A man shares a train compartment with a mother and her very restless children. The mother tries to entertain them with a story, which is too edifying to hold their attention. By contrast, the gentleman satisfies them with the tale of a horribly, intolerably good little girl who comes to a bad end.
Not a speculative story so much as a story about stories.
First published in Beasts and Super-Beasts, London, John Lane, 1914.
| Date | Publication | Publisher | Type | Page | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 |
|
Beasts and Super-Beasts | John Lane Company | Collection | 229 |
| 1914 |
|
Beasts and Super-Beasts | John Lane, The Bodley Head | Collection | 229 |
| 1914 |
|
Beasts and Super-Beasts | Bell & Cockburn | Collection | 229 |
| September 1945 |
|
A Saki Sampler | Superior Reprint / The Military Service Publishing Co. | Collection | 111 |
| 1962 |
|
Best Fantasy Stories | Faber and Faber | Anthology | 150 |
| 1964 |
|
Histoires insolites | Casterman | Anthology | 77 |
| March 1965 |
|
Humor Horror and the Supernatural | Scholastic Book Services | Collection | 78 |
| March 1966 |
|
Incredible Tales | Dell | Collection | 30 |
| January 1968 |
|
Humor Horror and the Supernatural | Scholastic Book Services | Collection | 78 |
| January 1968 |
|
Stories and Storytellers | Addison-Wesley | Anthology | 158 |
| 1969 |
|
Best Railway Stories | Faber and Faber | Anthology | 89 |
| 1970 |
|
Imagine! | Nelson (Canada) | Anthology | 83 |
| June 1970 |
|
Best Fantasy Stories | Faber and Faber | Anthology | 150 |
| September 1970 | Humor Horror and the Supernatural | Scholastic Book Services | Collection | 78 | |
| August 1971 | Incredible Tales | Dell Laurel-Leaf | Collection | 30 | |
| January 1972 |
|
Humor Horror and the Supernatural | Scholastic Book Services | Collection | 78 |
| 1974 |
|
Baleful Beasts: Great Supernatural Stories of the Animal Kingdom | Lothrop, Lee & Shepard | Anthology | 189 |
| 1974 |
|
Baleful Beasts: Great Supernatural Stories of the Animal Kingdom | Lothrop, Lee & Shepard | Anthology | 189 |
| December 1974 |
|
Humor Horror and the Supernatural | Scholastic Book Services | Collection | 78 |
| 1976 |
|
The Complete Works of Saki | Doubleday | Omnibus | 349 |
| 1978 | Short Stories | J. M. Dent | Collection | 234 | |
| 1982 | The Complete Saki | Penguin Books | Omnibus | 349 | |
| 1982 |
|
Van lichtelijk luguber tot meedogenloos macaber | Loeb | Anthology | 104 |
| 1983 |
|
The Best of Saki | Picador | Collection | 192 |
| 1985 | Short Stories | J. M. Dent | Collection | 234 | |
| 1993 |
|
The Complete Stories of Saki | Wordsworth Editions | Omnibus | 248 |
| May 1995 | Beasts and Super-Beasts | Project Gutenberg | Collection | ||
| May 1998 |
|
The Complete Saki | Penguin Books | Omnibus | 349 |
| August 1998 |
|
Truly Scary Stories for Fearless Kids | Key Porter Books | Anthology | 219 |
| October 2000 |
|
Saki: The Complete Short Stories | Penguin Books | Collection | 349 |
| 2001 |
|
Truly Scary Stories for Fearless Kids | Key Porter Books | Anthology | 219 |
| June 2008 | The Drabblecast, #69 | The Drabblecast | MAGAZINE |