1. Why is the information about Bob Elwell's slow death so significant to Mary?
(a) She realizes that Ned lied when he told her that everything was resolved.
(b) She realizes that the timing lines up with the sightings of the ghost.
(c) She cannot help being glad that the man who made her husband suffer also suffered.
(d) She is devastated about how much suffering her husband caused.

2. When Ned begins to read the newspaper in the library in section "II," he tries to sound casual as he asks Mary a question. What is the question?
(a) He asks if she knows how long "afterward" it is when people realize they have seen the ghost.
(b) He asks if Mary remembers seeing the ghost in October.
(c) He asks if the mysterious stranger has come back to the house at any point.
(d) He asks if she ever wonders exactly how he made the money they used to buy the house.

3. When Ned speeds off to talk with the mysterious visitor on that day in October, why does it take Mary so long to follow?
(a) Ned tells her not to follow him.
(b) She is too frightened of the ghost to move, at first.
(c) She is dizzy and has to move carefully.
(d) One of the heels of her shoes has come loose.

4. In section "III," when Mary looks at the house from across the property, what does she feel about the house?
(a) That it seems to be trying to communicate something urgent to her.
(b) That it seems to be laughing at her, somehow, almost mockingly.
(c) That it is like a kindly older person that keeps secrets for the good of others.
(d) That is is like an evil creature squatting in the landcape.

5. For the past week, what has Mary been assuming is the cause for Ned's need to be alone and his odd mood?
(a) She thinks that he regrets moving to England.
(b) She thinks that he misses having a regular job to go to.
(c) She thinks that he has seen the ghost.
(d) She thinks that his book is not going very well.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Mary thinks back on the October visit from the mysterious man, she thinks that it "had no mark of the portentous" (86). What does this mean she felt about the visit at the time that it happened?

2. Why does the narrator say that Ned and Mary are "two romantic Americans" (83)?

3. What have Mary's new neighbors told her about the ghost?

4. What does Mary suddenly remember finding one day in October?

5. On page 95, Mary mentions the "fun of the frisson." What is a frisson?

(see the answer key)

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