First appearing in 1882, this collection by Mrs. J.H. Riddell established her as a leading Victorian author of supernatural fiction. She achieved her effect by using commonplace settings into which the horrors crept.

Riddell's life had horrors of its own, for she was born to wealth but was destitute by the time she reached young womanhood. Following her father's death, she moved to London where she supported her mother and herself by writing.

The stories included in this collection are:

"Walnut Tree House"

"Nutbush Farm"

"The Old House in Wauxall Walk"

"The Open Door"

"Sandy the Tinker"

"The Last of Squire Enismore"