V17811-Tales of The Supernatural

Charles Dickens
Edgar Allan Poe

E. Nesbit
F. Marion Crawford
Tales of the Supernatural

Text adaptation and activities by Peter Foreman
Illustrated by Franco Rivolli
Editor: Efena Majomi
Design and art direction: Nadia Maestri
Computer graphics: Simona Corniola
Picture research: Laura Lagomarsino
Picture credits:
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK/The Bridgeman
Art Library: 4; courtesy of Virginia State Library and
Archives: 5; Mary Evans Picture Library: 6; Library of
Congress Prints & Photographs Division, Washington, DC: 7;
Bfi Stills: 29; ©Adam Woolfitt/CORBIS: 71
First edition, 2006

First reprint, 2008
Second reprint, 2010
Third reprint, 2012
Fourth reprint, 2014
Fifth reprint, 2017
© 2006 BLACK CAT PUBLISlllNG,

a brand of DE AGOSTINI SCUOLA, Novara
© Published by EDITORIAL VlCENS VIVES, S.A.
Legal Deposit: B. 34. 438-2010

ISBN: 978-84-316-0752-4
V.V. Order N": KG63
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Contents
About the authors 4
The Signalman by Charles Dickens

CHAPTER ONE A Strange Meeting 11
CHAPTER TWO Danger 18
Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe

CHAPTER ONE A Beautiful Wife 33
CHAPTER TWO A Fight with Death 41
In the llark by E. Nesbit

CHAPTER ONE A Shocking Confession 51
CHAPTER TWO A Haunted Man 60
The lJpper Berth by F. Marion crawford

CHAPTER ONE The Mystery of Cabin 105 75
CHAPTER TWO The Cabin of Terror 85
Dossiers The Supernatural in English Literature 28
The Versailles Ghosts 69
INTERNET PROJECTS 48,72
ACTIVITIES 8, 10, 15,25,30,32,37,46,50,57,66, 74,81,92
EXIT TEST 94
Cambridge Preliminary English Test-style exercises

T: GRADE 6 Trinity-style exercises (Grade 6)
This story is recorded in full.

fA·• These symbols indicate the beginning and end of the extracts
r=&-1 linked to the listening activities.
About the authors
I
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens was born in
Portsmouth in 1812. When he
was ten years old, his family
moved to London. But there
were financial problems and
his father went to prison for
debt. In 1824 they sent their
twelve-year-old son to work
in a factory. Dickens never
forgot this, and many of his
novels are about the bad
treatment and suffering of
children.
After working as a newspaper
Charles Dickens (1859) by William Powell Frith.
reporter, Dickens wrote The
Pickwick Papers . (1836), the first of many best-selling novels that
include Oliver Twist (1837-9), David Copperfield (1849-50) and Great
Expectations (1860-1).
Dickens was interested in the supernatural, nightmares, spiritualism,
the macabre 1 and the occult. He was a natural writer of ghost stories.
He published these in his own weekly magazine, Household Words
(1850-9), and later in All the Year Round (1859-70). The stories were
1. macabre: something strange and frightening often connected with

death.
4
usually in the Christmas issue of the magazine because ghosts were
associated with Christmas. 'The Signalman' appeared in the 1866
Christmas issue of All the Year Round.
A great novelist, short story writer and editor, Dickens was also a
journalist, a writer of plays and hundreds of letters - and a father of
ten children! He often travelled, visiting Europe and North America.
He returned to America in 1867-8 to read his books in public. This
was an enormous success but very hard work, and he became ill.
When he died in 1870, he was very famous and was buried in
Westminster Abbey.
Edgar Allan Poe

The American poet and story writer
Edgar Allan Poe w as born in Boston,
Massachusetts, in 1809. When he was
three years old, his parents died and he
was adopted by John Allan, a
merchant in Richmond, Virginia. From
1815 to 1820 Poe went to a private
school in England. Then, in 1826, he
went to the University of Virginia. He
published his first book of poems in
1827. In 1831 he had to leave West
Point Military Academy because he did not do his work well. Living
in Baltimore, he began to publish short stories in magazines and won
a prize for 'MS 1 Found in a Bottle' (1833). He got a job as an editor in
1. MS : manuscript, a long document written by hand.
5
1835 and lived with his aunt, Mrs Clemm. A year later he married
his cousin Virginia, who was only thirteen years old. They moved to
Richmond.
Poe lived in New York and then Philadelphia, where he continued to
publish stories, including 'Ligeia' (1838) and 'The Fall of the House
of Usher' (1839). During the 1840s he wrote many of his famous
stories, including 'The Masque of the Red Death', 'The Black Cat'
and 'The Pit and the Pendulum'.
His wife died in 1847. Poe had a nervous breakdown 1 two years
later, and died of alcoholism. He has had a great influence on other
writers, especially on French poets such as Baudelaire, and British
writers like Robert Louis Stevenson. His story 'Murders in the Rue
Morgue' (1841) made him the father of
modern crime and detective fiction.
Many of his horror stories have been
made into films.
E. Nesbit
Edith Nesbit is famous as a writer of
children's literature. Born in London
in 1858, she was only three years old
when her father died. She was
educated in Britain, France and
Germany. She married in 1880 when
she was twenty-two. After working as
Edit Nesbit.
1. nervous breakdown: when a person becomes so sad that they cannot

work or live normally.
6
a journalist she began to write family stories. The Story of the Treasure
Seekers (1899), about the adventures of a group of children, was her
first success.
Her most famous novel is The Railway Children (1906). It was very
popular, but after her death in 1924 her books lost their popularity.
Then they began to sell again and still sell well today. The Railway
Children was made into a film (1970), and also adapted for television.
Edith Nesbit wrote some supernatural stories, collected in Grim Tales
(1893), Something Wrong (1893), and Fear (1910), in which 'In the
Dark' first appeared.
F. Marion Crawford
F. Marion Crawford was born in
ltal y in 1854, the son of an
American sculptor . He was
educated in the USA, and went to
university at Cambridge and
Heidelberg . He spoke many
languages, and travelled widely,
finding material for his novels.
His first novel, Mr Isaacs: A Tale of
Modern India, was published in 1882
and became a best seller. He wrote
almost fifty more romances,
historical novels and tales of
adventure . He did not write
F. Marion Crawford.
7
realistic or moral stories, saying that he only wanted to entertain his
readers. His other novels include Corleone: A Tale of Sicily (1896) and
The White Sister (1909). Many of them were adapted for the stage. In
1902 he wrote a play, Francesca da Rimini, for the famous actress
Sarah Bernhardt.
'The Upper Berth' comes from a collection of Crawford's
supernatural stories, Wandering Ghosts (1911), which was published
after his death in 1909.
0 Answer the following questions.
1 What happened to Charles Dickens when he was twelve? What

effect did this have on him?
2 What jobs did Charles Dickens have during his life?
3 Where are the various places Edgar Allan Poe lived?
4 How did Edgar Allan Poe die? What was his life like before he
died?
5 Which of E. Nesbit's books was her first success?
6 Which of E. Nesbit's novels was made into a film and adapted

for TV?
7 How did F. Marion Crawford find material for his novels?
8 What types of stories did F. Marion Crawford write?
8
Charles Dickens
ACTIVITIES
Before you read

;.t 0 Listening /
R List en t o the beginning of the story and for each q~estion, put a tick
(.!) in t he correct box.
1 When the narrator first called him, the signalman

A D looked up.
B D looked in the direction of the tunnel.
C D did not hear him.
2 Why did the narrator ask where the path was?

A D He wanted to go down and catch the train.
B D He wanted to go down and speak to the signalman.
C D He wanted the signalman to come up.
3 What does the narrator say about the place?

A D It was quiet, dark and lonely.
B D It had high walls and a lot of sunlight.
C D There was a red light from the sun.
4 Watching the red light

A D was not part of the signalman's job.
B D disturbed the signalman.
C D was part of the signalman's job.
5 The narrator thought the signalman

A D seemed nervous about something.
B D was probably a ghost.
C D was friendly.
6 The signalman began to relax

A D when he took the narrator to his box.
B D when the narrator said, 'I've never been there befo re'.
C D when the narrator pointed to the red light.
10
CHAPTER ONE
~A Strange Meeting
ella!'
When I called the signalman, 1 I was above him
on the hill. But he did not look up . He looked
along the railway line towards the tunnel.
'Hello , down there!' I called again.
Then he looked up and saw me .
'Where's the path?' I asked. 'How can I come down and speak to you?'
He did not answer me. just then a train came out of the
tunnel. The signalman had a flag in his hand and he showed it
when the train passed. Again I asked him where the path was. He
pointed his flag at the hill, and I saw a path that went down .
'Alright! Thanks!' I shouted.
I went down the wet path. The signalman was waiting for me
at the bottom of the hill. He was standing between the railway
lines with a strange, nervous expression on his face .
The place was quiet and lonely. High walls blocked out a lot of .
the sky, so there was not much sun there, and it was dark. I
1. signalman: the man w ho operates the railway signals that tell train
drivers to stop or go.
11
'fah~s ol' tht~ Sn11ernatural
looked along the line and saw a red light in front of the entrance
I
to the black tunnel. Then I went up to the signalman, but he

moved away from me. He looked at me strangely.
'It's very lonely here,' I said. 'You don't get many visitors. Am I
disturbing you?'
He did not answer, but looked at the red light near the tunnel.
'Why are you watching that light?' I asked. 'Is that part of
your job?'
He answered quietly, 'Don't you know it is?'
Suddenly the horrible idea came to me that he was a ghost,
not a man. So I moved away. But then I saw fear in his eyes.
'Are you afraid of me?' I asked .
'I was thinking perhaps I've seen you before .'
'Where?'
He pointed to the red light. 'There.'
'Why? I've never been there before.'
'No, perhaps you haven't.'
Then he began to relax. He took me into his signal box. 1 fJ;$1.1
'Have you got much work to do here?' I asked .
'No, not very much. But I have to be very attentive and
careful,' he replied.
'What are your responsibilities?'
'I change the signal, pull these switches, z and check that the
red light is working,' he explained .
'Do you ever feel lonely?' I asked.
'No, I'm used to it.'
'Can't you ever go out into the sunlight?'
1. signal box : the cabin where a signalman works.
2. sw;tches ' ~
12
I
'Yes, sometimes when the weather is good. But I must always
listen for the electric bell and watch the red light'.'
I looked around his signal box . There was a fire, a desk, a
telegraph machine for receiving and sending messages and a
little electric bell.
'When I was a young man, I studied science,' he told me.
The bell suddenly rang. He received messages and sent replies.
Then he showed his flag when a train passed. He did everything very
precisely. During our conversation he opened the door twice and
looked at the red light. He came back to the fire with an anxious
expression. I wanted to know why, so I asked, 'Are you a happy man?'
'I was happy once,' he replied. 'But now I'm worried, sir.'
'Why? What's the problem?'
'It's difficult to say. If you come again, I'll try and tell you,' he said.
'When shall I come?'
'I'll be here again at ten o'clock tomorrow night, sir.'
'I'll come at eleven then,' I replied.
It was dark outside, so he showed me to the path with his light.
'Don't call out "hello" again, please,' he said .
'Alright.'
'And don't call out when you come tomorrow night . Why did
you shout "Hello, down there!" tonight?' he asked .
'I don't know. Did I say those exact words?'
'Yes. I know those words very well.'
'I think I said them because I saw you down here,' I said .
'Is that the only reason?'
'Yes, of course. Why?'
'You don't think there was any supernatural reason?' he asked.
'No.'
Then we said goodnight, and I returned to my hotel.
14
ACTIVITIES
Go back to the text
0 Comprehension
Answer these questions.
1 How many times did the narrator call before the signalman saw him?
2 Where was the path?
3 Why was the place dark?
4 Why did the narrator move away from the signalman?
5 What did the signalman do in his job?
6 How did the signalman behave during the conversation with the
narrator?
7 What time will the narrator come tomorrow night?
e Match the narrator's questions with the signalman's answers. Write

A-Fin boxes 1-6.
1 D Why are you watching that red light?

2 D Have you got much work to do?
3 D Don't you sometimes feel lonely?
4 D Are you a happy man?
5 D When shall I come?
6 D What's the problem?
A No, I'm used to it. D It's difficult to say.
B No, not very much. E Because it's part of my job.
C Ten o'clock tomorrow night. F I was happy once.
e Vocabulary
Look back at the text and write sentences to describe what the
signalman does with these objects. Look at the example .
0 Telegraph machine .lj.~.. ~.~.0.~.i~:=::? ..C?.~.~.. ?.::~~?. ..~!=:.~.~.C?9.~.~................... .

1 Flag
2 Signal
3 Switches
4 Red light
5 Electric bell
15
ACTIVITIES
0 Match sentences 1-6 to the correct pictures. Write 1-6 in boxes

A-F.
1 I must show this when the train passes.

2 When I change this, it tells the train drivers to stop or go.
3 I always watch this because it warns of danger.
4 I use this to send and receive messages.
5 When I hear this, I know the station is calling me.
6 This is where the red light is.
0 Predicting
The signalman seems worried about something but says his problem
is difficult to explain. Can you guess what the problem is? Answer the
following questions using your own ideas.
1 The narrator asks, 'Why are you watching that light? Is that part of
your job?' and the signalman replies, 'Don't you know it is?'
Why does the signalman think that the narrator already knows it
is part of his job?
2 The narrator asks, 'Are you afraid of me?' and the signalman
replies, 'I was thinking perhaps I've seen you before.'
So why does the signalman seem to be afraid of him?
3 'Hello, down there!' The signalman knows the words very well. But
how? Can you guess?
4 'You don't think there was any supernatural reason?' Why does the
signalman ask this?
16
ACTIVITIES
Before you read

0 Pictures
Look at the illustration on pages 22-23.
I
1 Who can you see in the picture?
I
I
I 2 Where are they?
3 What are they doing?
R
-j e
4 What do you think has happened?
Listening
Listen to the dialogue at the beginning of Chapter Two. For each
question, fill in the missing information in the numbered space.
Signalman: I've decided to tell you what disturbs me. Yesterday

evening I thought (1) .......................................... .
Narrator: Who?
Signalman: I don't know.
Narrator: Does (2) .......................................... ?
Signalman: I've never seen his face because (3) ...................................... .
He waves his right arm - like this.
One night (4) ...................................... and I was sitting here. Suddenly
(5) ........................................... - 'Hello, down there!' I went to the door
and looked out. There was somebody by (6) ......................................... .
the tunnel and he was waving. 'Look out! Look out!' he shouted, and
then again, 'Hello, down there! Look out!' (7) ...................................... .. ..
and ran towards him. 'What's wrong? What's happened?' I called. I
wondered why he had his arm in front of his eyes. As I came near him,
I (8) .......................................... to pull his arm away - but he wasn't
there.
Narrator: Did he go into the tunnel?
Signalman: No. I ran into the tunnel. I stopped and
(9) .......................................... ,but there was nobody there. I was scared,
(10) .......................................... and came to my box.
17
CHAPTER TWO
Danger
arrived at eleven the following night . The f-=1
signalman was waiting for me with his light.
'You see, I didn't call out,' I said, smiling.
We walked to the signal box and sat down by
the fire.
'I've decided to tell you what disturbs me,' he began in a quiet
voice . 'Yesterday evening I thought you were somebody else.'
'Who?' I asked.
'I don't know.'
'Does he look like me?'
'I've never seen his face because his left arm is always in front
of it. He waves 1 his right arm - like this .' And he waved violently,
like somebody trying to say, 'Please get out of the way!'
'One night,' continued the signalman, 'the moon was shining
and I was sitting here . Suddenly I heard a voice - "Hello, down
there!" I went to the door and looked out. There was somebody
1. waves : moves his arm from side to side.
18
by the red light near the tunnel and he was waving. "Look out!
Look out!" he shouted, and then again, "Hello, down there! Look
out!" I took my lamp and ran towards him. "What's wrong?
What's happened?" I called. I wondered why he had his arm in
front of his eyes. As I came near him, I put out my hand to pull
his arm away - but he wasn't there.'
'Did he go into the tunnel?' I asked.
'No. I ran into the tunnel. I stopped and shone my lamp
around, but there was nobody there. I was scared, so I ran out
fast and came to my box. I sent a telegraph message - "Alarm r¥M-1
received . Is anything wrong?" The answer came back: "All well."'
I said that the person was probably a hallucination. 1
'Wait a moment, sir,' the signalman said, touching my arm .
'Six hours later a terrible accident happened on this line. They
brought a lot of dead and injured people out of the tunnel.'
'But it was only a coincidence,' I said . 'A very strange
coincidence.'
'Excuse me, but I haven't finished yet, sir.'
'I'm sorry,' I replied.
'This was a year ago. Six or seven months passed and I
recovered from the shock. Then one morning at dawn 2 I saw the
ghost again.'
'Did it call out?' I asked.
'No. It was silent.'
'Did it wave its arm?'
'No. It had its hands in front of its face - like this .' He
covered his face with his hands.
1. hallucination : something you think you see but it is not real.

2. dawn : the time of morning when the sun comes up.
19
'Did you go up to it?'
'No. I came in and sat down, very frightened ;' he said. 'When I
went back to the door, the ghost was gone.'
'And afte rwards? Did anything happen this time?' I asked again.
'Yes. That day a train came out of the tunnel, and I saw in a
carr iage window a lot of people standing up looking agitated. 1 I
gave a signal to the driver to stop. When the train stopped, I ran
to it and heard terrible screams . A beautiful young lady was
dying in one of the carriages . They brought her here and put her
down on the floor between us.'
I pushed back my chair in horror.
'It's true, sir. That's exactly what happened. Now listen and
you'll understand why I'm worried . The ghost came back a week
ago, and I've seen it again two or three times .'
'Is it always at the red light?' I asked.
'Yes , the danger light.'
'What does it do? '
'It waves - like this,' he replied. He repeated the movements
that expressed the words "Please get out of the way! " Then he
continued . 'I have no peace or rest. It calls me many times -
"Hello , down there! Look out!" And it rings my bell.'
'Did it ring your bell yesterday when I was here?' I asked him .
'Twice ,' he replied.
' oh, it ' s your imagination! I was looking at the bell and
listening for it, but it only rang when the station called you .'
The signalman shook his head . z 'No, the ghost's ring is
different. You didn 't see or hear it - but I did .'
1. agitate d : worri e d and unable to think or act calmly.

2. shoo k h is h ead : moved hi s head from left to right to indicate 'no'.
20
'And was the ghost there when you looked out?'
'Yes, twice .'
'Will you come to the door with me and look for it now?'
He came to the door and I opened it.
'can you see it?' I asked .
'No. It's not there.'
'Right,' I said.
We went in, shut the door and sat down . Now I was certain
that the ghost did not exist.
'I think you understand,' he said, 'that I'm disturbed by one
question : what does the ghost mean?'
'No , I don 't understand you .'
'What is the ghost warning me about? What is the danger?
Where is it? Some horrible disaster is going to happen, but what
can I do? I can 't send a telegraph to the station. What can I say?
Message : "Danger! Take care! " Answer: "What danger? Where? "
Message : "Don't know. But be careful! " They'll think I'm mad. :_-
The poor signalman looked ve r y worried . He pushed his
fingers into his black hair. Then he took his handkerchief and
wiped his face and hands .
'Why doesn't the ghost tell me where the accident will
happen? Why doesn't it tell me how I can prevent it? Why didn 't
it say that the beautiful young lady was in danger? My God, I'm
only a poor signalman! Why me! '
I tried to calm him down . I said he must do his duty well , as
correctly as possible - and that was all. He became calm after a
while, and I offered to stay with him for the night.
'No, it's alright, thank you,' he said. 'Come back an hour after
sunset tomorrow.'
I left him at two o'clock in the morning . In my hotel room I
21
1ales of the SuJlet·natural
1
thought about what to do. The signalman was intelligent, careful

and correct in his wo r k. But the situation disturbed him very
much . How could he continue to do his job well? So I finally
decided to take him to the best doctor in town.
The ne xt evening I went out early. It was nearly sunset when I
reached the path above the railway. I had another hour before
the signalman came, so I decided to go for a walk. But as I looked
down at the railway I saw a man at the tunnel. He had his left
arm in front of his eyes , and he was waving violently.
I cannot describe my horror . But it passed when I saw that
the man was not a ghost. He was a real person, and there were
some other men not far away from him. The red light was not
shining . Near it was a small object like a bed covered with a
sheet. I ran down the path very fast .
Tales of tlu• Supernatur·al
'What's the matter?' I asked the men .

'The signalman is dead, sir,' one of them said.
'What? The man I know?'
'If you know him, you'll recognise him .' And the man pulled
back the sheet.
' oh, how did this happen?' I cried, recognising the dead
signalman.
The man at the tunnel came forward and spoke . 'A train
knocked him down and killed him this morning . It was just
getting light. The train came out of the tunnel, and he was
standing with his lamp near the line, with his back to the train.
Show the gentleman , Tom .'
'I'm the train driver, sir,' Tom said. 'I saw the s'i gnalman as I
came towards the end of the tunnel. There was no time to slow
down. He didn't hear my whistle, 1 so I shouted very loudly.'
'What did you say?'
'I said, "Hello, down there! Look out! Look out! Please get out
of the way!" I called to him many times, and I put this arm in
front of my eyes because I didn't want to see, and I waved this
arm - like this - but it was too late ... '
1. whistle : (here) loud noise made by the train to tell people it is coming.
24
ACTIVITIES
Go back to the text
0 Summing it up
Put the sentences A-F in the correct order to make a summary of
Chapter Two. Write 1-6 in the boxes.
A D Six hours later, there was a train accident and many people
died.
B D The next evening the narrator saw some men at the railway
tunnel.
c D The signalman described how one night he saw somebody
warning him at the red light.
D D The train driver said he waved and shouted to warn the
signalman, but it was too late - he was killed by the train!
E D But the person disappeared when he came near him.
F D Now the signalman was very worried because a week ago the
ghost returned and warned him of danger.
8 Language
Here are some answers the signalman gives in Chapter Two. Write
the questions for these answers. Look at the example.
0 A beautiful young lady. Who .'!'!.0.~.. ~Y.~~.9.. ~~ ..~h~ ..~~'?.i.~? .................. .

1 At 11 p.m . What time ............................................... ?
2 A year ago. When .. ................. ......... ... .... ..................... ?
3 Always at the red light. Where ...................................................... ?
4 It waves - like this. What ........................................................ ?
5 It rang twice. How many times .................................... ?
R e Read the text below and choose the correct word for each space. For
each question, write the correct letter A, B, C or D as in the example.
The signalman looked very anxious, (0) ......!;? ...... I told him he must
continue to do his work as (1) .............. as he could. That seemed to
calm him down. (2) .............. I said that I would stay with him for the
25
ACTIVITIES
night, he said no, (3) .............. me, and asked me to come back the next
day, an hour after sunset.
(4) .............. ,in my hotel room, I thought about the signalman's
situation. It (5) .............. him very much, and perhaps he would start to
(6) .............. mistakes in his job. In the end, I made up my (7) ............. .
to find a doctor (8) .............. could help the signalman. (9) ............. .
who? I didn't know any doctors. (10) .............. I suddenly had an idea.
I said to myself, I'll take him to the best doctor in town!
0 then
A B so C also D that
1 A bad B good C well D better
2 A When B Why C Who DHow
3 A thanked B said C looked D told
4 A After B Before C Later D Sooner
5 A worried B pleased C liked D helped
6 A do B make C have D cause
7 A idea B mind C head D decision
8 A who B what Chow D whose
9 A So BAnd C As D But
10 A Because B When C Then D As
'I've never seen his face'

The Present Perfect Simple is formed with has/have +the past
participle of the main verb. We often use it to describe a period of time
that continues from the past until the present.
Compare it with this sentence:
When the 9host appeared a week a9o, I didn't see his face .
Here the speaker is speaking about a completed action at a specific
time in the past, so he uses the Past Simple.
' We often use the Present Perfect with adverbs such as never, ever and
yet.
Note that ever is used in questions: Have you ever seen his face?
Yet is used to mean 'until now' and is only used in questions and
negatives: Have you finished yet?
Excuse me, but I haven'tfinishedyet.
26
ACTIVITIES
0 The Present Perfect

Complete the sentences with the verbs provided, using the Present
Perfect Simple or the Past Simple. Where necessary choose never,
ever or yet.
1 I .......................... (think) a lot about your question and now I'll give
you an answer.
2 .......................... you (never/ever/yet) .......................... (see) a ghost?
3 When the ghost rang the bell, you .......................... (not hear) it.
4 The ghost .......................... (come) back a week ago, and it
.......................... (appear) again two or three times.
5 .......................... the signalman .......................... (chan$e) the signal
(never/ever/yet?).
6 .......................... the ghost .......................... (rin$) the bell when I
.......................... (be) here yesterday?
7 The signalman does not know where the accident will happen
because the ghost .......................... (not tell) him (never/ever/yet).
8 The signalman thinks he recognises the narrator, but the narrator
says this is not possible because he .......................... (never/ever/yet)
.......................... (be) there before.
e Write about it
Write a story in about 100 words that includes the following words:
ghost hand bus/plane beautifullady station/airport
27
-
ta·-
J .~
The Supernatural
in English Literature
Dhe supernatural describes things that we cannot explain
scientifically. It includes the occult, magic, magical forces and
mysticism. Many famous English writers have used the supernatural
in their novels, stories, and plays. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, for
example, the ghost of Hamlet's father appears to his son and
describes how Claudius, his brother and Hamlet's uncle, murdered
him. In Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights (1847) the ghost of
Catherine Earnshaw haunts 1 Heathcliff and appears to the narrator
Lockwood, who thinks he is dreaming when he sees her trying to get
into his room through a broken window.
The supernatural first appeared in fiction in 1764 in the gothic tale
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole (1717-97). He was the
youngest son of the first British prime minister Sir Robert Walpole.
He was a Member of Parliament but also wrote. His famous horror
story set in the Middle Ages, started the fashion for gothic romances.
These romances describe strange or mysterious adventures that take
place in dark and lonely places.
By the 19th century gothic stories were very popular. Mary Shelley's
Frankenstein (1818) is still one of the most important gothic horror
stories, and continues to frighten readers today. But the modern
ghost story began to appear in Victorian times after 1837. Charles
Dickens wrote the most famous ghost story of all, A Christmas Carol
1. haunts : (used of a ghos t ) visi t s a perso n or a place reg ul ar ly .
28
A scene from the film The Innocents (1961).
(1843). It is a moral story in which various ghosts help the mean 1

protagonist Scrooge to change his life.
Hundreds of ghost stories were published from 1850 to the early
twentieth century. The years 1890-1940 were the golden age of this
popular form of short fiction. These stories reflected people's
fascination with death and the uncertainty of what happens after we
die. Many important writers also wrote ghost stories during this
time. They include Rudyard Kipling, famous for The Jungle Book, and
R. L. Stevenson, who wrote Treasure Island. The great novelist Henry
James also published many supernatural tales. His masterpiece, The
Turn of the Screw (1898), was made into a film called The Innocents in
1961. Other famous ghost story writers are Bram Stoker, author of
29
Dracula (1897), H. G. Wells, and the Americans Nathaniel Hawthorne,
who wrote the supernatural thriller The House of Green Gables (1851),
and Edith Wharton. The stories in her collectibn Tales of Men and
Ghosts were published individually in magazines from 1909-10.
Some writers were specialists in the genre. The American H. P.
Lovecraft (1890-1937), who wrote The Dunwich Horror (1945), has
become a cult figure. The English scholar M. R. James (1862-1936) is
considered a master of the ghost story, and he has had a great
influence on other writers.
Tales of the supernatural are still popular today. Contemporary
fiction such as The Woman in Black (1983) by Susan Hill became a best
seller, and then a successful play. Books by modern gothic authors
such as Stephen King and Anne Rice are worldwide best sellers.
0 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)? Correct the false ones.
T F
1 In Shakespeare's play the ghost of Hamlet's father
tells his son how he died. DO
2 In Wutherin3 Hei3hts Catherine Earnshaw's ghost
haunts the room of the narrator Lockwood. DD
3 The supernatural first appeared in stories in the
18th century. DO
4 The modern ghost story began to appear in
Victorian times. DO
5 Supernatural stories were popular because people
were frightened of death. DO
6 The }uniJle Book is a famous supernatural story. DO
7 Important novelists never wrote about the supernatural. DD
8 The supernatural did not interest American writers. DO
9 Some writers specialised in ghost stories. DO
10 The Woman in Black was adapted for the theatre. DO
30
ACTIVITIES
Before you read

f,lei 0 Listening
I
R Listen to the beginning of the story and for each/question, put a tick
(.I') in the correct box.
1 What does the narrator remember well about Ligeia?

A D her family name
B D her physical appearance
C D the city where he first met her
2 The narrator never heard Ligeia coming into his studio because
A D she was aristocratic.
B D she did not speak.
c D her footsteps were very soft.
3 What was strange about Ligeia's beauty?

A D her long nose and red mouth
B D the expression in her eyes
c D her white skin and black hair
4 Ligeia's determination
A D shone in her eyes.
B D showed in her clever mind.
c D helped her in her studies.
5 The expression in Ligeia's eyes

A D fascinated and sometimes frightened the narrator.
B D was terrible.
C D was always calm and quiet.
6 After Ligeia died the narrator

A D was frightened of the dark.
B D did not study any more.
C D was lonely and insecure.
32
CHAPTER ONE
ABeautiful Wife
cannot remember how, when or where I met
Ligeia. It was a long time ago and my memory
is not good. But I think I met her first in a
large, old city near the Rhine in Germany.
She told me that she came from an ancient family. But I never
knew the family name of the woman who was my friend, my
partner in my studies and finally my wife. Why did I never
discover her family name? Perhaps because she did not want me
to find out, but I cannot remember.
I remember one thing very well: Ligeia was tall and slim.
Later, at the end, she became very thin. How can I describe her
quiet, aristocratic movements, or the strange softness of her
footsteps? 1 If she came into my office, I only knew she was there
1. footsteps: the sound made by a person walking.
33
'J'ales of the Supet·natural
when I heard her voice, or when she put her white hand on my
shoulder.
She had a beautiful face , but it was not a classical kind of
beauty. There was something strange about it. I have often tried
to understand it: was it her pure white skin or her thick, black
hair? I looked at her long , delicate nose many times. It was
perfect! I looked at her sweet mouth . How soft and red it was!
And when she smiled , her teeth were white. Then I looked into
her eyes.
They were much bigger than normal eyes . Sometimes, when
she was excited, they looked like a dee r' s 1 eyes . They were black,
with long black eyelashes and black eyebrows . But as I looked
into them , I realised that they had a strange expression . I
thought about it for many hours , sometimes all night. What was
the expression in those eyes? I wanted to know. Many times I
thought I almost had the answer, but then it was gone.
Ligeia was very determined. She was always calm and quiet,
but her determination showed in her eyes . It shone like a terr ible
energy, and sometimes it frightened me .
Ligeia was very clever. She was excellent at Latin and Greek,
and she knew many other languages perfectly; she never made a
mistake . She was also a student of science and mathematics.
When we were first married I often asked her for help with my
studies , and we worked together. But after she died I was alone .
Without her I was like a child in the dark. r#f.i
When she first became ill, she did not come to help me as
often as before. She lost weight and her skin became pale and
L deer: ~
34
Tales of the SuJJernatur·al
transparent. When I saw that she was dying, I felt desperate.

Ligeia resisted death with all her energy - dhe was determined
to live. I watched in agony as she fought for life.
I knew she loved me, but I only understood how much she
loved me now that she was dying . She held my hands and said
that she was devoted to me. I cannot talk about it now, but let
me say that her love for me was part of her determination to
live. On the night she died she suddenly got out of bed and cried,
'oh God, must I die? Must I lose my fight with death? No, I can't
die like this!'
But my dear Ligeia died. I was so sad I could not stay in the
old city by the Rhine. For a few months I travelled around , then I
bought an old abbey 1 in an isolated part of England. This dark,
sad place expressed my feelings of loneliness. But I decorated it
with beautifully coloured curtains, carpets and ornaments . I said
to myself, 'Perhaps the bright colours will make me feel happier.'
Unfortunately they did not. I began to drink too much. But I do
not want to speak about that time of my life. I will only say that
one day I married Lady Rowena Trevanion of Tremaine . My new
wife had blonde hair and blue eyes . She was very different from
my first wife, but how could I ever forget Ligeia?
1. abbey: church with buildings where religious communities of men or

women live. Here , the abbey is no longer used for religious purposes.
36
ACT IVITIES
Go back to the text
0 Comprehension
Answer these questions.
1 Why can't the narrator say how, when, or where he met Ligeia?
2 How did the narrator know when Ligeia was in his studio?
3 What did the narrator want to know about Ligeia?
4 Describe briefly what kind of student Ligeia was.
5 How did Ligeia change physically when she first became ill?
6 When did the narrator understand how much Ligeia loved him?
7 Why was Ligeia determined to live?
8 Where did the narrator go to live after Ligeia died?
9 Why did the narrator begin to drink too much?
10 How was Lady Rowena physically different from Ligeia?
e Can you remember what happened in these places? Write a sentence

under each picture.
1 ......................................................... 2 ....................................................... ..
3 ......................................................... 4 ........................ ................................ .

ACTIVITIES
e Complete the sentences with the correct word from the box.
transparent slim delicate eyelashes quiet

. determination lonely softness scientific calm sad pale
1 Ligeia studied .............................. subjects, like chemistry.

2 The .............................. in Ligeia's eyes sometimes frightened the
narrator.
3 Ligeia had long, black .............................. and a long,
.............................. nose.
4 When Ligeia was ill, her skin changed. It became ............................ ..
and .............................. .
5 Ligeia' s footsteps had a strange .............................. .
6 Ligeia was very determined, but she always seemed
.............................. and .............................. .
7 Before her illness Ligeia was not thin. She was .............................. .
8 When Ligeia died, the narrator felt .............................. and
0 The narrator and his second wife Rowena are talking about Ligeia.
Read the dialogue and complete the narrator's part.
Rowena: When did you meet your first wife, dear?

Narrator: 1 ...................••.•••..............................................................................
Rowena: Really? That's strange. What was the name of her family?
Narrator: 2 •..•..•......•..•...••••••••..•...........•..•.••.••••••..•••..•..••.••..•..•..•..•..•..••.••...••.••..
Rowena: Don't you remember anythin$] about her?

Narrator: I remember one thing well. 3 ...................................................... .
Rowena: What did she look like?

Narrator: 4 ......•...•..•..••..................•..•....................•..•...•...........•..•..•......•..••..•..
38
ACTIVITIES
Rowena: Hmm. So she was very beautiful in your opinion?

Narrator: Yes, but 5 ....... . ......... ... . ............. ...................... •. ... .... . . .. ........ . •.........
Rowena: Strange? How?
Narrator: Well, her eyes had 6 .....................................................•...............
It sometimes frightened me
Rowena: Oh, really? But what about her mind? Was she clever?
Narrator: 7 ................•..•..•......•......•..•........................••......••.•..•.....••..•.....•...••..
She never made a mistake.
Rowena: Oh, you think Ligeia was so beautiful and clever! Now I
understand why you're always sad. You think about her all the time.
You're still in love with her- aren't you?
Compare your answers with a partner.
& writing
Here is part of a letter you receive from a penfriend.
~il'Wt.S AboJA-t ko'('(O'( A~ttv\ -tke. .SIA[?t'(Mht'(P\l P\'(t *-0 {AvOIA'([-te.

-t-0pe. of {il'Wt.S. (~tt_ -00IA'( ~tt.e.xt le.-t-te.y; ple.A.se. -te.ll 'Wtt Abo!A-t -00IA'(
{Avo!A'([-te. {il'Wt.s . Wk-0 d.o -0o1A like. -tke.'Wt~
Write a letter of about 100 words answering your penfriend's

question.
39
ACT IVITIES
Before you read

Pictures I
Look at the illustration on page 45 with a partner. Take turns to

describe what you can see and discuss what you think is happening .
•
p
Listening
Listen to the beginning of Chapter Two and decide if each sentence is
correct or incorrect. If it is correct, put a tick (t!) in the box under A
for YES. If it is not correct, put a tick (t!) in the box under 8 for NO.
A 8
YES NO
1 After their marriage the narrator and Rowena lived
in a large room at the top of a tower. D D
2 The room had a high ceiling and no windows. D D
3 Lady Rowena was afraid of the narrator. D D
4 The narrator and his wife spent a lot of time together. D D
5 The narrator could not forget Ligeia. D D
6 Lady Rowena became ill in the second month of their
marriage. D D
7 At first the narrator did not believe that Rowena
could hear sounds and movements in the tower. D D
8 Rowena's second illness was not as bad as the first. D D
9 There was some wine on the table next to the bed. D D
10 The narrator told Rowena that there was a shadow
on the carpet. D D
40
CHAPTER TWO
AFight with Death

took Lady Rowena back to a room high up in •
the tower of the abbey, where we lived for the
first month of our marriage . The room was
very large, with an enormous window made of
glass from Venice . The ceiling was high , like a church, and in the
centre there was a big gold chandelier. 1 There were sofas from
the East, and an Indian bed. On the walls were long tapestries , z
like carpets, with designs made of gold. The tapestries moved
every time the wind blew.
My wife was afraid of me because I was often sad and
depressed . She did not love me much and stayed away from me ,
but I preferred this . I always thought about Ligeia - my
beautiful , Ligeia, dead in the tomb . Sometimes in my dreams I
called to her in the night . I imagined that perhaps my love for her
could bring her back to me.
1. chandelier : ~ 2. tapestr ies :
41
At the beginning of the second month Lady Rowena became
I
ill. She did not sleep very well , and told me she could hear sounds
and movements in the tower.
1 1
You have a fever,' I said . You're imagining things.'
She got better, but then she went back to bed with a second
illness, worse than the first. The doctors could not understand it.
Again Rowena began to hear little sounds and movements in the
bedroom, and they frightened her.
One night at the end of September she woke up suddenly. I
was sitting on a sofa by her bed . She whispered to me that she
could hear sounds and see movements , and there was a
frightened expression on her thin face . But I saw and heard
nothing .
1 1
it's the wind,' I explained. You can see the tapestries moving
in the wind .'
But her face was white with fear , and she nearly fainted. 1 I
remembered that there was some wine on the table on the other
side of the room . As I walked under the light of the chandelier, a
strange thing happened . I felt something invisible pass me, and
on the carpet I saw a shadow, almost the shadow of a shadow. I
decided to say nothing to Rowena.
I poured out a glass of wine and gave it to her. Then I sat on the
sofa and watched her. After some moments I heard very quiet
footsteps on the carpet, coming towards the bed. A second later,
as Rowena was about to drink the wine, I saw - or perhaps I
dreamed that I saw - three or four large drops of a bri'ght red
liquid fall into the glass. Rowena did not see it; she drank the wine,
and I said nothing because I thought it was only my imagination.
1. fainted : lost consciousness.
42
After this, Rowena's health got much worse , and on the third
night she died. Her servants prepared her for the tomb , then
covered her with a sheet. The next night I sat alone with her
body in the bedroom. Strange forms and shadows moved around
me . I looked nervously into the dark corners , at the moving
tapestries , and I felt frightened .
Then I looked at the carpet under the chandelier. There was
no shadow there , and I felt better. When I looked at Rowena on
the bed, sad memories of Ligeia - the only woman I ever loved
- came back to me .
It was perhaps around midnight when I heard a sound. It was
quiet but clear, and it woke me from my dreams. I thought it
came from the bed. I listened in terror, but I did not hear it again .
I looked carefully at Rowena for any sign of life . She was not
moving, but I continued to look at her.
Minutes passed . Then I noticed a little colour in Rowena 's
face . My heart stopped in horror ; I could not move . When I
understood that Rowena was not dead , I tried to revive her. 1 But
soon the colour disappeared from her cheeks, her face looked
like marble again and her lips were thin with the horrible
expression of death. When her body was cold and rigid, I fell on
to the sofa and dreamed about Ligeia.
An hour later I heard the same sound as before . I listened ;
yes, there it was again - a sigh z from the bed! I ran over and
saw clearly that her lips were trembling . Then they opened ,
showing her bright teeth . I thought I was going mad. There was a
pink colour on her cheeks and neck, her body was getting warm
1. reviv e he r : bring her bac k to life .

2. sigh: a lon g, quiet breathin g s o und.
43
again and her heart was beating a little. Lady Rowena was alive!
I did everything I could to revive her . Then suddenly her
colour disappeared, her heart stopped and her body became cold
and rigid. I sat down and began to think about Ligeia again. Then
again for the third time there was a sound from the bed. But why
must I describe the horrors of that night? Again I tried to revive
Rowena, and then a fourth time . Each time she seemed to fight
with an invisible force; and each time her body changed. I cannot
say how, but she looked different.
It was nearly dawn when she moved again. I was sitting on
the sofa, exhausted , but Rowena ' s body moved with more
energy than before . Her colour returned, signs of life changed
her face. Her eyes were closed, but she looked alive . Then she
suddenly got out of bed and walked slowly to the centre of the
room, like she was walking in her sleep.
I did not tremble; I did not move . I was as cold and still as
stone, paralysed 1 by what I saw. As I looked at her, my head
filled with wild thoughts . Was Rowena really alive? Could I really
see her blonde hair and blue eyes? Why wasn 't I certain? I could
not see her mouth very well, but her cheeks were like pink roses .
Weren't they Rowena's cheeks? But wasn't she taller than before?
I was filled with a kind of madness . I ran to her, but she
moved away. Then I saw her long hair moving in the wind - it
was blacker than the black of midnight! And now slowly her eyes
opened.
1
I shouted like a madman, These are the black eyes of my lost
love - the eyes of Ligeia!'
1. paralysed : not able to move .
44
ACTIVITIES
Go back to the text
0 Comprehension
I
Choose the correct picture (A, B or C). I
1 When did the narrator hear the first sound from the bed?
2 Approximately when did the narrator first not ice a little colour in
Rowena's face?
3 What happened an hour later?
46
ACTIVITIES
4 When did Rowena get out of bed?
8 Language
Complete the sentences with the words in brackets in their correct
form, as in the example.
1 There was an.!~~!~~.............. bed in the room. (India)

2 The tapestries moved when it was .......................... (wind)
3 Rowena went back to bed with a second ......................... (ill)
4 I thought it was only my ........................ , so I said nothing. (ima9e)
5 Then for the ........................ time there was a sound from the bed.
(three)
6 At the ........................ of the second month Lady Rowena became ill.
(be9in)
7 We lived in the room during the first month of our ........................ .
(marry)
8 Lady Rowena said she heard sounds and saw ........................ in the
tower. (move)
9 I was filled with a kind of ......................... (mad)
e Your opinion
Why do you think the narrator remarried even though he could
not forget his first wife, Ligeia?
Do you think Ligeia was really 'reborn', or is the narrator mad?
Have you had any supernatural experiences? (ghosts, fortune
tellers, etc.) Where were you and what happened?
Discuss your ideas with a partner.
47
ACT IVITIES I
INTERNET PROJECT
Connect to the Internet and go to www.blackcat-cideb(com or
www.cideb.it. Insert the title or part of the title of the book into our
search engine. Open the page for Tales of the SupJrnatural. Click on
the Internet project link. Go down the page until you find the title of this
book and click on the relevant link for this project.
Find out about the many adaptations of Poe's short stories. Look for
the following:
'The Pit and the Pendulum' 'The Masque of the Red Death'
'Ligeia' 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue'
'The Fall of the House of Usher'
., Find out the names of the film directors and actors. When were the
films made? Can you find more films of Poe's stories?
., Poe was also a poet. What can you discover about a poem called
'The Raven'?
., Organise your class into two groups. Each group can report to the
class on one of the following:
Horror films based on Poe's stories.
'The Raven'- a poem by Edgar Allan Poe.
T: G,RADE 6
· Speaking
Topic - Health
Poe does not tell us much about Ligeia's illness, but in the 19th
century people often died young of diseases like tuberculosis. Today
advances in medical science and hygiene have changed this situation
in many countries. Find some information or pictures showing how
modern knowledge can help us to live a long and healthy life. Think
about the following:
diet smoking exercise
hygiene free health service
Can you think of some dangers to health today?

What can governments and the media do to educate people about
health?
What sort of things do you do to keep healthy?
48
ACTIVITIES
Before you read

0 Pictures
Look at the illustration on page 55. I
1 What can you see?
2 What do you think happened before?
• e
R
Listening
Listen to the beginning of the story and decide if each sentence is
correct or incorrect. If it is correct, put a tick (.1) in the box under A
for YES. If it is not correct, put a tick (.I) in the box under B for NO.
A B
YES NO
1 Haldane and the narrator did not like Visger. D D
2 Visger knew that Haldane and Winston stole
the cherries. D D
3 At school and university Haldane was a
miserable person. D D
4 When the narrator visited him, Haldane se~r:ned
a different person. D D
5 When the narrator arrived Haldane was packing his
things. D D
6 The two friends had dinner in a restaurant. D D
7 Haldane laughed a lot at the narrator's jokes during ·
dinner. D D
8 The narrator thought that something was wrong
with Haldane. D D
9 Haldane did not want to be the narrator's friend. D D
10 The narrator spent the night at Haldane's house. D D
50
CHAPTER ONE
AShocking Confession
aybe he was mad . Maybe he had a sixth sense. fA'M
Or was he really haunted? 1 He told me the first
part of the story, and I saw the last part with
my own eyes .
At school my friend Haldane and I hated a boy called Visger.
When we did something wrong, he always told the teacher. One
day we stole some cherries z from a tree .
'Do you know who did it, Visger? ' the teacher asked .
'It was Haldane and Winston,' he replied .
Later, Haldane asked him how he knew it was us.
'I didn't know,' he said. 'I just felt certain. And I was right .'
Haldane and I grew up. Visger became a vegetarian and never
drank alcohol. He also became Sir George Visger.
1. haunted : visited by the ghost of a dead person .
2. cherries ' ~
51
When we all left Oxford University, I wen 1t away to India.

After a year I came back and wanted to see Haldane. He was
always happy, kind, and honest. I wanted to see the smile in his
blue eyes again and hear his happy laugh, so I went to visit him in
London. But this time he did not laugh. He was miserable, his
face was pale and he looked weak and ill.
He was packing his things, and there were lots of big boxes
full of furniture and books around the house.
'I'm moving,' he said. 'I don't like this house. There's
something strange about it; I'm going tomorrow.'
'Let's go out and have some dinner,' I said.
'I'm too busy.' He looked nervously around the room. 'Look,
I'm really happy to see you, but ... Why don't you go to the
restaurant and bring back some food?'
When I came back, we sat by the fire and ate the food. I tried
to tell jokes and he tried to laugh, but sometimes he looked into
the shadows in the corners of the room. We finished our meal,
and then I said, 'Well?'
'What's the matter?'
'You tell me,' I answered.
He was silent. Again he looked into the shadows.
'You're very nervous,' I said. 'What is it? Drink? Gambling? 1
Women? Tell me, or go and tell your doctor. You're ill, my friend.'
'I won't be your friend if you talk like that.'
'Well, I am your friend, and something is wrong. Come on, tell
me.'
But he did not tell me anything. He asked me to stay for the
1. gambling: winning or losing money in a game or race.
52
night, but I had a room in a hotel so I left him. When I returned
the next morning, he was gone and some men were putting his
boxes into a van. 1 Haldane did not leave his new address.
I saw him again more than a year later. He came to see me
early one morning before breakfast ..He looked really bad, worse
than before. His face was thin and white, like a ghost, and his
hands were shaking.
I invited him to have breakfast with me, but I did not ask him
any questions because I knew he wanted to tell me something. I
made coffee, talked and waited.
'I'm going to kill myself,' he began. 'Don't worry, I won't do it
here or now. I'll do it when it's necessary, when I can't continue
to live any more. And I want somebody to know why. Can I tell
you?'
'Yes, of course,' I said, astonished.' 2
'You must promise not to tell anybody while I'm alive,' he

said.
'I promise.'
He looked at the fire silently. 'It's difficult to begin,' he said.
'You remember George Visger, don't you?'
'Yes. I haven't seen him for a long time, but somebody told me
he went to an island to teach vegetarianism to the cannibals .' I
laughed. 'Anyway, he's gone.'
Haldane did not laugh . 'Yes, he's gone. But not to an island.
He's dead.'
'Dead? How?'
1. van : a large vehicle that is used to transport things.

2. astonished : very surprised.
53
'You remember he always knew when people did bad things ,
and told the teacher? Well, he told a girl some bad things about
me . I loved her, but she left me . Then she died suddenly - oh, it
was terrible! When I went to the funeral, he was there . I came
back home and sat thinking about it, and then he arrived.'
'I hope you told him to go away,' I said angrily.
'No. I listened to him. He came to say it was better that she
was dead and we hadn't got married . I asked why and he said
because there was madness in my family.'
'And is there?'
'I don't know, but he said he knew and had told my girlfriend.
I said I never knew anything about madness in the family. And he
said , "so , you see, it's better you didn't get married, isn't it?" And
then I put my hands round his neck. I don 't know if I meant to kill
him , but that's what happened.'
I was shocked . I said nothing ; what can you say when your
friend tells you he is a murderer?
Haldane continued . 'I saw that he was dead , but I was very
calm. I sat down and thought, there's no blood, no weapon. 1
Everybody knows Visger is going to an island, and he told me

he's said goodbye to them. So there's no problem ; I must get rid
of 2 his body, that's all.'
'How?'
He smiled. 'No , I won't tell you. You promised not to tell
anybody, but maybe you'll talk in your sleep or when you have a
fever one day. I'll be safe if you don't know where the body is, do
you see?'
1. weapon: something us e d fo r attack or d e fenc e , e.g. a gun .

2. get rid of: free yourself from s omething that y ou do not want.
54
Tales of the Sntlernatural
I was sorry for my friend, but I could not believe he was a

murderer.
1
I said, Yes, I see. Look, let's go away together . Let's travel and
see the world, and forget about Visger. '
He looked very happy . (You understand and you don't hate
me! Why didn 't I tell you before? It's too late now.'
(Too late? No , it isn't. Come on, we'll pack our suitcases
tonight. We 'll go where nobody can find us .'
He said , (When I tell you what has happened to me , you ' ll
change your mind .'
(But I know what has happened to you .'
(No ,' he said slowly, (I've told you what happened to him , not
what happened to me. That's very different. Did I tell you what
his last words were? just before I put my hands around his neck
he said , ((Careful , Haldane! You 'll never get rid of my body." Well,
I got rid of his body, and I forgot about his last words . But a year
later I was sitting here and I suddenly remembered them. (( I got
rid of your body very easily, Visger! " I said . And then I looked at
the carpet in front of the fire and - Aaah!' Haldane screamed
1
very loudly. I can 't tell you - no, I can 't! '
.i 56
ACT IVITIES
Go back to the text
Summing it up
Match the first half of each sentence (A- G) with the second half (1-7)
to make a summary of Chapter One. Write 1-7 in the boxes.
A D At school Haldane and the narrator hated Visger because

B D A year after they left Oxford, the narrator went to visit Haldane
C D When the narrator asked him what was wrong
D D Over a year later Haldane came to the narrator's rooms
E D Then Haldane confessed to Visger's murder
F D The narrator did not believe Haldane and suggested
G D But Haldane said it was too late, and told him that Visger's last
words were,
1 and told him he was going to kill himself.

2 'You'll never get rid of the body.'
3 he alw ays told the teacher when they did something w rong.
4 but did not want to say where Visger's body was.
5 Haldane did not tell him anything.
6 an d saw that he was ne rvous and unhappy.
7 that they could go away that night and travel.
Language
Here are five sentences from the story. For each question, complete
the second sentence so that it means the same as the first. Use no
more than three words.
0 'I t 's difficult to begin ,' Haldane said.

'It's .... n~~.~~2Y...................... to begin ,' Haldane said .
1 I ~ aw Haldane again more than a year later.
I ... ............................ .... .... . Haldane again for more than a year.
2 There's something strange about these rooms .
These rooms ................ .... .... .. ...... ........ something strange about
them.
3 Haldane asked Visger how he knew it was them.
'How ...... .... ............... ....... ........ it was us? ' Haldane asked Visger.
57
ACTIVITIES
4 'I haven't seen Visger for a long time,' I said.

'It's a long time since ................................... Visger,' I said.
T: GRADE 6
e speaking
Topic - Travel
'Let's travel and see the world,' says the narrator. Do you like
travelling? If so, what do you like about it? Is there anything you do
not like? Find some information or pictures to show the different
reasons why people travel. Think about the following ideas:
types of holidays (beach, sun, etc.)

discovering new lifestyles, cultures, food, etc.
visiting famous places
sports and activities (mountain climbing, skiing, scuba diving, etc.)
adventure (backpacking, trekking, etc.)
Before you read

0 Predicting
Before you continue, try to guess why Haldane screams and says,
'I can't tell you!' What did he see on the carpet?
- e Listen to the beginning of Chapter Two and for each question, tick (.I)
PET
Listening
the correct picture.
1 What was the weather like?
1£]-~--
58
ACTIVITIES
2 What did Haldane see in his room?
3 Where did Haldane see the body again?
4 How did Haldane feel after travelling for a month or two?
5 Where did the narrator sleep in the hotel room in Bruges?
59
CHAPTER TWO
AHaunted Man
t that moment we heard thunder 1 outside . I -
went to the window and saw some dark storm
clouds in the sky.
'Where was I?' Haldane said. 'oh yes.
looked at the carpet and there he was - Visger. I can't explain it:
the door was closed, the windows were closed. He wasn't there
before, and he was there now. That's all.'
'A hallucination,' I said.
'That's exactly what I thought,' he answered. 'But I touched it.
It was real; it was heavy and hard, like stone. The arms were
rigid like the arms of a statue.'
'It was a hallucination,' I repeated.
'Well, I thought somebody had put him here to frighten me, so
I went to the place where I had hidden him, and he was there,
just as he was a year before.'
1. thunder: the loud sound that you hear from the sky during a storm.
60
'My dear Haldane,' I said, 'this is very funny.'
'You might think it's funny, but when I wake up in the night
and think of it, it isn't funny at all. I don't want to die in the dark,
Winston. That's why I think I'll kill myself, so I'm sure that I
won't die in the dark.'
'Is that all?'
'No, he came back again. I was asleep on the train one day,
and when I woke up, he was on the seat opposite me . He looked
the same as before, hard and rigid like a statue. I threw him out
· of the window in a tunnel. If I see him again, I'll kill myself. You
think I'm mad, but I'm not. You can't help me, nobody can help
me. He knew, you see? He said, "You'll never get rid of my body,"
and I can't. He always knew things. Winston, I promise you I'm
not mad .'
'I don't think you're mad; I think your mind is disturbed. But
we'll stay together ; if you can talk to me, you won't imagine
things.'
So we went travelling together, and I was full of hope.
Haldane was always a rational man, and I could not believe he
was mad. I wanted to help him get better. After a month or two
the 'madness' passed and we joked and laughed again. I was
extremely happy that my old friend was normal. 'He's forgotten
about Visger,' I thought, 'and now he's fine!'
We arrived in Bruges, where there was a big exhibition and all
the hotels were full. We could only find one room with a single
bed in a hotel called the Grande Vigne, so I had to sleep in the
armchair.
We had dinner and went to a pub, and it was late when we
returned to our room . We talked for a while, and then Haldane
61
'l'ales of tht• Sntu•rnatural
got into bed. I tried to sleep in the armchair, but it was not very
comfortable. I was nearly asleep when Haldane began to talk
about his will. 1
'I've left everything to you, Winston,' he said . 'I know I can

trust you to take care of everything.'
'Thank you,' I said sleepily. 'Let's talk about it in the morning.'
But he continued, telling me what a good friend I was. I told
him to go to sleep, but he said he was thirsty.
'oh, alright,' I said. 'Light the candle and go and get some
water - and then please let me sleep!'
'No, you light it. I don't want to get out of bed in the dark. I
might step on something or walk into something that wasn't
there when I got into bed.'
I lit the candle, and he sat up in bed and looked at me . His
face was very pale, his hair untidy and his eyes were shining.
'That's better,' he said. 'oh, look here! There are two big
letters on the sheet in red cotton. GV! George Visger!'
'No, it's the symbol of the Hotel Grande Vigne,' I said. 'Hurry
up and get the water!'
'Please come with me, Winston.'
'I'll go down by myself.' And I went to the door with the
candle in my hand. He jumped off the bed in a second.
'No! I don't want to stay alone in the dark,' he said like a
frightened child.
I tried to make a joke of it, but I was very disappointed. It was
clear to me that all my time spent trying to help him had been
1. will: legal document that says who will have your money and
property when yqu die.
62
wasted, and that he was not better after all. We went down as
quietly as we could, and got some water from the dining room.
I Haldane took the candle from me, and went very slowly back
I towards our room. He looked around very carefully. I knew what
he was looking for, and I became angry and nervous. When we
entered the room, I almost expected to see something on the
carpet, but of course there was nothing. I put out the candle,
pulled the blankets 1 round me, and tried to get comfortable in
my chair so I could sleep again.
'You've got all the blankets,' Haldane said.
'No, I haven't. Only the ones I had before.'
'Well, I can't find mine. I'm so cold. Light the candle! Quick,
light it! There's something horrible ... '
But I could not find the matches.
'Light the candle, light the candle!' he shouted. 'If you don't,
he'll come to me, he'll come in the dark. I can't die in the dark;
please, Winston, light the candle!'
'I am lighting it,' I said angrily. But in the dark I was trying to
find the matches with my hands - on the shelf, the table ... I
could not remember where I had put them. 'You're not going to
die. It's alright. I'll get the matches in a second.'
'It's cold. It's cold. It's cold,' he said, like that, three times. And
then he screamed loudly, like a child, or like a rabbit attacked by
dogs.
'What is it?' I cried.
There was silence. Then, very slowly, 'It's Visger,' he said, and
his voice seemed strange and distant.
1. blankets :
63
Tides of the Supernatural
'of course it isn't!' My hand found the match,es as I spoke.

'He's here!' he screamed . 'Here, next to me . In the bed .'
I lit the candle. I ran to the bed .
He was lying on the edge of the bed . Next to him was a dead
man , white and cold .
Haldane had died in the dark.
***
There was a simple e x planation . Haldane and I were in the

wrong room - the dead man ' s room . His name was Feli x
Leblanc, and he had died from a heart attack earlie r that day.
I found out more information in England. The police found the
body of a man with a bottle of poison in his hand in a railway
tunnel. His name was Simmons, and he had drun k poison in
Haldane's ca rri age because he was dep r essed . Haldane had
thrown his body out of the window.
Haldane left me all his possessions in his will. I asked a police
inspector to be with me when I opened the boxes he had left me .
Inside one were the bodies of two men . One man was identified
later; he was a salesman who had died of epilepsy. The other
body was Visge r 's .
I leave it to you to explain the events in this story. I cannot
find an ex planation that satisfies me .
64
ACTIVITIES
Go back to the text
~ 0 Comprehension
I
1
Read the questions below and for each question, choose the correct
answer (A, B, Cor D) .
1 In the narrator's opinion, Haldane

A D saw Visger's body.
B D did not see anything.
c D imagined that he saw Visger's body.
D D was not telling the truth .
2 Haldane decided that he would kill himself

A D one night.
B D if he saw Visger's body again.
c D today.
D D because he thought he was mad.
3 In the hotel Haldane did not want to be alone because

A D there was no light.
B D he was thirsty.
c D he did not trust the narrator.
D D he was afraid of seeing Visger's body again.
4 Haldane died
A D before the narrator could light the candle .
B D after the narrator lit the candle.
c D because the room was too cold.
D D because Visger was in the bed.
5 The dead man in the hotel bed was

A D Visger.
B D a hallucination.
c D in the wrong room .
D D in his own room.
66
ACTIVITIES
'If I see him again , I'll kill myself'

Remember that the first conditional is formed by two clauses.
The order of the clauses is not usually important:
If + present tense, will + verb
• When the verb in the 'if' clause is negative (if ... not) we can also use
unles s and a positive verb:
If you don't l(~ht the candle, he'll come to me in the dark.
Unless you lig ht the candle, he'll come to me in the dark.
• We may also use can or must in first conditional sentences:
If you can talk to me, you won't ima9ine thin9s.
Haldane must 90 to the doctor if he feels ill a9ain.
G The first conditional

Complete these conditional sentences with the verbs in the correct
form.
1 Haldane .................... (feel) better if he goes travelling w ith his fr iend.

2 If the narrato r can find the matches , he .................... (li9ht) the
candle.
3 If Haldane ......................... (drink) some w ater, he won't be th irsty.
4 'You .................... (not 9et) better unless you .................... (fo r[Jet)
about Visger,' said the narrato r.
5 Haldane said, 'I ..... ............... (be) safe if you .................... (not know)
where the body is .'
6 If his nerves ..... .............. . (be) disturbed , Haldane ...... ........ ..... . (must)
see a doctor.
7 Unless the narrator ............. ....... (sleeps) in the armchair in the hotel
room, the re ................. ... (be) nowhere for him to s leep .
0 Complete the following conditional sentences in your own words.
1 The narrator and Haldane will see the Eiffel Tower if
2 ........... ... .. .... ... .. .... .. .. ... ... .. ... .... ......... .. . unless the narrator helps him.
3 ' ... .. .... ............ .. .... ... .................... ..... .. ... in the dark, maybe I'll walk into
something,' said Haldane.
4 If the narrator can light the candle in time, .............. ............... .
67
ACTIVITIES
0 Vocabulary
Complete the sentences with the adjectives in the box.
pa le heavy comforta ble untidy thirsty hard full
1 Haldane said the body on the carpet was ............ ....... .... ... ... , and also
.. ...... .. ............ .... .. ., like stone.
2 The narrator tried to sleep in the armchair, but it was not very
3 In Bruges the hotels were ..... ...... ................. . because there was an
exhibition.
4 Haldane was ............... .............. , so he wanted some water.
5 Haldane sat up in bed, his hair ... ........ ........ ... ....... and his face ve ry
Writing
A fri end of yours has invited you to stay at his/her flat in London.
In a bout 35-45 words write a card to send to your friend. In your card:
thank him/ her for the invitation;

say why you would like to come;
suggest a time in the future when you could come.
• Who wer e these m en in the story a nd what did they die of?
1 The man in bed in the hotel in Bruges.

2 The man on the train.
3 The men in the boxes left by Haldane .
At t he beginning of the story the n a rrat or' s w ords a re:
'Maybe he was mad. Maybe he had a sixth sense. Or was he really

haunted?'
How would you explain what happened to Haldane? Compare your
ideas in small groups.
68
The Versailles Ghosts
(t)n 10 August 1901 two women were walking in the gardens of the
Versailles Palace, near Paris. Eleanor Jourdain and Charlotte
Moberly were well-educated English tourists in their thirties. Eleanor
had a school for girls in Paris, and Charlotte was the principal of an
Oxford college. They were not the kind of people who invent strange
stories.
It was a fine day. The women were going to visit the famous Petit
Trianon, a house built in the eighteenth century by Louis XV, the
king of France from 1715-74. They came to a small path that went
through some trees. As they walked along, everything became still
and silent, and the two women felt as if they were walking in a
dream. They felt a sad and heavy atmosphere all around them.
Suddenly they saw two men dressed in green coats and hats of the
eighteenth century. They looked like gardeners. The women asked
them where the Petit Trianon was, and the men gave them
directions.
After a while Eleanor saw two women in eighteenth century clothes.
Then both women saw a man in a cloak 1 near a small summer
house, 2 but he did not see them. They then asked another man in
eighteenth century clothes where the Petit Trianon was, he told them
the way and ran away. The women went across a little bridge near a
waterfall. When they arrived at the garden behind the Petit Trianon,
Charlotte saw a young woman wearing elegant clothes. She was
sitting on a seat and drawing, and she looked at them as they passed.
1. cloak: a type of coat without sleeves.

2.
69
At that moment a young man came out of the Petit Trianon, took
them through the house, and left quickly. When they came out at the
front of the house, the women saw that everything was normal
again. The women began to think something strange had happened
to them, and decided that the Petit Trianon was haunted.
Eleanor went back to Versailles in January 1902. She felt the same
strange atmosphere. She saw the summer house, the bridge, and
two workmen putting sticks in a cart. She heard voices, and sounds
of silk dresses moving around her. Charlotte returned with Eleanor
on 4 July 1904. This time everything was different: they could not
find the path, and the summer house and bridge were not there. The
place looked more modern.
Did the women see the Petit Trianon as it was in the summer of
1789? After some research they believed that the young woman in
elegant clothes sitting in the garden was Marie Antoinette, the queen
of France from 1774-93. The two gardeners were the Bersey brothers,
who were working there at that time. The women also learnt that on
5 October 1789, after the French Revolution had begun, the French
queen was sitting at the Petit Trianon, when she heard that
thousands of angry people were walking towards the palace.
They wrote a book about their experience, An Adventure, which was
published in 1911. The book created great public interest, selling
18,000 copies by 1913. Many people did not believe the story and
thought the two women had lost their way, or were mistaken in
remembering what they saw. One critic, W. H. Salter, who was a
member of the Society of Psychical Research, said that the women
did a lot of historical research for their book to make their story
believable. The story of the 'Versailles ghosts' still remains a mystery.
70
The Petit Trianon at Versailles.
0 Tick (v') the correct answer (A, B or C).
1 What happened A D The atmosphere changed.

on the path? B D The women began to dream.
c D The women saw the Petit Trianon.
2 Who saw the man A D Eleanor

in the cloak? B D Charlotte
c D Eleanor and Charlotte
71
3 Charlotte saw an A D standing in the garden.
elegant young B D drawing somethi rig.
woman c D on the bridge.
4 In 1904 A D Eleanor returned to Versailles alone.

B D strange things happened again.
c D the scene was not the same as in 1901.
5 An Adventure was A D an account of the women's

supernatural experience.
B D not a success.
c D published soon after the events
at Versailles.
~~ INTERNET PROJECT
The Palace of Versailles
Connect to the Internet and go to www.blackcat-cideb.com or
www.cideb.it Insert the title or part of the title of the book into our
search engine.
Open the page for Tales of the Supernatural. Click on the Internet
project link. Go down the page until you find the title of this book and
click on the relevant link for this project.
Find about the Palace of Versailles.
~ How was it used in the past? What is it used for now?
~ Who has lived there?
~ What important historical events have taken place there?
Organise your class into two groups, A and B. Each group has to
imagine the ways the palace can be used in the future. What can be
done to attract visitors? Pairs made up of students from groups A
and B compare their ideas.
72
ACTIVITIES
Before you read

0 Vocabulary I
The story is called 'The Upper Berth'. Do you knovy what this means?
Only one of the definitions (1- 3) is correct. Choose the correct
definition.
1 The flat on the highest floor of a building.

2 The most expensive seating area in a theatre .
3 The top bed on a boat or train.
Look at the illustration on page 77 to check.
8 Pictures
Look again at the illustration on page 77.
1 Describe the men you can see in the illustration.

2 Where do you think the men are?
3 Do you think they know each other? Why/Why not?
fA =• e Listening
Listen to the beginning of the story and decide if the statements 1- 6
are true (T) or false (F).
T F
1 Brisbane was travelling to America on his favourite ship . DO
2 Brisbane was surprised because the steward on the
ship was drunk. DO
3 The steward did not seem to like cabin 105. DO
4 Brisbane did not want to have another passenger
in the cabin . DO
5 Brisbane thought the man in his cabin looked honest. DO
6 During the night Brisbane heard a noise and jumped
from his bed. DO
74
CHAPTER ONE
The Mystery of Cabin 105

e were all tired after a long dinner one evening, ~
but nobody wanted to go home. Then
somebody shouted, 'Bring the cigars!' It was
Brisbane a big, strong man . Everybody
turned to look at him .
Lighting his cigar, he said, 'It's strange, you know.' We all
stopped talking. 'It's strange,' he said again . 'People are always
asking if anyone's seen a ghost. Well, I have.'
Somebody said, 'Tell us the story, Brisbane.' We lit our cigars,
ordered another bottle of champagne, and listened to his story.
'When I used to travel to America, I liked to sail on certain

ships. The Kamtschatka used to be my favourite. It isn't my
favourite now, and I never want to travel on it again .
'I remember it was a warm morning in june. When I went on
75
1'ales ol' the SntJei'IHttural
board I told the steward 1 the number of my cabin

I
- 105. He
I
nearly dropped my suitcase .
"'Well, God help you!" he said quietly.
'I thought he might be drunk, but I said nothing and followed
him. Cabin 105 was a large room with two berths with curtains
around them. Mine was the lower one. That morning the cabin
seemed empty and depressing, and I didn't like it.
'I gave the steward some money and he thanked me. ((I'll try
to make you comfortable," he said, and then added quietly, ((If
that's possible in this cabin."
'I was surprised, but again I thought he was drunk . I was
wrong.
'Our voyage 2 began . On the first day everything was normal.
That night I was tired and went to my cabin early. I noticed
another suitcase by the door and a walking stick and an
umbrella in the berth above mine . I wasn't happy because I had
wanted to be on my own. Who was my companion? I decided to
stay awake and see. Later, I was lying in bed in the dark when he
came in. He was tall, very thin and pale, with fair hair and a
beard and grey eyes. He looked like the type of man who makes .
money on Wall Street 3 or by gambling. I decided I didn't want to
talk to him .
"'If he gets up early, I'll get up late," I said to myself before I
went to sleep.
'During the night a loud noise suddenly woke me up. It was
the other man jumping out of bed. Then I heard him unlock the
cabin door; he ran out very fast, leaving the door open. I heard
1. steward: a person who looks after passengers on a ship.

2. voyage: a long journey by ship.
3. Wall Street: the financial area of New York City.
76
I
his footsteps along the passage . I got up angrily to close the
door, and went back to sleep.
'When I woke up, it was still dark. The air was damp 1 and I
felt cold. There was a strange smell in the cabin, like old sea
water. I could hear the other man moving in the berth above
mine. "So he's come back," I thought. Then he made a low sound
of pain, and I thought he was feeling seasick. Then I fell asleep.
'When I woke up again the cabin was still cold. Suddenly I
noticed that the window was open, so I got up and closed it. The
curtains were closed around the other berth, so I thought the
man was asleep. The smell of sea water had disappeared .
'At about seven o'clock I went for a walk around the ship and I
met the ship's doctor from Ireland, a young man with black hair,
blue eyes and a happy face . I said the weather was not very
good.
"'It was very cold last night," I continued . "But my window
was open all night, and the room was damp. "
"'Damp! Where is your cabin?"
"'It's cabin 105 ... "
'The ship's doctor looked at me with big eyes . I asked what
was the matter.
'"oh - nothing ,' he answered. "Well , I'll tell you . Everybody
has complained about that room on our last three trips ."
"'Good. And I'm going to complain, too ."
'"But I believe there's something ... No, I mustn't frighten you ."
"'oh, you won't frighten me. If I get a bad cold, I'll come to
you!"
1. damp : slightly wet.
78
'We laughed, and I offered him a cigar. Then he asked me if I
had a room-mate. 1
'"Yes, a strange man who runs out in the middle of the night
and leaves the door open."
'The ship's doctor gave me a curious look. "Did he come
back?"
"'Yes. He was there when I woke up."
"'Look, my cabin is big enough for four people. You can sleep
there tonight .' I was really surprised; why was he so anxious
about me? I thanked him and said my cabin was fine : there was
nothing wrong with it.
'"We doctors aren't superstitious," he said, "but please don't
sleep in 105. Come and stay in my cabin ."
'"But why?"
'"Because the last three people who slept there went
overboard." z
'I looked at him to see if he was joking, but he looked very
serious.
'I said, "I really don't think I'll be the fourth person to go
overboard."
"'I think you'll change your mind before we arrive in America,"
he said.
'After breakfast I went to my cabin to get a book. The
curtains around my room-mate's berth were still closed, so I
thought he was asleep. As I came out, I met the steward, who
said the captain wanted to see me in his cabin.
1. room-mate: someone who shares a room or cabin with you.

2. went overboard :jumped or fell into the sea.
79
1,;des of the Su}lernatural
'"I want to ask you a favour,' said the captain when I arrived .
"Your room-mate has disappeared. Did you 1notice anything
strange about him?"
"'Has he ... gone overboard?" I asked, remembering the ship
doctor's story.
"'Yes, I think so."
"'That's incredible! He's the fourth person." And I told him the
story of cabin 105. I also told him what had happened to me in
the night.
"'That's the same story the other room-mates told me," the
captain said. "Nobody saw the man last night . The steward found
his berth empty this morning and looked for him , but he's
disappeared. Please don't tell the other passengers . I don 't want
my ship to get a bad reputation for suicide. You can sleep in any
cabin you like for the rest of the voyage. Is that alright?"
"'Thank you, Captain, but my cabin is empty now so I'll stay
there."
'The captain tried to change my mind, but I told him I was
happy to have the room to myself. I asked him if the steward
could remove my room-mate's things and do something about
the damp and the window. After I left the captain, I saw the
ship's doctor and we played cards. I went to my room late.'
80
ACTIVITIES
Go back to the text
8 Summing it up
Put the sentences A- J in the correct order to make a summary of
Chapter One. Write 1-10 in the boxes.
A D Then Brisbane woke up again and noticed that the cabin was
cold, damp, and smelt of old sea water.
8 D So Brisbane told the captain about the cabin and what
happened in the night.
c D On board, the steward seemed so strange about cabin 105 that
Brisbane thought he was drunk.
D D After breakfast, Brisbane spoke to the captain, who said
Brisbane's room-mate had probably jumped overboard.
E D About 7 a.m. he met the ship's doctor on deck and told him
about his strange night.
F D One june morning Brisbane embarked on The Kamtschatka to
sail to America.
G D That night Brisbane woke up when the other passenger in the
cabin jumped from his bed and ran out.
H D And in the morning he saw that the window was open.
D Finally, Brisbane asked the captain if the steward could do
something about the damp and the window.
J D The doctor said the last three passengers in cabin 105 went
overboard.
e Read the text below and choose the correct word for each space. For
each question, write the letter A, B, CorD, as in the example (0).
Brisbane sailed (0) ...~ ............. America in june on board The

Kamtschatka. His cabin was number 105. When the steward
(1) .............. this, he acted strangely, and Brisbane (2) .............. he was
drunk. That night Brisbane noticed that there was (3) ............. .
passenger in the cabin. He was not happy about this because he
wanted to be (4) .............. While he was in bed, a tall, thin man came in.
Brisbane did not like his appearance. (5) .............. the night Brisbane
81
ACTIVITIES
woke up and saw the man run out of the cabin. Late r, he woke up
(6) .... ....... ... cold. The ai r in the cabin was damp , and there was
(7) .............. strange smell of old sea wate r. The other passenger
(8) ........ .... .. in bed and (9) .............. to be in pain.
0 A about B to c at D out
1 A found B heard c remembered D asked
2 A prayed B looked c thought D talked
3 A other B others c anothe r D mo re
4 A own B alone c one D lonely
5 A During B After c At D By
6 A being B having c wanting D feeling
7 A one B the c its D a
8 A was B had c has D is
9 A seemed B sounded c cried D shouted
'I told the steward that the number of my cabin was 1 05'
Remember in repo rted statements the verb tense changes. In this
sentence Brisbane is reporting what he said to the steward.
Brisbane said to the steward, 'The number of my cabin is 105.'
Note the changes in this example of a reported question:
The ship's doctor asked, 'Have you got a room-mate?'
The ship 's doctor asked if I had a room-mate.
Note that 'got' is not necessary with 'had'.
e Reported statements and questions

Can you change these reported statements and questions using the
words spoken?
1 I said the weather was not very good .

I said,' ........ ........ .................. .................. .............................. ................... .'
2 I told the captain there was something wrong with cabin 105.
I said to the captain, ' ........... ...... ...... ........ .. .. ....................................... ... '
3 The steward said my suitcase was heavy.
' .......................................................................... ... .... ,' said the steward.
82
ACTIVITIES
4 The doct or as ked Bri s bane if he w as in cabin 105.

' ......................... ...................... ......... ......... ?' the docto r asked Bri s bane .
5 Brisbane asked the captain if he knew the sto ry about cabin 105.
' .................................................................................... ? ' Brisbane as ked.
0 Now change the following to reported statements and questions.
1 'My cabin is big enough for four people,' said the doctor.
The doctor said .... ... ............ .............................................. ..................... .
2 I said to the ship's doctor, 'My room-mate has got fair hair and a
beard.' I told ... ... ..................... ............. ..................... ........ ... .... ............... .
3 'Do you want to sleep in my cabin?' the ship's doctor as ked me.
4 'Have we got any cigars? ' Brisbane as ked.
5 'Are you joking?' I asked the doctor.
e Brisbane saw these notices around the ship. Look at the text in each
question. What does it say? Tick (.1) the correct box (A, B or C).
1 A D Passengers can go fu rther than

No passengers the notice.
beyond B D Passengers a re not allowed to go
this point fu rther than the notice.
C D Passengers must not walk near
the notice.
2 A D Don't meet on Deck E if there is

IN (~1\SI~ 01~
an eme rgency.
I~!II~IU~I~N(~Y
· I)U~1\SI~
B D Unless there is an emergency,
meet on Deck E.
1\SSI~!IIIU~ ON J)J~(~ICI~
C D If there is an eme rgency,
passengers must meet on Deck E.
83
ACTIVITIES
3 A D Passengers can wear T-shirts.

B D Passengers can't wear jeans and
trainers .
I
c D Passengers must wear dresses.
4 Where is the key now?

MESSAGE SERVICE:
Mr Brisbane. Steward will A D In cabin 105.
leave key to your cabin at B D At reception on Deck A.
reception on Deck A. c D With the steward.
Before you read

fM¥1 0 Listening
p Read sentences 1-8. You will hear the beginning of Chapter Two. For
each question, fill in the missing information in the spaces.
1 The frightened steward closed the window and asked Brisbane to

check if ............ .......... ..................... ... ....... .
2 Then the steward said, 'You'll see that in half an hour it
..................................................... and secured, too .'
3 ' ... .... .. .. .. ... ...... .. .. .... .... ......... ..... ..... ,'Brisbane replied, 'I'll give you £10 .'
4 Later, as Brisbane .................. .... ................. ...... .... .. .. , he suddenly felt
some cold air and sea water on his face.
5 jumping out of bed , he noticed that the window was open -
..................................................... !
6 Then he heard a sound from the bed , so he opened the curtain and
touched ....................... ............... ....... ........ .
7 A soft, wet, heavy thing came towards him and
8 The door opened and the thing ................ ... .......................... ..... ...
cabin into the corridor, where it disappeared .
84
CHAPTER TWO
The Cabin of Terror

n my cabin I thought of the tall man, now dead
somewhere in the ocean , and I opened the
curtains around his berth . It was empty.
Suddenly I noticed that the window was open
and secured 1 with a hook. 2 Angry, I went to look for the
steward. I showed him the window.
(((Why is it open?" I shouted . ''I'll report you to the captain."
'The steward was frightened and he closed the window .
"Nobody can keep this window closed at night, sir. Look, is that
locked or not? You try it and see, please ."
'The window was securely locked .
'"Well, you'll see that in half an hour it'll be open again - and
secured, too . That's the horrible thing, sir - it is secured with
the hook!"
1. secured : fixed firmly in place. 2. hook:
85
I
(I checked the window again . ((If I find it op~n in the night, I'll
I
give you ten pounds . But it's impossible ."
(We said goodnight, and I went to bed. I tried to sleep, but I
couldn't. Sometimes I looked at the window; it was closed, and I
smiled thinking of the steward's story. As I was falling asleep, I
suddenly felt some cold air and sea water on my face. I jumped
out of bed, and the movement of the ship threw me onto the
sofa under the window. It was open - and secured with the
hook! I was surprised but not scared . I closed the window and
locked it. Then I stood watching it in the dark cabin.
(Suddenly I heard a sound behind me and turned round . A
sound of pain came from the berth above mine. I opened the
curtain and put my hand in: there was somebody in it! The air
was very damp, and there was a horrible smell of old sea water. I
touched a man's arm; it was wet, and as cold as ice. As I pulled it,
the thing came towards me - a soft, wet, heavy thing - and it
fell against me . I fell back across the cabin . In a moment the door
opened and the thing ran out. I followed it as fast as possible . I'm
sure I saw it in the low light of the corridor before it disappeared .
Now I was really frightened.
(((This is crazy," I thought. Had I really seen it? I went back
into the cabin , lit a candle and saw with horror that the window
was open. I looked at the other berth; it smelt of sea water but it
was dry! I closed the window and sat on the sofa all night. The
window did not open .
(When dawn came , I got dressed and went on deck, where I
saw the ship's doctor.
(((You were right, Doctor," I said . ((There 's something very
strange about cabin 105."
86
"'Did you have a bad night?" he asked . /

I
'so I told him everything. Then I asked if he believed me.
"'Yes, of course . You must come and stay in my cabin
tonight."
"'Why don't you come and stay in mine for one night? Help
me to understand what happened."
"'I'm sorry, but no . I don't want to see any ghosts."
'I laughed at him. "Do you really believe it was a ghost?"
"'can you explain it then?" he asked angrily. "No, you can't!"
"'But you're a doctor , a man of science. You must know
there's a rational explanation."
"'There isn't a rational explanation. I hope you find somebody
to help you . Good morning, Mr Brisbane." And the ship's doctor
continued his walk.
'I didn't want to spend another night in my cabin , but I was
obstinate and decided to do it alone. I couldn't find anybody to
help me. Later, I met the captain and told him this.
"'I'll stay with you tonight," he said, "and we'll see what
happens . I think we can find out what's wrong with that berth.'
'He brought a carpenter 1 to the cabin and told him to
examine the berth very carefully. When the carpenter finished
his work he said, "In my opinion it's better to lock the door with
some big screws. 2 Four people have died already. This cabin is
haunted."
'"I'll try it for one more night," I answered.
'I was feeling better now because I had the captain's company
for the night . He was a calm, brave man, and he really wanted to
1. carpenter: a person who makes things from wood.
2. screws:
88
solve the mystery. I was smoking a cigar at about ten o 'clock
that evening when he came to speak to me.
"'This is a serious problem, Mr Brisbane ," he said. ((We've lost
I four passengers on four trips, so we must find out what's wrong.
If nothing happens tonight, we'll try tomorrow. Are you ready?"
'We went down to cabin 105. The captain closed the door and
locked it. He put my big suitcase in front of the door and sat on
it, so nothing could get out. The window was closed . I opened the
curtains around the other berth, and put my lamp there . Then I
checked around the cabin and under my bed and the sofa.
'((Nobody can come into the cabin, nobody can open the
window, and only you and I are in the cabin," I said .
'"Very good," answered the captain calmly. ((So if we see
anything, it's only our imagination - or something
supernatural."
'((Do you really believe it's something supernatural?" I asked
sleepily.
'((No, I don't. What are you looking at?"
'I didn't answer. I was looking at the window; was the lock
really beginning to turn or was it my imagination? Yes, perhaps
it was - very slowly, so slowly that I wasn't really sure.
'"It's moving!" the captain cried. ((But what's that smell? I can
smell old sea water - can you?"
'((Yes. It's strange because the cabin is dry," I said.
just then my lamp suddenly went out. As I stood up to get it,
the captain jumped up with a loud cry of surprise . I turned and
ran towards him as he called for help. He was trying to stop the .
window from opening, but the lock was turning against his
89
hands. Suddenly the window opened . The captain, his face very
I
pale , stood by the door so nobody could escape.
'"There's somebody in that berth! " he shouted, his eyes big
and scared. "Stand by the door while I look. It won 't escape."
' But I jumped up and put my hands into the upper berth .
Inside there was something ghostly and horrible, and it moved in
my hands. It felt like the body of a drowned 1 man - cold , soft,
and wet from a long time in the water. I held on to it tightly but
it was as strong as ten men . And it moved, a smooth , wet thing
with a putrid 2 smell , and dead white eyes that stared at me , and
wet hai r ove r its dead face . It pushed against me, put its a r ms
a round my neck, and forced me back. I fought with the thing , but
it was too strong, and finally I fell and let it go .
'It moved quickly towards the captain. He tried to hit it , but
he fell down with a cry of horror . As the thing stood over the
captain, I almost sc r eamed with te rr o r, but I had no vo ice .
Suddenly the thing disappeared . It seemed to go through the
window, but I don 't know how that was possible.
'The captain and I lay on the floor for a long time. When I
moved at last , I knew my arm was broken . I stood up and tried to
help the captain ; he wasn't injured, but he was in a bad state of
shock.
'That's the end of my story. The ship 's carpenter put four big
screws in the door of 105 , and no passengers slept in it again . If
you ever travel on The Kamtschatka and ask for that cabin , the
captain will tell you that it's occupied. Yes , it is occupied .:__ by a
dead thing!'
1. drown e d: d ied underwater .

2. p u t rid: s omethin g w ith a s tron g s m e ll b e c a u s e it h a s b eco me b a d .
90
Go back to the text
Summing it up
I
Match the first ha lf of each senten ce (1-8) to the ~econd ha lf (A - H) to
make a summa ry of Cha pter Two. Write A - H in the boxes.
1 D After the steward locked the window, Brisbane checked it

2 D But that night the window opened again, and Brisbane
3 D The next night Brisbane and the captain went to the cabin,
4 D After a while, they smelt an odour of old sea water
5 D Then Brisbane tried to fight w ith a wet, dead thing in the
upper berth
6 D It went to the door, where the captain tried to hit it
7 D Terrified, Brisbane watched the thing
8 D Afterwards , a carpenter put four big screws in the cabin door
A locked the door and the window, and waited.
B and nobody slept in it again .
C and saw that the window was opening.
D but fell down with a cry of horror.
E had a frightening encounter with a horrible thing in the upper berth.
F as it seemed to disappear through the window.
G and went to bed.
H but it was too strong for him.
PET Language
Her e a r e s ome s e nte nc e s from Cha pter Two. Complete the s econd
sentence s o tha t it m ean s the sam e as the first. Use no more tha n
three words.
Example: The ghost was stronger than Brisbane.

· b ane ...........
B ns wasn 't.. .........
as ... ......... . s t ron[J as th e [J h os t .
1 There was a smell of old sea water in the berth.
The berth .. .................................. ... ............................. of old sea water.
2 The lamp in the corridor gave only a little light.
The lamp in the corridor didn't give .............................................. ...... .
3 Cabin 105 is occupied by a dead thing.
A dead thing .. ................ ... ...... .................... ..... .... ...... ........ ... .. cabin 105.
4 'I'll stay with you for the night,' said the captain.
The captain offered ............ ................. .. .... ...... Brisbane for the night.
92
ACTIVITIES
e Picture summary
Put th e pictures below in the correct order to make a picture
summa ry of Chapter Two. Write 1-6 in the boxes.
R G writing
You a r e going on a voya ge by sea . Write an email of about 35-45
words to a friend. In your email you should:
say where you are sailing to;
explain why you are going;
say how long you will be away;
arrange to meet your friend when you return.
93
E X T T E s T
0 Which of the people (A-J) in the stories do the questions 1- 10 refer to?
Write A-J in the boxes. /
A .
Th e signa Iman F The narrator 0If' Ligeia
. .'
B The ghost in 'The Signalman' G Lady Rowena
C Haldane H Brisbane
D Visger The dead thing in 'The Upper Berth'
E Ligeia J The captain
Who ...
1 D was a clever student of languages?
2 D was worried about the reputation of his ship?
3 D told Haldane's girlfriend bad things about him?
4 D loved his first wife more than his second wife?
5 D always appeared at the red light?
6 D was as $trong as ten men?
7 D obstinately refused to sleep in another cabin?
8 D could not understand the ghost's warning?
9 D loved a girl who died suddenly?
10 D died and changed into somebody very different?
e Read the text and answ er t he questions. Decide if t he statements are

true (T) or false (F) . Tick (.I) the correct box.
On 5 October 1869 a very strange thing happened in Highgate

Cemetery, London. This cemetery had a bad reputation. People said it
was one of the most haunted places in London. The scene on that
autumn night was like something from a macabre tale by Edgar Allan
Poe.
Some men were opening the grave of a woman called Elizabeth
Siddall. In 1862, when she died at the age of twenty-nine, her husband
was very sad. He was the poet and painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and
to show his great love for his wife he put the only complete
manuscript of his poems in her coffin. In her life Elizabeth was his
94
E X T T E s T
favourite model. She appears in many of his paintings. Her hair was
very long, and had a beautiful red-gold colour.
For the next seven years Rossetti was haunted by the memory of his
beautiful wife. Then in 1869 his agent, Charles Augustus Howell,
persuaded him to open Elizabeth's grave and take out the poems.
Howell wanted Rossetti to publish the 'book from the grave' and make
some money. An enormous bonfire lit up the cold, damp night. In the
light of the fire Rossetti saw that Elizabeth's hair was still a beautiful
red-gold colour. And it was much longer than in 1862 when she was
buried!
The volume of Poems was published in 1870. But critics attacked the
book. Rossetti became physically and mentally ill, and tried to commit
suicide in 1872. Ten years later he died, a sick, lonely man. Was the
ghost of his wife angry with him for taking the poems from her grave?
T F
1 People believed that Highgate Cemetery was haunted. DO
2 The events happened in the autumn of 1862. DD
3 Elizabeth Siddall was young when she died. DO
4 Rossetti buried the poems with his wife as a sign of his
love for her. DO
5 Elizabeth had beautiful, long hair. DO
6 Rossetti forgot about his wife after her death. DO
7 Rossetti took the poems because he wanted to
sell them. DO
8 There was a large bonfire on Elizabeth Siddall's grave. DO
9 When she was buried Elizabeth's hair was shorter
than in 1869. DO
95
The new structures introduced in this step of Available at +co
our READING & TRAINING series are listed
below . Any one reader may not always The £1,000,000 Bank Note Mark Twain
include all of the structures listed, but it will • Alien at School Michelle Brown
certainly not include any structures from • The cadterville Ghost Oscar Wilde
higher steps. Naturally, structures from lower • Classi</ Detective Stories
steps will be included. For a complete list of
• The Diamond as Big as The Ritz
all the structures used over all the six steps, F. Scott Fitzgerald
consult the Black Cat Guide to Graded
• The Final Problem and Other Stories
Readers, which is also available online at our Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
website, www .vicensvives .net.
• Great Mysteries of Our World
Gina D. B. Clemen
Apart from the structural control, we also take
great care to grade the vocabulary • Gulliver's Travels Jonathan Swift
appropriate! y for each step . • The Hound of the Baskervilles
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte
hre 2 • Julius Caesar William Shakespeare
• Kim Rudyard Kipling
All the structures used in the previous levels,
plus the following: • Lord Arthur Savile's Crime
and Other Stories Oscar Wilde
Verb tenses • Love in Shakespeare: Five Stories William
Shakespeare
Present Perfect Simple: unfinished past with
for or since (duration form) • The Master of Ballantrae
Robert Louis Stevenson
Past Perfect Simple: narrative
• Les Miserables Victor Hugo
Verb forms and patterns • Moonfleet John Meade Falkner
Regular verbs and all irregular verbs in current • The Phantom of the Opera Gaston Leroux
English • The Picwick Papers Charles Dickens
Causative: have I get + object + past participle • The Prisoner of Zenda Anthony Hope
Reported questions and orders with ask and tell • Rain, Rain, Go Away! Nicola Prentis
• The Red Badge of Courage Stephen Crane
Modal verbs
Would: hypothesis • The Return of'Sherlock Holmes
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Would rather: preference
Should (present and future reference): • Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare
moral obligation • The Scarlet Pimpernel Baroness Orczy
Ought to (present and future reference): • Sherlock Holmes Investigates
moral obligation Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Used to: past habits and states • Stories of Suspense Nathaniel Hawthorne
• The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Types of clause Robert Louis Stevenson
2nd Conditional: if + past, would(n 't) • Tales of the Superna~ural
Zero, 1st and 2nd conditionals with unless • Three Men in a Boat Jerome K. Jerome
Non-defining relative clauses with who
• The Three Musketeers Alexandre Dumas pere
and where
Clauses of result: so; so ... that; such ... that • The Tragedy of Richard III William
Shakespeare
Clauses of concession: although, though
• Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson
Other • True Adventure Stories Peter Foreman
Comparison: (not) as I so ... as; (not) ... • Twelfth Night William Shakespeare
enough to; too ... to • The Vampire's Tear
Gina D .B. Clemen

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What is the book about?

What is the book about?

What are some of the stories included in the book?

What are some of the stories included in the book?

Charles Dickens

Edgar Allan Poe

Tales of the Supernatural

First edition, 2006

© 2006 BLACK CAT PUBLISlllNG,

Legal Deposit: B. 34. 438-2010

The Signalman by Charles Dickens

CHAPTER TWO Danger 18

Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe

In the llark by E. Nesbit

The lJpper Berth by F. Marion crawford

Dossiers The Supernatural in English Literature 28

The Versailles Ghosts 69

INTERNET PROJECTS 48,72

ACTIVITIES 8, 10, 15,25,30,32,37,46,50,57,66, 74,81,92

Cambridge Preliminary English Test-style exercises

This story is recorded in full.

1. macabre: something strange and frightening often connected with

Edgar Allan Poe

1. MS : manuscript, a long document written by hand.

1. nervous breakdown: when a person becomes so sad that they cannot

0 Answer the following questions.

1 What happened to Charles Dickens when he was twelve? What

2 What jobs did Charles Dickens have during his life?

3 Where are the various places Edgar Allan Poe lived?

5 Which of E. Nesbit's books was her first success?

6 Which of E. Nesbit's novels was made into a film and adapted

7 How did F. Marion Crawford find material for his novels?

8 What types of stories did F. Marion Crawford write?

Before you read

1 When the narrator first called him, the signalman

2 Why did the narrator ask where the path was?

3 What does the narrator say about the place?

4 Watching the red light

5 The narrator thought the signalman

6 The signalman began to relax

to the black tunnel. Then I went up to the signalman, but he

1. signal box : the cabin where a signalman works.

Go back to the text

e Match the narrator's questions with the signalman's answers. Write

1 D Why are you watching that red light?

0 Telegraph machine .lj.~.. ~.~.0.~.i~:=::? ..C?.~.~.. ?.::~~?. ..~!=:.~.~.C?9.~.~................... .

0 Match sentences 1-6 to the correct pictures. Write 1-6 in boxes

1 I must show this when the train passes.

Before you read

Signalman: I've decided to tell you what disturbs me. Yesterday

1. waves : moves his arm from side to side.

1. hallucination : something you think you see but it is not real.

1. agitate d : worri e d and unable to think or act calmly.

thought about what to do. The signalman was intelligent, careful

'What's the matter?' I asked the men .

Go back to the text

0 A beautiful young lady. Who .'!'!.0.~.. ~Y.~~.9.. ~~ ..~h~ ..~~'?.i.~? .................. .

'I've never seen his face'

0 The Present Perfect

0 A beautiful young lady. Who .'!'!.0.~.. ~Y..9.. ..~h~ ..~~'?.i.~? .................. .

1 There was an.!!.............. bed in the room. (India)