The Red Room

The Red Room by H.G. Wells is about a man who chooses to spend the night in an allegedly haunted room, colored bright red in Lorraine Castle. He intends to disprove the legends surrounding it. Despite vague warnings from the three infirm custodians who reside in the castle, the young man ascends to "the Red Room" to begin his night's vigil. Excerpt: "I can assure you," said I, "that it will take a very tangible ghost to frighten me." And I stood up before the fire with my glass in my hand. "It is your choosing," said the man with the withered arm, and glanced at me askance. "Eight-and-twenty years," said I, "I have lived, and never a ghost have I seen as yet." The old woman sat staring hard into the fire, her pale eyes wide open. "Ay," she broke in; "and eight-and-twenty years you have lived and never seen the likes of this house, I reckon. There are many things to see when one's still but eight-and-twenty." She swayed her head slowly from side to side. "A many things to see and sorrow for." I half suspected the old people were trying to enhance the spiritual terrors of their house by their droning insistence."