Short Fiction · Chapter
The Haunted Dolls’ House explained
Mr.
What happens
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 later witnesses a series of ghostly, horrific scenes within the house at night, including a funeral procession and a monstrous figure attacking children. The experience leaves him severely shaken, and he meets Chittenden at a seaside resort, where the dealer admits he knew the house was haunted.
Themes in this chapter
Supernatural and the Uncanny
The dolls' house becomes a stage for ghostly reenactments of a tragedy, with a monstrous frog-like figure and spectral funeral processions.
Antiquarianism and the Past
The detailed description of the dolls' house as a collector's item and its association with Horace Walpole highlights the theme of antiquarian obsession.
Guardianship of Secrets
Mr. Chittenden and his wife knowingly pass on a haunted object, concealing its dark history from the buyer.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Dillet
Purchases the haunted dolls' house and experiences its terrifying nocturnal visions.
- Mr. Chittenden
The antique dealer who sells the dolls' house to Mr. Dillet, aware of its disturbing nature.
- Mrs. Chittenden
Mr. Chittenden's wife, who is relieved to see the dolls' house leave their shop.
- Collins
Mr. Dillet's butler, who helps carry the dolls' house into the house.
Key passages
“I suppose you get stuff of that kind through your hands pretty often? said Mr. Dillet, as he pointed with his stick to an object which shall be described when the time comes: and when he said it, he lied in his throat, and knew that he lied.”
Mr. Dillet pretends to be casual about the dolls' house, but both he and the dealer know it is an extraordinary piece.
Opening lines establish the deceptive bargaining and the exceptional nature of the dolls' house.
“Well, I don't wonder at you being a bit upset, Mr. Dillet. What? yes, well, I might say 'orrible upset, to be sure, seeing what me and my poor wife went through ourselves.”
Mr. Chittenden admits he and his wife also suffered from the haunted dolls' house, justifying why he sold it without warning.
Reveals the dealer's complicity in passing on the haunted object.