CHAPTER V
One day, Virginia was walking along the corridor, when she saw a person in one of the rooms and went in. To her surprise, it was the Canterville ghost himself and he looked really sad. 'I am so sorry for you,' she said, 'but my brothers are going back to Eton tomorrow, and then, if you behave yourself, no one will annoy you.' 'It is absurd asking me to behave myself,' the ghost answered, 'I must rattle my chains, and groan through keyholes, and walk about at night. It is my only reason for existing.' 'It is no reason at all for existing, and you know you have been very nasty. Mrs Umney told us that you had killed your wife.' 'Well, I quite admit it,' said the ghost, 'but my wife was not very nice, you know, and she knew nothing about cookery. However, it is all over now, and I don't think it was very nice of her brothers to starve me to death.' 'Starve you to death? Oh, Mr Ghost, I mean Sir Simon, are you hungry? I have a sandwich in my case. Would you like it?' 'No, thank you, I never eat anything now; but it is very kind of you. You are much nicer than the rest of your rude, dishonest family.' 'Stop!' cried Virginia, stamping her foot, 'it is you who are rude, and as for dishonesty, you stole the paints out of my box to renew that ridiculous blood-stain in the library. First you took all my reds and I couldn't do any more sunsets, then you took the green and the yellow. Finally I had nothing left but blue and white, and I could only do moonlight scenes, which are not at all easy to paint.' Having said this, Virginia turned around to leave the room. 'Please don't go, Miss Virginia,' the ghost cried; 'I am so unhappy and I really don't know what to do. I want to go to sleep and I cannot. I have not slept for three hundred years, and I am so tired.' 'Poor, poor Ghost,' she murmured; 'have you no place where you can sleep?' 'Well, I know a place where I could sleep – it's the Garden of Death, the churchyard. But only if you weep for me and my sins and pray with me for my soul, the Angel of Death will have mercy on me.’ When Virginia promised to help the ghost and pray for him, he rose from his seat, took her hand and kissed it thankfully. Then he led her across the room. Virginia saw the wall slowly fading away like a mist, and a bitter cold wind was around them. 'Quick, quick,' cried the ghost, 'or it will be too late.' Then the wall closed behind them, and the chamber was empty
CHAPTER VI
About ten minutes later, the bell rang for dinner, and, as Virginia did not come down, Mrs Otis sent up one of the servants. After a little time he returned and said that he could not find Miss Virginia anywhere. So, the whole family started looking for her. The hours passed, but they could find no trace of Virginia. So, after dinner, Mr Otis ordered them all to bed, saying that nothing more could be done that night, and that he would contact Scotland Yard in the morning. Just when everybody was about to leave the dining-room, the clock struck midnight, and when the last stroke sounded, a secret door opened in the wall and in that door stood Virginia with a little box in her hand. Everybody ran up to her. 'Good heavens! child, where have you been?' said Mr Otis, rather angrily, as he thought she had been playing a trick on them. 'Papa,' said Virginia quietly, 'I have been with the ghost. He is dead, and you must come and see him. He had been very nasty, but he was really sorry for all that he had done, and he gave me this box of beautiful jewels before he died.' Then she led the others down a narrow secret corridor to a little low room. There the family found the skeleton of Sir Simon, who had been starved to death by his wife's brothers. Virginia knelt down beside the skeleton, and, folding her little hands together, began to pray silently. Meanwhile, one of the twins was looking out of the window in the little room and suddenly said, 'Look! The old almond-tree has blossoms.' 'Then God has forgiven him,' said Virginia and stood up
CHAPTER VII
Four days later, a funeral started from Canterville Castle. In a quiet corner of the churchyard, Sir Simon's skeleton was buried. When the ceremony was over, Virginia stepped forward and laid a large cross made of white and pink almond-blossoms on the coffin. The next morning, Mr Otis talked to Sir Simon's descendant, Sir Canterville, about the jewels the ghost had given to Virginia. Their value was so great that Mr Otis had scruples about allowing his daughter to keep them. But Sir Canterville shook his hand and said, 'My dear Sir, your charming little daughter saved my ancestor's soul. The jewels are hers.' The jewels were admired by everyone when, in the spring of 1890, Virginia married the Duke of Cheshire. After their honeymoon, Virginia and her husband went down to Canterville Castle and on the day after their arrival they walked over to the churchyard. Virginia had brought some lovely roses, which she strewed upon the grave, and after they had stood by it for some time her husband took her hand. 'You have never told me what happened to you when you were locked up with the ghost.' 'Please don't ask me, I cannot tell you,' she said, 'but I owe Sir Simon a great deal. He made me see what Life is, and what Death signifies, and why Love is stronger than both.'
One day, Virginia was walking along the corridor, when she saw a person in one of the rooms and went in. To her surprise, it was the Canterville ghost himself and he looked really sad. 'I am so sorry for you,' she said, 'but my brothers are going back to Eton tomorrow, and then, if you behave yourself, no one will annoy you.' 'It is absurd asking me to behave myself,' the ghost answered, 'I must rattle my chains, and groan through keyholes, and walk about at night. It is my only reason for existing.' 'It is no reason at all for existing, and you know you have been very nasty. Mrs Umney told us that you had killed your wife.' 'Well, I quite admit it,' said the ghost, 'but my wife was not very nice, you know, and she knew nothing about cookery. However, it is all over now, and I don't think it was very nice of her brothers to starve me to death.' 'Starve you to death? Oh, Mr Ghost, I mean Sir Simon, are you hungry? I have a sandwich in my case. Would you like it?' 'No, thank you, I never eat anything now; but it is very kind of you. You are much nicer than the rest of your rude, dishonest family.' 'Stop!' cried Virginia, stamping her foot, 'it is you who are rude, and as for dishonesty, you stole the paints out of my box to renew that ridiculous blood-stain in the library. First you took all my reds and I couldn't do any more sunsets, then you took the green and the yellow. Finally I had nothing left but blue and white, and I could only do moonlight scenes, which are not at all easy to paint.' Having said this, Virginia turned around to leave the room. 'Please don't go, Miss Virginia,' the ghost cried; 'I am so unhappy and I really don't know what to do. I want to go to sleep and I cannot. I have not slept for three hundred years, and I am so tired.' 'Poor, poor Ghost,' she murmured; 'have you no place where you can sleep?' 'Well, I know a place where I could sleep – it's the Garden of Death, the churchyard. But only if you weep for me and my sins and pray with me for my soul, the Angel of Death will have mercy on me.’ When Virginia promised to help the ghost and pray for him, he rose from his seat, took her hand and kissed it thankfully. Then he led her across the room. Virginia saw the wall slowly fading away like a mist, and a bitter cold wind was around them. 'Quick, quick,' cried the ghost, 'or it will be too late.' Then the wall closed behind them, and the chamber was empty
CHAPTER VI
About ten minutes later, the bell rang for dinner, and, as Virginia did not come down, Mrs Otis sent up one of the servants. After a little time he returned and said that he could not find Miss Virginia anywhere. So, the whole family started looking for her. The hours passed, but they could find no trace of Virginia. So, after dinner, Mr Otis ordered them all to bed, saying that nothing more could be done that night, and that he would contact Scotland Yard in the morning. Just when everybody was about to leave the dining-room, the clock struck midnight, and when the last stroke sounded, a secret door opened in the wall and in that door stood Virginia with a little box in her hand. Everybody ran up to her. 'Good heavens! child, where have you been?' said Mr Otis, rather angrily, as he thought she had been playing a trick on them. 'Papa,' said Virginia quietly, 'I have been with the ghost. He is dead, and you must come and see him. He had been very nasty, but he was really sorry for all that he had done, and he gave me this box of beautiful jewels before he died.' Then she led the others down a narrow secret corridor to a little low room. There the family found the skeleton of Sir Simon, who had been starved to death by his wife's brothers. Virginia knelt down beside the skeleton, and, folding her little hands together, began to pray silently. Meanwhile, one of the twins was looking out of the window in the little room and suddenly said, 'Look! The old almond-tree has blossoms.' 'Then God has forgiven him,' said Virginia and stood up
CHAPTER VII
Four days later, a funeral started from Canterville Castle. In a quiet corner of the churchyard, Sir Simon's skeleton was buried. When the ceremony was over, Virginia stepped forward and laid a large cross made of white and pink almond-blossoms on the coffin. The next morning, Mr Otis talked to Sir Simon's descendant, Sir Canterville, about the jewels the ghost had given to Virginia. Their value was so great that Mr Otis had scruples about allowing his daughter to keep them. But Sir Canterville shook his hand and said, 'My dear Sir, your charming little daughter saved my ancestor's soul. The jewels are hers.' The jewels were admired by everyone when, in the spring of 1890, Virginia married the Duke of Cheshire. After their honeymoon, Virginia and her husband went down to Canterville Castle and on the day after their arrival they walked over to the churchyard. Virginia had brought some lovely roses, which she strewed upon the grave, and after they had stood by it for some time her husband took her hand. 'You have never told me what happened to you when you were locked up with the ghost.' 'Please don't ask me, I cannot tell you,' she said, 'but I owe Sir Simon a great deal. He made me see what Life is, and what Death signifies, and why Love is stronger than both.'
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