"The Witches Head"
The thirteen year old orphaned Ernest, nephew of Sir Hugh Kershaw, Bt, comes to live with his uncle Reginald Cardus, a solicitor. Fellow dwellers at Dum's Nest include young brother and sister Jeremy and Dorothy Jones, and their maternal grandfather, "Hard-riding" Atterleigh. Atterleigh is half-mad, and is under the fixed delusion that he (Cardus) is the devil and that he must work for him for a fixed number of years, but Cardus keeps him to copy his papers. He also looks after the children, his wards, because of his old affection for their mother. He was engaged to marry him when Jones, assisted by Atterleigh, compelled her to marry Jones instead. Cardus loves Dorothy, but cannot bring himself to like Jeremy, as he resembles his father - hwo died some time before. Cardus is working on a long-term plan of revenge, the principal target being Mr de Talor, who had been behind the plot.
Ernest and Jeremy are soon very good friends, and are continually together. After initial lessons from the vicar, Mr Halford, they are sent to Cambridge. Ernest does well, as always, Jeremy less well, but excells at sports - and is developing into the strongest man in the eastern counties.
A neighbour, Miss Ceswick, has her nieces come to live with her, first the strong-willed and rather daunting Florence Ceswick, and then her sister Eva, who is very beautiful. Ernest flirts with Florence, and kisses her in an unguarded moment. The floodgates of Florence's passion and opened - she is madly in love with him. Ernest doesn't reciprocate, and wonders what he will do. Matters are made doubly awkward when Ernest meets Eva for the first time, and falls in love with her. Jeremy, who has already fallen in love with Eva himself, doesn't press his suit and they toss a coin to see who will try their hand with the girl. Ernest wins, and very soon the couple are mutually in love.
But Eva, although beautiful, is weak as water. Also Florence is intensely jealous, and Dorothy, who from childhood has secretly loved Ernest, willing becomes self-effacing for Ernest's happiness.
Matters now take a turn for the worse. Eva notices a chest on the seashore, washed from the slowly eroding graveyard of Titheburgh Abbey. It is opened to disclose a human head, perfectly preserved. It is of a woman of about 30, who bears a startling resemblance to Florence. The eyes have been replaced by glass imitations, which seem to follow one around the room. They are aghast, but Mr Cardus insists on keeping it in the house. Dorothy fears it will bring evil upon them. Sure enough, the evil descends.
Ernest is to go to the Continent, before studying for the bar (Jeremy is already commencing his articles to be a solicitor, much to his disgust). But he doesn't get further than the French coast, where he falls in with his cousin, the only son and heir to Sir Hugh Kershaw. They argue, and Kershaw the elder challenges Ernest to a duel. Fortuately he has made friends with Mr Alston, a South African colonist visiting France with his 9 year old son, to see the place of his late wife's childhood. Ernest manages to shoot Kershaw, who dies. They flee to South Africa to escape the consequences of the duel.
Although Eva still loves Ernest, she comes under heavy pressure from her sister Florence to marry James Plowden, who is the locum tenens in the absence of Mr Holford, the vicar. Plowden is not a gentleman, and he wants to marry well to help his clerical career. Eva detests him, as does Florence, but the latter keeps up the pressure because she is jealous. If she cannot marry Ernest she will prevent her sister from doing so also. Eventually Eva relents and agrees to marry Plowden, although Cardus and Dorothy try to stop her. Unfortunately Jeremy, who also didn't like Plowden, has gone to South Africa to find Ernest, who hasn't written for some time.
Shortly after Jeremy finds Ernest the latter finds out what has happened. He almost goes mad. But distraction is at hand, and he takes to gambling, horseracing, drinking and women. Jeremy, more moderate in his interests, stays with him, but they continue to draw from Cardus, who has given them an ample allowance. Ironically Ernest can go home now, because with the annexation of the Transvaal all crimes were pardoned. But Ernest doesn't see the point.
Several years pass. The Zulu war breaks out. Alston raises a volunteer cavalry squadron, with Ernest as Lieutenant, and Jeremy as Sergeant Major. Alston's Horse is sent to the main force led by Lord Chelmsford, which is moving into Zululand. Ernest asks Alston whether it is wise to bring his son, now 14, but the latter explains briefly that he must. His wife and the boy's mother had been killed by the Zulu's and he wanted a chance at revenge.
Ernest is warned of danger ahead by a man German named Hans, who roamed South Africa with a handcart called Wilhelmina (which he believed to be his wife). But although mad, he had his lucid moments, when he could prophocise
Alston's Horse is cut off by the Zulu's and fights a rear guard action. Alston confides to Ernest that they might as well die fighting, as their main camp, at Isandhlwana, is almost certainly overrun. Alston and his boy fall fighting, and Ernest leads a despite stand. All fall until only a handful survive, including Ernest, Jeremy, and Mazooku, Ernest's Zulu servant. They are the sole survivors of the corps when the Zulu impi moves off, thinking them finished. Leaving the scene of the slaughter a final blow falls. Ernest is blinded by lightning.
The three now return to England. They are met by Dorothy and Mr Cardus. When Dorothy was walking Ernest through Portsmouth Eva, now Eva Plowden, passes by. Of course she recognises Ernest, but although the latter cannot see Eva, he senses that she is there. Dorothy denies this is so, at Eva's request.
Back at Dum's Nest Jeremy happily takes to farming. Ernest has got over Eva to a degree, but still is a broken man. Dorothy comforts and supports him. Eventually he proposes to her, and she tells him that she has always loved him. Cardus is delighted, since this is what he had always wanted. Ernest, now Sir Ernest since the death of Sir Hugh, marries Dorothy. Florence has gone to France to become an artist, but Eva secretly returns to see them marry.
Atterleigh now thinks his time has run out, and that he need no loner serve the devil (Cardus). The very night after Cardus tells Dorothy, Ernest and Jeremy that he has wound up his affairs he is murdered by Atterleigh, who rides off into a marsh on Ernest's horse, where he drowns.
This is a curious and somewhat unpleasant tale. The title refers to the human head which the found, and which is the link in a number of events and which seems to bring ill luck. Atterleigh believes it talked to him, and it was after its case accidently flew open, frightening everyone from the sitting room, that Atterleigh got the broken assegai left by Ernest, with which he murdered Cardus.
The second point of interest is revenge. Atterleigh was punished by a stroke for his part in the earlier affair, but Cardus sought for the best part of his life to revenge himself and his fiance Mary - and in the end bankrupted de Talor. But having kept Atterleigh to hand he was to fall a victim to his mania. Florence sought revenge, but merely drove herself distracted. Alston succeeded only in killing himself and his young son.
As usual with Haggard stories the women and the stronger characters - in this case Florence (Eva is as weak as water). The good and forebearing Dorothy is strong too, when occasion demands.