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“My dear Hiram,” cried Mrs Otis, “what can we do with a woman who faints?”

“Charge it to her like breakages,” answered the Minister; “she won’t faint after that;” and in a few moments Mrs Umney certainly came to. There was no doubt, however, that she was extremely upset, and she sternly warned Mr Otis to beware of some trouble coming to the house.

“I have seen things with my own eyes, sir,” she said, “that would make any Christian’s hair stand on end, and many and many a night I have not closed my eyes in sleep for the awful things that are done here.” Mr Otis, however, and his wife warmly assured the honest soul that they were not afraid of ghosts, and, after invoking the blessings of Providence on her new master and mistress, and making arrangements for an increase of salary, the old housekeeper tottered off to her own room.

SUMMARY

Mr Otis buys a Haunted House

When Mr Hiram B Otis, an American minister, bought Canterville Castle, everyone told him that this was a very foolish act, as the place was haunted. But Mr Otis did not pay attention to any such warnings and answered, “I come from a modern country, of where we have everything that money can buy. And if there were such a thing as a ghost in Europe, we would have it at home in one of our museums.”

Ominous Weather welcomes the Family’s Arrival A few weeks later, on a lovely July evening, Mr Otis, his wife Mrs Otis and their children, Washington, Virginia and the twins,arrived at their newly bought home. When they entered the avenue of Canterville Castle, the sky suddenly became dark and the air was filled with a spooky stillness.

Strange Blood Stain and the Housekeeper’s Explanation

Mrs Umney, the housekeeper, led them into the library of the castle, where they sat down and began to look around. Suddenly, Mrs Otis noticed a red stain on the floor just near the fireplace. She invited Mrs Umney’s attention to it and thought that something was spilt there.

Mrs Umney replied that it was a blood stain. Instead of getting alarmed Mrs Otis simply called it terrible and ordered the maid to remove it instantly.

The old lady just smiled and replied that it was the blood of Lady Eleanore de Canterville, who had been murdered on that spot by her husband, Sir Simon de Canterville, in 1575. Sir Simon disappeared seven years later and his body could never been found. However, his ghost still haunted the Castle.

The blood-stain was so permanent that it could not be removed and now it had become an element of tourists’ curiosity and attraction.

Washington’s Reaction

The eldest son of the family, Washington reacted immediately. He said that it was all nonsense to believe such stupid stories. Washington firmly believed that the stain remover would clean up the blood stain in no time. He took a bottle of stain remover out of his pocket and cleaned the spot. But as soon as the blood-stain had disappeared, a terrible flash of lightning lit up the room and a fearful peal of thunder made the whole building shake.

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