Short Fiction · Chapters

Chapters explained

Chapter companions for Short Fiction by M. R. James.

Read with companions Book page

Each chapter has a companion in the reader — open a free preview to see notes beside the text.

Chapter 1
Canon Alberic's Scrapbook
Dennistoun visits St. Bertrand de Comminges and acquires a remarkable scrapbook compiled by Canon Alberic de Mauléon, containing priceless illuminated manuscript leaves and a terrifying sepia drawing of a demonic figure before King Solomon. The sacristan and his daughter display intense fear, and the drawing is later photographed and burned by Dennistoun.
Chapter 2
Lost Hearts
In September 1811, orphan Stephen Elliott arrives at Aswarby Hall to live with his reclusive cousin, Mr. Abney, a scholar of pagan mysteries. Mr. Abney seems kindly but repeatedly asks Stephen's age, noting his birthday is nearly a year away. Stephen soon experiences unsettling dreams and sightings of ghostly children, a girl and a ragged boy with a gaping wound in his chest. On the night of March 24, 1812, Stephen hears strange cries and sees the spectral pair again. Rushing to Mr. Abney's study, he finds the door locked and hears a choked cry. After forcing entry, Mr. Abney is found dead with a lacerated wound exposing his heart. Papers reveal Abney had been murdering children to absorb their hearts for spiritual enlightenment, with Stephen intended as the final victim. The ghostly children are implied to have exacted vengeance.
Chapter 3
The Mezzotint
Mr. Williams, a museum curator, receives a mezzotint of a manor house from dealer Mr. Britnell. Initially unimpressed, he and his friend Professor Binks notice a small figure in the foreground. Later that night, Williams sees the figure has moved to the center of the lawn, crawling toward the house. He locks the picture away and plans to investigate further with his colleague Nisbet.
Chapter 4
The Ash-Tree
The chapter recounts the history of Castringham Hall in Suffolk, focusing on a great ash tree that stands near the house. In 1690, the area was rife with witch trials, and Sir Matthew Fell testified against a local woman, Mrs. Mothersole, who was executed for witchcraft. After her death, Sir Matthew dies mysteriously in his bed. Years later, his descendant Sir Richard Fell also dies in a similar manner. An investigation reveals that the ash tree harbors a nest of monstrous spiders and the skeleton of a woman, suggesting that Mrs. Mothersole's curse has been enacted through the tree.
Chapter 5
Number 13
Mr. Anderson, an English gentleman staying at the Golden Lion hotel in Viborg, Denmark, notices the absence of Room 13 from the hotel's board but later discovers it exists. He becomes intrigued by documents in the Rigsarkiv concerning Bishop Jörgen Friis and a tenant, Mag. Nicolas Francken, accused of secret arts. Strange occurrences in his room—including a door that won't open, a shrinking room, and a missing portmanteau—unsettle him. He later collaborates with Herr Jensen on a mysterious parchment from a copper box, but refuses to draw conclusions about the supernatural.

Free preview

34 more chapter companions sit beside the text in BetterReads — open a free preview to unlock the rest.

34 more companions → free preview

Canon Alberic's Scrapbook

Lost Hearts

The Mezzotint

The Ash-Tree

Number 13