The Canterville Ghost

Accordingly, he made arrangements for appearing to Virginia's boyfriend as the Vampire Monk. This was a horrible performance. It was so bad that when old Lady Startup saw it one fatal New Year's Eve, in the year 1764, she started screaming horribly, and carried on screaming until she had violent apoplexy. She died three days later. She disinherited the Cantervilles, who were her nearest relations, and left all her money to her apothecary in London. This time however, at the last moment, the ghost's terror of the twins stopped him from leaving his room. So the little Duke slept in peace in the great feather bed in the Royal Bedchamber, and dreamed of Virginia.

A few days after this, Virginia and her curly-haired chum went out riding on Brockley meadows. While getting through a hedge on her horse, Virginia tore her riding clothes very badly. When she came home, she made up her mind to go up by the back staircase so no-one would see her torn clothes. The door of the Tapestry Chamber was open, and as Virginia was running past she thought she could see someone inside. Thinking it was her mother's maid, who sometimes used to bring her work there, Verginia looked in to ask the maid to mend her clothing. To her immense surprise, however, it was the Canterville Ghost himself!

Vocabulary:

Monk: Religious men who are not priests.
Fatal: Causing someone to die.
Apoplexy: A brain-storm brought on by stress.
Disinherit: Decide not to leave your money to someone when you die.
Apothecary: An old-fashioned kind of chemist.
Bedchamber: Bedroom.
Chum: Friend.
Meadows: Fields where grass is grown for animals to eat in winter.
Immense: Very big.