Project Gutenberg 2004-10-19 Public domain in the USA. 397 Quiller-Couch, Arthur 1863 1944 Q Quiller-Couch, Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch, A. T. (Arthur Thomas) Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts: A Book of Stories Oceanus -- The seventh man -- The room of mirrors -- A pair of hands -- The lady of the ship -- Frozen Margit -- The singular adventure of a small free-trader -- The mystery of Joseph Laquedem -- Prisoners of war -- A town's memory -- The lady of the red admirals -- The penance of John Emmet -- Elisha -- "Once aboard the lugger" -- Which? E-text prepared by Lionel G. Sear "Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts: A Book of Stories" by Arthur Quiller-Couch is a collection of short stories written during the late 19th century. The stories explore themes of revenants—individuals who return from past lives, either in spirit or as memories—delving into the emotional and psychological impacts of their returns. Each story offers a unique perspective on life, death, and the haunting legacy of memories, inviting readers into a realm where the past collides with the present. The opening portion introduces the first tale, "Oceanus," where the narrator reflects on personal grief after the death of his brother, Harry. Struggling to find meaning in his loss, he experiences apathy and confusion, pondering the nature of God and life's inherent cruelty. This dark contemplation leads him to a supernatural encounter where he meets what he perceives as Harry's spirit on horseback, prompting a reflective conversation about life, death, and the human condition. As they embark on a ride through an unfamiliar landscape that becomes increasingly eerie, the narrator grapples with feelings of joy and apprehension, establishing a tone of tension between hope and despair that sets the stage for the stories to unfold. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 79.0 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Short stories Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction PR Text Category: Short Stories Category: British Literature 525492 2025-08-06T07:05:00.124045 text/html 525369 525302 2024-11-06T09:50:57.659884 2023-10-06T10:37:42.539590 text/html text/html 292412 2025-08-06T07:05:08.808985 application/epub+zip 298693 2025-08-06T07:05:03.320054 application/epub+zip 275425 2025-08-06T07:05:02.134003 application/epub+zip 552825 2025-08-06T07:05:12.922992 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 524956 2025-08-06T07:05:08.038010 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 440685 2022-09-07T04:14:07.464474 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 481338 2025-08-06T07:04:59.712060 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 461475 2024-10-28T20:46:08 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17549 2025-08-06T07:05:13.057941 application/rdf+xml 19794 2025-08-06T07:05:02.623989 image/jpeg 4435 2025-08-06T07:05:02.379064 image/jpeg 288381 2025-08-06T07:05:00.167028 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia