Keeping Up Appearances Sailor's Knots, Part 12.

"Keeping Up Appearances" by W. W. Jacobs is a funny story set in the early 1900s. The story looks at the ideas of believing in the supernatural and how people deal with life through Bill Burtenshaw, a sailor who is now married and fighting a drinking problem. It shows how far people will go to look good to others and feel good about themselves. The story is about Bill Burtenshaw, who promised his friend Silas Winch that the first one to pass away would visit the other as a ghost. After some problems with his drinking, Silas shows up as a ghost to warn Bill to stop drinking. Mrs. Burtenshaw gets involved in the trick, and the story ends with a funny surprise: Bill promises to change and help Silas's widow, but he doesn't realize he's getting into another tricky situation. With ghosts, funny misunderstandings, and people trying to trick themselves, the story is light and fun, but it also makes you think about how silly it is to try to look good when you're having problems.