7) “The Four-Fifteen Express” by Amelia B. Edwards

Plot:

On his way to visit his friend Jonathan Jelf for Christmas, narrator William Langford is surprised to find a gentleman letting himself into what he expected to be his private rail car with a key. Langford declines to make a fuss because he recognizes the interloper as Mr. Dwerrihouse, a cousin of his host’s wife. Dwerrihouse is a railroad director. The two haven’t seen each other in three years. Langford gets the impression those three years have not been kind to his companion.

Dwerrihouse says he won’t be joining the Jelf household for the holidays. He has business to attend to and is carrying £ 75,000. Dwerrihouse disembarks, leaving his monogrammed cigar case behind. Langford chases after him to return it but loses sight of him.

When the train whistle blows, he must board or be left behind.

Over dinner at the Jelfs’, he mentions to Mrs. Jelf that he rode on the train with her cousin. A sudden silence falls over the room. When he asks if he said something wrong, another guest, Captain Prendergast, tells him without preamble that John Dwerrihouse absconded three months earlier with £ 75,000. There has been no word of him since then.

Thoughts:

This oft-anthologized tale is a classic ghost story. A wronged ghost comes back seeking justice, albeit the poor shade is a bit confused. Much of the tale deals with Langford’s investigation, undertaken to show he’s not nuts. A lot of material is repeated by talking to several servants, who are worth their salt and behave properly toward their betters.

In typical ghoulish Victorian fashion, the story ends by informing the reader the history of the crime can be found in the pages of the newspapers. Furthermore, a wax likeness of the bad’un stands in Madame Tussaud’s, wearing the clothing from the day he committed his crime and holding the item he used to commit it.

Nevertheless, this is an engaging, if sad, read.

YouTube audio:

text:

Bio: Amelia B. Edwards (1831-1892) showed early promise in art and music but concentrated on writing. Her 1864 novel, Barbara’s History, cemented her reputation. The book dealt with bigamy, a favorite Victorian forbidden topic. Edwards also wrote some ghost stories, such as the one reviewed above and 1864’s “The Phantom Coach.”

Following a journey to Egypt, she wrote and illustrated A Thousand Miles up the Nile (1877), which began a lifelong fascination with Egypt. With Reginal Stuart Pool, she co-founded what is now known as the Egypt Exploration Society.

Edwards never married but lived with another woman for about thirty years and was buried next to her. She also appears to have formed close relationships with several other women throughout her life.

Title: “The Four-Fifteen Express
Author: Amelia B. Edwards (1831-1892)
First published: 1866 in Routledge’s Christmas Annual, 1867