“The Ebony Frame” is a horror story by the English writer and poet Edith Nesbit (1858–1924), first published in the October 1891 issue of Longman’s Magazine, and included in her Grim TalesCollection of short stories by Edith Nesbit, first published in 1893. (1893) collection of short stories.^[1]

The story is told as a first person narrative by Mr Devigne, an impecunious hack journalist who has just inherited £700 a year and a furnished house in Chelsea from his deceased Aunt Dorcas.

Synopsis

One evening, while sitting by the fireside in his new home, Devigne’s attention is drawn to an “exceedingly bad” print above the mantelpiece. His maidservant tells him that his aunt had bought the print two days before she was taken ill, and that rather than buy a new frame for it, she got an old one from the attic which had housed a “black and ugly” picture, which is still there. Devigne resolves to go up to the attic the following morning to see the picture for himself.

Devigne discovers that what the maidservant thought was one picture is actually two, nailed together facing each other. To his astonishment he sees that one of the paintings is of himself, dressed as a Cavalier; the other is of a beautiful woman in a black velvet gown. He replaces the print in the ebony frame with the portrait of the woman, and hangs it back above the mantelpiece.

The woman’s “large deep luminous eyes” fascinate Devigne. One evening, while staring into those eyes, he says out loud “I wish … oh, how I wish you were a woman and not a picture! Come down! Ah, come down!” At that, the painting seems to become animated, and a shadow appears in the corner of the room. Glancing back at the picture, Devigne sees that the ebony frame is now empty, and out of the shadow the woman of the painting advances towards him, saying “You called me. I am here.”

Devigne is not afraid, recognising the woman as a long-lost lover, but not knowing how that could be possible. She explains that before he went off to fight in the English Civil War they had their portraits painted together, the pictures he had seen in the attic. But during his absence she had been accused of witchcraft and executed by burning. As she was being consumed by fire, the Devil came to her, and said that in exchange for her soul he would give her the right to return through her picture, so long as it remained in its ebony frame.

The woman tells Devigne that if he too will sell his soul to the Devil, then she can remain a woman with him until they die. Devigne is unwilling to sacrifice his hopes of heaven, and asks if there is an alternative. The woman replies that she will tell him the next day at midnight, if he is alone, and then she will come out of the picture and never go back to it.

Devigne has already invited his fiancé Mildred and her mother to lunch the next day, but his heart is elsewhere, and he makes an excuse to leave. He walks around for hours, until at about 11 o’clock he heads for home. He finds his house on fire, and despite his best efforts is unable to save the ebony frame and its portrait.

Devigne ends up marrying Mildred, becoming “stout and dull and prosperous”, denying that his story is a dream.