
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
A respectable physician orders a frail narrator to move to a seaside house for health, and he brings his wife, three children, and a staff to a newly‑fitted, bright home overlooking the ocean. The introduction frames the tale as a rigorously witnessed account, with the editor of a university magazine vouching for the credibility of the many witnesses. The narrator describes the house’s cheerful rooms, well‑tended gardens, and the promise of fresh sea air that should have eased his ailments.
Yet the first night shatters that calm. A sudden, blood‑curdling scream awakens the family, and the narrator’s wife confronts a towering, translucent figure standing at the foot of her bed. The description of the apparition is stark and vague—only a dark outline in the dim light—leaving the household rattled and the reader poised on the edge of the unknown. Le Fanu’s careful, almost legalistic narration invites listeners to wonder whether the house is haunted or merely the mind of an invalid seeking relief.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (83K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2004-03-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1814–1873
A master of eerie suspense, this Irish writer helped shape the ghost story and Gothic mystery for generations of readers. Best known for unsettling classics like Uncle Silas and Carmilla, his work still feels shadowy, clever, and deeply atmospheric.
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by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu