English author Montague Rhodes James (M.R. James) earned respect as a medievalist scholar in the early 1900’s at King’s College, Cambridge, and, later, Eton College. Today, he is primarily remembered for his ghost stories, which blended the familiar Gothic approach of his predecessors with more contemporary settings and often featured twisted, surprising storylines.
The following tale, narrated by David Purcell, is very representative of the stories of M.R. James with an appropriately chilling ending.