They return at evening

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

76358

Title

They return at evening

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

A chilling collection of ghost stories exploring the thin veil between intellect and madness. From a chess master's fatal obsession with a rival to a publisher haunted by a mysterious poet, these tales delve into jealousy, supernatural interference, and the dark corners of the human psyche.

Summary up to 500 words

Herbert Russell Wakefield's *They Return at Evening* is a collection of ghost stories that explores the thin line between psychological unraveling and supernatural terror. The volume opens with a narrative from Professor Pownall, who receives a sealed packet from a friend, E.P., instructing him to open it fifteen years later. Inside lies a confession detailing Pownall's lifelong, exhausting rivalry with the brilliant but socially charming chess player, Hubert Morisson. Despite Pownall's superior intellect, Morisson consistently outperforms him in every test except chess. Consumed by jealousy and a profound sense of inferiority during a championship match where Morisson defeats him, Pownall decides to kill his rival that night. He drugs Morisson's drink, watches him succumb, and leaves him to die, rationalizing the act as his subconscious mind finally overriding his conscious morality. The second story follows Charles Cheltenham, a publisher who discovers a masterpiece of poetry by a mysterious Oriental author, Mr. Kato. Initially thrilled by the prospect of a bestseller, Cheltenham soon becomes plagued by hallucinations of a small, dark figure. As the publication date approaches, Mr. Kato appears increasingly wasted and fearful. The atmosphere grows tense as the publisher's staff also report seeing the shadowy figure. The story builds to a climax involving the date February 13th, hinting at a supernatural or psychological unraveling connected to the book's release. The third narrative recounts the 'Balland Mystery,' a legal case involving the murder of a man named Richard. Patty, the accused, is tried for shooting him. The defense hinges on conflicting medical evidence regarding the cause of death and the absence of the murder weapon. During the trial, Patty's testimony reveals a complex web of motives involving inheritance and marriage. The case is won for her acquittal, though the mystery of the shooting remains. Years later, the narrator and a detective revisit the crime scene, discovering a revolver hidden inside a tree trunk, confirming the shooter's presence but leaving the ultimate nature of the event open to interpretation.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

Download URL

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76358.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg76358.epub

Removed after upload

Downloaded at

2026-07-02 09:13 UTC

Categories

• Classics
• Horror