Great short stories, Volume 2 (of 3): Ghost stories

About this book

This volume gathers a series of nineteenth‑century ghost tales, each steeped in the uneasy blend of religious devotion and forbidden desire that defines the opening narrative. The first story launches with a fervent confession from a newly ordained priest, whose inner turmoil is laid bare as he recounts a three‑year double life of holy duty by day and fevered, otherworldly visions by night. A haunting vision of a radiant, other‑worldly woman named Clarimonde intrudes upon his solemn ordination, driving him to question the very vows he has taken. The prose swells with vivid descriptions of the cathedral ceremony, the luminous beauty that eclipses the bishop, and the priest’s desperate struggle between celestial obedience and a seductive, almost demonic allure.

Written in a florid, baroque style characteristic of early Victorian literature, the voice is both lyrical and confessional, echoing the moral anxieties of its time. Readers who relish richly ornate language, psychological hauntings, and the clash of sacred duty with sensual temptation will find this collection compelling, while those preferring brisk, modern storytelling may feel the pacing too indulgent.

Opening lines

Have I ever loved, you ask me, my brother? Yes, I have loved! The story is dread and marvelous, and, for all my threescore years, I scarce dare stir the ashes of that memory. To you I can refuse nothing; to a heart less steeled than yours this tale could never be told by me. For these things were so strange that I can scarce believe they came into my own existence. Three long years was I the puppet of a delusion of the devil. Three long years was I a parish priest by day, while by night, in dreams (God grant they were but dreams!), I led the life of a child of this world, of a lost soul! For one kind glance at a woman's face was my spirit to be doomed; but at length, with God to aid and my patron saint, it was given to me to drive away the evil spirit that possessed me. …

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