{"id":424,"date":"2017-11-20T09:25:49","date_gmt":"2017-11-20T09:25:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hebulstrode.co.uk\/?p=424"},"modified":"2017-11-20T09:28:07","modified_gmt":"2017-11-20T09:28:07","slug":"review-mr-humphreys-and-his-inheritance-by-m-r-james","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.hebulstrode.co.uk\/?p=424","title":{"rendered":"Review: \u2018Mr Humphreys and His Inheritance\u2019 by M.R. James"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Rocky Valley Labyrinth, Cornwall<\/p><\/div>\n

This tale was originally published in 1911 as part of James\u2019s More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary<\/em>, and as in a number of the author\u2019s stories features a single gentleman with scholarly tastes, who finds himself in the fortunate position of inheriting his single uncle\u2019s considerable country estate. The latter was, so it seems, something of a valetudinarian, and, moreover, had never met his nephew, so the latter was particularly blessed to be released from his dull civil service job by the inevitable demise of his unknown relative. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Set during the closing decade of the nineteenth century, James presents the reader with a picture of country life in which society is clearly ordered, and everything, and everyone, in their allotted place. One cannot help but speculate whether one of his favourite hymns might have been All Things Bright and Beautiful<\/em> which features the now often omitted verse: <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The rich man in his castle,<\/span><\/p>\n

the poor man at his gate,<\/span><\/p>\n

God made them high and lowly,<\/span><\/p>\n

and ordered their estate\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I digress somewhat. Returning to the story, Mr Humphreys finds that he is now the owner of a substantial country house dating, most likely, from the 1770s, which happens to possess a well-stocked library, as well as an intriguing maze, the gate of which has been locked for many decades. A locked gate seldom fails to arouse the curiosity of the onlooker, and Mr Humphreys proves to be no exception to this rule, asking Mr Cooper (the bailiff entrusted to sort out the affairs of the deceased uncle and hand all over to the nephew) why the maze should be sealed off in such a manner. He receives, of course, an answer, albeit a far from satisfactory one, as well as the information that a certain Lady Wardrop had once written requesting access to the maze, but had been denied it. From there, via an intriguing document entitled \u2018A Parable of the Unhappy Condition\u2019 found in the library amongst a collection of late seventeenth-century sermons, we begin our journey into the dark mystery of Wilsthorpe Hall. I shall say no more with respect to the plot, for to do so would spoil the enjoyment of the reader.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This proves to be an engaging enough read, although I would not place it in the first rank of James\u2019s work. The locals are provided with suitably \u2018rustic\u2019 speech, and James\u2019s customary understated approach to horror is well deployed, but there is little to unsettle the reader until the tale has nigh on run its course. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Share this:<\/h3>