The Canterville Ghost

You talk about the jewels belonging to my family. But there is no way to say that they belong to the family when there are no papers to say that they do. We don't have papers that describe the jewels, because no-one knew that there were any jewels. You might as well say that the jewels belong to your butler, because they do not belong to me. When Miss Virginia grows up I am sure she will be pleased to have pretty things to wear. Mr. Otis, you forget that you took the furniture and the ghost when you bought the house. So anything that belonged to the ghost is now yours. Maybe Sir Simon was walking around the house at night - but the law says that he was dead, and you bought his property.'

Mr. Otis was a very upset that Lord Canterville would not take the jewels, and tried very hard to change his mind. But Lord Canterville knew that the jewels should belong to Virginia, and he said so. In the end Mr Otis had to agree to allow his daughter to keep the gift the ghost had given her. Some years later, in the spring of 1890, Virginia got married. She became the Duchess of Cheshire and because a dutchess is an important person, she went to meet the Queen. At that meeting, everyone thought that Virginia's jewels were wonderful.

So Virginia became a Dutchess, which is something that can happen to all good little American girls. She was married to the Duke of Cheshire as soon as they were old enough to get married. They were both so sweet and loved each other so much, that every one was delighted with the marriage. (Except the old Marchioness of Dumbleton, who had wanted the Duke to marry one of her seven daughters. She had given three expensive dinner-parties just so that the Duke could meet those daughters.) Another person who was not pleased with the marriage was Mr. Otis himself.