While Quentin paces, sleepless, in his locked room, Magda prepares the potion that will be the vehicle for her curse. Her equipment and even her manner are very much like Julia Hoffman's. She tells Sandor about how an old gypsy cursed a certain Count Petofi, [spoiler](the first but far from the last mention of his name)[/spoiler] and Magda saw what happened to him. Sandor asks what happened, but Magda doesn't want to spoil the surprise for him. With grim relish, she tells him it will be more enjoyable to watch it happen to Quentin.

Edward visits Quentin and tells him that he's told Barn the news. Quentin is afraid of falling asleep, but Edward has no sympathy for him. A shouting match begins, then Quentin gets what he thinks is a bright idea: Perhaps I can buy Magda off. If you do this for me, I promise I won't ask you for another thing as long as I live. Edward takes his time thinking it over, rubbing his chin, prolonging the pleasure of watching Quentin twist in the wind. I'm begging you! Quentin wails. How much will it take? Edward asks. A lot, Quentin replies--ten thousand, in cash. I don’t have that much! Edward protests. Judith does, Quentin reminds him, and Edward agrees, relieved that he will be able to get rid of Quentin at no expense to himself. He tells Quentin, I will ask Judith if, on receipt of the ten thousand dollars, you will sign a paper waiving your inheritance in Grandmother's will, Edward tells him. And you will leave Collinwood and never return. Quentin is horrified at these terms, which will make him homeless. The terms aren't negotiable, Edward tells him--think about it. It is an indication of his terror that Quentin takes only about a nanosecond to agree. All right, I accept! Quentin cries. Just please get me the money! I will speak to Judith immediately, Edward tells him and hurries out, eager to put the deal in motion. Quentin relocks the door after him and stares at himself in the mirror. His reflection is just as terrified as he is.

Sandor and Magda come to Collinwood to claim Jenny's body so they can bury it according to their customs. Edward takes great pleasure in telling them that she's already been buried. Magda is furious and warns that they'll be back and that Jenny's spirit won't rest either.

Quentin finally falls asleep. He hears Jenny calling him. Quentin! Don’t sleep! she says. Stay awake and very alert. I’m coming back for you. Jenny! Jenny! Quentin calls frantically, turning toward the sound of her voice. He sees one of her doll “babies” on the table. Did Jenny's ghost leave it there? He reaches out for it, then pulls back and kicks a chair instead. Edward returns, and Quentin tells him he heard Jenny. He reaches for the doll as proof--but of course it's gone. Edward tells him that Judith went to Evan Hanley and had a proper agreement drawn up with one additional condition: Quentin has to take Magda and Sandor with him when he leaves. AND the check won't be ready until this afternoon. (But as we'll see, he gives Quentin an envelope full of bills.) Quentin is practically hysterical and begs Edward not to leave him alone. Edward suggests he summon his "maidservant friend" to keep him company. His voice scaling up with fear, Quentin protests, I don’t want Beth to see me like this! I can’t blame you, Edward says contemptuously, and leaves.

Alone once more, Quentin finally sinks into a chair. He tries to read but hears Edward telling him, Sleep--sooner or later your body will give in--you must.... Once asleep, he dreams he is still in his room, but it is bathed in an eerie red glow. We see and hear a tambourine being shaken. Magda enters the room, tambourine in hand and asks, Are you ready? Stay away from me! he cries. Don't be frightened, she says. This is a simple ceremony. I won’t go with you! he insists, but Magda says, You must--Jenny is waiting for you. No, I won’! he shouts. Get out! You can't resist, Magda says, shaking the tambourine again. No, he says, I won't go! Please don't make me do this, I'm begging you! He can’t help being pulled along with her, protesting all the way. It will only take a moment, Magda assures him. He follows the sound of the tambourine through darkness and finds himself downstairs in the foyer. Magda knocks at the closed drawing-room doors. Sandor opens the doors and says, You have brought him--good. We can begin the ceremony now. What ceremony? Quentin asks. Sandor explains, There is an old belief among the gypsies: The body and spirit of one who has been murdered cannot sleep until it has been blessed by its murderer. I didn't murder her, I swear! Quentin bleats. She had a knife in her hand! She was going to kill me! There is no need to defend yourself, Sandor assures him. There is no hatred or anger here. He leads Quentin into the drawing room, where Jenny is lying on a bier. Her face looks peaceful. Look at her, Sandor tells Quentin. See how beautiful she is. As beautiful as the day she married you, Magda adds. She's so different, Quentin marvels, so peaceful now. Sandor says, She can't find peace until you bless her. It will bring both of you the peace you need, Magda says. You won't rest until you do this, Sandor tells him. Go to her, touch her hand. With utmost reluctance Quentin reaches out and touches her hand with his. Jenny’s eyes open, and she looks right at him. You're alive! he moans. Only for a moment, Quentin, Jenny tells him. Only long enough for you to kiss me. He tries to resist, but she draws his face toward hers and kisses him. The kiss of death! Sandor exclaims with malicious triumph. The curse is complete with the kiss of death! Magda gloats, shaking her tambourine to signal the end of the ritual. The two gypsies laugh.

Quentin wakes up, writhing in his chair. No! he screams in a high-pitched wail. Bringing the papers and some money, Edward hears Quentin as he comes back and knocks at his door. Staggering to the door, Quentin unlocks it and and lets him in. It's all right! Quentin gabbles. I had a nightmare! I know what Magda is going to do. She’s going to keep Jenny here to haunt me! That's my curse! Edward, we must do something! It's done, Edward assures him stonily. He hands Quentin the agreement. Quentin signs it without even reading it. Where’s the money? he demands. Edward holds out an envelope, which Quentin grabs from him. As Quentin runs out the door, Edward calls to him, Judith wants you and the gypsies gone by tonight! They'll be gone! Quentin calls back over his shoulder without even looking back. As Edward gazes at the hated Quentin’s signature on the contract, he grins with satisfaction.

At the Old House, Magda gazes at the amber fluid in the vial. Sandor says, Quentin will suspect us, whatever we do. How can we get him to drink the potion without him knowing it? He won't suspect if he don't know, Magda replies with grim confidence. My plan will work--we have the rest of the afternoon to think of a way. Sandor looks out the window and sees that they have almost no time at all. He tells Magda, Quentin is coming--our prayers have been answered. Magda puts the vial in the desk, then answers the door. You are not welcome here, she starts to say, but Quentin tells her, I can make it worth your while to remove the curse. Now, I know what the curse is. Jenny's ghost has already appeared to me and won't let me rest. I'm willing to give you all the money I have if you stop it. You came to buy me! exclaims the outraged Magda, making a face at him. With a grin, Sandor tells her, Wait. I'm insulted at his offer of filthy money, Magda protests. Quentin admits, I did come to buy you off, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I want to tell you how much. Yes, he hasn't said how much, Sandor reminds Magda with a smile. Sandor! Magda exclaims in angry disbelief. Let him show us---then he can go, Sandor suggests. Quentin says, I’ll give you ten thousand dollars in cash. I have it right in my pocket. Show it to me, says the suspicious Sandor, but Quentin insists, I want to hear Magda's answer first. Sandor points out to Magda, We could travel very far on so much money. Quentin agrees. We could do all the things we’ve always wanted to do! We could live like kings! Sandor adds. All right, Magda says. Let us see it. After your answer, Quentin says. May my poor sister forgive and understand me, Magda says. She makes the sign of the horns again, then turns her palm up as she intones, I remove the curse and all your suffering. He hands her the money, gabbling his thanks. Why don’t we have a drink to seal bargain, Sandor suggests, pointing out, Quentin has been relieved of a very heavy burden. Magda counts the money greedily, holding it in her lap as Sandor pours three glasses. But behind Quentin’s back he pours the amber potion into one of the glasses. Magda says happily, We are all satisfied--we are rich, and you are free! Sandor hands out the drinks and suggests a toast to that. Sandor hands out all the glasses, but as Quentin drains his he doesn’t notice that he is drinking alone. He stands up and says, I'll be on my way now--minus ten thousand dollars, of course, but it's worth it. At least I'm free of the curse. Relieved, he walks toward the door. No, you are wrong, Quentin, Magda answers: The curse has just begun. He listens in growing horror as she continues, You thought you were being haunted, but it was just your guilt. Keep your rotten money! she exclaims with deepest contempt as she hurls the bills to the floor. I just pretended to take it so you would relax and have a drink--because the potion that would make the curse effective was in that drink. The curse will start tonight!.....

My reaction to today's Barnabas line: *thud*

Thanks as always, MB!   

Judith's prime directive certainly is the avoidance of scandal, isn't it! While she and Barn search for Jenny, Judith suddenly asks, Can we trust you--really trust you? Barnabas replies with unaccustomed diffidence (or wariness?), I think so. I apologize, Judith says. I'm not a trusting woman, she admits wearily, and it embarrasses me that you're involved so much with my family. I try to pretend we're nicer than we actually are, then something like this makes me face the truth. Barnabas suggests, The important thing now is to find Jenny.

Quentin callously tells Beth that she should have let him kill Jenny. Once again Beth manages to talk him out of it--barely. He kisses her passionately--just as Barnabas walks into the drawing room. You've caught me, Quentin says with no embarrassment whatever. I was just leaving. Judith steps into the room a moment later. I congratulate you the way you handled this situation, he tells them mockingly. Mad Jenny is free again! If I were ever a prisoner, I'd want you both as jailers. Good evening. Jauntily he starts to leave, tipping an imaginary hat at them. Quentin, we need your help, Judith tells him. I never imagined to hear from your lips, Quentin says with a laugh. Note that, Beth, and remember it all, because I won't believe it later, when I mull it over. Judith tells Beth, You needn't hear anymore. [Not in front of the servants!] Did you find Jenny? No, Beth replies. Then your work isn't done, Judith tells her. Beth instantly leaves without another word.

One of the most interesting moments in this episode is when Quentin starts up his music. He picks up the cylinder and loads it into the machine, then sets it going. We get a very fine closeup of the fully operational gramophone actually playing an actual wax cylinder. Half an hour later, Jenny hasn't taken the bait. It hasn't worked, Barnabas sighs. Are you giving up? Quentin asks. It's been over half an hour, Barnabas points out as he emerges from behind the drapes. Quentin repockets the rope and asks, Are you tired of listening to the music? Frankly, yes, Barnabas admits with a wry grin. [Remember that he heard it back in 1968 too!] It soothes me, Quentin says. Judith's biggest fear is that Jenny is now in town. No doubt she is more worried about exposure than about helping the poor madwoman.

Jenny enters Beth’s garret room and calls softly to Beth, then slumps down on the bed wearily. She turns up the lamp and discovers a pile of neatly folded, exquisitely made baby clothes on Beth’s dresser. She picks up one of the tiny gowns and presses it lovingly to her cheek. She turns the lamp down when she suddenly hears Beth's voice, saying, We've looked through every room. Jenny spots a basket, finds a knife inside and takes it. She hides in yet another curtained alcove just inside Beth’s room--first showing us, with an almost feral grin, the wicked-looking knife. In her alcove, she can hear Quentin and Beth’s entire subsequent conversation.

Quentin tells Beth, I'm going to search my room and lock my door. Don’t go out, Beth advises him. Don't take chances. Don't be so nervous, Quentin says. Taking his hands in her own, Beth says sadly, I wish I could find words for the way I feel. We'll find Jenny, Quentin assures her, thinking that she’s merely afraid. And when we do? Beth asks. That is what you want, right? Quentin asks. For Jenny to be found? Ashamed and sad, Beth looks down at their clasped hands. It looks like you're saying goodbye, Quentin observes. I wish I could, Beth laments. Then I wouldn't feel the way I do. I wouldn't...want something to happen to Jenny--and I do, I want something to happen to her! I don't want her to come back! she cries, unable to conceal her grief, guilt and remorse any longer. In tears, she continues, I don't want you to have a wife, and that makes me ashamed. Sometimes, I think I hate you, she sobs. Quentin reaches for her, but she pulls away. I hate you for making me feel the way I do, she says miserably. With genuine pity and regret, she cries, Oh, Quentin, I took such good care of Jenny before you came back! She was my whole life! Now you have me, Quentin reminds her. I wish you'd look more pleased. How can I? Beth cries. I feel so deceitful. We'll have to get rid of that conscience of yours, Quentin says lightly. You don’t know how she trusted me, how close we were, Beth mourns. Now you have me, Quentin repeats. Doesn't that make up for it? He pulls her into his arms for a long, ardent kiss. In spite of herself, Beth returns his passionate embrace, and the enraged Jenny raises the knife high, preparing to strike....

I can't agree with you more, MT. This is one of the best episodes in the series, and everyone involved generously presents it to MW on a silver platter. She deserves it.

Beth has to scream at Quentin that he'll hang if he kills Jenny. Only then does he actually listen to her. Poor Beth is really trapped. She loves Quentin (heaven knows why) and feels at least pity for Jenny, even if she's harsh with the poor madwoman sometimes. It's awful to see how callous Quentin is when he tells Magda to take Jenny's locket to a jeweler for an appraisal. He knows damned well it's Jenny's, and probably also knows damned well that his portrait is inside it.

The reunion scene with Magda and Jenny is utterly hearthbreaking and beautifully played by both MW and GH. I cried the first time I saw it, and it still makes me tear up. Even though it ends with Jenny hitting Magda with a candlestick (GH has to hang on to her heavy black wig as she goes down), Magda thinks only of protecting her.

Jenny remembers the iron door she was so curious about before. This time it’s unlocked (WHY???), and she drifts down the stairs. While upstairs, Magda tells Sandor to help her find Jenny, she goes downstairs and finds Barnabas’s coffin in the basement. (Who removed the candelabrum??? Did it clatter to the floor when Barn arose to face yet another night?) Quentin is in there, she murmurs. He’s dead! Grief-stricken she embraces the coffin briefly, then starts to open it....

Dirk promises to get Jenny a weapon. You must stay right here and wait for me, he orders her. (Yes, he orders her to stay right out there in the foyer, where anyone could find her!) He goes back into the servants’ area. Wait for me! Jenny tells her prey. Yes! Wait for me, Quentin! I'm coming to kill you! Her face is alight with mad glee.

During the opening credits, Jenny has obeyed Dirk’s instructions and stares around at the foyer until he returns with a knife (that looks more like an especially wicked letter opener). This is for you, he says as he gives it to her. Now you can go to the Old House. She takes him at his word and heads for the door, but once again he orders her to wait. [This makes no sense, but sets up the ensuing action.] Judith returns from somewhere and orders him to get the House by the Sea ready for Trask. Dirk has no choice but to obey. Judith wonders why he looks over his shoulder nervously.

Meanwhile, Jenny is waltzing around the drawing room as she hears Quentin's voice in her head (put there by Laura, I guess), cruelly mocking her. Thinking that Quentin is there, Jenny runs around the drawing room, stabbing random innocent pieces of furniture. Judith enters, and Jenny pops out of hiding to tell her she's looking for Quentin, but Judith isn't one of her favorite people either. Judith turns around, perhaps to call for help, so she doesn't see Jenny grab a candlestick holder. She hits Judith over the head, and Judith drops, unconscious, to the floor.

Quentin also returns to Collinwood and catches a glimpse of Jenny waving the knife around. He slips out of the house again and watches as she roams around, giving us a big, big clue when she murmurs, She lied to me, but I lied to her, too, about who I am. My father was a king of India, and my mother was a princess, so I am a princess too. Imperiously she declares, When I raise my hand--she brandishes the knife--and say die, then of course, someone dies! She stares wildly at the upraised dagger.

Quentin goes back in and finds Judith just coming to. Quentin doesn't even ask if Judith is all right. She tells him what Quentin already knows--that Jenny is on her way to the Old House to stab him. They quarrel about what to do about Jenny.

Jenny arrives at the Old House. After putting the knife in her pocket, she knocks at the door, over and over, while trying to smooth her out-of-control hair. Barnabas opens the door himself and stares at the strange, wild-looking woman. Where is Quentin? Jenny asks. I know he's here. No, he isn't, Barnabas says and starts to close the door. Stop lying to me! Jenny snarls. Who else lied to you? Barnabas asks calmly, beginning to realize who she must be. Edward, Jenny replies, and Judith, and sometimes Beth--but not so much. What is your name? she asks. He politely introduces himself and asks her name. Jenny Collins, she replies. Barnabas assures her, I'm not lying. Come in and see for yourself that Quentin isn't here. She enters the Old House, looking around, so she doesn’t see Barnabas locking the door after her. I don't see Quentin, she admits, but he sometimes makes himself invisible, and all I can hear is his tormenting voice. Where did you come from? Barnabas asks. I came from Collinwood, where I live. Is it lonely for you? Barnabas asks. I have my children, Jenny replies. You mean your dolls, Barnabas corrects her gently, treating her with the interested kindness he usually reserves for small children. My children, she says, smiling, then asks, What's upstairs? Why don’t you go and look, Barnabas suggests. No, I must go out and find Quentin! she insists. Quentin is coming back, Barnabas assures her. He said for you to wait for him. Surprised, Jenny asks like an eager child, Did Quentin tell you anything else about me? Yes, Barnabas says, he said how beautiful you are. Did he? she simpers, fussing with her hair in a pathetic travesty of normality and only making it look worse. That's why Quentin married me, she explains. He was very handsome. She shows Barnabas her gold locket with Quentin’s portrait in it. There were many girls in love with him, but he married me, she boasts. Barnabas looks at the photo, then carefully puts the locket down on his desk. As she starts to go upstairs, Jenny says grandly, I am Mrs. Quentin Collins. Who are you? Barnabas introduces himself again. His family disapproved, because I was a singer, Jenny tells him resentfully. Do you like singing? Yes, Barnabas says. After the children were born, Jenny tells him, I'd sing them to sleep. She sits down on a step and peers at Barnabas through the railing while she sings “All the Pretty Little Horses” in her clear, sweet contralto, but she can’t remember it all. Do you know the rest of it? she asks. No, he says regretfully. Oh, it used to soothe the babies, she says. You mean the dolls, he says again. Why do you keep calling them that? she asks angrily, then gets lost in her memories. After the children were born, I would sing to them, she recalls. The boy slept right away, but the girl whimpered like a newborn kitten. Listening in amazement and sudden realization, Barnabas murmurs, A boy and a girl. [I’m sure he didn’t insist on calling them dolls to torment the poor creature, but only to get at the truth--a truth he had never imagined.] I was afraid some harm would come to them, Jenny says. I don't know why, but _they_ took my children away. Where? Barnabas asks, but his eagerness sets her off again. They didn't take them anywhere! she cries defiantly. They're with me! She is oblivious to Barnabas’s shock as she continues, Of course, this afternoon, I dressed them for the funeral! She spots the basement door and asks, Is Quentin down there? He isn't here, Barnabas repeats patiently. You're lying, like all the others, Jenny says angrily. He isn't coming soon, he's here right now, hiding down there, waiting to kill me! Well, I'm going to kill him instead! _No_! Barnabas shouts. She pulls out the knife and waves it in his face. If you try to stop me, I'm going to kill _you_! she wails. Although he knows Jenny can’t harm him, Barnabas stares at the knife in her trembling hand.

Barn easily gets the knife away from Jenny, who is now afraid that Quentin will hurt her. Barn manages to reassure her that he won't because he's still in love with her. This cheers Jenny up, and Barn tells her to wash her face and comb her hair to get ready to see Quentin. Barnabas raises her to her feet and leads her toward the stairs, but she is still racked with doubt. Are you sure Quentin won't hurt me when he gets back? she asks. I promise he won't, Barnabas says--no one will. Jenny willingly goes upstairs with him, her only thought now to make herself beautiful for her husband.

Jenny's husband, meanwhile, is loading a gun. Judith is properly horrified and actually attempts to do a good deed by talking him out of what he's planning. She's a poor, mad creature, Judith reminds him. I view her in a different light, Quentin retorts implacably. She's an animal that has to be struck down as soon as possible--an animal with a knife. _You’re_ an animal with a gun! Judith argues. Step aside, Quentin orders her as he comes down the stairs. This is my problem, and I prefer to handle it alone.

Jenny tells Barn how much she likes the room he's brought her to--Josette's room, of course. For a moment she mistakes him for a bellboy (LOL!). Suddenly she is startled and horrified when she catches her reflection in the mirror. Who is that? she asks Barnabas. That stranger, she scares me! Barnabas says, You can make her go away. Find a comb and some powder. There are some dresses in the chest--wear one of them, he says as he indicates the white trunk at the foot of the bed. Of course, she says. I always make myself beautiful for Quentin. She sits down at the dressing table and looks for the comb but can't find it. Barnabas finds it on the tabletop, then hands it to her. She thanks him and begins trying to comb out her wild mane of hair. Once again she glimpses her reflection and gives a little scream. The mirror! she exclaims. I am in the mirror! Then where am I?

Judith and Quentin continue arguing, now with Dirk chiming in. Quentin pretty blatantly implies that Laura had something to do with Jenny's escape. Dirk suggests looking for Jenny. Quentin suggests that Dirk start looking near the cottage--which is apparently in the opposite direction from the Old House.

Jenny has combed her hair, which is now smooth and shining. She ties it back with a narrow black ribbon. Barnabas returns and tells her, I must go now, but you must stay until Quentin comes for you. Some people will be here to look after you, he explains. Do you like the way I look? Jenny asks. I do, Barnabas says. Teasingly she warns him, You shouldn't flirt with me--Quentin is very jealous. Quentin will be here soon, Barnabas assures her, then locks her in. In the hallway outside the room, he calls softly to Magda. Jenny hears him. Magda? she repeats. She takes a gown out of the trunk and says, Magda--and Sandor!

As the rooster crows its warning, Barnabas scribbles a note to Magda and puts it with the key to Josette’s room on the little table against the bookcase. Then he must go downstairs. We see a shot of the closed coffin with a candelabrum on top. (Who put it there??!!)

Holding the gun, Quentin arrives at the Old House and finds the key and Barnabas’s note, the beginning of which he thoughtfully reads to us: “Dear Magda: The woman in Josette’s room.” Throwing the note into the fire, he takes the key and heads upstairs. Now he looks as cruel and implacable as the ghost who torments David and Amy in our own time.

Jenny has cleaned up rather nicely and has put on one of Josette’s high-waisted gowns, lavender with darker trim and white lace on the bodice. (This is no mean feat, because Marie Wallace would make two of Kathryn Leigh Scott.) Holding a hand mirror up to her face, she gives herself a pep talk. Don’t be frightened, she assures her reflection. It doesn't matter that Quentin's family doesn't like you. Quentin loves you--that's all that matters. Suddenly she says, Fool! Fool! She throws herself onto the bed in despair. Quentin knocks and calls to her from the other side of the door. Is that you? she asks eagerly. Yes, it’s me, he replies. You were away so long, I was beginning to worry, she says. I’m sorry, Jenny, Quentin says, but you’ll never worry again. Gun in hand, he starts to unlock the door....

The stage is set, and all the characters are in place for the terrible events that are about to ensue.

Hmmm, interesting, Joey. It all sounds plausible.

Quentin lights new candles, which have replaced the used ones, although no one was present to replace them. He and Barnabas fence around for a bit about Laura, Barn's taste in young ladies (Quentin seems to like them tall). Barn dares Quentin to tell Judith and Edward that he caught Barn practicing the black arts. (Oh, come on, Q!) Then he suggests they can help each other. Barn knows about Alexandria and that something happened there that made Quentin and Laura enemies. A change in the two men’s relationship is signaled when Quentin sits down with a sigh. I'm not afraid to talk about it, he assures Barnabas. I’m more afraid you won't believe me. It must have been very strange, Barnabas prompts him as he takes a seat opposite. Quentin tells him that he saw Laura consumed by flames in Alexandria. Barn tells him about summong the 18th-century Laura, who told him that she wants to take the kids away. That's exactly what she told Quentin, so the two men race off to the cottage, finally allies.

Laura has apparently rematerialized at the cottage and is revived by Dirk. She tells him that Barn and Quentin are against her. Quentin seems to lead a rather charmed life--he was given up for dead once after Jenny put a knife in his chest, but he somehow managed to survive. Jenny is still at Collinwood? Laura asks, shocked. [Jenny’s attack on Quentin happened before Laura returned.] I shouldn't have said it, Dirk realizes--too late. But Laura is delighted at the idea that she can use Jenny to destroy Quentin, at least. Dirk tells her all about poor Jenny.

Barn and Quentin arrive at the cottage. What a pleasant surprise, Laura lies. Quentin smiles to see Dirk and asks, Have we come at a bad time? Not at all, she assures him. Dirk was helping me rearrange some furniture, and I invited him for a drink. Rearranging furniture all evening? Quentin asks. Yes, Laura replies--that seems to surprise you. It looks the same as this morning, Quentin notes. Dirk and I were chatting much of the evening, Laura says [so that’s what she’s calling it now!]. Dirk agrees [so he’s calling it that too!]. I was anxious to hear what happened while I was away from Collinwood, Laura says, and Dirk was filling me in [much more apt!]. Will you have a drink? she offers. Barnabas refuses politely, and so--in what must be a first!--does Quentin. Laura says that she's never felt better in her life. Barn says that Quentin wanted to see the portrait, so Laura says it's out being reframed. Having run out of conversational gambits, Quentin suggests that he and Barn leave. Barn says--unfortunately, out loud--that he's going to show Quentin yet more "rare volumes" at the Old House. After they're gone, she exults, Jenny will want to know they went to the Old House. When do you want me to let her out of her cell? Dirk asks. Tonight, Laura replies, as soon as I prepare her for what she must do.

Poor Jenny is singing to her babies. She tells Dirk that she's getting them ready for Quentin's funeral. Dirk closes the door and leans back against it, shutting his eyes, barely able to conceal his revulsion at the unfortunate madwoman.

Barn and Quentin confer at the Old House. Quentin suggests using the black arts to summon the 18th-century Laura. Barn warns him that they have to do something about her before she does something about them.

Dirk brings Jenny some very unappetizing-looking soup. She warns Dirk that she doesn't want to be left behind when the carriage leaves for the funeral.

At the cottage, Laura gazes into the fire and sends her voice through the flames to Jenny. You will hear my voice, Jenny, as clearly as you hear your own voice. Jenny! she calls sharply. Surprised, Jenny drops her soup spoon into the bowl. Who is calling me? I don't recognize the voice. You can't see me, Jenny, but surely you know who I am, Laura says. Laura! Jenny exclaims in angry dismay. Where are you? You took Quentin away from me! she accuses Laura, trembling with fury. But he didn't love you, Laura gloats. He loved me! Don't say that, Jenny pleads. It's true, Laura says smugly. You've come to take him again, but you can't, Jenny says with a wild grin, laughing, because he's dead! Quentin is dead! That's why you can't have him! Quentin is very much alive, Laura says. You're lying! Jenny snarls. It's true, Laura assures her. Agitated, Jenny insists, I killed him! I know he's dead! He's alive, Laura cries, alive! He's hiding from you in the Old House, being protected by Barnabas [whom Jenny has never met]. See for yourself!

Out in the corridor, Dirk quietly unlocks the door to Jenny’s prison, but leaves it closed.

Go on, Jenny, Laura goads her hapless victim. Go to the Old House, find Quentin, and kill him! Jenny discovers that the door to her room is unlocked. Dirk listens and watches from around the corner as she leaves the room and walks up the small flight of stairs to freedom. Laura's eyes are ablaze with triumph....

 

They could have called this episode "The Many Deaths of Laura Stockbridge and/or Murdoch Collins."

Quentin tries to bully Magda into telling him what she knows about Laura. But she is desensitized to his badgering and he ends up giving her money.

Barn gives Sandor a rather garbled version of his memories of the Laura of the 1790s. He takes Sandor to the records room, which is adjacent to the crypt and has shelves with record books. It was a sudden death--that I remember, he says as he searches the shelves to find the proper ledger. My father wrote to tell me that “my cousin, Uncle Jeremiah” [what he says!] was very disturbed, and not to talk to him about it when I returned home. One way of dying is the same as another, Sandor comments. Not necessarily, Barnabas replies--I should know. He finds the correct ledger. When he finds the proper page, he murmurs, Laura Collins died January 25, 1875 [he means 1785]. Cause of death--fire! How could I have forgotten that? he asks. Or did my father change the course of history again? Was there something about her death that made him conceal the cause? Barn hopes to get the truth out of Quentin one way or another.

Laura goes into raptures when Magda throws the portrait into the fire.

Barn tries to get information out of Quentin, even apologizing for the bad start to their relationship, but Quentin isn't buying, not even when Barn gives him the telegram from Alexandria. Quentin advises him, If you’re that interested in learning about Laura, you should run to the gossip who said she was with me. It’s common knowledge, Barnabas says. Why are you so interested in Laura? Quentin asks. I'm interested in anyone I meet, Barnabas replies blandly. I think you're lying, Quentin says bluntly. And this is not the first time I've thought so. And not the last, Barnabas retorts. What does that mean? asks Quentin. That you aren't going to stop? As the tall foyer clock strikes five (a.m.), Barnabas’s scarcely concealed alarm only increases when Quentin adds, What if I decide to find out everything I can about you? You're much more mysterious than Laura. Staring at the still-striking clock, Barnabas replies, I don't mean to be. What business are you in? Quentin presses him. Investments, Barnabas replies. That’s why I travel to Bangor so often. Are you going to Bangor today? Quentin asks. I haven't decided yet, Barnabas replies. I'd like to go with you, Quentin says, if you do go. Outside, a rooster crows its warning. Barnabas says nervously, I must be going. I think my questions have unnerved my cousin, Quentin observes hopefully. Not at all, Barnabas assures him. Cook will make us a marvelous breakfast, Quentin proposes. I don’t eat breakfast, Barnabas insists as he moves toward the door. Then what about lunch, if you don't go to Bangor? Quentin suggests. Barnabas looks at him penetratingly as he asks, You do eat lunch, don't you, Cousin Barnabas?

Quentin finally reads the telegram--and is stunned by its contents, which we will find out soon. He and Magda agree that Laura seems more concerned for her children than she was before she left. Quentin goes to confront Laura at the cottage.

As if stalking an enemy, Quentin enters the cottage very quietly. Laura is still sitting by the fire, and he actual succeeds in startling her. Annoyed, she stands and points out, It’s late. We've been here later, Quentin reminds her. You'd like to say you don't remember--but you do, as I do. Why did you come back? he asks. You’re like a little boy, she says patronizingly. Have you wondered that ever since I appeared? Weren't you able to decide that for yourself? I don't believe you came back for the children, Quentin says. Yes, I need them, she says. What will you take in their place? Quentin asks. Money, anything? She simply laughs. I'm serious, he insists. I'll steal it, but I'll get it. I'll do anything to make you leave. I have powers, he declares, and I'll use them to help you. Laura cries, All I want is my children! Why is that so difficult for you to accept? BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THEM IF YOU TAKE THEM! he shouts, standing about three inches away from her. Laura retorts, I know what will happen to them if they stay here! You will ruin Jamison, and I know why--because he is the heir. You will get money by using him, and I won't let that happen. You can't have him, Quentin! But at least he'll be alive! Quentin says passionately. Are you starting that again? she asks, quoting mockingly, I died in a fire in Alexandria. Yes, Quentin replies through gritted teeth, I'm starting that again. It's very foolish, she warns. It's not, Quentin replies. Now I have this, he says, producing the telegram triumphantly. More paper? she scoffs. It’s from the police in Alexandria, Quentin tells her. Your friends, she sneers. Ignoring her, he reads it aloud: “Police records confirm Laura Murdoch Collins died by fire, March 7, 1896. Death certificate follows.” Laura simply stares at him....

Yes, MT, the caretaker would be just a tot, but he would look and sound exactly the same, waving his chubby baby fist at Barn and Sandor! 

It's too bad we never do get to learn just what about the Collinses is so attractive to the utterly amoral Laura Murdoch and/or Stockbridge. That would have been an interesting detour. But one of the great charms of the Collins universe--at least for me--is that it is never fully explored.