The Canterville Ghost - Oscar Wilde

1 : The Otis family comes to Canterville

When Hiram B. Otis, the American businessman, bought the house called Canterville Chase, people told him that he was doing a very dangerous thing. Everybody knew that there was a ghost in the house. Lord Canterville himself told Mr Otis all about it.

'We don't like to live in the house ourselves' he said.

'Too many of my family have seen the ghost. My wife's grandmother, the Duchess of Bolton, is one of them. One night, while she was dressing for dinner, two skeleton hands were put on her shoulders. She has been ill for years because of that. And my wife never got any sleep there, because of all the noises at night.'

'Lord Canterville' answered Mr Otis, ' I will buy both the house and the ghost. I come from a modern country and we can buy nearly everything in America - but not ghosts. So, if there really is a ghost in the house, we can send it home to America and people will pay to go and see it'

' I'm afraid that the house really does have a ghost' said Lord Canterville, smiling. 'Perhaps there are no ghost in your country, but our ghost has been in the house for three hundred years, and it always appears before the death of one of the family. '

' Well, so does the family doctor, Lord Canterville. But there are no ghosts, sir, in any country - not even in famous old British families. '

' Very well' said Lord Canterville. 'If you're happy to have a ghost in the house, that's all right. But please, remember that i did tell you about it. '

. . .

And so Mr Hiram B. Otis bought the house and a few weeks later he and his family went down to Canterville Chase on the train.

Mrs Otis was a very beautiful woman, and looked just as Englishwoman. American people are really no different from English people - but they do, of course, speak different language. Her eldest son, Washington, was a good-looking young man with a wonderful smile, who was famous at all the London parties for his fine dancing. Miss Virgina E. Otis was a swetter little girl of fifteen with big blue eyes. She loved to ride horses and could ride faster than a lot of men. One day the young Duke of Cheshire saw here on horseback and inmediately asked her to marry him - but his family sent him back to school the next day. After Virginia came the twins - two happy, noisy little boys, who were always laughing and playing tricks.

It was a lovely July evening when the family got off the train. The fields and trees looked beautiful in the golden sunshine. The birds were singing sweetly, and the sky was a bright blue. But when they arrived at Canterville Chase, storm clouds suddenly appeard in the sky. Then ten or twelve large black birds flew down over their heads, and big drops of rain began to fall.

An old woman in a black dress was standing in the doorway of the house, waiting to meet them. This was Mrs Umney, the housekeeper

'Welcome to Canterville Chase' she said. They followed her into the library - a long, dark room with a high window at one end. Here, tea was ready for them, so they took off their coats and sat down.

Suddenly Mrs Otis saw a dark red stain on the floor, near the fireplace.

' Is that a stain on the floor there? ' she asked

'Yes Mrs Otis' said Mrs Umney quietly. 'It's a bloodstain.'

'Oh that's terrible!' cried Mrs Otis. ' I can't have bloodstains on my floors. It must go.'

The old woman smiled, and again answered in a quiet voice. 'It is the blood of Lady Eleanore de Canterville' she said. ' Her husband, Sir Simon de Canterville, murdered her in 1575, while she was standing just there, in that place. He lived for another nine years after her death, but then he disappeared, very strangely and suddenly. Nobody ever found his body, but his ghost is still in the house, and will not rest. The Bloodstain is famous - visitors come here speacially to see it. People have tried to clean it, but it will not go away'.

' Of couse it will! ' cried Washington Otis. 'Pinkerton's Famous Stain Cleaner will clean it up in a second. '

And before the housekeeper could stop him, he was cleaning the floor with a small black stick. A minute later, the bloodstain was gone!

' There you are! ' he said, smiling at the others. ' Pinkerton can clean anything! '

But at these words the storm outside suddenly began. A terrible flash of lightning lit up the room, and a second later came a great crash of thunder. Everyone jumped up at the sound of the thunder...And Mrs Umney fainted.

' What a terrible weather this country has! ' said Mr Otis. He sat down again and lit a cigarette

Mrs Umney lay on the floor, with her eyes closed. Mrs Otis looked at her. ' My dear Hiram ' she cried. ' What can we do with a woman who faints? '

' Tell her she has to pay some money' said Mr Otis. ' If she breaks a cup of something, she has to pay for it. So tell her to pay if she faints. She won't faint after that. '

At this Mrs Umney immediately sat up, but she looked very unhappy. 'Be careful! Trouble is coming to this house! ' she said, her voice shaking. ' I have seen things here wich are too terrible to describe. For night after night, I have not closed my eyes in sleep. '

Mr Otis gave her a warm smile. ' My wife and I are not afraid of ghosts, Mrs Umney. '

The old housekeeper got a shakily to her feet. ' You Americans are so strong!' she said. 'And so kind! You know, I have worked here for many, many years at the same pay, and...'

'Ok, Mrs Umney. We'll pay you more money. ' Said Mr Otis, still smiling.

' Oh, than you, dear Mr Otis. And dear Mrs Otis. Thank you very much! '