# Short Fiction — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for Short Fiction by M. R. James.

- [Canon Alberic's Scrapbook](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/canon-alberic-s-scrapbook.md): Dennistoun visits St. Bertrand de Comminges and acquires a remarkable scrapbook compiled by Canon Alberic de Mauléon, containing priceless illuminated manuscript leaves and a terrifying sepia drawing of a demonic figure 
- [Lost Hearts](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/lost-hearts.md): In September 1811, orphan Stephen Elliott arrives at Aswarby Hall to live with his reclusive cousin, Mr. Abney, a scholar of pagan mysteries. Mr. Abney seems kindly but repeatedly asks Stephen's age, noting his birthday 
- [The Mezzotint](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/the-mezzotint.md): Mr. Williams, a museum curator, receives a mezzotint of a manor house from dealer Mr. Britnell. Initially unimpressed, he and his friend Professor Binks notice a small figure in the foreground. Later that night, Williams
- [The Ash-Tree](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/the-ash-tree.md): The chapter recounts the history of Castringham Hall in Suffolk, focusing on a great ash tree that stands near the house. In 1690, the area was rife with witch trials, and Sir Matthew Fell testified against a local woman
- [Number 13](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/number-13.md): Mr. Anderson, an English gentleman staying at the Golden Lion hotel in Viborg, Denmark, notices the absence of Room 13 from the hotel's board but later discovers it exists. He becomes intrigued by documents in the Rigsar
- [Count Magnus](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/count-magnus.md): Mr. Wraxall, a middle-aged traveler and writer, journeys to Sweden in 1863 to research a book on Swedish families. He stays at an inn near the manor of Råbäck, home of the De la Gardie family, and becomes fascinated by t
- [Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/oh-whistle-and-i-ll-come-to-you-my-lad.md): Professor Parkins travels to Burnstow for a golfing holiday and stays at the Globe Inn, where he is given a double-bedded room. He discovers an old whistle with a Latin inscription, which he blows, summoning a mysterious
- [The Treasure of Abbot Thomas](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/the-treasure-of-abbot-thomas.md): Mr. Somerton deciphers a riddle left by Abbot Thomas von Eschenhausen of Steinfeld, leading him to a hidden treasure within the abbey's walls. His discovery, however, awakens a malevolent supernatural force that pursues 
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/i.md): Mr. Somerton, an antiquary, translates a passage from the Sertum Steinfeldense Norbertinum about Abbot Thomas von Eschenhausen's hidden treasure. He identifies three stained-glass figures (Job, John, Zechariah) in a priv
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/ii.md): Mr. Gregory, the Rector of Parsbury, receives a distressed letter from Mr. Somerton's valet, William Brown, and travels to Steinfeld to aid his friend. He finds Mr. Somerton recovering from a severe shock, who asks him t
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/iii.md): Mr. Somerton recounts his discovery of a hidden cipher on the painted glass in Lord D's private chapel, which led him to decipher Abbot Thomas's riddle about a treasure concealed in a well. He describes the terrifying ev
- [A School Story](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/a-school-story.md): Two men in a smoking-room discuss private-school ghost stories, leading one to recount a strange experience from his schooldays. A new master, Sampson, arrives and a boy named McLeod writes an inexplicable Latin sentence
- [The Rose Garden](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/the-rose-garden.md): Mr. and Mrs. Anstruther discuss a shared nightmare about a trial and execution for high treason, which Mrs. Anstruther attributes to thought-reading from a story she heard. After a walk, Mrs. Anstruther sees a terrifying
- [The Tractate Middoth](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/the-tractate-middoth.md): Mr. John Eldred visits a library seeking a rare book, the Talmud: Tractate Middoth, but is told it is already checked out. The librarian, Mr. Garrett, later learns from Mrs. Simpson that the book holds the key to a hidde
- [Casting the Runes](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/casting-the-runes.md): Mr. Karswell is discussed at a dinner party, revealing his malevolent character and his history of frightening village children with a magic-lantern show. The conversation turns to his book on witchcraft and the mysterio
- [The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/the-stalls-of-barchester-cathedral.md): The narrator discovers a box of papers belonging to the Ven. Archdeacon Haynes, who died mysteriously at Barchester. Through his diaries and letters, we learn of his growing unease and supernatural experiences after taki
- [Martin's Close](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/martin-s-close.md): The narrator, staying with a rector in the West, learns from estate carpenter John Hill about a small hedged enclosure called Martin's Close, where a murderer named George Martin is buried. Martin was hanged on Holy Inno
- [Mr. Humphreys and His Inheritance](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/mr-humphreys-and-his-inheritance.md): Mr. Humphreys arrives at his late uncle's estate and begins to explore the property. He learns about the maze from Mr. Cooper and his daughter, and spends the evening examining the library, where he discovers a curious o
- [The Residence at Whitminster](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/the-residence-at-whitminster.md): Dr. Ashton, a prebendary at Whitminster, is disturbed by his wife about their son Frank's worsening condition. Meanwhile, Mr. Spearman recounts a terrifying experience at the residence involving a mysterious locked press
- [The Diary of Mr. Poynter](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/the-diary-of-mr-poynter.md): Mr. James Denton, a Warwickshire gentleman rebuilding his manor after a fire, acquires the diary of Squire William Poynter at a London book auction. Upon returning home, his aunt discovers a curious patterned fabric pinn
- [An Episode of Cathedral History](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/an-episode-of-cathedral-history.md): Mr. Lake, a learned gentleman, arrives in Southminster to examine the cathedral archives and lodges with Mr. Worby, the head verger. One evening, Worby takes Lake on a nighttime tour of the cathedral. Worby recounts the 
- [The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/the-story-of-a-disappearance-and-an-appearance.md): A collection of letters, recently sent to a ghost story enthusiast, details a mysterious disappearance and appearance. The letters are authenticated by their physical characteristics, though the writer's identity remains
- [Letter I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/letter-i.md): W. R. writes to his brother Robert, regretfully declining a Christmas invitation because he has received news that their Uncle Henry has mysteriously disappeared. He plans to travel to B— to join the search and will stay
- [Letter II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/letter-ii.md): The narrator writes to Robert from the King's Head, reporting no news of Uncle H. He recounts the events of December 19th: Uncle H. read evening prayers, visited a sick parishioner, and disappeared on his return. Searche
- [Letter III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/letter-iii.md): The narrator writes on Christmas Day about the ongoing investigation into Uncle Henry's disappearance, which has yielded no clues. He recounts a disturbing dream in which a sinister Punch and Judy show becomes a live hor
- [Letter IV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/letter-iv.md): On Christmas Day, the narrator experiences a series of unsettling events, including a malfunctioning church service, a disturbing Punch and Judy show, and the discovery of his Uncle Henry's body in a chalk pit. The show'
- [Two Doctors](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/two-doctors.md): The narrator discovers a bundle of papers in an old ledger, containing the incomplete case of Dr. Abell and Dr. Quinn. The story unfolds through statements: Dr. Abell's servant Luke Jennett leaves his service after witne
- [The Haunted Dolls’ House](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/the-haunted-dolls-house.md): Mr. Dillet purchases a highly detailed antique dolls' house from Mr. Chittenden, despite the dealer's wife's relief to be rid of it. After setting it up in his room, Dillet discovers a miniature old man in the bed and la
- [The Uncommon Prayerbook](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/the-uncommon-prayerbook.md): A man discovers an unusual prayerbook with mysterious properties, leading to unsettling encounters and a growing sense of dread as the book's secrets begin to unfold.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/i.md): Mr. Davidson, spending a solitary week in a country town, decides to take a train to Kingsbourne Junction and walk back to Longbridge via the Tent Valley. On the train, he meets an old man who tells him about Brockstone 
- [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/ii.md): Mr. Davidson tours Brockstone Court and its chapel, where Mrs. Porter reveals that the Prayer Books repeatedly open to Psalm 109, despite locked doors and barred windows. Mr. Davidson examines the books and notes a stran
- [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/iii.md): Mr. Davidson returns to Brockstone with his friend Mr. Witham on St. Mark's Day, only to discover that the rare Prayerbooks have been stolen and replaced with forgeries by a man calling himself Henderson, who is later id
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/iv.md): Police inspectors question a commissionaire and a clerk about the mysterious death of Mr. Poschwitz, who had recently returned from a trip with a package of books. The commissionaire describes seeing a roll of flannel wi
- [A Neighbour's Landmark](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/a-neighbour-s-landmark.md): The narrator, a bookish Victorian, visits Betton Court and while sorting through old tracts discovers a mysterious verse in an 18th-century pamphlet about 'that which walks in Betton Wood.' Intrigued, he questions his ho
- [A View from a Hill](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/a-view-from-a-hill.md): Mr. Fanshawe travels to stay with Squire Richards at the Hall. After tea, they take a walk and Fanshawe borrows a pair of heavy binoculars from the Squire. The binoculars are later dropped and shatter, revealing a black,
- [A Warning to the Curious](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/a-warning-to-the-curious.md): The narrator recounts his fateful encounter with a man named Paxton, who tells him the legend of the three holy crowns buried along the coast to ward off invaders. Paxton learns from a rector that the last crown is guard
- [An Evening’s Entertainment](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/an-evening-s-entertainment.md): The chapter contrasts the rational, scientific education of children in enlightened households with the traditional, superstitious storytelling of a grandmother. The grandmother recounts a grim local tale of murder, suic
- [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/endnotes.md): The endnotes provide scholarly references and clarifications for the preceding narrative, including details about a canon's death, a misattribution regarding Mr. Rogers, and sources on the Premonstratensian abbey of Stei
- [List of Illustrations](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/list-of-illustrations.md): A brief listing of two engravings: one depicting the phrase 'FLA FUR BIS FLE' and another depicting 'QUIS EST ISTE QUI VENIT'.

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