These are ghost stories and spiritual tales written from 1876 to 1897. They include those from the author's Little Pilgrim series which takes place in the "afterlife" (sometimes heaven, sometimes the lower levels). The little pilgrim (Nelly) awakes in the new world, making discoveries and encountering people she knew on earth. Old Lady Mary is over 80 years old when she dies. No one realizes she has left her will in a hidden desk drawer, so her fortune will go to her wealthy grandson as opposed to her beloved goddaughter. When Mary arrives in the afterlife she seeks permission to go back and correct her mistake, but things don't go as planned. In The Portrait, Philip Canning has recently returned home from India and is in poor health. Soon he realizes his father is acting oddly and Philip finds himself being propelled against his will when in his father's presence.