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CHAPTER 3

One afternoon Virginia comes back home after horse -riding. She is going to her room. She

takes the stairs at the back of the house. She walks along the long corridor. One of

the doors to the rooms on the corridor is open. She looks inside that room. Someone is

sitting by the window and looking out. It is the Caterville Ghost. The ghost does not

see Virginia. He is in his best clothes, and his long gray hair is very tidy. Virginia

is afraid at first and wants to run away to her room. But the ghost looks very sad and

lonely. Virginia pities him and wants to comfort him.

"'I feel very sorry for you,' Virginia says to the ghost in a soft voice, "'because my

brothers annoy you all the time. They play bad tricks on you. But you must be kind

to them. You must not try to frighten them."

The Caterville Ghost is surprised that the young girl is speaking to him.

"'I am not unkind to your brothers. But it is my duty to frighten the people in this

house. I am a ghost,' he answers. "'I must rattle my chains and annoy people with their

sound. I must roam the house and make frightening sounds. All ghosts do these things. You are

a ghost because you are a killer. You are the killer of your wife. We all know that,

Sir Simon,' says Virginia angrily.

"'Yes. I am the killer of my wife. But this is a family matter. It doesn't concern anyone,'

says the ghost.

"'But it is very wrong to kill anyone,' says Virginia. "'I mustn't feel sorry for you.

You feel sorry for me because you are a very kind person,' says the ghost.

"'You are nicer than the others in the family. They are very rude and disrespectful. You can't

talk like that about my family. You are rude and you are a thief. You are stealing the paints

in my box and repainting the stupid blood stain with them. I don't have any red paint

now. I don't have any yellow or green either. I only have blue and white. So now I can only

paint moonlight pictures,' she tells the ghost, and she turns around to leave the room.

"'Miss Virginia, please don't go,' begs the ghost. I am so lonely and so miserable. I am

very tired, too. I need to sleep, but I can't. Ghosts cannot sleep.

"'Oh, you poor ghost. How can I help you,' asks Virginia in a sad voice.

"'Far away in the woods, there is a little garden. There, the grass is long and thick.

There are many flowers and colorful birds. A nightingale sings there all night long.

"'There are bright stars and a crystal moon above this little garden. It is a very quiet

place. And people sleep peacefully under the trees there. That's the garden of death,

isn't it,' asks Virginia in a low voice with tears in her eyes.

"'Yes, the garden of death,' the ghost answers, "'it is very beautiful. There is no

garden for me with your love. Love is always very strong. Virginia begins to tremble with

fear. She does not say anything. And the ghost continues to speak.

"'Do you ever read the writing on the library window?'

"'Yes, I know it very well,' answers Virginia. I often read those lines. Then she repeats

them. "'A golden girl will weep, for the ghost that cannot sleep. Then the dead at last will

die, an inrestful earth can lie. Then the house will be still, and peace will come to

canterville. "'Afterwards,' she says, "'but I don't know the meaning of these lines. I

don't understand anything. "'They mean you must cry for my sins, Miss Virginia, because

I have no tears. And you must pray for my soul, because I can't pray,' explains the

ghost. "'You are sweet, and good, and gentle. The angel of death will listen to you. Then

she will let me sleep. "'Will you help me, Miss Virginia?'

Virginia doesn't answer the ghost at first. Then suddenly, with a sparkle in her eyes,

she says, "'Yes, I will help you, Mr. Ghost. I mean, Sir Simon. I will weep and pray for

you. I will ask the angel of death to let you sleep.'

Virginia's words make the ghost very happy, and they give him hope. He rises from his

chair with great joy. "'Thank you, Miss Virginia,' the canterville ghost says happily.

"'You are a kind and brave girl. We will go into the darkness together. You will see

scary shapes in the darkness and hear strange voices. Do not be afraid. Those things cannot

harm you because you are good and kind. You are full of love.'

Then he takes Virginia's hand in his and kisses it. His fingers are ice cold. Afterwards he

leads her toward the end of the room. Together they glide across the big gloomy room. Virginia's

hand is shaking now, and her eyes are closed. She is in great fear, so the ghost holds her

hand more tightly. And she feels calmer. They reach the end of the room and stand before

a great wall. The ghost says some words in front of the wall. Virginia does not understand

them. She opens her eyes. The wall is disappearing slowly. Suddenly a black cave appears in front

of them. Virginia feels a cold wind. The ghost says, be quick, Virginia. We must enter the

darkness, or it will be too late." In a moment the wall closes behind them. Virginia and

the ghost are no longer in the room. They disappear through the wall into the darkness.