31 Shots of Shock: #23 – ‘On the Leads’ by S. Baring-Goulds

*Title: On the Leads by S. Baring-Goulds
Date Read: 23 October 2009
Available Online?: YES
Briefly: Returning from living in Australia, the narrator rents Fernwood Manor, a desirable dwelling set in extensive grounds. Despite a warning from the owner, Framett, that he should not take up residence until December, the narrator and his wife move into Fernwood Manor in November, and they are soon climbing up the walls (literally), due to the strange ‘goings on’.
Afterthoughts: I’ve got to admit I was a little disappointed with this 1904 spooky tale from the Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould, which comes from his 1905 anthology, A Book of Ghosts. This is after all the man who penned the world-famous hymn Onward, Christian Soldiers. I’m not saying that On the Leads is particularly bad. It just doesn’t bring anything new to the ghostly arena, making the story as a whole a little flat and uninspiring. I know A Book of Ghosts is highly revered by many, so maybe I’ve just picked a ‘duffer’ in the collection.
Notable Quote: Now I could distinctly see the reflection of the moon through the window with the black bars up and down, and the division of the panes. But I saw more than that: I saw the shadow of a lean arm with a hand and thin, lengthy fingers across a portion of the window, apparently groping at where was the latch by which the casement could be opened.

Rating:

*Story read as part of my 31 Shots of Shock reading challenge.

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