An American minister by the name of Hiram B. Otis decides to purchase Canterville Chase from Lord Canterville. They begin negotiations on the home, and Lord Canterville warns Hiram that the house is haunted, and says that for this reason, his own family will not live there. Hiram seems amused by this, and tells Lord Canterville that he will “take the furniture and the ghost at a valuation” (1). Hiram doesn’t believe in ghosts, but Lord Canterville insists that the ghost is not only real, but that it’s been there for three hundred years and always appears before the death of one of his family members. Hiram maintains that ghosts aren’t real, and buys the house.

Hiram moves in first and then sends for his family. The nearest train station is at Ascot, seven miles from the house, so he sends a waggonette to collect Lucretia, Washington, Virginia, and the Stars and Stripes. Their journey to Canterville Chase starts out pleasantly: the skies are clear and the family spots little animals along the way. As they roll closer to Canterville Chase, however, the skies darken and it begins to rain. They see a flock of rooks overhead.