Told After Supper

On a cold, muddy Christmas Eve, a modest narrator gathers friends around the fire after supper to share a series of ghostly anecdotes. He treats the tradition with tongue‑in‑cheek reverence, describing the annual parade of specters that haunt the night, from swaggering barons to modest middle‑class phantoms. The opening sets a whimsical tone, mixing gentle dread with the narrator’s self‑aware commentary on proper, respectable storytelling.

The collection unfolds through several short tales—a faithful ghost who refuses to abandon its charge, a haunted mill that threatens ruin, a blue‑chamber mystery, and even a doctor’s own eerie confession—each introduced with a witty interlude. Jerome’s prose balances Victorian gothic atmosphere with a light, conversational humor that invites listeners to smile as much as shiver. It’s an entertaining romp through classic ghost‑story conventions, perfect for an evening when the wind is howling and the fire crackles.