Dodo Collections brings you another classic from Arthur Quiller-Couch ‘Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts: A Book of Stories.’
I. OCEANUS Written as a letter to a family member, a brother struggles with his brother’s death. He sees his brother again – or is it a dream/vision? II. THE SEVENTH MAN Ship-wrecked survivors in the arctic. Suddenly there’s one more in a head-count of the crew. III. THE ROOM OF MIRRORS A man hunts down his enemy, but they are perhaps dependent on each other for existence in a supernatural way. IV. A PAIR OF HANDS A quiet little ghost, and a rather sweet story. V. THE LADY OF THE SHIP A lady involved in a shipwreck is saved by a lord who then must deal with a case of…demonic possession. Written by a servant trying to clear his master’s name VI. FROZEN MARGIT Story told by one twin about the women saved from a shipwreck that he and his brother fell in love with. She chooses one of them, eventually they end up on a sea voyage. VII. THE SINGULAR ADVENTURE OF A SMALL FREE-TRADER. A child from a family of smugglers gets separated from the crew of his vessel/smuggling group and ends up meeting a strange older lady. VIII. THE MYSTERY OF JOSEPH LAQUEDEM Letter written by the minister to a friend, story of a Jewish business man who, while visiting the minister, meets a girl who the locals know to be ‘an imbecile.’ However he believes that he and the girl have a past bond. Romance with supernatural twist IX. PRISONERS OF WAR Two men who have known each other all their lives become enemies after becoming prisoners of war. ‘Humorous’ ending. X. A TOWN’S MEMORY Man returns to a town he hasn’t seen since youth and tries to find someone that remembers him. XI. THE LADY OF THE RED ADMIRALS Girl who lives with elderly guardians allows a passing stranger in on the secret of her fiancé. XII. THE PENANCE OF JOHN EMMET The parson has his pupil help him with a task he must perform for a dead man, and then tells his pupil the story behind it. XIII. ELISHA Myth/fairytale-like story of the Biblical Elisha, the blind prophet, who returns to an area he’d visited before and finds out what happened in the life of Miriam since then. XIV. ‘ONCE ABOARD THE LUGGER’ A small town gets a new minister and the local girls gossip about who will marry him. XV. WHICH? A man and women meet who used to know each other, and reminisce about their sad past.