The Beast With Five Fingers And Other Midnight Tales: William Fryer Harvey; edited by Maurice Richardson

In this volume of thrillers and chillers...Midnight House: A traveller, attracted to an inn by the name of Midnight House, has strange dreams of evil while staying under its roof. The Dabblers: A schoolteacher investigates rumours of strange midsummer rituals in the grounds of a boarding school... Unwinding: A simple parlour game in which one player mentions an item and everyone else says what it reminds them of...so why do 'first class railway carriages' remind a vicar of murder? Mrs Ormerod: A lazy housekeeper, in danger of being fired, creates a novel way to keep her job. Double Demon: A young man plots murder; he tells his sister Isobel the victim will be her nurse, Judith; and tells Judith the victim will be his sister, Isobel. Who IS the target? The Tool: A curate on a walking holiday is horrified by the discovery of the body of a foreign man with a tattoo of a green parrot - but is more horrified still when he realises he has 'lost' a day entirely. The Heart Of The Fire: Carved on the fireplace of the old coaching inn 'The Moorcock' is a prophecy that so frightens the family that they do not dare let the fire go out. Ever... The Clock: A man is asked to retrieve a travelling clock for his aunt's guest from her home - but after two weeks, the clock is still ticking - when it should have run down... Peter Levisham; Miss Cornelius: When a scientist identifies Miss Cornelius as the source of poltergeist activity, Miss Cornelius is angry - very angry indeed... The Man Who Hated Aspidistras - A man believes his life, from boyhood, has been blighted by aspidistras, that sinister plant beloved by the Victorians, then his dislike of them becomes manic...Sambo - Little Jane is sent the gift of an unusual doll from her Uncle stationed in South Africa. She doesn't like it very much and her mother scolds her for being ungrateful - but before long, the new doll is ruling the roost. The Star: Astronomers, science - and scientific rivalry... Across The Moors: A servant is sent to walk four miles to fetch a doctor...across moors which are rumored to be haunted. The Follower; August Heat: An artist draws a large, despondent being sentenced by a judge and later that day, while walking, he meets his painting's subject - a tombstone engraver... Sarah Bennett's Possession; The Ankardyne Pew: a group of clergyman staying at a house with an attached chapel that is undergoing renovation have reason to investigate a possible haunting there. Miss Avenal: Miss Avenal has had a nervous breakdown and needs constant nursing. To combat the pathetic vacancy of Miss Avenal, the nurse begins to tell her all about herself... The Beast With Five Fingers; A blind man can 'see' the world around him with his hands; even colours...but at least one hand seems to have a will and mind of its own...