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The Upper Berth; By the Waters of Paradise

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About this book

A dinner party in a smoke-filled room has run out of talk when Brisbane, a strong and calm man, announces that he has seen a ghost. The title story is his account, told in the first person by an old sailor who prefers certain ships for his Atlantic crossings.

He boards the steamer Kamtschatka on a warm June morning and is shown to stateroom 105, where the steward's odd reaction to the berth number is the first sign that something is wrong. F. Marion Crawford builds the tale slowly, with dry humour about ocean travel before the mood turns uneasy.

The volume adds a second story, By the Waters of Paradise, narrated by a man looking back on a gloomy childhood in a house of dark rooms, still basins of water and a tower clock. His Welsh nurse chants a warning about coffins, and the shadow of loss hangs over the boy. The publishers note that both stories were first written for Christmas annuals.

About the author

F. Marion Crawford

Francis Marion Crawford (1854-1909) was an American novelist known for his prolific output and vivid foreign settings, shaped by long residence in Italy and travels through India and the Middle East. He wrote historical romances, ghost stories, and adventure fiction.