Victorians enjoyed being frightened -- particularly in the safety and comfort of their own firesides. So Gothic horror stories by masters of the craft, like the 19th century American writer, Edgar Allan Poe, had enormous appeal.
   Today we're not so easily frightened but even nowadays it's difficult to read The fall of the House of Usher without experiencing a frisson of fear, as image is piled upon image in an esclation of nameless terror. This is the story which inspired David's sculpture, The House of Usher -- a splendidly sinister Gothic masterpiece. The sculpture perfectly captures the imagery of the story: "the bleak walls...the vacant, eye-like windows. Minute fungi overspread the whole exterior, hanging in a fine tangled web-work from the eaves."
   We begin to fear that our 'hero,' once inside those sinister walls, will never escape. But there is a ray of hope. The fungus-covered casket on the mouldering wall surrounding the house contains a nine-carat gold plated key. Let's hope that he -- and you -- will discover it in time!