
1. MISS BLAKE—FROM MEMORY
2. THE CORONER'S INQUEST
3. OUR LAST TENANT
4. MYSELF AND MISS BLAKE
5. THE TRIAL
6. WE AGREE TO COMPROMISE
7. MY OWN STORY
8. MY FIRST NIGHT AT RIVER HALL
9. A TEMPORARY PEACE
10. THE WATCHER IS WATCHED
A solicitor at a bustling London firm narrates his long‑standing battle with a curious property known simply as the Uninhabited House. Though the building is praised as an ideal family home, it seems to haunt the offices of Craven and Son, bringing endless disputes over tenants and rent. The case centers on Miss Blake, a diligent guardian of her niece Helena Elmsdale’s modest inheritance, who turns to the firm for help keeping the house occupied.
The lawyer’s patience is tested as each prospective tenant brings new complaints, and the firm’s senior partner, Mr. Craven, repeatedly steps in with personal advances to keep the accounts balanced. Beneath the legal paperwork lies a quietly moving portrait of duty, compassion, and the strange way a building can shape the lives of those who manage it. Listeners will be drawn into the gentle humor and subtle tension of a case that feels less like a courtroom drama and more like a domestic mystery.
Language
en
Duration
~4 hours (283K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Suzanne Shell, Martin Agren, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. HTML version by Al Haines.
Release date
Aug 1, 2005
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1832–1906
Known as the “Novelist of the City,” Charlotte Riddell brought Victorian London’s business world, social pressures, and uncanny mysteries vividly to life. Writing as Mrs. J. H. Riddell, she became a popular and prolific author whose work also helped shape the Victorian ghost story.
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