, he witnesses a tiny figure emerge from beneath the candlestick extinguisher, growing into a full-sized man in military costume, who moves about the room in despair.
Chapter 52
VII: The Visitation Culminates
Uncle Watson witnesses a spectral figure that retrieves hidden papers from a secret compartment in a looking-glass drawer. The apparition transforms from a soldier into a grotesque, worm-ridden mass before dissolving into ashes and vanishing up the chimney, leaving Uncle Watson in a state of profound terror.
Chapter 53
Conclusion
Dr. Hesselius addresses a patient, Van L., who has suffered from a similar affliction to Mr. Jennings. He explains his theory of interior vision and nervous fluid, asserting that such cases are curable with patience and rational confidence. He laments that Mr. Jennings, who suffered from hereditary suicidal mania, did not fully confide in him before his suicide.
Chapter 54
Squire Toby's Will
The chapter recounts the story of Squire Toby Marston, a debauched old gentleman whose will sets his two sons, Scroope and Charles, at deadly odds. After Squire Toby's death, Charles suppresses a deed that would have given Gylingden Hall to Scroope, leading to guilt, haunting dreams, and a series of supernatural visitations involving the ghost of his father and a mysterious dog. Charles eventually dies in a hunting accident, and the estate passes to a distant relative.
Chapter 55
Green Tea
Dr. Hesselius recounts the case of the Rev. Mr. Jennings, a clergyman tormented by a malevolent monkey-like specter that only he can see, driving him to madness and ultimately suicide.
Chapter 56
Prologue
Doctor Hesselius introduces the case of Mr. Barton, known as 'The Familiar,' and discusses the classification of supernatural impressions into subjective, objective, and mixed conditions, emphasizing the need for medical observation.
Chapter 57
I: Dr. Hesselius Relates How He Met the Rev. Mr. Jennings
Dr. Hesselius recounts his first meeting with the Rev. Mr. Jennings at Lady Mary Heyduke's party. He describes Jennings as a tall, thin, middle-aged clergyman with a kind but shy demeanor, who suffers from mysterious health breakdowns during his duties at his Warwickshire vicarage. Hesselius observes Jennings' odd habit of glancing sidelong at the floor, and notes that Jennings seems to lead a concealed, troubled life. They discuss Hesselius's essays on Metaphysical Medicine, and Jennings accepts an offer of a copy, showing signs of embarrassment when the topic revives his interest.
Chapter 58
II: The Doctor Questions Lady Mary, and She Answers
Dr. Hesselius converses with Lady Mary about the vicar, Mr. Jennings, deducing several personal details about him through observation and inference, including his unmarried status, his abandoned book on an abstract subject, his former addiction to green tea, and a ghost seen by his father. Lady Mary confirms these facts, and Dr. Hesselius resolves to visit Mr. Jennings to possibly hear his confession.
Chapter 59
III: Dr. Hesselius Picks Up Something in Latin Books
Dr. Hesselius visits Mr. Jennings and, while waiting in his study, examines a set of Swedenborg's Arcana Caelestia. He reads passages about the interior sight, evil spirits associated with man, and the dangers of consorting with spirits, and notices a private note by Jennings beginning 'Deus misereatur mei.'
Chapter 60
IV: Four Eyes Were Reading the Passage
The narrator is reading a book when he catches Mr. Jennings peering over his shoulder, reading the same passage. Jennings reveals he has been reading Swedenborg for only a fortnight and expresses deep dissatisfaction with Dr. Harley, whom he calls a materialist. He hints at a personal affliction and asks for the narrator's confidence, suggesting he may need to write or talk about it in the future.
Chapter 61
V: Doctor Hesselius Is Summoned to Richmond
Doctor Hesselius receives a series of notes from Mr. Jennings, who initially appears to improve and attempts to resume his clerical duties in Warwickshire, but soon relapses into deep depression. After nearly five weeks, Mr. Jennings summons Hesselius to his secluded house in Richmond, where he finally prepares to reveal his case.
Chapter 62
VI: How Mr. Jennings Met His Companion
Mr. Jennings recounts to the narrator the beginning of his torment, which started three years and eleven weeks ago. He describes his obsessive work on the religious metaphysics of the ancients, his habit of drinking strong green tea late at night, and a terrifying encounter in an omnibus where he saw a spectral monkey with glowing red eyes that proved to be intangible.
Chapter 63
VII: The Journey: First Stage
The narrator describes his harrowing experience with a spectral monkey that has been haunting him. After a brief period of relief when the monkey disappears, he discovers it has followed him, creeping along a wall and then at his feet. He attempts to rationalize the phenomenon as a medical condition but admits he does not believe his own reassurances. The monkey's constant, malevolent presence and its visible glow in darkness drive him to despair.
Chapter 64
VIII: The Second Stage
Mr. Jennings describes the escalating malevolence of the spectral monkey that haunts him. It has grown more aggressive, thwarting his clerical duties by appearing in church and on his prayer book. After a brief respite under Dr. Harley's care, it returns with renewed fury, disrupting his prayers and drawing him toward despair.
Chapter 65
IX: The Third Stage
Mr. Jennings describes to Dr. Hesselius how his tormenting entity has progressed from visual to auditory manifestations, speaking to him with blasphemies and urging him toward self-destruction. He recounts a near-fatal incident at a coal mine where his niece's presence prevented him from throwing himself down a shaft. Dr. Hesselius offers reassurance, attributing the phenomenon to a physical condition and promising to consider the case.
Chapter 66
X: Home
Dr. Hesselius leaves Mr. Jennings after offering comfort and a medical explanation for his affliction, exacting a promise to be called if the monkey returns. He retreats to an inn to study the case, but returns to find that Mr. Jennings has committed suicide by cutting his throat. The servant recounts the final hours, marked by strange behavior and the return of the tormenting presence.
Chapter 67
Conclusion
Dr. Hesselius addresses a patient, Van L., who has suffered from a similar affliction to Mr. Jennings. He explains his theory of interior vision and nervous fluid, asserting that such cases are curable with patience and rational confidence. He laments that Mr. Jennings, who suffered from hereditary suicidal mania, did not fully confide in him before his suicide.
Chapter 68
The Child That Went with the Fairies
A widow named Mary Ryan lives in a remote cabin near Lisnavoura, a fairy-haunted hill. One evening, her three children are playing outside when a magnificent, sinister carriage drawn by four white horses appears. The coachman and footmen are small, malicious creatures. The children's youngest brother, Billy, is lured into the carriage and vanishes. Despite attempts to find him, he is never recovered, though his ghostly visits continue for a time before ceasing entirely.
Chapter 69
The White Cat of Drumgunniol
The narrator recounts a story told by his Irish tutor, Dan Donovan, about a sinister white cat that appears to members of the Donovan family as an omen of death. The tale includes a spectral woman walking across water, a granduncle haunted by a ghostly blow from a dead woman, and the white cat's repeated appearances before family deaths, culminating in a wake where the corpse seems to move.
Chapter 70
Stories of Lough Guir
The narrator recalls visiting Miss Anne Baily and her sister at Lough Guir in County Limerick as a boy. The ladies, hospitable and knowledgeable about local genealogy, entertained guests with tales of the supernatural and the legendary. The chapter describes curious relics in their drawing-room, including an ancient stirrup cup and a commemorative glass, and delves into the folklore surrounding Lough Guir as a center of Munster fairy activity, where the submerged castle of the Earl of Desmond lies enchanted beneath the waters.
Chapter 71
The Magician Earl
The legend of the Earl of Desmond, a powerful magician who lives enchanted at the bottom of a lake with his household after his wife broke a silence spell during his magical transformations. Once every seven years, he and his retinue ride across the lake, and he seeks to trick people into speaking to him to abridge or mitigate his enchantment. The story includes an account from a smith, Teigue O'Neill, who encountered the Earl's ghostly cavalcade and saw the silver shoe on the Earl's horse.
Chapter 72
Moll Rial's Adventure
Moll Rial, an old woman in the service of the Bailys of Lough Guir, recalls a terrifying encounter from her youth. While washing clothes by the lake, she is approached by a grand-looking gentleman who offers her a ring. When she looks down, she sees rings of blood spreading across the water, and the gentleman vanishes. She narrowly avoids falling under a spell by crying out a sacred name.
Chapter 73
The Banshee
Miss Baily recounts her personal experience with the banshee's supernatural music while attending her dying sister, Miss Kitty, at Lough Guir.
Chapter 74
The Governess’s Dream
A governess recounts a recurring dream in which a mysterious man with a wand reveals the location of buried treasure in an old castle. She measures the site and informs Mr. Baily, who initially dismisses her. After the dream repeats, the floor is excavated, revealing an empty stone chamber with the impression of a vessel, suggesting the treasure was removed before they dug.
Chapter 75
The Earl’s Hall
The governess, who regularly retreats to the Earl's Hall for solitude, encounters a terrifying apparition of a small, red-clad man with a dark, menacing face. He beckons her to follow, and when she hesitates, his fury intensifies. She eventually follows him to the doorway but collapses in a fit of terror. Found insensible by her young friends, she later recounts the vision, falls ill with fever and delirium, and dies shortly after, leaving open the possibility that the phantom was a hallucination induced by her approaching illness.
Chapter 76
The Vision of Tom Chuff
Tom Chuff, a violent poacher and drunkard, terrorizes his family. After a series of drunken episodes and a vision that briefly reforms him, he relapses into abuse. His wife Nelly dies from a broken heart, and Tom himself later dies in a bog on the moor, his grave placed in the center of the churchyard as a warning.
Chapter 77
Madam Crowl's Ghost
An elderly woman recounts her childhood experience as a young servant at Applewale House, where she was warned that the old Dame Crowl was possessed by the devil. After the Dame's death, the narrator witnesses a ghostly apparition of a small boy in her room, later revealed to be the spirit of a child who was imprisoned and died in the house, likely murdered by the Dame.
Chapter 78
Carmilla
The chapter introduces the mysterious and alluring Carmilla, who arrives at the protagonist's home under strange circumstances. Her presence brings a sense of unease and supernatural dread, as she exhibits peculiar behaviors and forms an intense bond with the narrator. The story hints at themes of vampirism, forbidden desire, and the uncanny.
Chapter 79
Prologue
Doctor Hesselius introduces the case of Mr. Barton, known as 'The Familiar,' and discusses the classification of supernatural impressions into subjective, objective, and mixed conditions, emphasizing the need for medical observation.
Chapter 80
I: An Early Fright
The narrator, a young English girl living in a remote Styrian castle, recounts a terrifying childhood incident. At around six years old, she awoke to find herself alone and was visited by a mysterious young lady who lay beside her and then pricked her chest with needle-like sensations. The household's anxious reaction, the doctor's visits, and a prayer with a kind old priest are described, leaving a lasting impression of fear and mystery.
Chapter 81
II: A Guest
The narrator and her father receive a disturbing letter from General Spielsdorf, who reveals that his beloved ward, Bertha Rheinfeldt, has died under mysterious circumstances. The General's letter is frantic and hints at a monstrous betrayal. Later that evening, a carriage accident brings a mysterious mother and daughter to the schloss. The mother, in urgent need to continue her journey, entrusts her seemingly lifeless daughter to the care of the narrator's family. The chapter ends with the young lady, who will become a guest, being carried into the schloss.
Chapter 82
III: We Compare Notes
The narrator and the mysterious young stranger, Carmilla, share their mutual visions of each other from twelve years ago, deepening their strange bond. The household discusses the arrival of the carriage and its ominous attendants, while Carmilla exhibits a mix of attraction and repulsion, insisting on locking her door at night due to a fear of robbers.
Chapter 83
IV: Her Habits—A Saunter
The narrator describes Carmilla's strange and passionate behavior, oscillating between intense embraces and languid indifference. During a walk, a funeral procession passes, and Carmilla reacts with anger and a hysterical fit, revealing her aversion to death and religious rites. Later, a hunchbacked figure visits, and Carmilla shows fear. The chapter ends with the doctor discussing mysterious illnesses with the narrator's father, hinting at supernatural causes.
Chapter 84
V: A Wonderful Likeness
A shipment of restored ancestral portraits arrives at the schloss, including a striking 1698 portrait of Mircalla Countess Karnstein that is an exact likeness of Carmilla. Laura is captivated by the resemblance and asks to hang it in her room. Later, as they walk in the moonlight, Carmilla's intense, romantic declarations unsettle Laura, and Carmilla experiences a sudden faintness before recovering. The chapter ends with a new event that startles even Carmilla.
Chapter 85
VI: A Very Strange Agony
Laura describes a terrifying dream in which a sooty black creature attacks her, stinging her breast like two large needles. She wakes to see a female figure at the foot of her bed, which then passes through the locked door. The next day, Carmilla speaks cryptically of love, sacrifice, and a past assassination attempt, while Laura grows increasingly uneasy about her guest's mysterious nature and lack of religious observance.
Chapter 86
VII: Descending
The narrator describes her deepening horror and physical decline after a supernatural encounter. She confides in Madame Paradon and Mademoiselle Lafontaine, who mention a haunted lime-tree walk. Carmilla shares her own fears and the protective charm she bought. The narrator's health deteriorates with strange dreams, lassitude, and a sense of being drained. A terrifying dream reveals Carmilla bathed in blood, and when they force open Carmilla's locked door, she has vanished.
Chapter 87
Search
After Carmilla's mysterious disappearance, the household searches frantically for her. She reappears in her dressing-room, claiming to have no memory of how she got there. Her father suggests she may have been sleepwalking, offering a natural explanation for the strange events.
Chapter 88
IX: The Doctor
Doctor Spielsberg examines Laura and discovers a small blue spot on her neck, confirming his suspicions about her mysterious illness. He instructs that Laura must never be left alone. Laura's father receives a delayed letter from General Spielsdorf and seems troubled by his impending visit. The family then sets out for a drive to Karnstein, where they encounter the General on the road.
Chapter 89
X: Bereaved
The General, having lost his beloved niece and ward under mysterious circumstances, meets with the narrator's father and reveals his belief that she fell victim to supernatural forces. He expresses a fierce determination to take action against the 'monsters' responsible, and arranges to visit the ruins of Karnstein to carry out his plan.
Chapter 90
The Story
General Montague recounts the fateful masquerade ball at Count Carlsfeld's schloss, where his ward is captivated by a mysterious masked young woman named Millarca, while the General himself is drawn into an enigmatic conversation with the woman's mother, who displays an uncanny knowledge of his past. The encounter is interrupted by a pale gentleman in black, and the General's growing unease foreshadows the tragedy to come.
Chapter 91
A Petition
The narrator recounts how she was persuaded to take charge of a mysterious young lady named Millarca, whose mother, the Countess, makes a hasty departure under secretive circumstances. Despite initial misgivings, the narrator agrees, and Millarca quickly becomes a charming companion. However, during the ball, Millarca goes missing, and the narrator spends hours searching for her before she is eventually found.
Chapter 92
XIII: The Woodman
The narrator and her father accompany General Spielsdorf to the ruined Karnstein castle. The General reveals his quest for vengeance against the vampire Mircalla, who he believes is still active. A woodman recounts local legends of vampire hunts and the removal of Mircalla's tomb, deepening the mystery surrounding Carmilla.
Chapter 93
XIV: The Meeting
General Montague recounts the supernatural affliction and death of his ward, describing a consultation with physicians where one diagnoses a vampire. He follows the doctor's instructions, witnesses a black creature attack the girl, and sees it transform into Millarca. In the chapel, Carmilla appears to Laura, but the General attacks her with a hatchet; she escapes unharmed. The General reveals that Carmilla is actually Millarca, also known as Mircalla, Countess Karnstein, and urges Laura to flee.
Chapter 94
Ordeal and Execution
The chapter describes the discovery of the tomb of Mircalla, Countess Karnstein, in the ruined chapel, followed by the formal inquisition and execution of the vampire. The narrator recounts the opening of the grave, the signs of vampirism, and the ritual staking, beheading, and burning of the body, which finally ends the vampire's plague.
Chapter 95
Conclusion
The narrator reflects on the lasting horror of the vampire encounter and introduces Baron Vordenburg, a scholar of vampirism who reveals the history of Countess Mircalla Karnstein and the origin of her vampirism through suicide. The Baron explains how his ancestor, Vordenburg, once Mircalla's lover, concealed her tomb to protect her from posthumous execution, but later left clues that led to its discovery. The chapter concludes with the narrator's travels and the persistent, ambiguous memory of Carmilla.
Chapter 96
The Dead Sexton
In the town of Golden Friars, the sexton Toby Crooke is found dead under mysterious circumstances in the coach-house of the George and Dragon inn. His past as a reformed scamp is recalled, and a stranger's suspicious behavior, the discovery of a church bell in a boat, and the eventual finding of Crooke's corpse in the church tower all point to a supernatural or criminal mystery.
Chapter 97
Mr. Justice Harbottle
Judge Harbottle, a corrupt and ruthless judge, receives a supernatural summons to stand trial for the murder of Lewis Pyneweck, whom he wrongfully executed. Despite his bravado, he is abducted by spectral figures and taken to a nightmarish court where he is condemned. He is found dead, hanging from his staircase, on the date of his appointed execution.
Chapter 98
Prologue
Doctor Hesselius introduces the case of Mr. Barton, known as 'The Familiar,' and discusses the classification of supernatural impressions into subjective, objective, and mixed conditions, emphasizing the need for medical observation.
Chapter 99
I: The Judge’s House
An elderly man recounts a ghostly encounter in a cheaply rented room in a dark Westminster house, where he saw two sinister figures emerge from a locked closet and cross his bedroom. The narrator, prompted by the story, writes to an older friend for details about the house's history, learning that it was once the home of the notoriously wicked Judge Harbottle, a corrupt and unscrupulous judge whose terrifying appearance and ruthless behavior on the bench were legendary.
Chapter 100
II: Mr. Peters
Judge Harbottle, after a session in the House of Lords, encounters a frail old gentleman who claims to have urgent intelligence for him. The stranger, Mr. Peters, warns the Judge of a secret tribunal called the 'High Court of Appeal' that is forming to judge the conduct of judges, targeting Harbottle specifically. The Judge is visibly shaken by the news and orders his footman to investigate Mr. Peters.
Chapter 101
III: Lewis Pyneweck
Judge Harbottle's footman is attacked by a disguised Mr. Peters, who escapes after knocking him unconscious. The Judge, furious yet secretly pleased, deduces the attack was a failed attempt to intimidate him. He resolves to try Lewis Pyneweck, a former grocer with a grudge, despite his own past wrongdoing against him. The Judge's housekeeper, Pyneweck's estranged wife, pleads for leniency but is rebuffed. Harbottle later notes the resemblance between Peters and Pyneweck, but confirms the prisoner is still in jail.
Chapter 102
IV: Interruption in Court
Judge Harbottle returns to London after Lewis Pyneweck's execution for forgery. During a trial at the Old Bailey, he sees a vision of Pyneweck in the courtroom, causing a disruption. Meanwhile, Mrs. Pyneweck (Flora Carwell) receives news of her husband's execution and experiences a brief moment of horror and remorse before returning to her materialistic comforts.
Chapter 103
V: Caleb Searcher
Judge Harbottle receives a mysterious letter from a 'Caleb Searcher' informing him of an indictment for the murder of Lewis Pyneweck, a man wrongfully executed due to the Judge's manipulation. The Judge initially dismisses it as buffoonery but grows uneasy, questioning his housekeeper Mrs. Carwell about Pyneweck's family. As the trial date approaches, the Judge becomes morose, and the narrative suggests the letter may have been an illusion or symptom of brain disease.
Chapter 104
VI: Arrested
Judge Harbottle attends the theater at Drury Lane and plans to return home with two cronies. However, when he enters his coach, he finds himself seized by two armed strangers. The coach travels across a desolate moor, where he sees a gigantic gallows with skeletons and a hangman who calls out for a rope for the Judge. He also recognizes a former footman, Dingly Chuff, who had died in prison. The Judge is powerless and terrified as the coach continues.
Chapter 105
VII: Chief Justice Twofold
Judge Harbottle finds himself in a surreal nightmare court where he is tried by a terrifying double of himself, Chief Justice Twofold. The trial proceeds inexorably to a guilty verdict, and he is subjected to a brutal punishment of being fitted with red-hot chains. He awakens in agony, suffering from gout and haunted by the dream.
Chapter 106
VIII: Somebody Has Got Into the House
Judge Harbottle, tormented by a prophetic dream of his own execution, grows increasingly morose and superstitious as the predicted date approaches. Despite his doctor's advice to rest and prepare for a trip to Buxton, the household is disturbed by a mysterious figure seen by the housekeeper's daughter inside the Judge's locked sedan-chair, which vanishes upon inspection.
Chapter 107
IX: The Judge Leaves His House
The chapter recounts the final hours and mysterious death of Judge Harbottle. After a series of ghostly apparitions—including a spectral figure with a rope and a vision of a monstrous being forging a chain—the Judge is found hanged from the banister. The coroner rules it suicide, but those who know his strange story see a dark coincidence in the date.
Chapter 108
The Familiar
A mysterious and unsettling tale involving supernatural occurrences and a familiar spirit, exploring themes of guilt, retribution, and the uncanny.
Chapter 109
Prologue
Doctor Hesselius introduces the case of Mr. Barton, known as 'The Familiar,' and discusses the classification of supernatural impressions into subjective, objective, and mixed conditions, emphasizing the need for medical observation.
Chapter 110
I: Footsteps
Captain Barton, a skeptical naval officer, returns to Dublin and becomes engaged to the penniless Miss Montague. After a late-night discussion on religion and the supernatural, he walks home through a deserted street and is haunted by mysterious footsteps that seem to follow him, yet no one is visible. Despite his disbelief in the preternatural, the experience shakes his composure.
Chapter 111
II: The Watcher
Captain Barton receives a mysterious warning letter signed 'The Watcher,' advising him to avoid a specific street. Despite dismissing it as a hoax, he is haunted by the sound of unseen footsteps following him, especially at night. A second letter reinforces the threat, and although he tries to distract himself with business and his upcoming marriage, the unseen pursuit continues, culminating in a final episode where the footsteps accompany him during a walk with a friend.
Chapter 112
III: An Advertisement
Captain Barton encounters a strange, agitated foreigner on the street, which triggers an intense and inexplicable terror in him. His friends are alarmed by his reaction, but he dismisses it as fatigue. Later, he consults a physician under the guise of medical questions, but his inquiries about lockjaw, hospital errors, and physical shrinkage reveal a deeper anxiety. The chapter concludes with the publication of a mysterious advertisement seeking Sylvester Yelland, a former crewman of Barton's ship, suggesting a hidden connection.
Chapter 113
IV: He Talks with a Clergyman
Captain Barton, struggling with a supernatural persecution, consults a clergyman about his terrifying experiences. He confesses a deep conviction in a malignant spiritual world and retribution for guilt, despite his previous skepticism. Later, after a Freemason dinner, he deliberately retraces the path of his earlier haunting, is shot at, and encounters the mysterious little man in the fur cap again. His health deteriorates as he keeps the attack secret, and he finally seeks the clergyman's advice.
Chapter 114
V: Mr. Barton States His Case
Captain Barton, in a state of extreme psychological and spiritual distress, visits Doctor ⸻ to confess that he is haunted by a demonic presence. He describes being followed, hearing blasphemous cries and threats, and feeling utterly powerless. Despite the doctor's attempts to rationalize his condition as physical or imaginative, Barton insists on the supernatural reality of his persecution and pleads for vicarious intercession and deliverance.
Chapter 115
VI: Seen Again
Captain Barton's increasingly erratic behavior becomes the subject of gossip and concern. His fiancée Miss Montague and her family press him for an explanation, leading him to confess his supernatural torment. General Montague, skeptical, attempts to rationalize the haunting and vows to catch the mysterious figure. However, when the figure appears again during their conversation, the General himself witnesses it and gives chase, only to find the stranger has vanished. Despite his efforts, Barton remains haunted, and his health deteriorates, prompting a plan to send him abroad to break the influence.
Chapter 116
VII: Flight
Barton flees to England with General Montague, hoping to escape his spectral pursuer, but the figure reappears in Calais, shattering his hopes. He returns to Ireland in despair and is confined to a house in Clontarf under strict seclusion, where a brief improvement is interrupted by a maid's alarming report.
Chapter 117
VIII: Softened
Captain Barton experiences a profound shift from terror to a tranquil melancholy after a vision of a girl singing by a lake, which he interprets as a sign of forgiveness. He confides in Montague that his punishment is nearly over and that he must face one final, horrific encounter with his tormentor. Meanwhile, a servant girl reports a threatening message from a sinister little man, and Barton's health deteriorates as he confines himself to his room, guarded by his valet.
Chapter 118
IX: Requiescat
Captain Barton's final night is marked by terror and a mysterious death. His servant, searching for an owl that Barton dreads, witnesses a supernatural presence in the room. General Montague finds Barton dead, with signs of a struggle and an unexplained indentation on the bed. The narrative concludes with no resolution, hinting at a past sin—a guilty attachment and harsh retribution—that may have led to Barton's fate.
Chapter 119
Sir Dominick's Bargain
Sir Dominick Sarsfield, burdened by debts and losses, makes a pact with a demonic figure in the oak-wood of Murroa, receiving wealth and luck in exchange for his soul over a seven-year term. As the term nears its end, he grows increasingly troubled, attempts to live virtuously under a bishop's advice, but ultimately succumbs to despair and returns to the wood, contemplating suicide or a further bargain.
Chapter 120
Laura Silver Bell
Mall Carke, a reputed witch, encounters a sinister stranger on the moor who offers her a guinea to use her magic to bring a young lord to Laura Silver Bell. Laura later reveals she has seen a fairy revelry near Hawarth Castle. Despite warnings, she is lured away and transformed into a wretched creature, giving birth to a demonic child. Mall escapes with only her rightful fee, and Laura is said to live forever among the fairies.
Chapter 121
Dickon the Devil
The narrator travels to Barwyke Hall, a neglected Lancashire estate inherited by two old maids, and hears from the steward Tom Wyndsour the eerie story of Squire Bowes's ghost abducting a boy named Dickon, who is later found an idiot, forever haunted by the cry 'Bowes, the devil!'
Chapter 122
Hyacinth O’Toole
Mr. Toole recounts a humiliating and chaotic evening at the theatre, where he is publicly teased about his romantic pursuit of Miss Molloy, and later describes a series of absurd accidents, culminating in a panic-driven episode where he mistakes a toasting-fork stuck in his leg for a cat.
Chapter 123
Endnotes
The endnotes provide editorial commentary and clarifications on the preceding stories, including references to decay, historical evidence, and the preservation of supernatural traditions. The editor defends the authenticity of the tales, asserting that supernatural elements have been softened rather than exaggerated.
