大多数古老的宅子里都会有些幽灵。有时会是个安静、善良的幽灵;有时候则是个闹哄哄的家伙，总是不停地摔门，咯啷咯啷地晃着锁链。

Most grand old houses have a family ghost of some kind. Sometimes it is a quiet and kindly ghost, and sometimes it is a noisy one, always banging doors and crashing about in chains.

坎特维尔古堡的幽灵就属于闹哄哄的那种，吵得一家大小全都睡不好觉。于是坎特维尔勋爵把房子卖给了奥蒂斯先生。这位可是美国人，一点儿也不怕什么幽灵。实际上，奥蒂斯夫妇和他们的孩子们——华盛顿、漂亮的弗吉尼娅、加上那对淘气的双胞胎兄弟——非常乐意住在一所有幽灵的宅子里。

The ghost at Canterville Chase is one of the noisy kind, and the family can't get any sleep at night. So Lord Canterville sells the house to Mr Hiram B. Otis, who is an American and not at all worried about ghosts. In fact, Mr and Mrs Otis and their children Washington, pretty Virginia, and the twins, two noisy little boys are very happy to live in a house with a ghost.

但是幽灵可不乐意。他的职责就是吓唬人，而奥蒂斯一家对他那些拿手的把戏一点儿也不害怕。他们的头发没有被吓白，他们没有被吓得逃跑，他们也没有被吓晕——甚至连叫也不叫一声。还有，奥蒂斯家的那对双胞胎知道的把戏，竟比可怜的幽灵还多……

But the ghost is not happy. His job is to frighten people, and the Otis family aren't frightened by any of his best tricks. Their hair doesn't turn white, they don't run away in terror, they don't faint — they don't even scream! And the Otis twins know more tricks than the poor ghost will ever know...