The House (fragment)

Introduction

This untitled fragment, known today as “The House,” was written by Robert E. Howard in the early 1930s. Though unfinished, it serves as an atmospheric occult investigation story featuring Howard’s recurring characters Professor John Kirowan and James Conrad. It also provides one of the most detailed accounts of the poet Justin Geoffrey, a character who appears or is mentioned in multiple Mythos-adjacent tales by Howard. “The House” stands out for its blending of psychological inquiry, Gothic unease, and vague hints of cosmic horror.

August Derleth finished the incomplete REH draft. Derleth’s portion begins with the second sentence of the paragraph that begins “We had passed through the circling . . .”; Derleth added a verse heading which was from an early draft of “The Children of the Night“, as well as the poems “Arkham” and “An Open Window”. The alternate title is: THE HOUSE IN THE OAKS.

Summary

The story begins with James Conrad explaining to Professor John Kirowan his fascination with the tragic life of Justin Geoffrey. Geoffrey, a mad poet who died raving in an asylum, is of particular interest because his descent into madness appears entirely unique within his otherwise unimaginative and stable family. Conrad, after detailed genealogical research, is convinced Geoffrey’s insanity was acquired, not inherited.

The turning point in Geoffrey’s life came at the age of ten, when, after a brief disappearance near a mysterious old house by the Catskills, he began to suffer terrifying and recurring dreams that shaped the course of his life. The dreams marked the start of his withdrawal from others, his nocturnal wandering, and his obsession with macabre and bizarre subjects that later infused his poetry.

Despite his family’s disapproval and attempts to suppress his creative tendencies, Geoffrey pursued knowledge of ancient languages and magic rather than formal education. He eventually moved to Greenwich Village and gained some recognition as a poet before dying at the age of twenty-one.

Conrad traces Geoffrey’s transformation back to his overnight stay near the ancient and enigmatic structure known locally only as “The House.” Located near Old Dutchtown and surrounded by ancient oaks, the house has no known history, and its ownership is disputed. Even the mayor of the town is unable to shed light on its origins or the reason for its eerie aura. Conrad shows Kirowan a photograph of the house, which Kirowan recognizes from a painting by their artist friend, Humphrey Skuyler.

Conrad, Kirowan, and Skuyler visit the artist’s studio, where Skuyler describes the same sense of intangible dread evoked by the house. The three decide to travel together to Old Dutchtown to investigate. Upon arrival, they meet the mayor, who reiterates the house’s mysterious nature: it has been uninhabited for at least fifty years, the surrounding land is infertile, and the house is sealed tightly with no apparent way to enter.

As the trio approaches the house, passing through the circle of gnarled oak trees, they all sense the aura of unnatural dread it emanates. The mayor explains that locals avoid the place and that even attempts to cut the trees surrounding it have met with accidents. Rumors and fear, though never confirmed by any overt phenomena, surround the location. The story ends as the men prepare to further investigate the sealed house—its secrets unknown and perhaps best left untouched.

Character List

  • Professor John Kirowan – Narrator of the story and companion of James Conrad; a scholar with knowledge of the occult.
  • James Conrad – Occult investigator and friend of Kirowan, deeply interested in the case of Justin Geoffrey.
  • Justin Geoffrey – A mad poet who died in an asylum at age 21; central figure of Conrad’s investigation.
  • John Geoffrey – Justin’s elder brother; a successful banker in Cincinnati.
  • Eustace Geoffrey – Justin’s brother; junior partner in a New York law firm.
  • William Geoffrey – Youngest Geoffrey brother; a student at Harvard.
  • Mrs. Geoffrey – Justin’s mother; describes her son’s childhood wanderings and oddities.
  • Three unnamed Geoffrey sisters – Respectively a housewife, a grade school teacher, and a Vassar student; all are conventional and unimaginative.
  • Humphrey Skuyler – Eccentric artist who painted “The House” and accompanies Kirowan and Conrad to Old Dutchtown.
  • Mayor of Old Dutchtown – Modern, practical man who provides limited local context about “The House.”
  • Jediah Alders – One of the farmers whose land borders the mysterious house; part of the ownership dispute.
  • Squire Abner – Another bordering landowner; also disputes ownership of the house and surrounding land.

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