Episode 18: "The Mezzotint" by M. R. James | Haunting the Fireside

In this episode, a librarian reads "The Mezzotint" by M. R. James. The story features a scholar and professor named Mr. Williams, who purchases a mezzotint - a kind of monochromatic print - from an antiques dealer. On the surface, it appears to be a poorly-made portrayal of a country manor. But then, Mr. Williams learns that the picture - or rather, what's in the picture - has a habit of moving on its own.
Montague Rhodes James, better known as M. R. James, was himself an antiquarian scholar, closely tied to academic and university life during the 19th and 20th century. He spent his leisure either traveling the historical sights of England, as well as telling ghost stories to his pupils and colleagues. The latter eventually became the material which he wrote and published in a number of collections, such as Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904), More Ghost Stories (1911), and A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories (1925) - all of which had been amassed into a number of more recent collections.
Music:
• Lincolnshire Poacher - Performed by: The Regimental Band and Corps of Drums · 2nd Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment
• Eye for Detail by Jay Varton