The strange transfiguration of Hannah Stubbs

A young domestic servant manifests unexplained physical phenomena—furniture that moves, shadowy presences, and disembodied voices—which alarm her landlady and alienate her lover's family. Two educated lodgers, an Italian teacher and a doctor, investigate, debating whether the occurrences stem from spiritual mediumship, nervous illness, or trickery; they plan medical observation and experiments to test and treat her. The narrative traces the social and psychological consequences of these manifestations, the clash between scientific scepticism and occult belief, and the efforts to understand and transform the girl's condition, culminating in a profound alteration of her appearance and status that raises questions about agency, reputation, and belief.