Worthington Hall burns to the ground, but everyone is rescued. Yay!!
Magda insists she won't help Quentin harm Laura. Quentin promises that after Magda gets the urn, he won't touch a hair of Laura's head. But Magda still distrusts him.
Apparently Laura is genuinely exhausted after committing spontaneous arson. She basks in front of the fire for a few moments to revive herself. Quentin comments that she chose a rather bizarre way of getting the children out of the school. This only makes Laura angry. Quentin asks Tim how the fire started, but Tim doesn't know. One minute everything was fine, the next minute the building was in flames. This is even more interesting to Quentin.
ILB, maybe this scene will answer your question: Tim is puzzled about how Laura got into the room with Nora when the room was in flames--before Tim got there himself, especially since he didn't see her pass him in the hallway. I heard Nora scream and rushed in. I see, Tim says. That’s what’s puzzling me: I was in the corridor too, but I didn’t see you. There was a great deal of excitement, Laura observes. Any number of things might have happened that you didn’t see. I’m very happy we had this talk. I want the Reverend Trask to know the courage you displayed this evening. There no need, says the modest Tim. I feel you should be properly rewarded for saving Nora’s and my lives, Laura insists. When you get back to Rockport, have Reverend Trask call me. All right, Tim agrees as she smoothly ushers him out. He says goodnight and leaves. Laura sighs with relief at having diverted his suspicion--for the moment. She waits a few moments till he presumably is away from the house, then she leaves herself.
Laura takes the urn to the gazebo and begins a long invocation to the god of fire (unnamed as yet) to restore her vitality. Nora follows her, and Magda gets the location of the urn out of her.
Where did Nora say her mother was standing? Quentin asks. Magda indicates the spot near the sundial. Quentin moves toward it, then spots the snake bracelet on the grass and pockets it. What did you find? Magda asks. Instead of answering, he gets interested in the sundial and lifts it off the pedestal, then takes out the urn. Is that it? A worthless piece of junk, Magda observes scornfully, but Quentin is smiling broadly at his prize. No, this is not a worthless piece of junk, Quentin says gleefully as he takes the lid off. It is a very valuable and precious thing we have here. It contains a flame--and not just an ordinary flame, oh, no, no, no. This flame is capable of giving life! But if it were to be snuffed out--a life would be snuffed out with it. How will it happen? Just like that? he asks, snapping his fingers. Or will the energy be slowly drained out of her? Magda looks sick and disgusted, but Quentin gloats, We’ll know soon enough. Laughing all the while, he takes a handful of sand from a convenient flowerpot and sprinkles it on the fire till the flames are smothered. Goodbye, Laura, he tells his adversary exultantly.
In the drawing room at Collinwood, Laura suddenly realizes something is very wrong. No, no! she screams. She walks over to the fireplace to get warmer, but her life is draining away by the moment.
At the gazebo, Quentin--a very bad winner indeed--is still holding the now empty urn, still laughing triumphantly...
