The Ghost Story Megapack Read online

  Table of Contents

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  AT CHRIGHTON ABBEY, by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

  THE HAUNTED MILL, by Jerome K. Jerome

  THE LOST GHOST, by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

  THE GHOST CLUB, by John Kendrick Bangs

  THE SHADOWS OF THE DEAD, by Louis Becke

  THE ROOM IN THE TOWER, by E. F. Benson

  THE HAUNTED AND THE HAUNTERS, by Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton

  THE MIDDLE BEDROOM, by H. de Vere Stacpoole

  THE DRUMMER GHOST, by John William DeForest

  MISS JÉROMETTE AND THE CLERGYMAN, by Wilkie Collins

  THE SPECTRE BRIDE, by William Harrison Ainsworth

  THE TAPESTRIED CHAMBER; or, The Lady in the Square, by Sir Walter Scott

  THE OLD NURSE’S STORY, by Elizabeth Gaskell

  THE JUDGE’S HOUSE, by Bram Stoker

  AT THE END OF THE PASSAGE, by Rudyard Kipling

  THE WITHERED ARM, by Thomas Hardy

  JOHN CHARRINGTON’S WEDDING, by Edith Nesbit

  THE MAN OF SCIENCE, by Jerome K. Jerome

  WHAT DID MISS DARRINGTON SEE? by Emma B. Cobb

  A GHOST STORY, by Mark Twain

  THE SOUL OF ROSE DÉDÉ, by M.E.M. Davis

  THE HOUSE OF THE NIGHTMARE, by Edward Lucas White

  REALITY OR DELUSION? by Mrs Henry Wood

  FISHER’S GHOST, by John Lang

  THROUGH THE IVORY GATE, by Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews

  THE COLD EMBRACE, by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  The Ghost Story Megapack is copyright © 2011 by Wildside Press LLC. All rights reserved. For more information, contact the publisher.

  [Version 1.3]

  * * * *

  “At Chrighton Abbey, by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, originally appeared in 1871.

  “The Haunted Mill,” by Jerome K. Jerome, originally appeared in 1891.

  “The Lost Ghost,” by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, originally appeared in 1903.

  “The Ghost Club,” by John Kendrick Bangs, originally appeared in 1894.

  “The Shadows of the Dead,” by Louis Becke originally appeared in 1897.

  “The Room in the Tower,” by E. F. Benson, originally appeared in 1912.

  “The Haunted and the Haunters,” by Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton, originally appeared in 1959.

  “The Drummer Ghost,” by John William DeForest originally appeared in 1870.

  “Miss Jéromette and the Clergyman, by Wilkie Collins originally appeared in 1875.

  “The Spectre Bride,” By William Harrison Ainsworth, originally appeared in 1822.

  “The Tapestried Chamber; or, The Lady in the Square,” by Sir Walter Scott, originally appeared in 1829.

  “The Old Nurse’s Story,” by Elizabeth Gaskell, originally appeared in 1852.

  “The Judge’s House,” by Bram Stoker, originally appeared in 1891.

  “At the End of the Passage,” by Rudyard Kipling,” originally appeared in 1891.

  “The Withered Arm,” by Thomas Hardy, originally appeared in 1888.

  “John Charrington’s Wedding,” by Edith Nesbit, originally appeared in 1891.

  “The Man of Science,” by Jerome K. Jerome, originally appeared in 1892.

  “What Did Miss Darrington See?” by Emma B. Cobb originally appeared in 1870.

  “A Ghost Story,” by Mark Twain, originally appeared in 1903.

  “The Soul of Rose Dédé,” by M.E.M. Davis, originally appeared in 1888.

  “The House of the Nightmare,” by Edward Lucas White, originally appeared in 1906.

  “Reality or Delusion?” by Mrs Henry Wood, originally appeared in 1868.

  “Fisher’s Ghost,” by John Lang, originally appeared in 1859.

  “Through the Ivory Gate,” by Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews, originally appeared in 1905.

  “The Cold Embrace,” by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, originally appeared in 1860.

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  THE GHOST STORY MEGAPACK

  Yes, this megapack actually has 26 stories instead of 25. We really can count!

  We had planned to include only 25 tales in The Ghost Story Megapack, but since the E.F. Benson story is also in The E.F. Benson Megapack, we’ll include it here without counting it. So enjoy an extra story on us…and if you like it, pick up The E.F. Benson Megapack, which has 36 stories by one of the masters of the supernatural genre!

  —John Betancourt

  Publisher, Wildside Press LLC

  www.wildsidepress.com

  ABOUT THE MEGAPACKS

  Over the last few years, our “Megapack” series of ebook anthologies has proved to be one of our most popular endeavors. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”

  The Megapacks (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt, Mary Wickizer Burgess, Sam Cooper, Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, Robert Reginald. A. E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!).

  A NOTE FOR KINDLE READERS

  The Kindle versions of our Megapacks employ active tables of contents for easy navigation…please look for one before writing reviews on Amazon that complain about the lack! (They are sometimes at the ends of ebooks, depending on your reader.)

  RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?

  Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the Megapack series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).

  Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.

  TYPOS

  Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.

  If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at [email protected] or use the message boards above.

  THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  MYSTERY

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The Charlie Chan Megapack*

  The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack

  The Detective Megapack

  The Father Brown Megapack

  The Girl Detective Megapack

  The First R. Austin Freeman Megapack

  The Second R. Austin Freeman Megapack*

  The Third R. Austin Freeman Megapack*

  The Jacques Futrelle Megapack

  The Anna Katharine Green Mystery Megapack

  The First Mystery Megapack

  The Second Mystery Megapack

  The Penny Parker Megapack

  The Philo Vance Megapack*

  The Pulp Fiction Megapack

  The Raffles Megapack

  The Sherlock Holmes Megapack

  The Victorian Mystery Megapack

  The Wilkie Collins Megapack

  GENERAL INTEREST

  The Adventure Megapack

  The Baseball Megapack


  The Cat Story Megapack

  The Second Cat Story Megapack

  The Third Cat Story Megapack

  The Third Cat Story Megapack

  The Christmas Megapack

  The Second Christmas Megapack

  The Classic American Short Stories Megapack, Vol. 1.

  The Classic Humor Megapack

  The Dog Story Megapack

  The Doll Story Megapack

  The Horse Story Megapack

  The Military Megapack

  The Sea-Story Megapack

  SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

  The Edward Bellamy Megapack

  The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack

  The Fredric Brown Megapack

  The Ray Cummings Megapack

  The Philip K. Dick Megapack

  The Dragon Megapack

  The Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Second Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Edmond Hamilton Megapack

  The C.J. Henderson Megapack

  The Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Second Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Martian Megapack

  The E. Nesbit Megapack

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The H. Beam Piper Megapack

  The Pulp Fiction Megapack

  The Mack Reynolds Megapack

  The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack

  The Science-Fantasy Megapack

  The First Science Fiction Megapack

  The Second Science Fiction Megapack

  The Third Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fifth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Sixth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Seventh Science Fiction Megapack

  The Eighth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Robert Sheckley Megapack

  The Steampunk Megapack

  The Time Travel Megapack

  The Wizard of Oz Megapack

  HORROR

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The Second Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Second E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Algernon Blackwood Megapack

  The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack

  The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack

  The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack

  The Ghost Story Megapack

  The Second Ghost Story Megapack

  The Third Ghost Story Megapack

  The Haunts & Horrors Megapack

  The Horror Megapack

  The Lon Williams Weird Western Megapack

  The M.R. James Megapack

  The Macabre Megapack

  The Second Macabre Megapack

  The Third Macabre Megapack

  The Arthur Machen Megapack**

  The Mummy Megapack

  The Occult Detective Megapack

  The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack

  The Vampire Megapack

  The Weird Fiction Megapack

  The Werewolf Megapack

  WESTERNS

  The B.M. Bower Megapack

  The Max Brand Megapack

  The Buffalo Bill Megapack

  The Cowboy Megapack

  The Zane Grey Megapack

  The Lon Williams Weird Western Megapack

  The Western Megapack

  The Second Western Megapack

  YOUNG ADULT

  The Boys’ Adventure Megapack

  The Dan Carter, Cub Scout Megapack

  The Dare Boys Megapack

  The Doll Story Megapack

  The G.A. Henty Megapack

  The Girl Detectives Megapack

  The E. Nesbit Megapack

  The Penny Parker Megapack

  The Pinocchio Megapack

  The Rover Boys Megapack

  The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Megapack

  The Tom Swift Megapack

  The Wizard of Oz Megapack

  AUTHOR MEGAPACKS

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The H. Bedford-Jones Pulp Fiction Megapack

  The Edward Bellamy Megapack

  The B.M. Bower Megapack

  The E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Second E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Megapack

  The Algernon Blackwood Megapack

  The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack

  The Max Brand Megapack

  The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack

  The Fredric Brown Megapack

  The Second Fredric Brown Megapack

  The Wilkie Collins Megapack

  The Ray Cummings Megapack

  The Guy de Maupassant Megapack

  The Philip K. Dick Megapack

  The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack

  The F. Scott Fitzgerald Megapack

  The First R. Austin Freeman Megapack

  The Second R. Austin Freeman Megapack*

  The Third R. Austin Freeman Megapack*

  The Jacques Futrelle Megapack

  The Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Second Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Anna Katharine Green Megapack

  The Zane Grey Megapack

  The Edmond Hamilton Megapack

  The Dashiell Hammett Megapack

  The C.J. Henderson Megapack

  The M.R. James Megapack

  The Selma Lagerlof Megapack

  The Murray Leinster Megapack***

  The Second Murray Leinster Megapack***

  The Jonas Lie Megapack

  The Arthur Machen Megapack**

  The George Barr McCutcheon Megapack

  The Talbot Mundy Megapack

  The E. Nesbit Megapack

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The H. Beam Piper Megapack

  The Mack Reynolds Megapack

  The Rafael Sabatini Megapack

  The Saki Megapack

  The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack

  The Robert Sheckley Megapack

  The Bram Stoker Megapack

  The Lon Williams Weird Western Megapack

  The Virginia Woolf Megapack

  * Not available in the United States

  ** Not available in the European Union

  ***Out of print.

  OTHER COLLECTIONS YOU MAY ENJOY

  The Great Book of Wonder, by Lord Dunsany (it should have been called “The Lord Dunsany Megapack”)

  The Wildside Book of Fantasy

  The Wildside Book of Science Fiction

  Yondering: The First Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  To the Stars—And Beyond! The Second Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  Once Upon a Future: The Third Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  Whodunit?—The First Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories

  More Whodunits—The Second Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories

  X is for Xmas: Christmas Mysteries

  AT CHRIGHTON ABBEY, by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

  The Chrightons were very great people in that part of the country where my childhood and youth were spent. To speak of Squire Chrighton was to speak of a power in that remote western region of England. Chrighton Abbey had belonged to the family ever since the reign of Stephen, and there was a curious old wing and a cloistered quadrangle still remaining of the original edifice, and in excellent preservation. The rooms at this end of the hous
e were low, and somewhat darksome and gloomy, it is true; but, though rarely used, they were perfectly habitable, and were of service on great occasions when the Abbey was crowded with guests.

  The central portion of the Abbey had been rebuilt in the reign of Elizabeth and was of noble and palatial proportions. The southern wing, and a long music-room with eight tall narrow windows added on to it, were as modern as the time of Anne. Altogether, the Abbey was a very splendid mansion, and one of the chief glories of our county.

  All the land in Chrighton parish, and for a long way beyond its boundaries, belonged to the great Squire. The parish church was within the park walls, and the living in the Squire’s gift—not a very valuable benefice, but a useful thing to bestow upon a younger son’s younger son, once in a way, or sometimes on a tutor or dependent of the wealthy house.

  I was a Chrighton, and my father, a distant cousin of the reigning Squire, had been rector of Chrighton parish. His death left me utterly unprovided for, and I was fain to go out into the bleak unknown world, and earn my living in a position of dependence—a dreadful thing for a Chrighton to be obliged to do.

  Out of respect for the traditions and prejudices of my race, I made it my business to seek employment abroad, where the degradation of one solitary Chrighton was not so likely to inflict shame upon the ancient house to which I belonged. Happily for myself, I had been carefully educated, and had industriously cultivated the usual modern accomplishments in the calm retirement of the Vicarage. I was so fortunate as to obtain a situation at Vienna, in a German family of high rank; and here I remained seven years, laying aside year by year a considerable portion of my liberal salary. When my pupils had grown up, my kind mistress procured me a still more profitable position at St. Petersburg, where I remained five more years, at the end of which time I yielded to a yearning that had been long growing upon me—an ardent desire to see my dear old country home once more.

  I had no very near relations in England. My mother had died some years before my father; my only brother was far away, in the Indian Civil Service; sister I had none. But I was a Chrighton, and I loved the soil from which I had sprung. I was sure, moreover, of a warm welcome from friends who had loved and honoured my father and mother, and I was still further encouraged to treat myself to this holiday by the very cordial letters I had from time to time received from the Squire’s wife, a noble warm-hearted woman, who fully approved the independent course I had taken, and who had ever shown herself my friend.