The Jolly Corner

After decades abroad, Spencer Brydon returns to New York to settle his family estate, only to find himself drawn to the empty halls of his childhood home. As he wanders its darkened rooms, he becomes obsessed with the life he abandoned—a version of himself that stayed behind and thrived as a ruthless businessman.
The Jolly Corner is a short story by Henry James, originally published in 1908.

HENRY JAMES [1843 -1916] was born in New York but emigrated to Europe early in life. He is one of the most important figures in Anglo-Saxon turn-of-the-century literature, with novels such as The American [1877] and the horror novel The Turn of the Screw [1898].