Read Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror for Free Online

see?'
    Harriet and Maud peered forward. The doll's house was indeed a rather good copy of the house in which they stood, the front wall and roof removed. There was the room in which they had held the seance, there was the hall, there was the bedroom they were in, complete, incredibly enough, with a tiny copy of the doll's house. And there was the room that no longer existed: the room the Un-Door had once led to. Harriet noticed that it had several tiny figures sitting in the chairs.
    'This may help,.' said Mrs Barnard, handing Harriet a magnifying glass. 'The detail is extraordinary.'
    Harriet peered at the figures. There was something disturbing about them. Not only did the detail seem impossibly fine, but some of the figures had carefully painted features on their china heads and some had been left strangely blank.
    'Well,.' said Maud, growing a little concerned at the amount of time they were spending at the house. 'I think we should thank Mrs Barnard for showing us around . . . But we really must be on our way.'
    'Of course,.' said Mrs Barnard. 'I did not mean to keep you.'
    'Is it still played with?' said Harriet as they were heading downstairs. 'The doll's house?'
    'Oh, Olivia used to play with it all the time,.' she replied. She stopped and turned to Harriet. 'Between you and me, I think she still does.' She reached out and touched Harriet gently on the arm.
    Mrs Barnard followed them to the front door and out into the front garden. Just before they reached the gate, Mrs Barnard asked them to wait while she returned to the house for a moment.
    'When she comes back out,.' whispered Harriet. 'You keep her busy and I'll nip inside. I fancy a piece of silver from that cabinet we saw downstairs.'
    'Right you are,.' said Maud, tappng the side of her nose and winking.
    Harriet shook her head.
    'Are you tipsy, you old fool?' she hissed. 'You got to keep your wits about you in this game. A couple of sips of sherry and look at you.'
    'I could drink you under the table any day of the week,.' Maud hissed back. 'Show a bit of respect.'
    Mrs Barnard reappeared and they immediately pulled apart and stood smiling sweetly as she approached. She stood with them at the gate in the shadow of an enormous clipped holly tree and took a bank note from a pocket in her dress.
    'Really, there is no need,.' said Maud, taking it from her.
    'For your expenses, Mrs Lyons,.' said Mrs Barnard.
    'Thank you,.' said Harriet. 'You are very kind.
    Oh!' Harriet clutched her stomach and groaned.
    'Miss Lyons?' said Mrs Barnard.
    'I fear the sherry may have upset my stomach,. ' she said. 'I am not used to drinking. May I use your water closet?'
    'Of course,.' said Mrs Barnard. 'Let me show you . . .'
    'No!' said Harriet firmly. 'Thank you. I will be quite well. I know where it is.'
    Harriet hurried away, holding her stomach.
    Maud smiled in admiration.
    'Poor girl,.' said Mrs Barnard.
    'Yes,.' replied Maud. 'She is a delicate thing really.'
    'I expect the excitement of meeting Olivia has something to do with it. I had not realised your daughter shared your gift, Mrs Lyons,.' said Mrs Barnard.
    'Harriet?' said Maud suspiciously. 'Gift? I am not sure I follow you, Mrs Barnard,.' said Maud, growing concerned that, for all her apparent naivety, this woman was beginning to suspect something.
    'But Harriet saw Olivia in the hall.'
    'Your daughter?' said Maud puzzled. 'I fail to see how . . .'
    'I do not have any children, sadly,.' said Mrs Barnard. 'Olivia was my sister.'
    Maud frowned.
    'I don't follow you, Mrs Barnard.'
    'Olivia died when we were children,.' said Mrs Barnard. 'As I told you upstairs. Harriet was blessed enough to meet and talk with her spirit.'
    Maud looked from Mrs Barnard to the house and back again in utter amazement.
    Harriet was surprised to see that the so-called Un-Door was slightly ajar. The whole story had been nonsense! But why - why would they lie about something like that? Perhaps she should have a quick look around.
    As soon as