# Unknown Narrator — Ghost Stories character guide > Unknown Narrator in Ghost Stories by E. F. Benson. **Role:** major **Also known as:** I, me, mine, yours **First appearance:** 0000-the-room-in-the-tower ## Snapshot The watchful first-person voice who trades ghost stories by the fire, then finds the room's easy gaiety withdrawing into something like real terror. ## Who they are This narrator moves through several tales as the observing 'I' — the guest who asks for the falling-stone story, the listener who notices how the circle around the hearth goes suddenly still. He is candid about his own nerves, admitting he can hide under the bedclothes when skeletons grow hackneyed, yet he is the one who presses for the firsthand account. His susceptibility makes him the reader's proxy: through his eyes, ordinary evenings acquire the hush and dark corners that the early stories depend on. ## Relationships ### [Mrs. Amworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/characters/mrs_amworth) _psychological_ Mrs. Amworth exerts a vampiric, manipulative influence over the narrator, who is both fascinated and horrified by her. ### [Charles Linkworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/characters/charles_linkworth) _psychological_ The narrator is haunted by the ghost of Charles Linkworth, who seeks to communicate from beyond the grave. ### [Jack Stone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/characters/jack_stone) _friendship_ Jack Stone is a companion to the narrator, often involved in shared supernatural experiences. ### [Hugh Graham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/characters/hugh_graham) _friendship_ Hugh Graham is a close friend of the narrator, frequently present during eerie events. ### [Sir James Horton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/characters/sir_james_horton) _professional_ Sir James Horton is a colleague or authority figure who interacts with the narrator in a formal capacity. ### [Madge Dalrymple](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/characters/madge_dalrymple) _romantic_ Madge Dalrymple shares a romantic connection with the narrator, marked by affection and tension. ### [Margaret Alton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/characters/margaret_alton) _friendship_ Margaret Alton is a friend of the narrator, often involved in social and supernatural circles. ### [Lady Rorke](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/characters/lady_rorke) _social_ Lady Rorke is an acquaintance of the narrator, appearing in social settings with a mysterious aura. ### [Mr. Urcombe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/characters/mr_urcombe) _professional_ Mr. Urcombe is a professional associate of the narrator, likely a scholar or investigator of the paranormal. ### [John Aylsford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/characters/john_aylsford) _friendship_ John Aylsford is a friend of the narrator, sharing in adventures and ghostly encounters. ### [The Doctor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/characters/the_doctor) _professional_ The Doctor is a medical professional who interacts with the narrator in a clinical or advisory role. ### [Parkes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/characters/parkes) _professional_ Parkes is a servant or employee who assists the narrator in domestic or estate matters. ## In the story ### [The Room in the Tower](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/the-room-in-the-tower) The narrator and protagonist, a habitual dreamer who experiences a recurring nightmare that later comes true. ### [The Dust-Cloud](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/the-dust-cloud) The narrator drives through a dust-cloud and later reflects on the haunting tales of Bircham. ### [Gavon's Eve](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/gavon-s-eve) The narrator, a guest at Gavon Lodge, accompanies Hugh Graham to witness the supernatural events at the Picts' pool on Gavon's Eve. ### [At Abdul Ali's Grave](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/at-abdul-ali-s-grave) The narrator observes Achmet's grave-robbing and black magic ritual, and later disposes of the black cubes. ### [The Shootings of Achnaleish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/the-shootings-of-achnaleish) The narrator explores the area, reads folklore, observes the villagers' behavior, and alerts the police to the planned attack. ### [How Fear Departed from the Long Gallery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/how-fear-departed-from-the-long-gallery) First-person narrator who visits Church-Peveril and recounts the family's ghost stories. ### [Caterpillars](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/caterpillars) The narrator stays at Villa Cascana, experiences premonitions, dreams of caterpillars, and later learns of Inglis's death. ### [The Bus-Conductor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/the-bus-conductor) The narrator listens to Hugh Grainger's story and comments on his own fear and fascination with ghosts. ### [The Man Who Went Too Far](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/the-man-who-went-too-far) The narrator who pieces together the story from villagers' accounts and Darcy's testimony. ### [Between the Lights](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/between-the-lights) The first-person narrator who listens to Everard's story and reflects on the atmosphere. ### [Outside the Door](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/outside-the-door) The listener to Mrs. Aldwych's story, who prompts her for a firsthand ghost story and engages with her theory. ### [The Terror by Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/the-terror-by-night) The narrator experiences a shared, inexplicable fear with Jack Lorimer, and later feels a sudden, intense cold and internal vibration. ### [The Other Bed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/the-other-bed) The narrator experiences escalating fear and paranoia about the other bed, attempts to rationalize the phenomena, and ultimately switches beds on impulse. ### [The Thing in the Hall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/the-thing-in-the-hall) The narrator, a medical doctor and student of hypnotism, participates in séances with Louis Fielder and later a medium, observing and experiencing the supernatural phenomena. ### [The House with the Brickkiln](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/the-house-with-the-brickkiln) The narrator is one of the tenants, sharing the house with Jack Singleton, and experiences fear and supernatural occurrences. ### [And the Dead Spake—](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/and-the-dead-spake) The narrator, a neighbor living in Newsome Square, frequently visits Sir James Horton and is drawn into his experiments on recovering speech from the dead. ### [The Outcast](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/the-outcast) The narrator witnesses the coffin's emergence from the grave and struggles with the supernatural implications. ### [The Horror-Horn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/the-horror-horn) The narrator, Ingram's cousin, is staying at Alhubel and becomes lost in a blizzard, encountering a creature from the Horror-Horn. ### [Machaon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/machaon) The narrator conducts the séance, interprets Machaon's message, and arranges for Parkes's X-ray treatment. ### [Negotium Perambulans](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/negotium-perambulans) The narrator, now a successful barrister, returns to Polearn after twenty years and recalls childhood memories of the quarry-house legend. ### [Inscrutable Decrees](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/inscrutable-decrees) The narrator listens to the story of the séance and the tragic events surrounding Ellen Davenport's death. ### [The Gardener](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/the-gardener) The narrator describes the supernatural events and his own fearful observations. ### [Mrs. Amworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/mrs-amworth) The narrator witnesses Mrs. Amworth's ghost and assists Urcombe in the investigation. ### [In the Tube](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/in-the-tube) The guest who stays overnight; he listens to Anthony's story and experiences the supernatural presence in the room. ### [Roderick's Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/chapters/roderick-s-story) The narrator who invites Roderick to his house and recounts their conversations about death and the afterlife. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/characters/unknown_narrator - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ghost_stories_se/characters