If You Touch Them They Vanish

In Short

After serving time for a crime he did not commit, a wealthy young man retreats to a remote Canadian valley named Joyous Guard alongside his fiercely loyal old nurse, Martha. To shield his spirit from despair, he constructs an elaborate imaginary settlement populated by other falsely accused souls, operating under a solitary law: if he touches his creations, they will vanish. When his former love secretly enters his household as a hidden servant and news of his true exoneration arrives, his fantasy world collides with a tangible second chance at life and love.

The Story

The story opens in the aftermath of a tragic miscarriage of justice. A gentle, wealthy young man—known throughout as the Poor Boy—stands trial, proclaims his innocence, and is nevertheless sent to prison. Upon his release, shattered and seeking absolute refuge from society, he retreats to Joyous Guard, a vast estate nestled in the mountain wilderness of Canada. Accompanying him is old Martha, his childhood nurse, whose devotion to him is absolute and unwavering. Martha transforms the quiet stone cottage into a comfortable home, but the physical labor quickly proves too taxing for her aging frame.

Concerned for her well-being, the Poor Boy insists that she hire a helper, provided this stranger remains entirely hidden from his sight, as he cannot bear the gaze of another human being. Martha travels to New York, where she crosses paths with Miss Jocelyn Grey, a young woman of refinement who has fallen on hard financial times. Miss Joy has always believed in the Poor Boy’s innocence, despite a past misunderstanding between them that kept them apart. Grateful for shelter and purpose, Miss Joy accepts Martha’s offer to return north in secret, working in the cottage kitchen while avoiding the master of the house.

Isolated in the snowy forests, the Poor Boy wards off madness by surrendering to an extraordinary power of visualization. He imagines an entire thriving community within his valley, complete with civic leaders, schools, powerhouses, and sanctuary for others who have been falsely accused. In this domain of his mind, he converses with vibrant companions and reconstructs a ideal version of Miss Joy. Yet he strictly enforces a self-imposed boundary within his waking dreams: he must never attempt to touch any figure he conjures, believing firmly that to touch them is to make them vanish forever.

The boundary between phantom and reality begins to blur when the Poor Boy discovers a long hair caught on his mackinaw coat, awakening memories of a real collapse in the snow where a gentle hand saved him. Meanwhile, a special messenger arrives at Joyous Guard bearing news and telegrams from the outside world: the true culprit has confessed, and the Poor Boy’s name is completely cleared. Eager to deliver the news, Miss Joy ventures into the woods but twists her ankle on the rough ground.

The Poor Boy stumbles upon her lying in pain. Believing her to be merely another beautiful hallucination from his waking dreams, he hesitates, terrified that reaching out will cause her to disappear. Overcome with compassion for her suffering, he decides he would rather risk losing the phantom than leave her in agony. He steps forward and lifts her into his arms. When she remains solid, warm, and real, his long exile dissolves into overwhelming joy, uniting them in a restored life.

How It Unfolds

A verdict breaks a life Convicted of a major crime he did not commit, the Poor Boy endures a soul-crushing prison sentence before seeking complete seclusion from a judgment-filled world. He travels north to his vast, remote mountain property known as Joyous Guard, sustained only by the unwavering devotion of his faithful childhood nurse, Martha, who refuses to let him suffer alone.

Building a hidden refuge Martha lovingly transforms the rustic wilderness cottage into a polished, elegant home, determined to provide her master with every possible comfort. Recognizing that the heavy daily housework is wearing her aging frame down, the Poor Boy urges her to travel south to recruit an unseen assistant who must promise never to cross his path.

An unexpected ally arrives While searching through New York, Martha encounters Miss Jocelyn Grey, a destitute young lady of refinement who has always quietly maintained the Poor Boy’s innocence. Facing severe poverty herself, Miss Joy eagerly agrees to return to Canada as a hidden servant, working behind closed doors so that her presence never disturbs the hermit master.

The architecture of imagination To combat overwhelming loneliness and preserve his fragile mental stability, the Poor Boy constructs a detailed imaginary valley town populated by unfairly disgraced citizens like himself. He wanders through this elaborate phantom settlement daily, interacting with vivid figures while strictly bound by the inner conviction that touching any of his created companions will cause them to vanish instantly.

Visions and physical truths A stray mahogany hair found tangled on an old winter coat brings back faint memories of a real collapse and rescue in the snow, forcing the Poor Boy to reconsider the boundaries of his dreams. Meanwhile, a local messenger delivers urgent telegrams announcing that the actual criminal has confessed and cleared the Poor Boy's name completely.

A tangible embrace Eager to deliver the wondrous news, Miss Joy ventures into the snowy woods and painfully twists her ankle on the rough ground. Finding her lying helpless, the Poor Boy assumes she is another phantom of his mind, but he chooses to gather her into his arms anyway—discovering to his immense ecstasy that she is solid, real, and destined to stay.

The People

The Poor Boy seeks peace, mental survival, and absolution from the disgrace of a false imprisonment. His path is blocked by the deep psychological trauma of his exile and his fear of human contact, which forces him to construct an elaborate imaginary world to stay sane. By deciding to touch the phantom he loves despite the risk of losing her, he breaks through his mental isolation, embraces his true exoneration, and restores his capacity for real life.

Martha wants nothing more than to comfort and care for the master she raised, seeking to protect his fragile heart from further pain. Her advanced age and the overwhelming domestic duties of their remote home stand as obstacles to her devotion. Through her persistent labor and her secretive journey to New York, she successfully smuggles love back into Joyous Guard, transitioning from a protective caretaker into the joyful architect of his romantic reunion.

Miss Joy (Jocelyn Grey) desires financial independence and the opportunity to support the man she has long believed innocent. Her pride, a past romantic misunderstanding, and severe poverty initially stand in her way, forcing her to accept work as an invisible servant. By enduring the secrecy of Joyous Guard and risking her safety to deliver the news of his exoneration, she overcomes past misunderstandings and steps permanently into his life as his companion.

In Its Own Voice

Standing at the edge of a sheer cliff shortly after arriving at his remote sanctuary, the Poor Boy reflects somberly on the harsh physical confinement that recently defined his entire existence.

"Stone walls," he said, "and that, have been my landscape."

While wandering through the winter forest alongside an imagined companion, the Poor Boy pulls back his arm to enforce the delicate rule governing the mental world he built to stave off madness.

"No," he muttered, "you mustn't try to touch them or they vanish."

Carrying his beloved safely toward the cottage threshold after finding her injured in the snow, the Poor Boy ecstatically proclaims the miraculous, living truth of her presence to his faithful nurse.

"And the more you kiss her--the less she vanishes!"

What It's Really About

At its core, the narrative explores the delicate mechanisms human beings construct to survive profound injustice, trauma, and solitary exile. The Poor Boy’s elaborate imaginary settlement serves as a psychological defense mechanism, demonstrating how creativity and inner world-building can protect the mind against complete collapse. Beneath the fairytale quality lies a serious inquiry into the nature of institutional injustice and the lingering societal stigma attached to the wrongfully accused. The story argues that while self-created illusions offer temporary sanctuary, true healing requires vulnerability, authentic human connection, and the courage to reach out to the tangible world. Ultimately, it asserts that love and faith are the true forces capable of restoring an individual to sanity and life.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate cozy, atmospheric early-twentieth-century fiction and whimsical, character-driven allegories will find much to admire in this novel. It offers a gentle, dreamlike reading experience that balances the stark chill of the Canadian wilderness with the warmth of unconditional loyalty and psychological romance. What lingers longest is the poignant depiction of an exile’s inner world, where imaginary sanctuaries feel as vivid and urgent as reality.

However, modern readers should be prepared for certain period characteristics visible in the text. The dialogue features heavy Irish dialect spoken by the domestic servant Martha, which may feel somewhat dated or quaint to contemporary ears. Furthermore, the narrative relies on melodramatic courtly tropes, romanticized depictions of wealth, and convenient plot coincidences—such as the sudden confession of the true criminal—that reflect the sentimentality of its era rather than modern realism.

Despite these stylistic conventions, the book remains a tender, comforting exploration of resilience and emotional recovery. For anyone interested in stories about the healing power of imagination, the loyalty of devoted guardians, and the quiet triumph of innocence over unjust suffering, this forgotten romance remains a rewarding discovery.