Walter Scott 47 min read

Aunt Margaret tells of a magic mirror in which a wronged wife, desperate for news of her absent husband, is shown a vision of him, and of a terrible scene unfolding far away.

Walter Scott's 1828 tale is an atmospheric supernatural story of scrying and dread from the great Scottish novelist. Vivid, eerie, superbly told. Read it for a classic Romantic ghost story, where a glimpse in an enchanted glass reveals more than anyone wished to see.

In its time

Published in 1828, during the 1820s, tales of mesmerism, ghosts, and the fantastic voyage flourish in the romantic imagination.

Reading it

47 min read (a novelette, room for a turn or two).