A Book of Ghosts by S. Baring-Gould
Page 1 of 214
A BOOK OF GHOSTS
BY S. BARING-GOULD, M.A.
WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS BY D. MURRAY SMITH
SECOND EDITION
METHUEN & CO. 36 ESSEX STREET W.C. LONDON
_Colonial Library_
_First Published October 1904_ _Second Edition December 1904_
[Illustration: "WHO ARE YOU?"]
PREFACE
Some of the stories in this volume have already appeared in print. "The Red-haired Girl" in _The Windsor Magazine_; "Colonel Halifax's Ghost Story" in _The Illustrated English Magazine_; "Glamr" I told in my _Iceland: Its Scenes and Sagas_, published in 1863, and long ago out of print. "The Bold Venture" appeared in _The Graphic_; "The 9.30 Up-train" as long ago as 1853 in _Once a Week_.
CONTENTS
JEAN BOUCHON
POMPS AND VANITIES
MCALISTER
THE LEADEN RING
THE MOTHER OF PANSIES
THE RED-HAIRED GIRL
A PROFESSIONAL SECRET
H. P.
GLAMR
COLONEL HALIFAX'S GHOST STORY
THE MEREWIGS
THE "BOLD VENTURE"
MUSTAPHA
LITTLE JOE GANDER
A DEAD FINGER
BLACK RAM
A HAPPY RELEASE
THE 9.30 UP-TRAIN
ON THE LEADS
AUNT JOANNA
THE WHITE FLAG
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
"Who are you?"
"Then the bride put back her veil, and Betty, studying the white face, saw that this actually was not herself; it was her dead sister Letice"
"Her hat was blown off, and next instant a detonation rang through her head as though a gun had been fired into her ear"
"If he went out for a walk they trotted forth with him, some before, some following"
"You let that Mustapha come in, and try and stick his knife into me"
"'Mammy!' said he; 'Mammy! my violin cost me three shillings and sixpence, and I can't make it play no-ways'"
Table of contents (by pages)
- 1: A Book of Ghosts by S. Baring-Gould
- 2: There was a Place Jeanne d'Arc
- 3: Jean Bouchon has been at his tricks again
- 4: Jean Bouchon has been here again
- 5: Jean Bouchon endeavoured to brave it out
- 6: Monsieur has seen Jean Bouchon
- 7: Jean Bouchon was at one time in service here
- 8: Jean Bouchon fell down the steps headlong
- 9: The girls were Letice and Betty
- 10: Strong willed Letice was subjected
- 11: As she had the custody of Letice
- 12: Unto whom Lady Lacy was related
- 13: Those of Captain Charles Fontanel
- 14: Switched off the electric current
- 15: Lady Lacy said I thought Maas's voice was superb
- 16: On the morrow it was in the boudoir
- 17: Captain Fontanel was in the box
- 18: Fancy my not knowing where Henley is
- 19: Betty found herself able to ascend the stairs
- 20: And I did want to see a map and find out where was Henley
- 21: And was vastly concerned to hear that Betty was unwell
- 22: He had an hour's conversation with Lady Lacy
- 23: And make a second Sphynx of her
- 24: Each wearing the pretty brooch presented by Captain Fontanel
- 25: Then the bride put back the veil
- 26: It was I who took your place at Henley Regatta
- 27: Lying on the left bank of the Adour
- 28: And in the evening I returned in the direction of Bayonne
- 29: The speeritual presentment of my nether half is not here
- 30: For O'Hooligan's boots are speeritual
- 31: On the watch were engraved the McAlister arms
- 32: In the speeritual world we know a thing or two
- 33: Fergus McAlister to do with the body of Captain O'Hooligan
- 34: Speeritual impressions are most evanescent
- 35: Hattersley is no relation of ours
- 36: In the matter of Joe Pomeroy and James Hattersley
- 37: Do let us put young Hattersley aside
- 38: Julia was satisfied that she had experienced it
- 39: I mean those who know the Hattersleys
- 40: But actually James Hattersley proposed twice to me
- 41: Lawlor called repeatedly to inquire
- 42: Miss Flemming had many friends
- 43: I have married James Hattersley
- 44: And she gave to Anna seven pips
- 45: And dropped in one pip after another
- 46: If Anna ran out and visited her neighbours
- 47: Outbursts of unreasoning and unreasonable petulance
- 48: And now in that cradle lay a babe asleep
- 49: Then Florian and the girl knelt to Anna
- 50: And she recognised that it was her Fritz
- 51: Was her own daughter Elizabeth
- 52: Anna ran hither and thither seeking a refuge
- 53: Saw the seven pansies swept down
- 54: And the other was house and parlourmaid in one
- 55: I think it must be Miss Bessie
- 56: Miss Bessie could not act as you suppose
- 57: And it was carrots reg'lar carrots
- 58: They are only rissoles in disguise
- 59: But she will not stop for the pills
- 60: It was due to no clumsiness on my part
- 61: Instantly she dropped the poker
- 62: The poor creature was frightfully burnt
- 63: Leveridge was in a solicitor's office at Swanton
- 64: Joseph Leveridge had lost his heart
- 65: Leveridge received his six copies
- 66: And have despoiled me of my personality
- 67: Three gentlemen were seated on the doorstep
- 68: Protested Leveridge with vehemence
- 69: And Joseph Leveridge had always made a point of punctuality
- 70: Leveridge could bear this no more
- 71: And then run out your characters fresh from the pulp
- 72: Leveridge had never known a person of title in his life
- 73: Leveridge has not mixed in the literary world
- 74: When Leveridge was in his room reading
- 75: His creations must be realised
- 76: And if ever there was an unconverted worldling
- 77: Leveridge entered with a face of concern
- 78: And took his ticket for Swanton
- 79: Elderly lady received her old lodger without effusion
- 80: But also the whole parish of Swanton
- 81: Wotherspoon sprang to his feet
- 82: I did not mean that I meant in fact
- 83: Leveridge walked back to his lodgings as if he trod on air
- 84: And reached down the Vezere valley as far as to Brive
- 85: Under one over hanging rock was a cabaret or tavern
- 86: And broken and disused implements
- 87: I could hear an occasional thud
- 88: Of the tongue of prehistoric man
- 89: To spend ages upon ages in a museum with fibulae
- 90: It so chanced that after a while they met and became chummy
- 91: But the reindeer were beginning to get docile and be tamed
- 92: Business is business and sport is sport
- 93: Skapti Thorodd's son was lawgiver at that time
- 94: Thorhall jumped up and greeted him warmly
- 95: Shuddering under an icicled rock
- 96: But these never frightened Thorgaut
- 97: And Thorgaut went out as usual with his sheep
- 98: I am afraid began Thorhall
- 99: For Thorhall is awake and is trembling in his bed
- 100: Thorhall and Grettir held their breath
- 101: And begging me to come down at once to Byfield
- 102: And there stood Lynton himself
- 103: Lynton mounted me on a very nice chestnut
- 104: Lynton came back almost immediately
- 105: And then the click of the latch falling back into its place
- 106: And after he had spoken to Lady Lynton
- 107: To look after the game and see if any poachers
- 108: No trace of the keeper was found
- 109: Major Donelly and I leisurely paddled about
- 110: Donelly was the first to recover his presence of mind
- 111: Major Donelly was now in a communicative mood
- 112: By all means let me have the prologue
- 113: Where Alec mentioned Abdulhamid
- 114: He had a tray containing bangles and necklaces and gewgaws
- 115: Then if you cannot receive what I have to say in Hindustani
- 116: Donelly and I were now drying rapidly
- 117: I was astonished when I learned this from Alec
- 118: Leaving the Hindu behind the screen
- 119: I scrawled on her back the zodiacal sign for Venus
- 120: By the bars in the spectroscope
- 121: And the conveyances could proceed no nearer
- 122: Such as were not fishers were mariners
- 123: Jonas never returned from sea without visiting his mother
- 124: Had Jonas been a reasonable man
- 125: But the new grandson was called Jonas
- 126: And the grandfather of the little Jonas
- 127: Jonas Rea took me often in his boat
- 128: I spent three winters at Luxor
- 129: Civilisation European civilisation is excellent
- 130: To open proceedings with the farrier
- 131: Ibraim gave him no encouragement
- 132: I returned to my hotel at Luxor in November
- 133: IIIWe were a pleasant party at Luxor
- 134: And the game is but a bag of anise seed
- 135: And I gave Mustapha the pudding
- 136: I looked at Jameson without a word
- 137: After a while I pacified Jameson
- 138: You have engaged Mustapha to murder me
- 139: Little Joe Lambole was a child of ten
- 140: When the whortleberries were ripe in June
- 141: Among the leaves of overgrown rubble
- 142: Lambole got an idea into his head
- 143: But Joe Gander was too frightened to reply
- 144: And in comes the pixy mother and runs off with her own child
- 145: And the parish churchwarden and the rector's churchwarden
- 146: And the churchwardens were in consternation
- 147: Miss Amory came to the cottage to see him
- 148: And the catgut was old and the glue had lost its tenacity
- 149: Lambole turned the horse's head homeward
- 150: Plenty of capers mutton and capers
- 151: With both his hands spread over his fiddle
- 152: Staining it upon the bedclothes
- 153: My violin cost three shillings and sixpence
- 154: I've heard 'em in the churchyard making music
- 155: Who were there before Reynolds and Gainsborough and Hogarth
- 156: Leaving her umbrella where it had fallen
- 157: And nothing fell from my overcoat when shaken
- 158: I saw something white poke its way out from under the lappet
- 159: I opened and unpacked my own portmanteau
- 160: In such confusion did the whole vaporous matter seem
- 161: Now we have electricity for illumination
- 162: Not that eucalyptus is any good
- 163: If I were really in for an influenza attack
- 164: And the entire figure overweighted by the hand
- 165: There is much to be said for a fourposter
- 166: Now they call us the Influenza
- 167: Miss Fulton and I talked of this
- 168: My dogcart was driven by my groom
- 169: For I saw distinctly Miss Venville
- 170: Of what Black Ram consists is more than I can say
- 171: You will have to pass into little Polly Finch
- 172: And was a magistrate on the bench
- 173: You never taught us no Catechism
- 174: The lamp had a scarlet shade over it
- 175: Fothergill had then been dangerously ill with typhoid fever
- 176: You will see the beautifullest twins that ever was
- 177: He and Kesiah had been unequally yoked together
- 178: He was startled from his honey reveries by a sniff
- 179: Inflexible as ever in carrying out her will
- 180: Benjamin fled the room and returned to his study
- 181: Jehu Post is the ghost who haunts me
- 182: Woolfield had handed Philippa in
- 183: My back Philippa nudged Benjamin
- 184: Illustration I BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE TALKING GOODY GOODY
- 185: Lyons out from Brighton by the 9
- 186: But something has frightened Taffy
- 187: Them sperits if sperits them be don't go for to pay toll
- 188: If you ask me about other sorts of sperits
- 189: But that hobservation met with no corresponding hanswer
- 190: I wondered whether that ammonite was still there
- 191: The roaring echoes of the tunnel died away
- 192: We went down to Fernwood at once
- 193: The western staircase gave access to this passage
- 194: And planted my foot on the lowest rung
- 195: I now saw that this gutter did not run through
- 196: If it had been elderberry wine
- 197: No one likes Fernwood in November
- 198: In Zennor parish is one of the finest cromlechs in Cornwall
- 199: Joanna was implacable in her resentments
- 200: Who'll get the silver taypot and spoons
- 201: And that she'd have nothin' to do wi' the Hexts at no price
- 202: All at the expense of the Hockins
- 203: The Hockins saw the glint of the metal
- 204: Asked Elizabeth Hockin next morning of her husband
- 205: Jabez had furnished himself with a bottle of gin
- 206: When Jacob shot him through the heart
- 207: On Aneurin her heart had been set
- 208: Winifred Jones resolved on trying
- 209: Once more a pebble was let fall
- 210: And he wrapped my foot up in that accursed flag
- 211: He is going to have a paralytic stroke
- 212: What good shall I be with only one leg
- 213: And this napkin emitted a phosphorescent glow
- 214: And the shadowy form of Aneurin was before her