A true pleasure!
And there in the library the spirit of Alexander Wyatt, that the mirror saw not, found in the easy-chair the huddled body, dressed in clothes that no longer moved to the breathing.
‘I am dead,’ said Alexander Wyatt, ‘and this—this—this is all.’
An excerpt from "This Is All."
...He noticed that the sand round the edges was all worn down, as though someone had danced there, round and round, for a long time. But no separate footprint was distinguishable there. Just outside this track, however, he saw two footprints clearly defined close together: one was the print of a tiny satin shoe; the other was the print of a large naked foot—a cloven foot.
An excerpt from "The Moon-Slave."
The rest is, of course, well known. The servant’s reason had broken down, possibly the immediate cause being the death of Mrs. Pyrwhit. On entering his master’s room, without the least hesitation, he raised a loaded revolver which he carried in his hand, and shot Pyrwhit through the heart. I believe the case is mentioned in some of the text-books on homicidal mania.
An excerpt from "The Case of Vincent Pyrwhit."
‘Where is my sword?’ he exclaimed.
‘I’ve got it,’ replied the voice, this time from the roof of the cavern; ‘what do you want it for?’
‘Want to kill myself,’ said Curtius.
‘If I give you your sword, will you own that you were merely a drunken theatrical impostor?’
‘Yes.’
‘And that you are a coward, and are dying the death of a coward?’
‘Yes.’
The sword clattered down from the roof on to the floor of the cavern at the feet of the hero.
He picked it up and set his teeth.
An excerpt from "The Bottom of the Gulf."
Stories in the Dark was Barry Pain's 11th publication out of a total of 59 published works in his lifetime. This collection of ten supernatural tales was originally published in 1901, in London, by Grant Richards Publishing. As a side note, since Queen Victoria's reign officially ended on 22 January 1901, I consider Stories in the Dark to have been published right on the cusp between the Victorian and Edwardian periods. So, it still counts as Victorian and I am treating it as such.
Covers of two versions of Stories in the Dark released by Grant Richards Publishing in 1901. While there is some difference of opinion, I believe the left cover is the hardbound edition and the right is the paperbound.
The edition under consideration was published by Black Heath Editions in 2014. Black Heath Editions republishes lesser known works of supernatural fiction from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the Kindle format for incredibly reasonable prices. I would not have even heard of many of these authors (and their works) had it not been for Black Heath Editions. Thank you.
§
To my surprise, I was unable to discover much in-depth biographical material on Barry Pain. Barry Pain was born in Cambridge on 28 September 1864 and attended Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Contrary to the stereotypical image of the Victorian gentleman-author, Pain was a skilled writer of light humor and parody.
Original scanned from In a Canadian Canoe, published in 1891. Image from Wikipedia.
Scanned from Great Thoughts, 14 October 1893. Image from the British Library.
As his reputation as such grew, he would be employed by Punch, Daily Chronicle and other journals and papers.
But Barry Pain also had another side to his writing. He wrote a fair number of horror tales. In Stories in the Dark, the ambiguous endings of the tales left the reader with a feeling of incompleteness. In addition to this ambiguity, the endings could be interpreted as going in any one of several directions, depending on the reader.[i]
Until shortly before his death on 5 May 1928 at the age of 63, Pain was a regular contributor to Windsor Magazine.
Though today largely neglected as an author of supernatural fiction, these tales would provide a lasting influence to the horror genre. For instance, Howard Phillips Lovecraft's "The Thing on the Doorstep" was written in 1933. The idea of cross-gender mind-transfer, the primary plot point, was put forward as early as 1911 in An Exchange of Souls by Barry Pain.[ii] It is known by researchers and scholars that Pain's An Exchange of Souls was part of Lovecraft's personal library.[iii] It is also possible that Lovecraft's The Shadow Out of Time and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward possessed plot elements that were influenced, at least in part, by An Exchange of Souls.
And, in regards to this collection, in a 1934 letter to August Derleth, Lovecraft praised "The Undying Thing," where an analysis of Lovecraft's comments indicated that he "considered Pain's work of some significance."[iv]
§
Summaries of the ten tales that make up the Stories in the Dark follow. These summaries are more involved than I normally present; ironically the shorter the tale the more involved the summary and the majority of the tales are very short.
"The Diary of a God"[v]
Found some time after the death of the author, extracts from his diary cover the time period June 1 through August 1. These extracts begin with the diarist making an abrupt and total break with his previous life. However, early on, there are brief flashes where it seems as if the diarist regrets this break and wishes for a return to his old life. These flashes do not last.
In my opinion, the disjointed nature of the narrative serves to highlight the ongoing deterioration of the diarist's mental state. Until, near the end of the series of diary extracts, it is strongly hinted that the diarist actually has had a mental break. He recounts a meeting with a person, whom I take to be an alienist. Though ultimately, this meeting was in vain.
In the final extract of August 1, the diarist is accepting and growing into his divine nature. All the while he was awaiting the arrival of his betrothed, an ancient goddess of the Earth. Later that night, he was found by the locals–and ended up in an asylum.
"This is All"
Mr. Alexander Wyatt faces an existential crisis. He fears that he is going to die–someday. His dear friend, Dr. Holling, assures him that, yes, everyone dies and that he is no different. And unless Wyatt takes care, it will be sooner rather than later.
Later that night, sitting alone in his library, Wyatt's thoughts remain fixed on his death. Unfortunately, a servant's innocent mistake causes Wyatt's temper to erupt in a fit of pique. After venting his rage on the poor manservant, Wyatt again settles into his chair.
The next morning, regretting the previous night's outburst, Wyatt makes his way downstairs. Passing a full-length hall mirror, he is startled by what he sees. Rushing back into the room. Wyatt notices his own body, dead in his chair.
"The Moon-Slave"
The beautiful Princess Violet lived for dancing, and only dancing. Wandering in an old part of the palace late one night, Violet discovered a garden clearing where she danced in the moonlight as if she were in a trance. Now, at the age of sixteen, she was betrothed to the Prince Hugo. For her, the arranged betrothal was part and parcel of her duty; for Hugo , it was love.
As her marriage day approached, Violet returned to the clearing and danced in the moonlight many times. On her wedding eve, it was the night of a lunar eclipse. She danced until exhausted and then, still danced. Just as the moon was totally eclipsed, Violet screamed in terror! For she "was no longer dancing alone."
"The Green Light"[vi]
A man stands over a woman's dead body. After quickly leaving the apartment, he struggles mightily to regain his composure while walking down the street. His nerves shot, he begins to recall the past. He remembered his jealousy and the cold nature in which he made his plans. But he couldn't control himself.
He was so pleased with his cunning escape plans, even down to changing his appearance. But he did make a mistake. In his haste to leave the apartment, he forgot something. He had to go back.
Seeing the police and a crowd at his apartment, the man's composure finally breaks and he confesses all.
"The Magnet"
A manuscript found at the lodging of Rev. Shallow, who shot himself on the night of October 14.
October 6—Rev. Shallow hoped that whoever was responsible for the horrible train crash is caught and punished.
October 7—The Vicar encouraged the Rev. to preach on the subject of the train crash. His sermon was so vivid and powerful, it was as if the Rev. was an actual witness.
October 9—Following the sermon, the Rev. was praised for its power. But he was still troubled by his vision of the wreck. No sleep that night.
October 10—The Rev. is shocked at the temptation besetting him.
October 11—The Vicar says the Rev. looks ill. The Rev. is still subject to the same evil thoughts as before. His dreams are haunted by the lights of a train.
October 12—Rev. Shallow gives into his dark impulses. Unable to sleep, he goes to the train tracks and sabotages the line, as in his vision. He run away before the oncoming train arrives and returns home unnoticed.
"The Case of Vincent Pyrwhit"[vii]
The death of Vincent Pyrwhit caused a stir locally but was quickly forgotten otherwise. The circumstances are as follows.
Pyrwhit was a good and simple man. Upon the death of his wife following a long illness, he asked a friend to stay with him for a time. After the funeral, they were relaxing in the library when the friend noticed a phone on a table. Pyrwhit told him that it was installed so he could talk to his wife during her illness without running up and down the stairs.
At that very instant, the phone rang despite the fact it was disconnected. Thinking it a cruel joke, the friend answered. The voice of Pyrwhit's late wife told him that her husband would be with her tomorrow. The friend did not tell this to Pyrwhit at all. The two men spent the next day together and it was late when Pyrwhit went to bed, much to his friend's relief.
Pyrwhit's manservant entered his bedroom and shot Pyrwhit through the heart.
"The Bottom of the Gulf"
A well-known Roman myth[viii] is the lead-in to this tale:
After an earthquake in 362 BC, a huge deep pit suddenly opened in the Roman Forum, which the Romans attempted to fill in vain. Despairing, they consulted an augur who responded that the gods demanded the most precious possession of the country. The Romans doubted the warning, and struggled to think of what that was.
However, a young soldier named Marcus Curtius castigated them and responded that arms and the courage of Romans were the nation's most precious possessions. Astride his horse, fully and meticulously armed and decorated, Marcus rode and leapt into the chasm. Immediately, the deep pit closed over him, saving Rome.
This mythical account is challenged by the tale that follows.
Finding himself in the underground, a voice from the shadows tell Curtius that he has fallen into a trap and will die down there. The voice further taunts the warrior's courage. The voice teases the honor of Curtius, implying his courage is a sham.
Curtius begs for his sword so that he may commit honorable suicide.
The voice returns Curtius' sword.
Curtius picks up the sword and . . .
"The End of a Show"
At a small village fair in Yorkshire, after the final show of the night, the quack doctor hears sobbing from a corner of the fairground. He comes upon a van and calls out; a woman answers from inside. She is a sideshow freak and hates her life.
The quack doctor offers her a way out. She takes it gratefully. The doctor remains, unafraid to face the consequences of his good deed.
"The Undying Thing"
The wicked Sir Edric, third baronet, prays to God that he would bear any penance if his wife were spared a life-threatening childbirth.
It was not to be. But the child, a boy, survived. However, there was something very wrong with the baby. Both the doctor and the father, Sir Edric, can not even bear to be in the same room with it. In strictest secrecy, they placed the baby in a labyrinthine cave system.
Six years later, Sir Edric thought he heard wolves—then died.
Generations pass.
The current baronet (sixth), another Edric, has his best friend, Andrew Guerdon, staying with him for a few days. They discuss the old prophecy which put forth the tale of the creature, this "Undying Thing," which would end Sir Edric's life and his line. The men make fun of the silly old wives' tales.
Until it is no longer so silly.
"The Gray Cat"
A tale is narrated concerning Archdeacon M, an older gentleman, well-liked and of great learning. This tale begins in January 1881.
In London for a few days, the Archdeacon meets his friend, Guy. Staying with Guy, the Archdeacon sees Guy's huge and strange-looking gray cat, whose name is "Gray Devil." The cat seems to like everyone except Guy, for some reason. Guy relates how he came to live with the cat; weirdly how the day before, he had purchased a small figurine of a gray cat. Then the real thing comes into his life!
During the night, Guy is killed. Both the figurine and "Gray Devil" are missing. The police determine the death to be suicide. The Archdeacon is not so sure. He believes that cat, "Gray Devil" is somehow metaphysically responsible, while living up to it name.
§
Better known in his lifetime for his humorous writings than his horror, Pain's writing in the horror field has had a lasting impact on the genre of supernatural horror fiction.
I very much enjoyed reading Mr. Pain's tales in this collection. And even though to date, Stories in the Dark is the only one of his many, many works which I have read, I hope to return to the supernatural works of Barry Pain again.
References
Print Resources
Joshi, S.T. Lovecraft's Library: A Catalogue (Fourth Revised Edition). Hippocampus Press: New York, 2017.
Digital Resources
Pain, Barry. Stories in the Dark. Black Heath Editions. 2014. Kindle Edition.
Online Resources
Clute, John. "Pain, Barry." Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. 07 December 2017. Accessed 06 February 2018.
http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/pain_barry#chklst
Currey, Lloyd. "Pain, Barry [Eric Odell]. STORIES IN THE DARK." L. W. Currey, Inc. Accessed 24 November 2017.
https://www.lwcurrey.com/pages/books/156813/barry-pain-eric-odell/stories-in-the-dark
Eliott & Fry. "Barry Pain." Great Thoughts, 14 October 1893. From the British Library. Fine Art of America. 14 July 2016. Accessed 7 February 2018.
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/barry-pain-british-library.html
Fowler, Christopher. "Invisible Ink: No 146 - Barry Pain." Independent. 20 October 2012. Accessed 02 February 2018.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/invisible-ink-no-146-barry-pain-8219358.html
Lobolober, "Stories in the Dark-Barry Pain, 1901." Chronicles Science Fiction & Fantasy Community. 30 July 2008. Accessed 24 November 2017. https://www.sffchronicles.com/threads/46865/
skullsinthestars. "Barry Pain's 'The Undying Thing and Others'." Skulls in the Stars. 18 December 2012. Accessed 24 November 2017. https://skullsinthestars.com/2012/12/18/barry-pains-the-undying-thing-and-others/
Turner, Alwyn. "‘Originality without eccentricity’: Barry Pain." Lion & Unicorn. 09 October 2016. Accessed 02 February 2018.
https://thelionandunicorn.wordpress.com/2016/10/09/originality-without-eccentricity/
Wikipedia contributors. "Barry Pain." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 28 December 2017. Web. 30 January 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Pain
Wikipedia contributors. "Marcus Curtius." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 24 August 2017. Web. 2 February 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Curtius
[i] This aspect I enjoyed most in Barry Pain's Stories in the Dark.
[ii] While technically not part of the collection under discussion, An Exchange of Souls and its impact is still worthy of comment.
[iii] Joshi, S. T. Lovecraft's Library: A Catalogue (Fourth Revised Edition). Page 125.
[iv] skullsinthestars. "Barry Pain's 'The Undying Thing and Others'." Skulls in the Stars. 18 December 2012.
[v] There was a lot going on for such a brief tale. Even after multiple readings, I am not sure I have plumbed all of its depths.
[vi] What a really strange ending.
[vii] Wow! More so than nearly every other tale in this collection, I did not see this one coming. A short, sharp shock!
[viii] "Marcus Curtius." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
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