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| E. Nesbit (c. 1890) |
The Ebony Frame is an 1891 ghost story by E. Nesbit. There's witchcraft here in the middle of ordinary lives. You can read it here. It begins,
To be rich is a luxurious sensation, the more so when you have plumbed the depths of hard-up-ness as a Fleet Street hack, a picker-up of unconsidered pars, a reporter, an unappreciated journalist; all callings utterly inconsistent with one's family feeling and one's direct descent from the Dukes of Picardy.You can listen to it read to you here:
When my Aunt Dorcas died and left me seven hundred a year and a furnished house in Chelsea, I felt that life had nothing left to offer except immediate possession of the legacy. Even Mildred Mayhew, whom I had hitherto regarded as my life's light, became less luminous. I was not engaged to Mildred, but I lodged with her mother, and I sang duets with Mildred and gave her gloves when it would run to it, which was seldom. She was a dear, good girl, and I meant to marry her some day. It is very nice to feel that a good little woman is thinking of you? it helps you in your work? and it is pleasant to know she will say "Yes," when you say, "Will you?"
But my legacy almost put Mildred out of my head, especially as she was staying with friends in the country.
Before the gloss was off my new mourning, I was seated in my aunt's armchair in front of the fire in the drawing-room of my own house. My own house! It was grand, but rather lonely. I did think of Mildred just then.
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Never heard of E. Nesbit. I was just thinking the only Nesbit I've heard of was Mike from the Monkees, but then I checked and his last name is Nesmith. I haven't finished my first cup of tea laced with plastic as I just found out from Kathy's blog. 😱
ReplyDeleteWe read the Nesbit books when the kids were little. She had quite the imagination!
DeleteI have read several Nesbit books, so I am looking forward to listening to this one. Valerie
ReplyDeleteIt's different from her children's book, of course, but she's a good writer.
DeleteOh that sounds very interesting and I shall listen to that in the morning. (While I do the ironing?) I have never heard of E. Nesbit. So thank you for introducing her to me.
ReplyDeleteHappy belated T-Day,
Hugs,
Lisca
She's best known for her children's books. I thought that's all she wrote for the longest time.
DeleteI know this name, but when I looked up how I knew it, I realized I had only heard the name but none of her books were familiar to me. But Railway Children, one of her books, is something I want to check out because it deals with the Russo-Japanese War. Why you may ask? (smile) Our school's Japanese sister city is where the man who signed the treaty for Japan was from and the town I teach in is where the treaty to end the war was signed. Enough about that-but this story sounds pretty good too.
ReplyDeleteCool! Yes, Railway Children is wonderful! I think I enjoyed it as much as the kids did.
DeleteI read a Nesbit book a long time ago. I don't remember it, though. I will listen to this if and when I ever catch up.
ReplyDeleteThis one takes 30 minutes, but if you're like me you do something else at the same time ;)
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