*Title: The Haunted Dolls-House by M. R. James
Date Read: 14 October 2009
Available Online?: YES (PDF)
Briefly: For the princely sum of sixty guineas Mr. Dillet purchases one of the finest and most detailed dolls houses he’s ever laid eyes upon. Delighted with the new addition to his home, Mr. Dillet can’t bear to be away from it, and he chooses to have the doll’s house in his own bedroom. After lovingly setting it up Mr Dillet settles down for the night, only to be woken at an ungodly hour by strange ‘goings on’ in the direction of his precious doll’s house.
Afterthoughts: Despite questioning why a grown man would be playing with a doll’s house at his age, I rather enjoyed this story from James. I wasn’t half as freaked by this tale as I was by Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad (read last year for Tales of Terror challenge), but it still sends a shiver down the spine. Job done Mr. James. Thank you very much!
Notable Quote: Pages, of course, might be written on the outfit of the mansion – how many frying-pans, how many gilt chairs, what pictures, carpets, chandeliers, four-posters, table linen, glass, crockery and plate it possessed; but all this must be left to the imagination. I will only say that the base or plinth on which the house stood (for it was fitted with one of some depth which allowed of a flight of steps to the front door and a terrace, partly balustraded) contained a shallow drawer or drawers in which were neatly stored sets of embroidered curtains, changes of raiment for the inmates, and, in short, all the materials for an infinite series of variations and refittings of the most absorbing and delightful kind.
Rating: 
*Story read as part of my 31 Shots of Shock reading challenge.
About Rob
I read this story years ago and I still remember it as being really creepy. I’ll have to try to get hold of ‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’ if you think that is spookier – I love a good ghost story!
says:
Hi Rebecca,
. If you go to the link to my review of it last year, then there’s a direct link to the story.
Apologies for the late reply. I’d definitely get a hold of ‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’. It’ll put shivers up and down yer spine
Let me know what you think of it.
Warmest
Rob
As I recall this one has almost exactly the same story as another one he wrote about a woodprint (or lithograph or something of that sort), with the other one working slightly better.
Agreed on Oh, Whistle. A masterpiece.