A Visit to Heven

From The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia
A Visit to Heven (1899)

A Visit to Heven is a short story written in 1899 by Mary Louise Conan Doyle, the first daughter of Arthur Conan Doyle. Mary was aged 9 when she wrote the story.

His father printed it privately in Hindhead, limited to 200 copies, none of which were for sale.

He did not correct the many spelling of the text of his 9 years old daughter, so, explaining the typo in the title of the book.



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A Visit to Heven

A Visit to Heven (titlepage)
A Visit to Heven (p. 3)
A Visit to Heven (p. 4)
A Visit to Heven (p. 5)
A Visit to Heven (p. 6)
A Visit to Heven (p. 7)
A Visit to Heven (p. 8)
A Visit to Heven (p. 9)
A Visit to Heven (p. 10)
A Visit to Heven (p. 11)
A Visit to Heven (p. 12)
A Visit to Heven (p. 13)
A Visit to Heven (p. 14)


How I came there

I was walking one day, home. I had been to tea with a freand and the rain was pouring down ; I could not put up my Umberrela because the wind was strong and as I enterd my dear little cosey home I thaught what fun it would be to sale up to heaven, but I sed no more about it till one very windy day, my Father took me up to the roof of the house (which was flat) and then as my Umberrela was up the wind soon cault me and away I flew. Mother and daddy kipt waving towls in the air, and the last I saw of Undershaw was a little black speck in the distens and after that it grew hotter and hotter, and at last it was so burning that I felt I must let the Umberrela fall, and as I was in the act of doing so, I herd a sort of fluttering over my head and they I saw a kind face which smiled at me. Then I remmember no more till I awoke.


What I thaught of it

It was in a new country; I had new life; everything was gay and lovly. Qupeds danced arround me. I myself was in a cradle of moss, and ferns; was it only a dream, I that my eyes and tried to think. I lay there sevrel moments till, I saw my angel which had saved soy life so nobly, she smiled and said come yonder, see our Lord the King? And as she tuched me, I felt something that I had never felt before. I had wings. I could fly; I had no clothes on; there was no need of them phaphs I may say I had a gause belt round me. Well this is taking us away to what I did when the angel came. I rouse and taking her hand I flew over rivers and laks and dels till at last, in the distents a grand Hall could be seen there were a line of Marters at one side of the door and a line of Profits the other side, there were a long line of steps outside the door, so we flue strate foarward till we reached it, as we were walking up the steps angel told me what to do.


The Grand Hall

When I got inside the door welcome was writing everware; I walked up the ill. In one corner of the Hall was a large Ock chest and on it was writing parchmend. In the middle on a throan of cushens sat the great king; on one side of the throune was a big jar of rosebud's and on the other side was a jar of for-get-me-not's. When I reached him I bowed my head, took his hand and kissed it. than I said a little pray, and arose. Then in a sweet clear voise he said your name is Rosebud and call her angel. then after bowing my head again I walked out of the Hall. (I forgot to tell you what elce I saw in the gall.) There were twelve different windows in the hall and each of them had a picture of some grand saint or other ; also the King's throun was raised about a yard from the ground, on to a platform, and on the lower part carving could be plainly seen ; ther was all the good and famus kings of England such as Alfred the great and Counute the dain, and all of themp up to our own queen Victureur ; then the king was dressed is a crimsen rope with a large long tassel of gold, the very rope was carved in gol and set with diomminds which shone in the sun light.


The Virgen Mary

Well when we got half way down the ill Angel stopt and turning aside she brought me under a large velvet curtain, and there was a room not so spleneded as the King's but beautiful. In the senter was a thrown and on it sat a beautiful woman: She was dicididly charming, she wore first a light goree robe and over that a large robe of blue lined with down. When she saw me she opened her armes to me, and to my great asstonishment a lot of babes, some only about six month old, were there, she spoke and said come, bring that gold stool, and sit by me, then when all the babes were quieted she began to tell us a storry! a storry that I had herd on earth about the babby king ; how he was born in a manjer and how he led such a simpel life, and last of all how crully the jews treated him, how they hung him on a cross, then as the babes seemed fidjetty she took them all up, and plasted them all down on a couch of down ; Then she said to me stop there and mined the babes till I come back ; So by-and-by she came back with a dear little table with bread, and milk, on it, then with her gentil fingers she fed the babes and gave me some too. Soon after that I saw angel apear, and said come now, we must be going now, So I kissed my hand to the vergen, for I forgot to tell you that she told me her name was Mary.


The King. A Very Different Stage

About a fortneght after angel said to me you must go and see the King again ; he wants to speak to you ; so I said, very well dear angel, I will go, so angel said you now the way, would you like to go by your self. I said very well. About a minnit afterwards one could see me salling over the woods, to the castel, As I was getting there I was serprised to see the King sitting in the field opposit, and was I mistaken, there was his mother too, and his dress! no royle robes no granger, what could it all means! I flue up beside them, the King began, 'You have seen this little part of Heaven, but you have by all means not seen it all. Now I want you and angel to go, just to see a little of the people that hate me.' Yes said I, I will go with Angel ; then he said go to Mary now. So I went, and in her clear voise she began, 'Dear Child, you will see much that is sad, and sorreyfull, I will not tell you yet, but You will soon see.'


What I Thought of Hell

So I flue to our little moss bed and there I found angel sitting, making a daisey chane. As I came she thru it over my neck ; Well, said she, and what does the King want you to do now? He wants you to take me to Hell to see the misserey of thoes people ; very well said she we will go at once, so spredding here wings she flu with me over the Hills far away past the grand Hall, and far beyond, till we came to a broade river. We flue over that and as we came to the senter the waters grue blacker, and the ferther we went over it the blacker it seemed to come 'that was the comencement of Hell, and when we entered the country again! O what a sight! There was gloom everwere, no pretty flours no soft moss beds but burnt heath everwhere, We flue and flue and as for people, well we met a few drunk men and women, and that was all; by and by we came to their grand Hall. Instead of Noble marble pilers stood a few little wooden things. Insted of Welcome was writen Welcome to the Bad? And the throun instead of cushins were tole saks; He himself was dressed in a sak; carved on the lower part of his throne was all the bad Kings such as John, and such like; His workers were villen men, long hooked noses, long bierds in tanggels. And his Mother was dressed in rags and had long gray hair, and always came home drunk.


Back to Heaven

Well I said to Angle that I would rather go back into Heven now, so Angle said well get under my wing and stay there for we must take a long round, so I mannegd to scramble in under her wing and there I found a little trap door. So I said Angle shall I open the trap door. She said yes. So I opend it and I found a deer little sort of room; there was a little bedstaid, and a table with some mannor and wine on it, also a little spair table. So as I had been flying for mannie days I was glad to rest and take my mannar and wine then I lade my wings and robe on the spair table then opening my bed I found a dear little night dress as white as snow and cudderling down into my cossy fether bed I soon fell fast asleep and slept till morning; then as I got up I opend my little trap doar and found it quite bright, but we were but half way out of Hell, so I drested my self quickly put on my wings and flue out to Angle and I flue on for a mile or so, then going into my trap door. I found some more mannor and wine, and so the days went on till one fine morning I found my self very nere the Grand Hall. So I said to Angle 'are we not nere the grand Hall so shall we go down, and bath in that lake pefore going before the King,' Well thought of, said the angle so we went down, and taking off our robes and wings went for a dip.


We Visit a Star

We got out of the lake, and got dried by some large rubbub leeves that grow bye the lake, and went to the King, 'Said the King' Little one you know you came here very easly, but you do not know in what a state your Poar parrents are in, now angle I want you to take Rose-bud down a little way, into one of the stars, to se how unhappy her parrents are.

So in a very little time we were flying down to one of the stars ; We tapt at the Hall doar for stars have little houses all to them selves ; so out came the star drest in his white nitedress and nightcap with a candle in his hand, 'Yes said he what is your wish ? the King has orderd you to let us sit in your frunt room (beeing the drawing room and see the parrents of this child ; Well be it so said the star sleepey. But as I am going to bed now would you be so kind as to tirn off all the lites except the lite that shines in the frant of the house (for that is the star light. Very wel said the angle.


My Poor Parrents

So we walked down the cariedoar untill we came into a nice little ferniched room, the star light was shining brightly so we were able to see plainly what was going on under neth.

What a sight!!

Undershaw which had when I had left bare tiles could be seen but now there were high poles on the roof to let off the creppers and not an inch of tile could be seen, and then when we looked through the house (far Angels have very good sight.) I could not beleive my eys! My dear Mother who had been so cheerful was now old and decreped with gray hair formed in a parting and a little mob cap. My Father also was old and had hair as white as snow and a beeard that reched to his waist. There were all the dear old things, the too dear old chairs that were top and botom of the Dining room table.

And as I saw my poar Mother and Father I felt so sarry that thay could not come to me, but I id not cry, but I got a pain in my side also Angle told me that I was nearly 30 yers ols now, that I had been 20 yers in heven, and it dident seam like a day.


My Parrents Come to Heaven

I said to angle that I was tird of seeing my parrents so unhappy so I would go back and tell the King all about it. So we went back to the Hall and the King said 'You are no longer a little person, tomarrow all the people from earth are conming here, far in about a week we are going to have a great fight or Battle agganst Saten and all his men. So tomarrow you & Angle must go down and fetch your father & mother.

I was delighted when I was trusted to fetch mother & father and the next night angle and I flue down passt the stars, and down till I landed just where I had started. Then flying into my mothers room I found her lying cold and ded. Angle said 'take your mother, and lift her up and she will come to life again.'

So I did 'and to the sloly came to live' and Angle did the same with my Father. We got to Heven and my mother and Father went through the same sermony that I did. And when ever I went out I saw Angles making armar.


The Day Before the Battle

At last the day came which was before the fight I had manny sirris talks with the King and Mary, as to how to feyght, and the next day was the fight angle came early in the morning and gave me a little coat of armar boots maid of armar. In my belt I had sevrel daggers, and as the clock struck twelve in the morning, a large party was assembled in the grand Hall and one by one the King bleast them. After that the Lord got into his Chorrait and drove to the river between Hell & Heven, and at that same moment all saten's worrers & Chottoits came round the corner ; the Lord was in plain armar with a red pluch cape over one arm, and a silver halmot with a face cover. Then came his most skilfull warriers. After that all the people that were not able to fight so well, and they had a bloody battle one by one saten's soildears were defeated some fell into the river and when they did the water's grue blacker then ever. Some fell on land, and when ever they fell, they so birnt a hole in the ground, for manny years ago the Lord curst them. So in Hell it was not safe to live, becauce such diseases were traverling through the land. Far a hole week we fought and at the end of this nearly all saten's warriers were lying in the holes they had bored. So we went home and everboddy carrid a Flag with a victory on it ; As we were walking home the Lord told me He was going to birn the warld tomarrow and He wanted me to come with him, so I concented.


Fenching the World

The next day he took me down and to my surprise he took a silver match box and a torch. We flue down to one of the stars and went into the frant room where the star light was shining. Then the lord said 'may all the annimals made by me return to me and all thoes that saten made to go him.' so it was ; then lightning the torch and looking onto the warld he saw no beast nor human beeing on the earth so he let the torch drop and in less then an hour the hole worl was quite burnt out, and then we flue back and there I am to this day.


End.