The Two Brothers Part 1

The Two Brothers Part 1

notebook

Arthur P. Stone

Charles Dickens

ghost story

deciphered shorthand

The first part of a ghost story written in shorthand about the apparition of a man's dying brother

Stone, Arthur P.

Dickens, Charles

Free Library of Philadelphia [cdc5890009_08]

1859-1860

Courtesy of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Please seek further permission from the Free Library to reuse this image.

image/tif

English

Brachygraphy shorthand

cdc5890009_08

Working transcription: I once heard a story when I was living in Scotland from the mouth of a deceased judge which struck my imagination very forcibly. He told it by the dying light of a wood fire with a high wind roaring outside. I ought to premise that he had been counsel in an action that afterwards shared of the gains attending a will made by one of the wards. This is the story: There were two old bachelor brothers of whom one reposed at Slough and the other at London. They were in the habit of visiting each other for a week or so at a time. It happened that the Slough brother, being on one of these visits to the London brother, felt rather unwell said ‘I will go home. My old housekeeper [will help] me. I shall soon be all right and will then come back. Once again they parted. A few nights afterwards, the London brother being in bed and finding himself uncomfortable and unable to sleep, lighted a candle and composed himself to read. Suddenly the door of his room opened and an appearance of his brother, dressed in white, pale and looking very attentively at him. He spoke to the figure but it made no answer. So it passed on to the end of the room