Introduction I knew it was there before I turned and saw it at the top of the stairs. Everyone went silent.

Then one of the men picked up his gun and shot at it, but nothing happened. The thing just smiled... Do you want to know about ghosts? There are many kinds.There are ghosts who tell people about death and danger, like the old man of the Bank of England, and the thin, white man of Varley Grange. There are ghosts who come back to find their murderer, like the sailor who died at sea. There are ghosts of people who can ne er rest because of the things they did, like that of !acopo "erraldi. There are ghosts of li ing men too # men in prison for crimes that they did not do. $nd men who see terrible things, and ghosts before they die ... %n these si& stories you will meet all these, and more. 'ow, do you really want to know about ghosts? Ghost stories were much more popular in the ()**s than in the (+**s. %n the (+**s there were no secrets in life. ,eople belie ed that science could e&plain e erything. They were not interested in dreams or ghosts or things that they could not understand. Then, at the beginning of the ()**s, people became bored with amusing and cle er stories about real life. They wanted stories about things that science and reason could not e&plain. -tories about strange, foreign countries, about ghosts in big, dark houses and about mysterious animals in shadowy forests. -tories about bra e young men who sa ed beautiful young women from death and terrible danger. ,eople wanted stories to frighten them. These stories were called .Gothic. stories. Three of the most popular early Gothic stories were !ohn ,olidori.s The Vampyre /()()0, 1ary -helley.s Frankenstein /()(20, and -ir 3alter -cott.s Three Tales of Terror /()456()4)0. Then, in the middle of the ()**s, the ghost story changed. Ghosts mo ed out of large, dark houses in foreign lands, and mo ed into ordinary houses in e eryday life. Ghosts walked along streets and around gardens, and came through windows into ordinary homes. 'obody was safe. %t was easier to belie e in ghosts and they became e en more frightening. 7harles Dickens /()(46()+*0 wrote many ghost stories. Two of his most famous are !hristmas !arol /()840 and The "ignalman /()990. :e liked ghost stories so much that he started a maga;ine for them in ()82. 1any famous writers wrote for this maga;ine, including 3ilkie 7ollins, Eli;abeth Gaskell, 1ark <emon and !oseph -heridan <e "anu. <e "anu.s stories were unusual because his ghosts were often not =ust in the same room, but inside the person.s head. Towards the end of the ()**s, ghost story writers followed <e "anu.s e&ample more and more. They became interested in >uestions like? 3hen does a man stop being a man? 3hen does he start to become something different? This was the most frightening kind of story of all. %t was impossible to escape from the ghost, because it li ed inside you. %t drank your blood and ate your heart and mind and you went cra;y. The most famous books of this type were @obert <ouis -te enson.s #r $ekyll and %r &yde /())90, Ascar 3ilde.s The 'icture of #orian (ray /()2(0, and Bram -toker.s #racula /()2+0. $ll the stories in this book were written in the middle of the ()**s, at the time when

ghost stories took place in e eryday life. !oseph -heridan <e "anu /()(5#+B0 was born in Dublin, %reland, and studied at Trinity 7ollege, Dublin. :e worked for newspapers for many years. $fter his wife died he stayed at home and saw few people. :e wrote o er 4* books, but he is best known for his cle er ghost stories. :is books &ouse by the !hurchyard /()9B0, )ncle "ilas /()950 and his book of short stories In a (lass #arkly /()+40 include some of the most frightening stories in the English language. 1ark <emon /()*26+*0 was a businessman before he became a writer. :e wrote songs, 7hristmas stories and =oke books, but most of his writing was for the theatre. %n ()8( he wrote a short, funny play with 7harles Dickens called %r *ightingale+s #iary, and they acted in it together. :e is most famous for starting the British maga;ine 'unch. Tom :ood /()B86+50 was the son of the famous writer, Thomas :ood. <ike his father, he wrote poems, but he is mostly famous for his amusing writing. :e wrote for newspapers and wrote many children.s books, often working with his sister. :e also drew the pictures for many of his books. 7atherine 7rowe /()**#+90 was born in the south of England but li ed in Edinburgh, -cotland, for many years. :er real name was 7atherine -te ens. -he wrote a lot of children.s books and other stories, but her most popular book was a book of ghost stories, The *ight "ide of *ature /()5)0.

The Dead Man of Varley Grange nonymous, ,-..:allo, !ack. 3here are you going? $re you staying with your parents for 7hristmas?. !ack Darent and % were in the army together. %t was December the 4Brd and e eryone was going away for the holiday. !ack stood in the doorway, tall and good6looking, laughing at my >uestion..'ot this year. %. e had enough of old aunts and my sister.s si& children. %.m not a family man like you. By the way, how is your beautiful sister?. .-he.s ery well and going to lots of parties,. % answered, smiling. !ack looked a little sad at this. :e was in lo e with my sister and she was in lo e with him, but they did not ha e enough money to get married. .3ell, please send her my lo e,. he said. .%.m going down to your part of England # 3esternshire # for some shooting. :enderson has asked me and some others. 3e.re staying in an old house, where % hear the shooting is ery good. ,erhaps you know it? %t.s called Varley Grange.. .Varley Grange?. % said..Ah no, !ack.Cou can.t go there.. .3hy not?. he asked, surprised. .%. e heard ... uncomfortable things about that house,. % said, searching for the right words. .Dncomfortable? 3hat do you mean?. laughed !ack. .%t.ll probably be a bit cold and there.ll be a few rats maybe, but :enderson.s "rench cook is coming and he.s bringing lots of wine. %.m sure % won.t feel the cold.. .'o, !ack. % don.t think you >uite understand .... % began. % think he thought % was a bit cra;y. .3ell, % must go, or %.ll miss the train. -ee you after 7hristmas,. he said happily, not hearing my last words, and he was gone. 3hen % got home, my wife, my sister Bella, and my two children were all waiting for me to ha e tea. .%. e =ust seen !ack Darent, Bella,. % said. .Ah yes,. she answered, pretending not to be interested. .$nd where s he going for 7hristmas?. .Cou.ll be surprised when % tell you. :e.s going to Varley Grange.. .Varley Grange?. she said. .But that.s terribleE Did you try to stop him?. .Af course % did, but he didn.t understand.. -he did not wait to hear any more, but ran out of the room, crying. 1y wife was ery confused. -he was from <ondon, not 3esternshire, and she did not know the story of Varley Grange. .3hy is she crying?. she asked. .3hat is this place you.re talking about?. .3ell, my dear, do you belie e in ghosts?. % asked her. .Af course not,. she said, looking at the children, who were listening carefully. .3ait, let me take the children out..

3hen the children were playing happily in another room, % told her the story..Varley Grange is an old house in 3esternshire. %t belonged to the Varley family 6 all of them are dead now. The last two members of the family, Dennis Varley and his sister, li ed there a hundred years ago. The sister fell in lo e with a poor man and her brother didn.t want them to marry. To stop them, he locked her up. Ane night she and her lo er ran away, but her brother caught her and took her back to Varley Grange, where he killed her.. .:e murdered his own sister?. .Ces. $nd since that day, Dennis Varley.s ghost has walked around the house. 1any people ha e seen it. They say that if you also see the ghost of his sister, you will ha e ery bad luck or a serious illness, or perhaps you.ll e en die.. Af course, my wife did not belie e the story and we all forgot about it until a week later when % saw !ack again, sitting in a <ondon cafe. .3ell, !ack, how was the shooting?. % asked. "rom his white face % saw that all was not well. :e asked me to sit down. FF .% understand now what you were saying before % left <ondon,. he began. .%.m only sorry % didn.t listen to you.. .Did you see something?. % asked. .% saw e erything,. he whispered. .<et me tell you what happened. 3e all left <ondon together and had a good =ourney down to 3esternshire. 3e were all ery happy and that night we slept well. The ne&t day, we went shooting. %t was wonderful 6birds e erywhere. 3e shot about two hundred altogether, and :enderson.s "rench cook made us a wonderful dinner from them. $fter the food we all sat around drinking coffee, smoking and telling stories about shooting and fishing. -uddenly one of us # % can.t remember who it was # shouted and pointed up to the top of the stairs. 3e all looked round and there was a man looking down at us.. .:ow was he dressed?. % asked. .:e was wearing black clothes, but it was his face that % noticed most. %t was white and thin and he had a long beard and terrible eyes. :e looked like a dead man. $s we watched he went into my bedroom and e eryone ran to the stairs. 3e searched all the rooms but could find nothing. .3ell, none of us slept ery well that night, but the ne&t morning at breakfast, :enderson asked us not to talk about it any more. :e seemed >uite angry and did not want the ser ants to hear. 3e had another good day.s shooting and we all slept well that night. Two nights went by and nothing happened. Then, on the third night, we were sitting by the fire after dinner as before, when suddenly the room went cold. % knew it was there before % turned and saw it at the top of the stairs. E eryone went silent. Then one of the men picked up his gun and shot at it, but nothing happened. The thing =ust smiled and, once again, went into my bedroom. .The ne&t morning, four out of the eight of us decided to lea e immediately. -ome said they had important business in <ondon, others suddenly remembered that they had to see their families. $nyway, there were four of us left 6 3ells, :arford, :enderson and myself. %n the morning, we were all happy and laughing about the ghost and we decided that someone 4

from the illage was probably making fools of us. :enderson told us the story he heard from one of the illagers about Dennis Varley.s murder of his sister. %.m sure you know it, so % won.t tell you again.. .Ces, % do know it,. % said. .% also know that anyone who sees the ghosts of both Dennis and his sister will ha e terrible bad luck.. .'ot only that,. said !ack. .$nyone who sees the sister.s face will die within one year.. :is face turned whiter as he said this and he did not speak for a few minutes. Then he continued his story. .3ell, that night we felt far less bra e than in the morning. $t ele en o.clock we all waited in different places for the ghosts to come. % was at the top of the stairs with :arford opposite me. There was a storm outside and the wind made a sound like someone crying. $t midnight there was a scream from :enderson downstairs and :arford and % =umped up. 3e saw the dead man coming slowly up the stairs towards us. :enderson ran after it and, as the ghost passed us, we felt cold and terribly afraid. Then, suddenly, :arford held my arm and pointed. % turned and saw the ghost of the sister coming. -he wore a long, black and white dress and she had a big cross round her neck. % could not see her face, but % wanted to G# % don.t know why, % couldn.t stop myself. % went towards her and, as % did so, she looked up.. .Cou saw her face? 3hat was it like?. % asked. .% saw it,. he said,.but % can ne er describe it to anyone.. .3ell, what happened ne&t?. % asked. .% can.t remember. % think H fell. E erything =ust went black. % left the house the ne&t day. % know that %.ll die in a year and something terrible will happen to :arford. :e saw her too, but not her face. The others only saw the brother.. % decided not to tell my sister the terrible story, but soon things happened which e eryone heard about. Bob :arford.s wife ran away from him two days after they got married. :e has gone to li e in a wild part of 7anada and no one hears from him any more. $nd !ack Darent? ,oor, handsome !ack Darent died in -outh $frica about ele en months after % met him in the cafe that day. $nd my sister Bella? -he is still beautiful, but she always wears black and she always looks sad. The Ghost Detective %ark /emon, ,-00 3hen % first came to <ondon thirty years ago, % met a young man, !ames <o&ley, who worked in the wine business. The company he worked for sold wine to pubs and restaurants, and =ust after % met him he got a new =ob in the company with more money. Because of this he was able to get married and % went to his wedding. :is wife was a pretty girl with fair hair and blue eyes. %t was clear to e eryone that they lo ed each other.

They went to li e in a new house outside <ondon and % isited them often. A er the ne&t three years, they had two beautiful children and they were a ery happy family. They did not ha e much money and had only one ser ant, a rather stupid girl called -usan. Ane year they asked me to come to their home for 7hristmas dinner. 3e had a lo ely meal and then sat in their sitting6room, laughing and talking. %t was a small but comfortable room. %n the corner was a 7hristmas tree and on the wall was a painting of <o&ley s mother and father, who were both dead. <o&ley lo ed this painting. :e told me that it was =ust like his parents and he often felt that they were really in the room with him. $fter 7hristmas <o&ley came with me to isit my old uncle for a few days. :e seemed ery >uiet during the trip and % thought perhaps he wanted to be with his wife and children. 3hen the holiday was o er, we tra elled to <ondon together early in the morning to go to work. :e seemed worried during the =ourney but he did not say why. The ne&t day % could not belie e it when % heard that he was in prison for stealing money from his company. % immediately went to see him and on the way % remembered his >uietness o er the last few days. % also began to think about how e&pensi e it was with two children and how <o&ley probably needed money. But, no, it was impossible. % knew that he was an honest man. $t the prison % talked to him and this is the story he told me? .An December the 45th, 7hristmas E e, % went to one of my customers, !ohn @ogers, and asked him to pay his bill. :e is often late with payments and % wanted to get the money before the 7hristmas holiday. :e ga e me a che>ue and % immediately took it to the bank and cashed it, because in the past this customer has written a che>ue and then stopped it before we could get the cash. !t was too late to go to the office, so % decided to keep the money until after the holiday. % put it in my. pocket and went home. An the day we left my house to isit your uncle, % could not find the money and % became ery worried. % looked all o er the house, but it was nowhere. % was afraid to go back to work. 3hen % told my boss about it, he did not understand why % didn.t come to the office immediately when % couldn.t find the money. :e did not belie e my story and called me a thief.. $t that moment we heard someone crying and screaming outside the door. %t was <o&ley.s wife, 1artha. -he ran in, held her husband in her arms and cried and cried. %t was terrible to see. $fter some time the prison guard told us to lea e, and % took her home, still crying. -he became ill and her mother came to stay with her and the children. The ser ant, -usan, was also there. -he seemed to be a good girl and was always ready to help, but she seemed ery unhappy about the problem and sometimes cried more than 1artha. % isited the little house almost e ery day and, one day, % found 1artha ery e&cited. .3hat.s happened, 1artha?. % asked. .3ell, you probably won.t belie e this,. she said, .but last night % saw my husband.s ghost.. .But !ames isn.t dead,. % said,.he.s only in prison.. .% know, % know,. she said, .but listen to this. <ast night at midnight % was in the sitting6room # % couldn.t sleep as usual. % was sitting worrying about our problems. -uddenly % looked up and saw !ames come into the room without a sound. :e sat down o er there in his fa ourite chair and looked at the picture of his father for a few minutes without speaking. Then he stood up and looked at me with a face full of lo e and walked out of the room.. B

.,erhaps you were half asleep and dreamed it,. % said, but -he was sure about what happened and did not want to listen to me. -usan, the ser ant girl, was in the room with us and was listening to the con ersation, looking ery afraid. .Did you speak to the ghost, 1rs <o&ley? Did it say anything to you?. she asked. .'o, -usan. %. e told you e erything that happened,. said 1artha. % left the house that day feeling ery worried as 1artha was looking so white and tired. % thought about calling a doctor, but % decided to wait and see what happened. The ne&t day % isited them again and found 1artha e en more e&cited. .:e came again,. she almost shouted. .This time he stood in front of the painting of his father and pointed at it. Then he turned to me and held out his arms. % ran towards him, but he disappeared and % crashed into the wall. % think he means there is something behind the picture. ,lease, will you help me to take it down and look?. The painting was >uite high on the wall and % needed a ladder to reach it. % called -usan and asked her to bring one. .$ ladder?. she asked. .3hat for?. 3hen % e&plained about the painting % was surprised to see her face turn white. .There isn.t a ladder,. she said >uickly. .But %.m sure % saw one,. % said, .=ust outside the kitchen door. Ah well, my mistake. Don.t worry.. -usan didn.t lea e the room but watched as % stood on a chair and began to take the picture of <o&ley.s father down. -uddenly she screamed,.%t was me, 1rs <o&ley. % know why the ghost came. The money.s behind the picture. % hid it there.. -he began to cry and cry, and it was some time before she could tell the story. .%t was on 7hristmas E e,. she said. .1r <o&ley came home a bit late. % was behind him as he was walking upstairs, and he took his handkerchief out of his pocket. $s he did so, the money fell out. :e didn.t notice, but % did and % picked it up. %t was more money than %. e seen in my life, 1rs <o&ley, % couldn.t stop myself. Then % was frightened about someone finding it on me or in my room, so % hid it behind that picture. Ah, please 1rs <o&ley. Don.t send me to prison.. 3ell, as soon as -usan told her story to the police, !ames was a free man, and the family are now li ing happily in $ustralia. The Dream $oseph "heridan /e Fanu, ,-1%n the year (+8* % was working at the church in 7astleton, a small town in the south of England. Ane night a knock at the door woke me up. Autside was a poor little girl, crying loudly. $fter a few minutes, % understood that her father was ery ill, almost dying, and she wanted me to come to him. .Af course %.ll come,. % said. .3here do you li e? 3ho is your father?. -he did not

answer but began to cry more loudly. $gain % waited until she was calm, and then asked her the same >uestion. .1y father is ,at 7onnell,. she said, .and now %.m sure that you won.t come. % knew about ,at 7onnell. :e was a bad man, who often stole things, and he drank too much beer. % ne er saw him in church. :e was a bad man, but he was dying and % had to go to him, to say a few words to help him as he died. % put on my coat and followed the poor little girl through me cold, dark streets. 3e walked >uickly and our way took us to the worst part of the town. The streets were narrow, the houses were old and there was a terrible smell. The girl went through a small door and % followed her up the broken stairs to the top of the building. -he took me up to the bedroom where her father lay. :is wife and children were sitting round the bed watching worriedly. The doctor was also with him. % went closer to the man and looked at his face, which was blue from too much drink. :is lips were black and, from his breathing, % felt sure that death was not far away. .%s there any hope?. % asked the doctor. :e shook his head and listened to the man.s heart. .This man is dead,. he said, and turned away from the bed. The wife and children began to cry. % stood still, watching them, feeling sad that % was too late to help the dead man, too late to talk to him about God. -uddenly the wife screamed and pointed at the bed. % turned round >uickly and saw the body of the man sitting up in bed. "or a few seconds % could not mo e. % stood, confused, thinking of dead men and ghosts until % reali;ed that the man was ali e. The doctor ran to look at him and found blood running from a cut in the man.s body. .The blood coming out has made him better,. he said. .%. e ne er seen this before. :e.s ery lucky.. The doctor and the man.s wife made him comfortable, and % left, promising to return the ne&t day. % did go back the ne&t day and the day after, but the sick man was always sleeping. An the third day % returned and found him awake. $s % went in, he shouted, .Ah, thank you, thank you for coming. % want to talk to you.. % sat down ne&t to the bed and he began to talk. .%. e been a ery bad man, % know that,. he said. .%. e stolen, %. e drunk too much, %. e had a bad life, but % don.t want to go to hell.. :e began to cry and could not stop for some time. % ga e him a glass of water and he continued. .% must tell you what happened that night you came here. % know you.ll understand as a man of the church. % came in late after drinking a lot of beer. % went to bed but woke up a few hours later. % wanted to get some air but % didn.t want to wake the children by opening the window, so % started to go downstairs. $s it was ery dark % counted the stairs so that % did not fall at the bottom. 3ell, % got to the bottom of the first stairs, but suddenly the floor broke under me and % started to fall. .% fell and fell for a long time through the blackness and when % stopped % was at a big table. -itting at the table were lots of men. There was a smell of fire all around and the light was red. -uddenly, % reali;ed that % was in hell. % was dead. % opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. % tried to stand up. % wanted to run away, but the man sitting ne&t to me put his hand on my shoulder. F-it down, my friend. Cou can never lea e this place,F he said. :is oice was weak, like a child.s. Then at the end of the table the tallest of the men stood up. % felt 5

that he was able to control meI he seemed ery strong, and he had such a terrible face. :e pointed at me with his long, black finger. FCou can lea e now,F he said in a frightening oice, Fbut you must promise to come back in three months. time.F % shouted, F% promise to come back, but in God.s name let me go now.FThe ne&t thing % knew % was sitting up in bed and the doctor was there. Ah, please tell me, was it hell? Did % go to hell or was it =ust a terrible dream? % don.t want to go back.. % thought carefully, and then % said, .,at, %.m sure it was a dream, which you felt strongly because you were ill, but it is also a warning to you. Anly bad people go to hell. %f you li e a good life from now, if you stop drinking and stealing and come to church, you will not go back down there.. 3hen % left he was looking much happier. $ few days later, % isited the house again and found him much better. :e was mending the floor at the bottom of the first stairs. .This was where % went through. % =ust want to be safe,. he e&plained. "or se eral weeks ,at 7onnell was a different man. :e stopped drinking and stealing, he worked hard to look after his family, and he came to church e ery -unday. Ane day % met him in the street, coming home from work. 3e spoke a few words and when % left him he looked happy and well. But a few days later, he was dead. % went to see his wife and she told me what happened. .,at was doing so well. % was proud of the way he stopped drinking, but one night he met an old friend, =ust returned from the army. :e was so pleased to see him that, without thinking, he went into the pub with this friend. 3ell, of course, they started drinking, and one beer followed another. :is friends had to carry him home and we all put him in his bed. % stayed down here by the fire. % was feeling sad, thinking about all our problems. % think % fell asleep for a few minutes..3hen % woke up, % saw two people, one of them my husband, ,at, going silently out of the room. % called to him, F,at, where are you going?F but he didn.t answer me. The door closed. Then % heard a terrible crash from abo e. % ran up the first stairs and there was ,at. :e was dead # his back was broken. % think he was coming down from the bedroom when he fell at the bottom of the first stairs, you know, the place he was mending when you came to isit.. % remembered the place well. The place which, in ,at.s dream, was the entrance to hell. The place where he knew he had to go back. The Man with Two Shadows 2from The -hadow of a -hade, Tom &ood, ,-034 1y sister <ettie had li ed with me e er since % got married. -he is my wife.s best friend and my children all lo e her, but her face is always sad. 1any men ha e asked her to marry them but she has always said no, since she lost her first real lo e. George 1ason was my wife.s cousin, a sailor. :e and <ettie met at our wedding and fell in lo e immediately. George was a bra e man, who lo ed the sea, and % was not surprised when he decided to tra el to the $rctic on a ship called the 'ioneer. <ettie was afraid when he told her, but she could not stop him. % knew that she was worried because, for the first time in her life, she began to look sad sometimes.

1y younger brother :arry liked painting, so he decided to paint a picture of George before he left. %t was >uite a good picture. % thought the face was too white but <ettie was ery pleased with it and she put it on the wall in our sitting6room. Before the ship sailed, George met the ship.s doctor, a -cotsman called Vincent Grie e. :e brought him to dinner with us and % disliked him immediately. :e was a tall, thin man with fair hair and cold, grey eyes. :is face looked hard and % felt sure that he was not honest. :e sat too close to <ettie and seemed more like her lo er than George. $t first George did not notice, but <ettie did and she was unhappy about it. The strangest thing was when he saw the picture of George on the wall. :e sat down opposite it, but stood up as soon as he saw it. .%.m sorry,. he said, .but % cannot look at that picture.. .3ell, % know it.s not ery good .... % began. .%t.s not that it.s either good or bad. % know nothing about painting,. he said. .%t.s the eyes ... they seem to follow me e erywhere.. % thought that perhaps he =ust wanted to mo e closer to <ettie, but when % saw his face, he looked really >uite frightened. $t the end of the e ening % >uietly asked George about Vincent Grie e. .Do you want to bring him to dinner again?. % whispered. .'o,. he answered. .:e.s a good friend on the ship, but % don.t like the way he is with ladies.. 3e were all surprised when Vincent came again the ne&t day. :e brought a note for <ettie from George and after that he came almost e ery day. George was busier than him and did not ha e so much time to see <ettie. An the last day before the ship sailed, Vincent said to <ettie, .%f anything happens to George, % wiD still lo e you and you can marry me.. <ettie was ery angry and told him to lea e the house at once. -he did not tell George about it because she wanted him to lea e happily. The time came for George and <ettie to say goodbye and, when he left, <ettie cried for hours. % went in and put my arm around her. $s % looked up, % noticed the picture of George on the wall. The face looked ery, ery white and % thought there was water on it. ,erhaps it.s =ust the light, % thought to myself and tried to forget about it. The 'ioneer sailed. George sent two letters, and then a year passed before we heard anything. 3e once read about the ship in the newspaper, but that was all. -pring6time came, and one beautiful warm e ening we were all at home. The children were playing outside and :arry was watching them from the window. -uddenly the room felt ery cold. <ettie looked up. .:ow strange,. she said. .Do you feel how cold it is?. .!ust like the weather in the $rctic,. % said. $s % spoke, % looked at the picture on the wall and what % saw made me terribly afraid. :is face suddenly looked like a dead man.s, with no eyes. 3ithout thinking, % said .,oor George.. .3hat do you mean?. asked <ettie, looking frightened. .:a e you heard something about George?. .'o, no,. % said >uickly. .% was =ust thinking about the cold weather where he is.. $t this moment, :arry put his head back into the room. .7old?. he said. .3ho.s cold?. .Did you not feel cold =ust then?. asked <ettie. .3e both 8

did.. .'ot at all,. he said happily. .:ow can you feel cold on a beautiful spring e ening like this?. % followed him out of the room. .:arry,. % said, .what.s the date today?. .%t.s Tuesday, "ebruary the 4Brd. <ook, here.s the newspaper.. % told him about the change in the picture and the cold feeling and asked him to write it down. % was sure that George was in some kind of trouble and % wanted to remember e erything about that e ening. <ater <ettie went to bed with a terrible cold and was ill all through the night. 1y wife was angry with me for sitting with the windows open and making my sister ill. Early the ne&t morning there was a knock at the door. %t was :arry, looking white and frightened. % knew immediately why he was there. .:a e you seen the newspaper?. he asked. An the front page was the news that George was dead. Ane sentence from the newspaper stayed in my mind? .<ieutenant George 1ason was out shooting with the ship.s doctor, Vincent Grie e, when he died.. 3hen % told my wife about George, she began to cry. .:ow can we tell poor <ettie?. she said. .-sssshh,. said :arry, but it was too late. <ettie was at the door and we had to tell her e erything. -he fell to the floor, her face as white as paper. 3e called the doctor immediately, but she was ill for many months. $bout two months later, % read about the arri al of the 'ioneer, George.s ship, in Britain. % did not tell <ettie about it as she was only =ust getting better. $ day or two after this there was a knock at the door and, as % got up to open it, % noticed George.s picture once again. This time, to my surprise, he held one finger up and seemed to be warning me. % looked harder at George.s face and was almost sure that % could see blood on it. % walked closer and saw that the warning finger was really a small moth, sitting on the picture. % picked up the sleepy moth and put it under a wineglass. $s % did this, the ser ant came in and said, Dr Vincent Grie e is here to see you, sir.. $s the doctor came in, % saw his face turn white. .,lease, co er that picture of George,. he said. .%t is e en harder for me to look at it now that he is dead.. % co ered the picture and Grie e sat down. :e looked ery thin and white and, again, % felt a strong dislike for him. % asked him about the day George died and he told me the story. .3e were out shooting on the ice,. he said. .%t was not easy to walk. -uddenly, George fell. % tried to catch him ... % threw my coat for him ... % wanted to pull him up, but it was impossible. :e fell into the ice6cold sea and slowly his head went under. :is last words were F-ay goodbye to herF.. $s he finished his story, Grie e looked up. :e screamed loudly and =umped up, pointing behind me. % looked round. The picture was unco ered again and George.s white face looked down on us. % co ered it again and Grie e seemed to feel better. .%.m so sorry,. he said,.%. e been ill.. :e stood up..%.m sorry,. he said again. Then he noticed the little white moth, which was still under the wineglass. .:as someone else from the

'ioneer been here?. he asked. .'o,. % answered. .Cou are the first.. .Then how did this moth get here? %t only li es in the $rctic. That.s ery strange .. .3ell, look after it. %t.s ery unusual.. :e left a few minutes later and :arry and % watched him walk down the street. .There.s something % don.t like about that man,. % said. Cou.re right,. :arry said. .Do you know he has two shadows? There.s someone or something always standing at his side. That e&plains why he.s always so frightened.. 3e decided not to tell <ettie about his isit. Two days later, % arri ed home and found my sister ery angry. Grie e came here today and asked me to marry him. :e said that George wanted it. % couldn.t belie e it. 3e were in the sitting6room and he was standing by the wall. $s he was speaking, there was a sound of something breaking, and George.s picture fell on his head and cut it open. 3e had to carry him upstairs and call the doctor.. % went angrily upstairs but, when % saw Grie e, it was clear that he could understand nothing. 3e could not mo e him and a nurse came to stay with him during the night. $t about midnight, the nurse felt something was wrong in the room. -he saw his two shadows on the wall and, frightened, went to get <ettie to sit with her. $s soon as my sister came into the room, Grie e sat up and started to talk. .% could not stop myselfJ he said. .% hit you with my gun because % lo ed her and now she.ll ne er forgi e me. % murdered you, George, because % lo ed her. Don.t you see? 7an.t you understand? ,lease, please lea e me alone..$s he shouted the last words, he got out of bed and walked backwards slowly, all the time looking at something following him, his eyes wide and afraid. :e came to the window and suddenly seemed to decide something. Very >uickly, he turned round, and <ettie could not stop him. Two days later, the police found his body in the ri er. 'ow the picture of George is always co ered. %t has not changed again. Anly <ettie s face has changed 6 she ne er laughs or smiles now. The Ghost in the Bank of England nonymous, ,-.3 1 1any stories end with a wedding. 1ine begins with one. The day that % married $nnie Burdon was one of the happiest of my life. E eryone said we were cra;y. 3e had no money and % was a young doctor with no =ob, but we lo ed each other. $fter the wedding we were ery poor and % could not find a =ob. % tried e erywhere until, one day, % found a =ob as a doctor on a ship, sailing to !amaica. % did not want to lea e $nnie, but % was not able to choose # % had to get some money. The name of the ship was the #arien and my boss was 1r !ulius 1ende;, a small man of about fifty years old. 'obody liked him and, after one day at sea, % began to feel the same. :e thought about one thing only 6 his health. :e came to see me two or three times a 9

day, worried about his heart, his stomach, his head or some other part of his body. 3hen we arri ed at Kingston in !amaica, 1r 1ende; came to see me and said,.%.m not sure if you will belie e this, but % am in danger of dying before the end of my fifty6se enth year. % will be fifty6eight on -eptember the (*th, and after midnight on that day % will be safe and able to li e a long life. % cannot e&plain why or how % know this, but belie e me it is true. % am frightened of dying and % don.t like the doctors here. ,lease will you stay with me as my doctor and look after me? % will pay you well and after midnight on -eptember the (*th you will be free to lea e.. $t the end of the first month he paid me L8*, which % immediately sent to $nnie. The second month seemed ery long. % was with 1r 1ende; all day and all night because he was so worried, but he was healthy all the time. $t last -eptember the (*th came and 1r 1ende; did not die. :e thanked me and ga e me my money, which % sent to $nnie. 1y plan was to lea e !amaica on the #amn, but % became ill and it was a long time before % could start my =ourney home. 2 % looked like a ghost when % arri ed home many months later. $nnie was li ing with her brother and all the family thought % was dead. % was so happy when % saw my family again, but soon % started to worry. % still had no =ob and % was weak after my illness in !amaica. % looked for a =ob in an office 6 anything for money # but it was still impossible. % found nothing. Ane day % was looking for a pen on $nnies desk, when % noticed a letter from !amaica. .Ah, yes. % forgot all about that letter,. said $nnie, .it arri ed while you were away. % opened it and found a letter from !ulius 1ende;. The letter said. "eptember the ,5th, ,-15 #ear 6ilson, 7ou probably thought it was strange that I did not really thank you for your work. I am sending you this che8ue, which I hope will help you. 7ours faithfully, $ulius %ende9 3ith the letter was a che>ue for L(,***E $t first % thought % was dreaming. $ll these months we were poor and worried about money and the che>ue was sitting on $nnie.s desk. 3e were so happy. % immediately wrote a letter of thanks to 1r 1ende; and then decided to go to <ondon the ne&t day to cash the che>ue. % had to take it to the Bank of England. An the =ourney % met 1r Deacon, one of our neighbours. .3here are you going, young 3ilson?. he asked. .% ha e to go to the Bank of England,. % answered. .$h,. he said, smiling, .do you know % worked there as a cashier for twenty years. % still remember my desk ... it was a lucky one. % ha en.t been back there for forty years.. .$ lucky desk?. % asked, surprised. .Ah, yes,. he said, .e eryone in the bank knew that some desks were lucky and some were unlucky. 1en who sat in some desks did ery well and got better =obs, others ... well

. . . % can tell you about one unlucky desk as an e&ample. $ young man called "red :awes sat there. :e was a good6looking, happy young man and he had a beautiful sister, 'ancy who lo ed her brother ery much. -he worked hard to make more money for the family and she always looked after "red. $ll the cashiers were in lo e with her and many young men, including myself, asked her to marry them, but she always said no. There was one young man, %saac $yscough, who was a close friend of "red.s. 'ancy was frightened of him. -he knew %saac lo ed her but she only felt afraid of him and was always worried about "red spending time with him. Ane day there was a problem at the bank. -ome money disappeared and %saac said that "red was the thief. "red went to prison and died there. Af course, his sister was ery unhappy and became a little 6 well, odd. -he came to the bank e ery day after "red died and she always asked the same >uestion, F%s my brother, 1r "rederick, here today?F and one of us always answered, F'o, miss, not today.F Then she always said, FGi e my lo e to him when he returns and say %.ll call tomorrow.F Ane day she didn.t come and we heard that she was dead.. .$nd what about %saac $yscough?. % asked. .3ell,. continued 1r Deacon, .after "red.s death, they mo ed him from a lucky desk to "red.s old, unlucky one. :e came to work e ery day at the same time and left at the same time. :e ne er spoke to anyone. :e ne er married, but li ed alone in a small room. :e died suddenly at the age of fifty. 'ow they say that his ghost always comes to the bank when someone cashes the che>ue of a dead man. 1any people ha e seen it.. $s 1r Deacon finished his story, our =ourney ended and we said goodbye. 3 -oon % was walking in the busy streets of <ondon. 3hen % came to the Bank of England, % took the che>ue from my pocket and looked at it again. % wanted to be sure it was real. % went into the bank and at first % felt confused. There were so many desks with cashiers behind them 6 % did not know which one to go to. Then % noticed one of the cashiers looking at me. :e was older than the other cashiers and was standing behind them. :is clothes looked odd, perhaps from some years ago, and his face looked strange # thin and white, like a dead man.s. :e had a red scar on his face in the shape of a letter C. The other cashiers were busy, so % ga e him my che>ue. % took the L(,*** banknote from him and left the bank >uickly, feeling uneasy. But % returned home a rich man. 4 E erything was wonderful for a year. % found a =ob and we li ed well. % en=oyed my work as a doctor. Then one day % was surprised to find a man from the Bank of England and a policeman at my house. They asked lots of >uestions about my che>ue and the L(,*** banknote. % answered them all and they left, but the ne&t day they returned. They said that my L(,*** banknote was not real, and that night % found myself in prison. % could not belie e it. :ow could the note not be real? The police asked me the same >uestions again, and again % ga e the same answers. They asked me about the che>ue from 1r 1ende;. .3hat was the date on the che>ue, 1r 3ilson?. asked the detecti e. +

.%t was the same date as the letter, -eptember the (4th,. % answered. .<ook, here it is.. .% think you wrote the letter and the che>ue, 1r 3ilson. Do you know why? 3e ha e heard from the police in !amaica that 1r 1ende; died on -eptember the ((th. 'ow how do you think he wrote a letter and a che>ue to you on the (4th? :e was already dead. Cou say that you cashed the che>ue at the Bank of England. The banknote is not a real one # how do you e&plain that? The number on it is not from the Bank of England. ,erhaps you made it yourself?. % was so confused % could not speak. :ow did 1r 1ende; die on -eptember the ( lth? That was the day after % left him and the day before he wrote my che>ue. %t was impossible. $ll % knew was that % was not cra;y and % was not a criminal. .Take me to the Bank of England,. % said, .and % will show you the cashier who took my che>ue and ga e me the L(,*** banknote.. 5 1r Deacon, the man who tra elled with me to <ondon that day and told me the ghost story, heard about my troubles. :e liked me and felt sorry for me, so he came to isit me in prison. .%.ll come with you and the detecti e to the bank, tomorrow,. he said. .,erhaps %.ll be able to help.. 3e arri ed at the bank early the ne&t day. The detecti e told me to look carefully at all the cashiers. Af course, % could not see the strange older man in his odd clothes anywhere. .:e.s not here,. % said >uietly. .% knew it # a waste of time,. said the detecti e angrily. .Af course he.s not here.. 1r Deacon stopped him. .3ait,. he said, .can you describe the cashier?. % told them about the man.s strange, old clothes, his thin, white face and the red scar in the shape of a letter C. .:e didn.t look ali e,. % said, .he looked more like a dead man.. .That.s because he was dead,. said 1r Deacon. .Cou saw the ghost of %saac $yscough. Do you remember the story % told you that day? Do you know that his ghost always comes when the che>ue of a dead man is cashed? $sk any banker,. he said, turning to the detecti e. .$sk anyone at the Bank of England or any bank in the country. They all know the story of the ghost in the Bank of England.. The police asked hundreds of >uestions that day and they heard the same story from e eryone in the bank. "inally, they had to belie e it and in the e ening % was a free man. The Italian's Story !atherine !rowe, ,-:3 This is the story of my family, the "erraldis. %t is a ery old %talian family and my story begins in (88*, in "lorence, which was an important business centre at that time. !acopo "erraldi was a ery rich man. :e kept all his money under the floor in his house and was only happy when he was counting it. :e was always afraid of thie es and so he had no friends and only two ser ants. Ane day he found that L4,*** was missing. To him this was not a lot of money but he was ery angry and told his ser ants to lea e.

'ot long after this, a letter arri ed from his sister, who li ed in England. %n the letter she said that her husband was dead and that her son, $rthur $llen, was coming to "lorence to try to make some money for the family, who were now ery poor. !acopo was angry. :e did not want his nephew to come, but when the young man arri ed his anger changed to happiness. The young man had L4,*** with him and !acopo decided to steal it. That night, while they were ha ing dinner, !acopo murdered his nephew and hid his body under the floor. :e counted the money happily, but the ne&t night, when he sat down to dinner, !acopo saw the ghost of his nephew in the chair opposite him. This happened e ery night at dinner6time and he started to feel more and more uncomfortable. :e decided that the only way to stop the ghost coming was to tra el to England and pay back the L4,*** to his sister. Af course, he could not lea e the rest of his money at home, so he put it all into big bo&es and took it with him. $fter weeks of tra elling, !acopo arri ed at his sister.s house in England. Two ser ants carried his bo&es into the house and from their hea iness they guessed that the bo&es were full of money. !acopo ga e L4,*** to his sister, but of course he told her nothing about her son.s death. .%.m afraid he ne er arri ed in "lorence,. he said. :e did not see the ghost again, but his ne&t worry was his money. :e was sure that the ser ants were planning to steal it. :e was right. That night they came to !acopo.s room, murdered him and took the bo&es. The ne&t morning, a neighbour found the empty bo&es at the side of the road. The police searched the ser ants. rooms, but they found nothing. They >uestioned the ser ants, but it seemed that they really had no idea about the money. %t was gone. Two hundred and fifty years later, %, "rancesco "erraldi, was born in the house of !acopo "erraldi in "lorence. $s % grew up, % felt that it was an unhappy house, and when % was older, my parents told me the story of the murder of $rthur $llen. They were ery ashamed of !acopo "erraldi and no one in the family e er said his name. E ery time % went into the room where !acopo killed his nephew and hid his body, % was sure % could hear strange cries and screams. $ few years later, because my family was poor, % tra elled to England to try to make some money. % was a good singer, so % went to all the rich people.s houses in <ondon and sang at parties for money. $t one of these parties, a kind old man, 1r Greathead, heard me and asked me to stay at his house in the country for the summer. .% would like you to sing at all my parties and to gi e lessons to my daughters,. he said. % was ery happy to agree. 3hen % arri ed 1r Greathead showed me round the house and garden. 3hen we came to the flower garden, % was surprised to see a small part of it co ered in %talian flowers. .:ow do they grow here?. % asked. .%. e ne er seen them outside %taly. .% think the ground is ery rich here,. said 1r Greathead. .But, funnily enough, my wife and % ha e a disagreement about this part of the garden. % would like to make the house bigger by building here, but my wife won.t agree. -he says she saw the ghost here once.. That night at dinner % asked 1rs Greathead about the ghost in the flower garden. .% really did see someone or something there,. she said. .%t was an old man. :e was ery thin and he was holding a pencil and paper. :e was walking up and down between those %talian flowers and the tree. % got the idea that he was looking for something. % ran into the house but, of course, when my husband came out he could see no one. -ome of the ser ants ha e seen him, they )

say, and the gardener says that, when he works in that part of the garden, the old man always appears. %. e also heard stories of a murder here many years ago.. 1r Greathead did not belie e his wife.s story and a few weeks later work began on that part of the garden. Ane of the men found an old coin and ga e it to 1r Greathead, who showed it to me in great e&citement. .<ook,. he said. .%t.s in %talian, isn.t it? $nd look at the date 6(858. :ow strange.. The workmen found many more coins that day, and at dinner 1rs Greathead was ery e&cited. .Cou see,. she said to her husband, .now you must belie e me. $ll that money belonged to the old man % saw. ,erhaps he hid it under the ground and then someone murdered him. 'ow his ghost is looking for the money. % began to think about !acopo "erraldi. 7ould it be? % thought. But no, it was impossible. $fter dinner we had coffee in the library and % told the Greatheads my old family story about !acopo and the murder of his nephew. $s we talked % noticed something like a map, hanging on the wall. .This looks ery old,. % said. .$nd ... how strange ... some of the words are in %talian.. $s % looked closer % saw that it was in fact a map of the garden. % could see the flower garden and between the %talian flowers and the tree there was a cross. 1r Greathead came to look too. .Ces,. he said, .we think the gardens were designed by an %talian ... but what.s wrong?. % was looking at the back of the map, where % saw the words .!acopo "erraldi. and the date .(88*..Then % was sure. % was in the same house that the old murderer, !acopo "erraldi, came to all those years ago. The cross on the map showed the place where all his money was under the ground. % belie e that he guessed the ser ants were planning to rob him, so he hid the money in the garden to keep it safe. :is ghost has walked there e er since, guarding our family.s money. The Greatheads were ery surprised and pleased, especially 1rs Greathead, who lo ed to be right. They were ery happy to gi e all the old 7oins to me, which % sold for enough money to make me a ery rich man.