The Gerrard Street Mystery and Other Weird Tales | Page 2

brilliant powers as a
literary artist.
The third work was a "History of the Rebellion in Upper Canada."
Although written in his best manner, with the greatest possible care,
from authentic sources of information not hitherto accessible, this work
has had the misfortune to meet with undeservedly severe criticism.
When Mr. Dent began his studies for the book he held William-Lyon
Mackenzie in high esteem, but he found it necessary afterwards to
change his opinion. He was able to throw a flood of new light on the
characters of the men who took part in the struggle, and if the facts
tended to darken the fair fame of some of them, the historian certainly
ought not to be censured for it. The tendency of the book was decidedly
in opposition to the ideas entertained to this day by the partizans of the
"Old Family Compact" on the one side, and also to the friends and
admirers of William Lyon Mackenzie on the other.
But the severe criticism the work sustained, has left it stronger than
before, and it will stand undoubtedly as by far the best history of the
"Rebellion" that has appeared.
In addition to these important works on which his reputation as a writer
will rest, Mr. Dent has written from time to time a great many sketches,
essays and stories, some of which are exceedingly interesting and
worthy of being preserved. All of Mr. Dent's work contains a charm of
its own. In writing, history, he was in accord with Macaulay. He always
believed that a true story should be told as agreeably as a fictitious one;
"that the incidents of real life, whether political or domestic, admit of
being so arranged as, without detriment to accuracy, to command all
the interest of an artificial series of facts; that the chain of

circumstances which constitute history may be as finely and gracefully
woven as any tale of fancy." Acting upon this theory, he has made
Canadian history very interesting reading. He is to my mind the only
historian, beside Mr. Parkman, who has been able to make Canadian
events so dry in detail, fascinating throughout.
In private life, Mr. Dent was a most estimable man. He possessed
qualities of mind and heart, having their visible outcome in a courteous,
genial manner that endeared him very closely to his friends. With all
his wealth of learning, which was very great, he was light-hearted,
witty and companionable, and his early death leaves a gap not very
easily closed.
The four stories composing the present volume were contributed by
their author at considerable intervals to different periodicals. Some time
prior to his death he contemplated publishing them in book form, and
actually selected and carefully revised them with that purpose in view.
He thought they were worthy of being rescued from obscurity, and if
we compare them with much of a similar class of work constantly
issuing from the press, we cannot think that his judgment erred. They
are now published in accordance with his wish, to take their chances in
the great world of literature.
R. W. D.
TORONTO, Oct. 25th, 1888.

CONTENTS
THE GERRARD STREET MYSTERY GAGTOOTH'S IMAGE THE
HAUNTED HOUSE ON DUCHESS STREET SAVAREEN'S
DISAPPEARANCE

THE GERRARD STREET MYSTERY.

I.
My name is William Francis Furlong. My occupation is that of a
commission merchant, and my place of business is on St. Paul Street, in
the City of Montreal. I have resided in Montreal ever since shortly after
my marriage, in 1862, to my cousin, Alice Playter, of Toronto. My
name may not be familiar to the present generation of Torontonians,
though I was born in Toronto, and passed the early years of my life
there. Since the days of my youth my visits to the Upper Province have
been few, and--with one exception--very brief; so that I have doubtless
passed out of the remembrance of many persons with whom I was once
on terms of intimacy. Still, there are several residents of Toronto whom
I am happy to number among my warmest personal friends at the
present day. There are also a good many persons of middle age, not in
Toronto only, but scattered here and there throughout various parts of
Ontario, who will have no difficulty in recalling my name as that of one
of their fellow-students at Upper Canada College. The name of my late
uncle, Richard Yardington, is of course well known to all old residents
of Toronto, where he spent the last thirty-two years of his life. He
settled there in the year 1829, when the place was still known as Little
York. He opened a small store on Yonge Street, and his commercial
career was a reasonably prosperous one. By steady degrees the small
store developed into what, in those times,