It was common for the ghostly tales in periodicals to be narrated by domestic servants. In Gaskell’s “The Old Nurse’s Story,” for example, the nurse has intimate access to the family but remains outside of their confidence. In this dramatic tale, a rich man employs a doctor to serve in a similar role; the doctor witnesses a confusing, uncanny scene, but he remains ignorant of the full story. The scant details of the scene merely suggest the story behind an unusual deathbed, one that seems to have been brought about by an act both premeditated and unavenged. This story originally appeared in Belgravia in January 1868. [(Synopsis pulled from "The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories" edited by Tara Moore)]