I had never been so frightened . I slowly climbed the ladder and pushed open the trap door . No sooner than I had opened the trap door than something fell - literally fell - on me from the darkness above . It kicked and spat and tore at me as I stood clinging onto the ladder . It lasted only a moment , but in that moment I lived a lifetime of terror . The ladder cracked and swayed below me and I fell with the thing gripping my throat like a vice . In the next instant , George had stunned it with a blow from the poker and dragged it off me . It lay upon its back on the floor - a ragged , hideous shape . And the mystery was solved . ' ' It was the owner of the house , ' he replied . ' He had not gone abroad . He had gone to a private lunatic asylum . A fortnight after this , he had escaped . After making his way to his former home , he had hid himself in the loft . It is only surprising that he did not kill someone before he was caught . ' ' George , ' I said to him . ' We must find out the reason for this at once . I am certain that I felt someone go past me on the stairs . Do those stairs lead to another place , apart from our rooms ? ' ' Then we must explore it , ' I said . ' I can 't go back to sleep until I get to the bottom of this . Get the butler to bring a light . ' Soon the butler arrived with a lantern . He looked as nervous as I felt . We began , the three of us . First , we searched the rooms above , where George and I slept . We found nothing unusual . Then we went down to the door at the end of the corridor . I pushed it open . A crazy looking staircase led up into the darkness . Slowly , we climbed the stairs . I went first , with the candle ; then George , and last of all , the butler with the lantern . At the top of the stairs , we stepped into a large , low room . Our lights threw strange shadows but there was nothing to find : just a few large boxes , a roll of carpet , and some broken chairs . But in the far corner of the room , we saw an old ladder that led up to a trap door . Just then , I heard the half - groan , half - sigh again . We stood and looked at each other . We all heard the sound . I tore the curtains apart and rushed into the next room . It was empty . The lamp was on and the door was open , just as George had left it . In the corridor outside , all was quiet . I came back into the study and found George was running his fingers through his hair with anxiety . Suddenly , an awful scream filled the house . I had never heard anything like it before and never want to hear anything like it again . For a moment , we stood staring at each other . Then George Carson ran out the room and down the corridor to the stairs . I followed him . In the darkness , we ran down the stairs . But before I reached the landing below , where Miss Stonor 's room was , something brushed past me , just like the night before . I turned and made a grab for it as I ran . But my hand only gripped empty air . I was about to turn back and follow it when a cry from George stopped me . I looked down and saw him standing over the body of Miss Stonor . She was lying on the floor . I could see from the moonlight from her room window that she lay in her nightdress . The whole house was woken by her scream . We picked her up and got her into her bed . All the while , she was whispering the same words , over and over : ' Oh , the face , the face ! ' I turned the handle gently and opened my bedroom door . There was nothing to see in the corridor . But across the corridor , a door was open and I could see George 's head peeping out from behind it . We were silent for a moment ; then he spoke again . ' Come over here for a minute , I want to speak to you . ' I walked across the corridor and into the little study that joined his bedroom . George 's voice shook when he spoke . ' A couple of nights ago , I saw a horrible face staring at me from between those curtains behind you . It was gone in a second , but I definitely saw it . ' ' Yes - right away , ' he replied . ' There was nothing there , but twice later I heard footsteps … ' He suddenly stopped talking and sat up straight in his chair , staring straight over my shoulder . His face was bloodless . ' What is it ? ' I asked . ' What 's the matter ? ' I turned around in my chair to look at the curtains just as they dropped back into place . I gave Mrs Carson the same prescription as Mrs Stonor . However , I decided not to tell George about the matter . I did not want to go back on my word to Mrs Carson or Miss Stonor . And my own experience on the stairs the night before had made me wary . But I was determined and I promised myself that the next day - which was Sunday - that I would not go to church . With the rest of them away , I would stay at home and explore the house . There was obviously a mystery and I wanted to try and clear it up . We all sat up late that night . Everyone was reluctant to go to bed . But at last Mrs Carson got up and said ' Goodnight ' . She gave me a nod . Miss Stonor got out of her chair and both the ladies went upstairs . George and I parted company in the corridor above . Our rooms were opposite each other . I did not get ready for bed at once but sat down and tried to come up with a theory about what was happening . But the more I thought about it the more confused I became . I was sure that I had put my hand on something very alive and extremely unpleasant the night before . The thought of it made me shudder . What living thing could possibly be creeping around the house at night ? It was a man 's hand . Because of its size , I was sure of that . It wasn 't George Carson 's hand . That was out of the question because he was in his room all the time . Nor was old Mr Carson sneaking about his own house and refusing to answer . I did not feel comfortable at all and looked in all the cupboards and even under my own bed before I started to undress for bed . Then I went to my door to lock it . Just as I put my hand on the key I heard a soft step in the corridor outside . It was then followed by a sigh and a groan . ' Look , Miss Stonor , ' I said taking her hand , which was hot and feverish . ' I am a doctor and a friend of George . Now tell me all about it , and I will do my best to sort it out . ' She was crying as she spoke . But she managed to tell me that every night since arriving at Woodcote she had been awakened in some mysterious way . She had seen a horrible face looking at her . As soon as she moved , the face would disappear . She believed the apparition only existed in her imagination , and this frightened her even more : she feared she was going mad . I told her that she had a nervous disorder , and I promised that I would get her a prescription from the village . She told me not to tell anyone , especially George and she went away relieved . But I was not certain that I had made the correct diagnosis of her . You see I had been rather upset myself just hours before . George was away longer than I thought and I was going to go away and find him when I met Mrs Carson . ' It is good to have a doctor in the house , ' she said with a nervous laugh . ' Now I want you to prescribe me a sleeping pill . My nerves are out of order and I am not sleeping well . ' ' I know you might think that I am mad but it is making me quite ill . It seems rather real to me . I didn 't want to mention it to Mr Carson or George in case they thought I was mad too . ' For some reason , I didn 't want to tell him the truth . I did not want him to laugh me . But I was determined to stay and have a complete rest . ' What do you mean , Miss Stonor ? ' I asked , looking at her with some surprise . ' Do you mean that you … ' I stopped because Miss Stonor turned away , sat down in one of the chairs , and burst into tears . The second night after my arrival - I remember , the rest of the family had all gone to bed - George and I retired to the study for a drink and a chat before bed . The study was upstairs and next to his bedroom . We sat down and I remembered that I had left my pipe in the billiard room . The house was now in darkness , so I lit a candle and made my way down through the house . The house looked weird in the flickering light of the candle and the stairs creaked in an awful way as I made my way down them . It sounded like someone was following me down them . I found my pipe where I had left it in the billiard room . I returned upstairs in more of a hurry than was needed and I stumbled on the stairs and dropped my candle . It went out . After a few moments , I found it , but I had no matches and I had to make my way along by feeling the cold wooden banister of the stair . It was so dark that I could not see my own hand . As I made my way slowly up the stairs , with my hand sliding along the cold smooth wood , it suddenly slid over something cold and clammy . I stopped dead and closed my fingers around it . It was another hand , a thin , bony hand that pulled itself slowly away from the grip of my own . And although I could see and hear nothing , I could feel something going past me on the stairs . " The house was called ' Woodcote ' and it was a nice place to look at . It was out in the country but not too far from the train station . It was quiet but not remote . The Carsons had been lucky . It was a very good house , bought at a good price . George had told me that the owner had taken unwell and he had moved abroad because of his poor health . Over the years , the house had been repaired and other rooms had been added . A billiard room had been built out at the back of the house . This was very handy when the weather was bad and you could not go out . Attending that New Year at the house was George , his mum and dad , young Ms Carson and Miss Stonor , who now , of course , is Mrs Carson , and lastly , myself . Now Miss Stonor should have been happy . George Carson was , apart from being a very nice fellow , wealthy and ambitious . But , it appeared to me that there was something on her mind because she looked nervous and restless . I saw that George had noticed this . He looked puzzled , and a couple of times I caught him watching Miss Stonor anxiously . But , there was no doctor there and I was not a doctor , so it was no business of mine . But I was to discover the reason for Miss Stonor 's anxiety before I left Woodcote . The doctor took the cigar from his mouth and looked at it for a moment before replying . ' I have had some rather strange and surprising experiences , ' he said . ' Do you want to hear about one of them ? It gives me the shivers just speaking about it . ' ' Do you remember George Carson who played for the University some years ago ; a big chap with a light moustache ? Well , I saw a lot of him before he got married . It was just after he got engaged to Miss Stonor , who is now Miss Carson , and he asked me to go down to a place that his people owned in the country . Miss Stonor was going to be there and I was to meet her . I could not go down on Christmas day because I wanted to be with my own family that day . However , I wanted a bit of a rest , and some time in the country sounded good , so I decided to go and see George for a couple of days around New Year . ' ' Well one day , Jennie and her boyfriend came to my home , ' Mr Coombes told Tom . ' We had a terrible row and after that , I came out here for a walk - it was a day just like this . I thought about what to do . Then I went back to the house and had another row ! ' ' Well , I just told her . Now you know what I am like when I 'm angry . And I never had to say one word more again . ' Mr Coombes thought for a second . ' Yes , ' he said . ' It has been better . If it hadn 't been for that afternoon … I 'd be walking the roads right now . There 's nothing like putting your foot down . Now we 're alright and the business is doing well . ' Five years passed . Again it was a Sunday afternoon in October and again Mr Coombes was out walking by the canal . He was still the same man as before , and yet there was something different about him . He was thinner and he walked straighter , his overcoat was new as was his hat and gloves . He looked like a man who was happy with himself . Beside him , walked his brother Tom , just back from Australia . ' You have a very nice little business , Jim , ' said brother Tom . ' In these hard days you have done well . And you are lucky to have a wife who is so happy to help you . ' Mr Coombes continued . ' You would not think it , but at first she was very extravagant and always angry at me . I was a bit too loving , too gentle . She did what she wanted , always having her relations over and her girlfriends and their chaps . Comic songs on a Sunday , too . It was all getting too much and driving business away . I tell you Tom , the place wasn 't my own . ' The young man , Clarence , was a coward . He would not meet the fury in Mr Coombes 's eyes . Coombes rushed at him , fungi in hand . Jennie gave a shriek like a ghost and ran for the door , trying to escape . Mr Coombes followed her , but Clarence got in the way . With a crash , the tea table fell over as Coombes grabbed Clarence by the collar and tried to push the fungus into Clarence 's mouth . Clarence struggled free , happy to leave his collar in Mr Coombes 's hand as he escaped into the hall . ' Run ! ' Mrs Coombes cried . She wanted to shut the living room door , but her legs would not move . Jennie saw the shop door open at the back of the house . She ran in there and locked the door behind her . At the same time , Clarence ran into the kitchen , and Mrs Coombes ran upstairs and locked herself in the spare bedroom . Standing in the hall , Mr Coombes hesitated . With a hat full of fungus under his arm , he considered where to go first . He decided on the kitchen . Clarence was still trying to lock the door . He heard Mr Coombes coming and ran for the back door . Mr Coombes caught Clarence before he could open the door to the yard . Mr Coombes told him that his face was a mess and dragged him to the kitchen sink and scrubbed his head under the tap with a hard black brush . After this , he gave Clarence his coat and Clarence was allowed to leave . Jennie was still locked in the shop , and she stayed there the rest of the evening . Something fell over in the shop ; it sounded like a chair . Then there was the noise of steps , careful and deliberate , outside in the hall . A moment later , the living room door opened , and Mr Coombes appeared . But he looked different . His usually neat collar was undone , his velvet hat was upside down and was filled with strange fungi , and his coat was inside out and marked with grass . But it was his face that had changed the most . It was white as a sheet , his eyes were wild , and he was grinning from ear to ear . Mr Coombes held out a handful of the fungi to Mr Clarence , ' Have some , ' he said . ' It 's jolly good stuff , ' Mr Coombes said , sounding happy and relaxed . But a moment later , when he saw their shocked faces , his mood changed completely . ' It is my house ! ' he yelled furiously , ' I am master here and you will eat what I give you ! ' Mr Coombes laughed at the sudden happiness he felt . Was he dull ? If so , he would not be dull any longer ! Unsteadily , he stood up and looked at the world around him with a smile on his face . He began to remember . He had been disagreeable at home earlier because they wanted to be happy . But they were right and I was wrong ; life should be as happy as possible . I 'll go home and be less grumpy , he thought . And I 'll take some of this fungus . In fact , I 'll fill my hat with it ! So he did . And when his hat was full , he walked off , singing and looking forward to a happy evening … ' All he cares about is his old shop . And if I buy myself something to make myself look nice or spend some of the housekeeping money or have a bit of company , there is an argument . He lies awake at night worrying about money and how to make me do without . ' ' I should not have married him , ' said Mrs Coombes . A silence fell . Eventually Mrs Coombes got up and made some tea . When she came back , she heard a key turn in the door . Mr Coombes had returned . ' Here is my Lord and master , ' said Mrs Coombes , sarcastically . ' He went out like a lion but comes back like a lamb . Just you wait and see . ' The odour was strong - but not disgusting . He broke off a piece of the fungus . The smooth surface was creamy white . It changed like magic in about ten seconds to a yellowish - green colour . He broke off another two pieces and the same thing happened . They were wonderful things these fungi , thought Mr Coombes and all of them the deadliest of poisons . His father had told him this often . Deadly poison ! Why not try a little , here and now ? thought Mr Coombes . He put a little piece , a very little piece - a crumb - in his mouth . It tasted so strong that he nearly spat it out . It tasted hot and full - flavoured , like hot mustard with a touch of horseradish and … mushroom . In the excitement of the moment , he swallowed it . Did he like it , or did he not ? He tried another bit . It really wasn 't bad . In that moment , he forgot all his troubles . He was playing with death . He took another bite , deliberately taking a mouthful . A strange feeling , a tingling , started in his finger tips and his toes . His pulse began to beat faster . The blood in his ears pounded . He turned around and looked about himself . He struggled towards a little patch of purple fungi about twelve feet away . " Jolly good stuff , " he said out loud and fell on his face , his hands outstretched towards the fungi . But he did not eat any more of it . He just lay there , in the grass . After a while , he sat up with a look of astonishment . He brushed off his silk hat . He put his hand to his forehead . Something had happened . He was no longer feeling dull - quite the opposite . Now , he was feeling bright and cheerful ! His money was all in his business . ' If I leave my wife , ' he thought , ' I will lose all my money . She can make me homeless ! ' No . He could not afford a divorce . He thought about the marriage vows . He was married - ' for better , or worse . ' But sometimes , tragic things happened . Sometimes , marriages ended very badly indeed . Bricklayers kicked their wives to death and small clerks and shopkeepers cut their wives ' throats … . Mr Coombes thought about such terrible things for a long time . He thought about razors and breadknives and pistols ; he thought about going to jail and praying for forgiveness . But eventually he grew bored . His anger lessened , and he became sad . He looked down at himself , at his overcoat . When he married his wife , he had worn it . He looked at the path . In the early days of their marriage , they had walked along it , hand in hand . What had happened ? Why had it all worked out so badly ? While he was thinking of drowning himself , he saw the purple pileus for the first time . At first , he thought it was a leather purse . Then he saw it was a strange , poisonous - looking purple fungus . He touched it . It was slimy . It smelt bad too . He stared at the purple fungus as the thought of poisoning crossed his mind . They all started to talk at once . The guest said he was going to marry Jenny and would protect her . Mr Coombes told him he could protect her anywhere , but not in his house . Mrs Coombes told him he should be ashamed for insulting her guests . She told him he really was an annoying little grub . It all ended with Mr Coombes telling the guests to leave his house . But they wouldn 't go . In the end , Mr Coombes left . With his face burning red and tears in his eyes with anger , he went into the hall , put on his overcoat , and brushed his silk hat . Jenny began to play the piano again , over and over again : the same little , silly tune . Mr Coombes slammed the door shut and walked away , angry and frustrated . He walked along the muddy path among the fir trees . It was October ; the ground was soft with pine needles and lots of fungi were growing . Mr Coombes thought about his marriage and its history . He now saw that his wife had married him because she had had an uncertain , hard life and wanted a better one with him . She was supposed to help him with his business , but she was too stupid . And they argued about money all the time . ' You spend too much , ' he would say . She didn 't like to hear that . ' Why can 't you be nice to me ? ' she would ask . She also had a family that annoyed him . They caused trouble for his business and helped his wife to spend his money . It was not the first time he had run from his house in anger and frustration . But never before had he felt like this , so sick of life . So he walked along the path , his head down , breathing in the thick - smelling air . The evil - smelling fungi grew to his left and to his right . Jenny had kept on playing . His wife sat behind the piano and watched him . ' What 's wrong now ? ' she asked . ' Can 't people enjoy themselves ? ' Mr Coombes couldn 't stop himself ; he was angry and he opened his mouth without thinking . ' Be careful with that music stool , ' he said . ' It isn 't made for heavy - weights . ' ' May I ask why ? ' asked the guest . He was enjoying himself and Mr Coombes saw that he wanted an argument . He was a thin young man , dressed in a bright clothes and a white cravat with a silver pin .