Has she come? "No, Mamma, not yet." "I wish it were well over. The thought of it worries and excites me. A cushion for my back, Bella." And poor, peevish Mrs. Coventry sank into an easy chair with a nervous sigh and the air of a martyr, while her pretty daughter hovered about her with affectionate solicitude. "Who are they talking of, Lucia?" asked the languid young man lounging on a couch near his cousin, who bent over her tapestry work with a happy smile on her usually haughty face. "The new governess, Miss Muir. Shall I tell you about her?" "No, thank you. I have an inveterate aversion to...

Has she come? "No, Mamma, not yet." "I wish it were well over. The thought of it worries and excites me. A cushion for my back, Bella." And poor, peevish Mrs. Coventry sank into an easy chair with a nervous sigh and the air of a martyr, while her pretty daughter hovered about her with affectionate solicitude. "Who are they talking of, Lucia?" asked the languid young man lounging on a couch near his cousin, who bent over her tapestry work with a happy smile on her usually haughty face. "The new governess, Miss Muir. Shall I tell you about her?" "No, thank you. I have an inveterate aversion to...

This classic Christmas ghost story, while not nearly as famous as Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, ranks among the greatest ever Christmas tales. The text was penned by Louisa May Alcott under the pen name, A.M. Barnard.

Behind a Mask, or A Woman's Power is a novella by American author Louisa May Alcott published in 1866. Set in Victorian era Britain, the story is about Jean Muir, governess for the wealthy Coventry family.