The Shadow Over Innsmouth

[J-WO]

Who's Helen V. Sully?

 

[j d worthington]

Ms. Sully was a young (and, from her picture, quite attractive) friend of Clark Ashton Smith, who began to correspond with HPL, and even visited him in Providence. She tells a wonderful story in her memoir about that trip, during which Lovecraft took her about to many of his favorite historical and antiquarian spots, and one in particular:

That night, after dinner, he took me into a graveyard associated with Poe [that connected with St. John's Episcopal Church in Providence, the same in which HPL and several friends composed an acrostic on Poe's presence there]... It was dark, and he began to tell me strange, weird stories in a sepulchral tone, and despite the fact that I am a very matter-of-fact person, something about his manner, the darkness, and a sort of eerie light that seemed to hover over the gravestones got me so wrought up that I began to run out of the cemetery with him close at my heels, with the one thought that I must get up to the street before he, or whatever it was, grabbed me. I reached a street lamp, trembling, panting, and almost in tears, and he had the strangest look on his face, almost of triumph. Nothing was said.

-- "Memories of Lovecraft II", in Lovecraft Remembered, p. 278​

Despite her fright, she recalled Lovecraft's kindness and generosity both on this trip and in general, and spoke of him with obvious warmth. She apparently suffered from depressions, and would write to HPL about her woes, to which he responded with patience, an open ear (and mind), and a fair amount of good, sound advice as well as moral support, as well as a shade of somewhat exasperated humor....

 

[J-WO]

Nowadays, there's people who'd give their right arm to be terrified by HPL in a graveyard!

It makes me wonder, though, given what you say about her depression. Was this his--rather singular--attempt at alleviating her sadness, if only temporarily? Perhaps he reasoned that its better to be scared than to dwell.

Then again, maybe I'm just misreading an (uncharacteristic) bout of sadism.