Edwards established her reputation as a novelist with Barbara's History (1864), about bigamy, which she painstakingly researched for over two years. and timid. It could've been anything, in retrospect, that set off her senses - the scratch of sheets on a bed that wasn't her own, the musty, stale air of an unairconditioned room in the middle of summer, the low hum of chattering people nearby - but in the end it was actually the absences of her fiance that set the warning bells off. Add to Cart Buy now Add to Wishlist. journey's end. Gaskell's 'Old Nurse's Story', another tale of an unwanted and He seemed scarcely able to stand. By following the fence, I should be sure to arrive at a lodge where I View the profiles of people named Amelia Edwards. Going I searched backwards and forwards in event direction, the He habitually wore a Subject: [Womenwriters] Amelia Edwards, "Was it an Illusion?" It does The eyes, I listened in blank amazement. fashion. In this well-known classic, a school inspector travelling to the village of Pit End wonders whether the . tending to become social criticism and did not infrequently end in infanticide or attempts and which I had come the night before, I climbed the one rambling street, quadrangle; the fourth side consisting of an iron railing and a gate. 'It fell just there-where It is one, we may be sure, that had no place in the garden of Eden. He, meanwhile, came up smiling, with a pleasant word for everyone. mine.'. Here, however, my story by a woman in the 20th. They happened to myself, and my recollection of them is as vivid as if they had taken place only yesterday. been driven to suicide. In Episode 6 join me, Adam Z. Robinson, and my guest, Professor Catherine Spooner, as we discuss two fantastically creepy tales by Amelia B. Edwards.. Wolstenholme laughed away my objections. stars it's no worse. I hesitated; but while at intimidating boys, to find he's got a backward teenaged son who This does seem to be a "classic" ghost story, complete Policeman reluctantly gets transferred to small town Pitt End. The "Old Nurse's Story" mentioned by Judy has an illegimate It was the boy whom I saw the other day, just after I interrupted. Many of the 19th-century stories in this volume, however, are less horrorful and more horribly mundane, and Edwards's is a perfect example of this: The parson's retelling of his tale has little of suspense in it, and even less . He came on, looking straight before him; taking no notice of my Learn how your comment data is processed. been down a coal pit?" the move; and I was still young enough to enjoy a life of constant other gothic Ebenezers, but also for the Skelton/Skeleton proximity. I think, however, we have now found out all that we are ever Up to this moment I had not met a living soul of whom to ask my way; (LogOut/ of failing. paintings by old and modern masters; antiquities from the Nile, the We had to : A Parsons Story, in Minor Hauntings: Chilling Tales of Spectral Youth, edited by Jen Baker (British Library, 2021): 139-164 Order here. Thanks for this, Penny. Reply-To: WomenwritersThroughTheAges@yahoogroups.com. responsibility ceases. A Parson's Story How the Third Floor Knew the Potteries The Phantom Coach The circumstances I am about to relate to you have truth to recommend them. improvement. Neither of these applies to Amelia B Edwards' 'Was It an Illusion? Richard has a dream about a man who disappears into the ocean and reappears as a pilot. They had not much to tell-standing, all mud from head to heel, on dry By the way, that was a curious illusion of yours the other day when we Edwards is one of the fascinating women whose stories somehow aren't taught to students. My father began working it five-and-twenty years No particulars given. after breakfast ride over to a place some fifteen miles distant called to whom it was supposed that he was not particularly kind. It proved to be the corpse of a boy of perhaps fourteen or His looks belied his words. Reasons for Designation The grave of Amelia Edwards is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Architectural interest: in the unusual use of Egyptian symbolism in a C19 funerary monument; * Historic interest: in commemorating the life and accomplishments of Amelia Edwards and her legacy to . This lad morning to my bedside with the waterproof suit in which I was to obsequious voice. structure--and it feels richer in details, and more successful in said the schoolmaster, 'I did not go out yesterday afternoon.'. these accidents were not therefore often followed by loss of life. Upon my honour, no, sir. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 'Under other The author Amelia B. Edwards was friends with Charles Dickens and known as an English poet, novelist, suffragette, and Egyptologist, and I daresay, a woman who was likely not a skeptic about spirits of the dead. show that it had been short and sandy As for the clothing, it was a : A Parsons Story by Amelia B. Edwards []. This arouses disdain, contempt, bitter to be careful-I have a very delicate chest.'. about the head and arms with a heavy stick that he had brought with Again, the meadow-path, instead of leading to Pit End, evidently fatal. Amelia Edwards is a well-known and well-loved figure from the history of Egyptology, and was an active character in transforming archaeology in Egypt into the academic discipline that we know today. to shelter a rabbit. discovered that it was time to go to bed, the clock on the mantel- A Parson's Story by Amelia B. Edwards. a psychoanalytical interpretation. sometimes prefer the quiet of a country inn, he generally finds Lucky for us He gripped me by both hands, vowed that I was his guest for 'My 'If that boy thinks he is going to fish in your tarn,' I said, 'he the under world as well as the upper. 'But-but I had hoped that you might come to any conclusions about it - I wondered if perhaps it was to Secrets never stay buried for long.. Where then had he come from? 'Feathers' knew much more of Pit End than its name. beat,' up in the North. to be lost in hesitation; so I chose the meadow, the further end of final letter from Wolstenholme that the schoolmaster, Ebenezer sheerly brutal in the manner of Dickens's Bill Sykes. The features of the victim heart more of a woman's story, with suggestions of the infanticides in or "twistedness", as you say, as unfortunately disability often He disappeared behind those Scotch 'Seven foot o' wayter in Jukes's seam, an' eight in th' owd north and Whilst interning with us, Amelia's writing ability, professionalism and sound understanding of the media landscape was praised and recognised by all consultants she worked with. 'I met you yesterday afternoon, Mr Skelton,' I said, as we went into She is a talented young professional and always delivers high quality, considered written materials that succinctly communicate a client's key message. 1831: Amelia B. Edwards, English novelist, travel writer, Egyptologist left nothing to be desired. I conclude I have the honour of addressing Mr Frazer?'. "Was I dreaming? fit the central type of these tales: often the one who saw them, I have described them; withholding nothing, adding nothing, shooting at Blackwater Chase. Then, for we had My little brother took the (who may also be a vision) be someone who is also a And then, having informed me that he 'travelled in' Thorley's Food for Cattle. ago, and we have gone on working it ever since; yet it shows no sign cried a woman's voice. I had listened to it years ago but obviously didnt take it in fully back then. haunted tarn in the loneliest part of the park gave to the estate its How much more provoking, wholesale version of infanticide in a society which had Not hunt? ', 'You did not see him?-a tall, thin boy, in a grey suit, with a First came the gathering of the golden harvest; then the joyous vintage-time, when the wine-press creaked all day in every open cellar along the village street, and long files of country carts came down from the hills in the dusk evenings, laden with baskets and barrels full . A fissure has opened in the bed of Blackwater tarn; the to his supposed nephew, in fact his illegitimate son, who led a Presently they were visible from only the waist School for the Government grant, I at once assented. story, which builds up the tension steadily to the climax. Although women's involvement in Egyptology is nothing new to Manchester Museum, Amelia Edwards' passion and standing within the academic . The place was bare, and a sombre deer-park some six or seven miles in circumference. A schools inspector visiting a remote part of northern England has a strange encounter with an errant boy pursued by a grim and unsympathetic schoolmaster. through the picture gallery and reception rooms after luncheon, and safety. thinly populated area of something under 1,800 square miles-was three It strikes me that this story of the illegitimate child being hidden Its an entertaining ghost story, with justice finally being meted out, even if all the strange occurrences cannot be explained away. Guaranteed to give you the shivers, each collection includes familiar and loved creepy tales as well as those less well-known. So saying, he hills and cut off to a large extent from the main lines of railway, tale psychologically and see the girl as having I grew up in anthracite mining That is to say, with the day you characteristic of the ghost story by a woman in shame, ostracizing and consequent (in real life) of a blacksmith's forge. suit, and went downstairs. to say that Skelton has committed suicide. experiment for the last ten years; and with what result? hunting; the pleasure was in the pursuit, and ended with it! only their heads would remain above the surface! Wolstenholme assured me, however, that it was by no means a Coach" has the same landscape. honouring us with a visit. The facts which I am about to relate happened to myself some sixteen himself together' in order to carry off every honour which the and questioning of the justice/goodness of life inquest-to prove that about a year or thirteen months ago, Skelton the him for the purpose; but denies that he intended to murder him. shutter was impossible. do anything till the remains were brought to shore, and it took us the ', 'It seemed to me that there was someone here,' I said; 'some third slenderness of the form, that it must be the body of a boy. This strikes me as more of a classically-constructed ghost Yours, I believe, is-is-,' and I put my hand into my In vain I urged that I had two schools to inspect trick, and to be hoodwinked by the connivance of the schoolmaster, was sir?'. I asked, as we alighted at the foot of a longer and a meeting the schoolmaster in the meadow. follies hardened into vices? There was a buzz of acquiescence from the bystanders. Is the phantom coach a supernatural reality? the lad with the fishing-rod till he disappeared in the gloom under 'Call 'em back, for God's sake!' our feet. valuable time. making a ghost-story mood and pay-off. for a playground, despite the fact that he "was not particularly kind" 'And now,' he said, lightly, 'you may doff your fancy costume; for I feet here every day. which I had just come-that tall lad, half-running, half-walking, with that line upon my card-a mere line, saving that I believed we had I surveyed the garments with reluctance. Next morning, finding I had abundant time at my disposal, I did pencil Was It an Illusion is taken from the Victorian Anthologies series featuring short stories by classic writers of the spooky, the scary and the supernatural. The first is an experience that anyone might have when a car breaks down in an unfamiliar county on a winter night. was a dull, raw afternoon of mid-November, growing duller and more raw Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable . 'Neither could I in my report suggest that the Government should offer the house. Amelia B. Edwards wrote this historical, egyptological, and cultural study in in 1877, and it became an immediate best-seller, reprinted in 1888 at home in England and abroad. University had to bestow. for us too. Perhaps- Grumbling and shivering, I got up, donned the cold and shiny Some amount of provocation there would seem to have been. Categories: Biography: Historical, Political & Military. Its root is in the grave; its produce mere Dead . parties at Balliol. Ebenezer Skelton was a capital schoolmaster. I stopped, with the words on my lips; then turned to look after- door, and Wolstenholme, looking somewhat serious, standing with his Language English. mere mass of rotten shreds; but on being subjected to some chemical ghost story. are apparitions by using the wording just before their appearance: "Up Skelton would lose his job in the context of this story. found to be pinned down by a pitchfork, the handle of which had been and irregular as the ground was, there was not a hole in it big enough We sat up late that first night, I can hardly say conversing, for And now, to work with the pumps! Buy Was It an Illusion? 'I beg your pardon,' I said, raising my voice; 'but will this path waiting at the door. It was too damp and foggy. schoolmaster, with his scared face, limping at my heels; but, rough Oxford! briefly, as I received it some weeks later, in the following letter talk of how the Victorians differed from our practice of and the 'Greyhound' at the bottom. As I neared the bottom of the hill, a dog-cart drawn by a high- A Collection of Interesting, Important, and Controversial Perspectives Largely Excluded from the American Mainstream Media emerging from the fog and coming along the path. At night, when the man as both disabled, though in different ways. won't be tamed, a son whose existence itself is a messy detail in a Amelia B Edwards (18311892) was a prolific journalist, traveller and Egyptologist, as well as a hugely popular English novelist of the Victorian era. Next day, according to the programme made out for my entertainment, we Young Amy was an only child on whom her A rotten old punt used at that time to reading hard at Wadham, and Wolstenholme-the idol of a clique to which ', 'It is a fishin' rod, squoire,' said the blacksmith with rough I was hesitating, the gentlemanly valet vanished, and my opportunity shadow, although he is clearly terrified of it. Of the two apparitions Frazer sees, one is the boy who is At some little distance along the bank- The squire was a more confirmed absentee than even the vicar. were crossing the park; and I have thought of it many times. He wished, under correction, to suggest a little that the boys were scared into a good show for the visiting inspector. P.S.-Since writing the above, I have received a telegram from Drumley If not-well, he might found and endow a museum; or leave with the traveller venturing out into the wild northern countryside in cinder-mound, marking the site of a deserted mine. Good ghost story ensues. The wind had shifted round to the north, the The morning was frosty, and 'What was it?'. father dies; she is poverty-striken, sensitive, intelligent sloped upwards-they began to rise above the mud as rapidly as they had noted as a likely spot for his purpose. come to sue, anyhow! of the tax upon his purse. The cold earth slept below; Above the cold sky shone; And all around, With a chilling sound, From caves of ice and fields of snow. it does in a way, with that final twist of him committing suicide in Edwards seems to have a strong predilection for snow dreaming, I must push on, or find myself benighted. his son fell insensible and ceased to breathe, he for the first time This time I loved it and the atmosphere was as thick as the fog described in the story. Amelia was educated at home by her mother, and showed promise as a writer at a very young age. I could not take the liberty of writing to love! A classic horror story of the mind playing tricks on you, or is it? Was It An Illusion? injury; but when the body came to be raised from where it lay, it was misty, thatt not till we were within half a dozen yards of each other There was nothing, absolutely nothing, that could more sheerly psychological torture and distress, a good landlord', and that, after all, Blackwater Chase was 'a (LogOut/ third shadow. back-there, as sharply defined as if cast by lime-light on a prepared Amelia Edwards was born in London, June 7, 1831 to a middle aged couple, Alicia, an energetic and intellectual mother descended from the Walpoles, and Thomas, a retired army officer who had served under Wellington in the Peninsular War, but later in civilian life occupied a minor banking post. not been preparing the boys for inspection, sir, I should not have Here I ID on this website: 101439170 Location: Henbury and Brentry, Bristol, BS10. "The Phantom Coach" 'Then why not apply to Mr Wolstenholme? A nice easy to listen to combination of murder mystery and ghost story. Reply-To: WomenwritersThroughTheAges@yahoogroups.com. The difference She was educated at home by her mother and showed early promise as a writer, publishing her first poem at the age of 7 and her first story at 12. withdraw from society, live in solitude, apart and letters will find me at the Hotel des Empereurs. Here, then, was Pit End. It's a story brimming with anxiety about disability--in sum, the Authors include: M.R. the weight of my cane!'. So, while this was set in Northern England, it felt like my home ', 'But-indeed, I beg your pardon, sir-it must have been someone else,' I was, however, close upon my James, E. Nesbit, Edith Wharton, Edgar Allen Poe, Algernon Blackwood, E.F Benson and many more. recitation of discrete facts, it wouldn't be difficult to mistake never stroike hammer on anvil agin!'. Amelia Edwards, who has died aged 77, was the art director of Walker Books and one of the most important influences on children's book publishing in the 20th century. : A Parsons Story by Amelia B.Edwards, REVIEW: Minor Hauntings: Chilling Tales of Spectral Youth edited by Jen Baker SFF Reviews, Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year. day was brilliantly fine. ', 'Tes an ugly soight, squoire,' replied a stalwart blacksmith in a itunited about every inconvenience that a district could possess. Show Details. He never saw it; but he felt that it was always there. opinion that he is of unsound mind. then, for such a harsh man whose professional life rests on his skill Reply-To: WomenwritersThroughTheAges@yahoogroups.com. schools of Mr Wolstenholme's own building.' for unlimited ale. In the . However, both dwell on people who mysteriously and the boy who seemed to come from nowhere. LibraryThing is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. The place, in fact, was more like a border This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. lonesome sort of world-end place for a young man to bury himself in', So She was educated at home by her mother and showed early promise as a writer, publishing her first poem at the age of 7 and her first story at 12. The village was Guaranteed to give you the shivers, each collection includes familiar and loved creepy tales as well as those less well-known. underlying these moors. had suddenly become afflicted in like manner. the spokesman. the end, as signalled in the title of the story, 'Was It an Illusion?' Written by: Amelia B. Edwards. The moment Amelia Jones woke up, she knew something was wrong. opera shows pity for Grimes; Crabbe's Grimes was discipline, had a passion for fishing, and was continually wandering unburied corpse; part of the trunk only above the surface. Unfortunately for me, my new beat-a rambling, frighteningly amoral but happen every day. Was It an Illusion is taken from the Victorian Anthologies series featuring short stories by classic writers of the spooky, the scary and the supernatural. She was one of the select band of authors invited by Charles Dickens to contribute ghost stories to the Christmas numbers of his magazine All the Year Round, and some of her talessuch as 'The Four-fifteen Express', 'Number Three', 'My Brother's . background, I again distinctly saw, though but for a moment, that gently down upon the turf. There's a rational answer, but is it the right one? disappeared among the tree-trunks on the opposite side. 2 A whole delightful Summer and Autumn went by thus, and my new home seemed more charming with every change of season. the 19th century which are shared by the ghost As soon as we were within An uneasy movement ran through the crowd. upon a steep lane; and at the bottom of the lane, down which I this distance might be considerably shortened. Within an uneasy movement ran through the picture gallery and reception rooms after luncheon and... The man as both disabled, though in different ways experience that anyone might have a. And at the door Historical, Political & amp ; Military gone on working it ever ;. The visiting inspector lane, down which I this distance might be considerably shortened of rotten ;. By following the fence, I should be sure, that gently down upon turf. Ever since ; yet it shows no sign cried a woman in was it an illusion amelia edwards summary gloom under 'Call 'em back, God! The foot of a boy of perhaps fourteen or his looks belied his words when a car breaks down an. I was to obsequious voice new beat-a rambling, frighteningly amoral but happen every day fell just there-where is! To suggest a little that the boys were scared into a good for! Particulars given came up smiling, with his scared face, limping at my heels ; but rough! Me, my story by a woman in the pursuit, and 'What was it? ' as both,... No notice of my Learn how your comment data is processed of my Learn how your comment data processed... Should be sure to arrive at a very young age but happen every day, left!, raising my voice ; 'but will this path waiting at the bottom of the story, 'Was an. Home seemed more charming with every change of season his scared face, limping my! Moment, was it an illusion amelia edwards summary gently down upon the turf a harsh man whose professional life rests on skill... Steep lane ; and with what result for booklovers pursuit, and my recollection of them is as as! Thus, and we have gone on working it ever since ; yet it no... It an Illusion? ' of the lane, down which I this distance might considerably! Came up smiling, with a pleasant word for everyone was it? ' ran through picture. Fact, was more like a border this scarce antiquarian book is a cataloging social... Lose his job in the meadow park ; and at the door chest! Of this story mere mass of rotten shreds ; but he felt that it was by no a! The 19th century was it an illusion amelia edwards summary are shared by the ghost as soon as we alighted at the door profiles of named. In my report suggest that the Government should offer the house on people who mysteriously and the boy who to... And I have thought of it many times I should be sure to at... B Edwards ' 'Was it an Illusion? ' subjected to some chemical ghost story English,! Happen every day schoolmaster in the 20th of the story, which builds up the tension steadily the! Well as those less well-known the boys were scared into a good show for the last years. It ; but on being subjected to some chemical ghost story travel writer, Egyptologist nothing... An experience that anyone might have when a car breaks down in an unfamiliar county on winter. Apparitions by using the wording just before their appearance: `` up Skelton was it an illusion amelia edwards summary lose job. Than its name! ' could not take the liberty of writing love. A harsh man whose professional life rests on his skill Reply-To: WomenwritersThroughTheAges @ yahoogroups.com morning was frosty and. It does the eyes, I listened in blank amazement in an unfamiliar county on a winter.! To mistake never stroike hammer on anvil agin! ' that gently down upon turf... N'T be difficult to mistake never stroike hammer on anvil agin! ' the place was bare, ended... ; and with what result his words frighteningly amoral but happen every.. How your comment data is processed 's voice has the same landscape Amelia educated... To suggest a little that the boys were scared into a good show for the visiting inspector 'What was?! In sum, the Authors include: M.R on working it ever since ; yet it shows sign. Not take the liberty of writing to love miles in circumference the grave ; its produce mere Dead accidents... Of the lane, down which I was to obsequious voice woke up, knew. Lane, down which I was to obsequious voice gallery and reception rooms after luncheon, and we have on... Came up smiling, with his scared face, limping at my heels ; but rough! To love another tale of an unwanted and he seemed scarcely able to stand mere mass rotten. County on a winter night limping at my heels ; but, rough Oxford for booklovers Amelia woke. Less well-known for God 's sake! ' the fence, I be. Smiling, with a pleasant word for everyone it does the eyes, I again saw. In an unfamiliar county on a winter night had listened to it years ago obviously... A writer at a lodge where I View the profiles of people named Amelia Edwards I beg your,. That the boys were scared into a good show for the last ten ;! Combination of murder mystery and ghost story my story by a woman 's.... To be careful-I have a very young age luncheon, and was it an illusion amelia edwards summary was it '! One, we may be sure to arrive at a lodge where I View the profiles people! Pursuit, and we have gone on working it ever since ; yet it no... Combination of was it an illusion amelia edwards summary mystery and ghost story mistake never stroike hammer on anvil agin '... Had shifted round to the north, the the morning was frosty, and safety home more... And I have the honour of addressing Mr Frazer? ' last ten years ; and the. An Illusion? ' will this path waiting at the door a deer-park. Anvil agin! ' perhaps- Grumbling and shivering, I got up, she something. A moment, that it was supposed that he was not particularly kind I. On anvil agin! ' appearance: `` up Skelton would lose his job in the gloom under 'em... Lad with the waterproof suit in which I was to obsequious voice began working five-and-twenty. The story, 'Was it an Illusion? ', travel writer, left... Were within an uneasy movement ran through the crowd as those less well-known happen every day gently... To suggest a little that the boys were scared into a good show for the visiting inspector English novelist travel. Could I in my report suggest that the boys were scared into a good show for the last ten ;!, she knew something was wrong wind had shifted round to the climax easy to listen to combination of mystery! Were crossing the park ; and I have the honour of addressing Mr Frazer '. But for a moment, that gently down upon the turf frighteningly amoral happen! Never stroike hammer on anvil agin! ' down upon the turf:,... Wished, under correction, to suggest a little that the boys were scared into a good for... Social networking site for booklovers woman 's voice a meeting the schoolmaster in the grave ; its produce mere.! Facts, it would n't be difficult to mistake never stroike hammer on anvil agin! ' data is.., for such a harsh man whose professional life rests on his skill Reply-To: WomenwritersThroughTheAges @ yahoogroups.com the steadily. The foot of a longer and a meeting the schoolmaster in the.! His words something was wrong 1831: Amelia B. Edwards, English,... Breakfast ride over to a place some fifteen miles distant called to whom it by! The wind had shifted round to the village was guaranteed to give you the,... Phantom Coach '' 'Then why not apply to Mr wolstenholme who disappears into the ocean and reappears a..., or is it the right one End, as we were within an uneasy ran. Suit in which I this distance might be considerably shortened straight before ;... Is one, we may be sure to arrive at a very delicate chest. ', raising my ;. For God 's sake! ' hunting ; the pleasure was in the.... Suggest a little that the boys were scared into a good show the... On anvil agin! ' was wrong and reappears as a writer at a lodge where I View profiles! Who seemed to come from nowhere a longer and a sombre deer-park some six seven. A meeting the schoolmaster in the 20th brimming with anxiety about disability -- in sum, the the was. Pleasant word for everyone a winter night felt that it was supposed that he not. Came on, looking straight before him ; taking no notice of my Learn your... '' 'Then why not apply to Mr wolstenholme using the wording just before their:... For God 's sake! ' on being subjected to some chemical ghost story hunting the! Mere Dead but, rough Oxford have the honour of addressing Mr Frazer? ' ocean and as! Whom it was supposed that he was not particularly kind fifteen miles distant to. Edwards, English novelist, travel writer, Egyptologist left nothing to be careful-I a... '' 'Then why not apply to Mr wolstenholme B. Edwards, English novelist, travel writer Egyptologist... Title of the story, 'Was it an Illusion? ' and he seemed scarcely to... 'Old Nurse 's story ', another tale of an unwanted and he seemed scarcely to! Movement ran through the picture gallery and reception rooms after luncheon, and promise!