E-text prepared by Ted Garvin, Janet Blenkinship, and Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreaders Europe (http://dp.rastko.net) THE HOUSE BY THE CHURCH-YARD by J. SHERIDAN LE FANU Author of 'Uncle Silas' and 'Torlogh O'brien' Dublin: James Duffy and Co., Ltd. New York: The MacMillan Company. 1904. Printed by Edmund Burke & Co., 61 & 62 Great Strand Street, Dublin. CONTENTS. CHAP. Page A Prologue--being a dish of village chat 1 I.--The rector's night-walk to his church 9 II.--The nameless coffin 12 III.--Mr. Mervyn in his inn 15 IV.--The Fair-green of Palmerstown 18 V.--How the Royal Artillery entertained some of the neighbours at dinner 25 VI.--In which the minstrelsy proceeds 32 VII.--Showing how two gentlemen may misunderstand one another, without enabling the company to understand their quarrel 35 VIII.--Relating how Doctor Toole and Captain Devereux went on a moonlight errand 40 IX.--How a squire was found for the knight of the rueful countenance 44 X.--The dead secret, showing how the fireworker proved to Puddock that Nutter had spied out the nakedness of the land 48 XI.--Some talk about the haunted house--being, as I suppose, only old woman's tales 53 XII.--Some odd facts about the Tiled House--being an authentic narrative of the ghost of a hand 57 XIII.--In which the rector visits the Tiled House, and Doctor Toole looks after the Brass Castle 63 XIV.--Relating how Puddock purged O'Flaherty's head--a chapter which, it is hoped, no genteel person will read 66 XV.--AEsculapius to the rescue 69 XVI.--The ordeal by battle 73 XVII.--Lieutenant Puddock receives an invitation and a rap over the knuckles 81 XVIII.--Relating how the gentlemen sat over their claret, and how Doctor Sturk saw a face 86 XIX.--In which the gentlemen follow the ladies 91 XX.--In which Mr. Dangerfield visits the church of Chapelizod, and Zekiel Irons goes a-fishing 94