The Canterville Ghost

As she did this, the moon came out from behind a cloud, and filled the little churchyard with silver moonlight, and a nightingale began to sing from some distant trees. Virginia thought of the ghost's description of the Garden of Death, and her eyes became full of tears, and she hardly spoke a word during the drive home.

The next morning, before Lord Canterville went up to town, Mr. Otis had an interview with him about the jewels which the ghost had given to Virginia. They were truly magnificent, especially a ruby necklace which had been made in Venice. The necklace was a splendid example of the jewellery of four hundred years ago. The necklace and the other jewels were so valuable that Mr. Otis really was not sure about allowing his daughter to accept them.

`My lord,' he said to Lord Canterville, `I know that in this country you inherit small unimportant things as well as your father's land, and it is quite clear to me that these jewels or should belong to your family. I must beg you therefore, to take them to London with you. You should think of them as a part of your property which was lost and which you got back in a very strange way. As for my daughter, she is just a child, and I am glad to say, she is still not interested in such idle luxuries. Mrs. Otis is a great authority upon Art because she had the privilege of spending several winters in Boston when she was a girl. She has informed me that these gems are worth a lot of money if you decide to sell them.

Vocabulary:

Churchyard: The area around a church.
Nightingale: A bird that sings at night.
Up to town: here it means 'to London'.
Ruby: a kind of precious stone.
Beg: Ask very strongly and very politely.
Luxuries: Things that you don't need but which are nice to have.
Privilege: Something special which you are allowed to do.
Gems: Precious stones; jewels.