848 - In his I-Ching trance, Tim watches Quentin throttle Amanda. "No, you can't kill her!" he shouts, eyes bulging.
Amanda paces what must be her bedroom at Collinwood. Tim barges in, grateful she's there. What are you doing HERE? she demands. I'll explain later, after I get you back to the Inn--get your clothes together and let's go-you're in danger here, if I'd known this, I never would have let you go. What kind of danger? she demands. Someone at Collinwood is planning to kill you, reveals Tim--Quentin Collins. She laughs at this insane idea. Trust me, cautions Tim, I know what I'm talking about--I don't really know Quentin, but I know enough to know he's a danger to you, and what he plans for you. Quentin is the most warm, sensitive, gentle man, says Amanda. You seem to have grown to know Quentin since you've been here, remarks Tim-how well, Amanda? he demands. That's none of your business, she says. I have a right to know, since I'm paying the bills, says Tim--come on, I want an answer. Stop footing the bill anytime you want, she cries. He admits to being a little rash--it's just that I care about you?you mean a great deal to me. All you want from me is someone you can use, she accuses. That isn't so, insists Tim, I really care for you!
Tell yourself that to ease your conscience, she says--be honest with yourself, Tim! You've really better leave, she says. Are you in love with him? asks Tim--answer me! Yes, she confesses, I am. Tim is not happy. That would seem to be an exercise in futility, he says-- does Quentin know that WE know, that you came onto this earth only two years ago? Be honest with YOURSELF, he advises, you have no right to love Quentin without telling him what you are, that you can disappear as suddenly as you appeared! Disappear? she asks. You don't know about that, says Tim, I saw it-the man Tate created out of a sketch, I saw him die, Amanda, would you like me to tell you how?--Tate shot him, he fell to the floor and disappeared, disintegrated into thin air!--know why it happened that way?--because he has no mortality, and neither do you!--no right to lead any other life except the one you're leading now! Amanda walks away from Tim, horribly upset at his brutal words.
Quentin paces the drawing room, looking out at the full moon. He overhears Tim insisting Amanda come into Collinsport with him, rushes to the doors and opens them. Leave me alone! demands Amanda and races into Quentin's arms, begging-get Tim out of here. What have you done to her? Quentin asks-I think you'd better go. I think you two deserve each other, says Tim, and leaves. Quentin helps Amanda into a chair and offers her brandy to calm her down. She refuses--I'll be all right in a minute. What did he say to you that upset you so much? he asks. I can't tell you, she says--try to understand and be patient. He didn't threaten you, did he? asks Q. No, he's just very possessive, she replies--he think because he brought me to Collinsport, I'm permanently obligated to him--why does my life seem to be so difficult? It wouldn't be, he assures her, taking he hand, if you'd go away with me. He goes to answer the door. It's Tate, here to see Amanda. You can't, says Quentin--she isn't up to seeing anyone at the moment. Amanda appears in the doorway. That doesn't seem to be the case, says Charles. It is the case, insists Q, she's had a trying experience this evening. Let the young lady speak for herself, says Tate. I'm getting tired of you bothering Amanda, says Quentin. Amanda, may I speak to you? asks Charles. You aren't welcome here, says Quentin. Amanda intervenes and asks Q not to fight with Tate-I'm too upset to talk to anyone, Charles--perhaps if you phone tomorrow, I'll talk to you then. She brushes past him, up the stairs. It's important that I speak with you, he begs, but she's gone. Are you satisfied? Quentin asks Tate. No, says Charles belligerently, I can't help but notice you have put Amanda under your protective wing-you're making a big mistake. Let me give you some advice, offers Quentin-leave Collinwood and leave Amanda alone. Amanda means more to me than she does to you or anyone else, says Charles. What does that mean? asks Quentin Amanda belongs to me, says Charles, because I created her!
Repeat that, orders Quentin. I created Amanda, says Charles. And how did you do this? asks Q. It's a gift, says Charles, one I don't understand, but I have the power to create things and people by just drawing them. So you drew Amanda Harris one day and she just popped into existence, huh? asks Q, amused. Yes, says Charles, that's exactly right. You're stark, raving mad, says Quentin. I suspected you'd say that, says Tate--but you'll believe me, eventually. I know you're a famous painter, says Q, and in great demand, but don't you think imagining yourself a god is going a bit too far? You're the very one who shouldn't doubt my abilities, says Tate, think of the powers of your own portrait. I'm not sure it has any powers, says Q. You know it does, insists Charles. I only know what Petofi told me, retorts Quentin. What Petofi told you is the truth, states Charles-the curse on you has been transferred to the portrait, and if anything happens to that portrait, you'll revert to what you were on the next full moon! Quentin thinks about that for a few moments--all right, it may be true about my portrait, he says, but Petofi was responsible for that, not you. I painted it, Charles reminds him, I did what Petofi wanted me to do, but my ability is right here in my hands-does it seem a bit more credible now? No, says Q, it's not the same at all-it's one thing to apply black magic to someone's portrait, it's quite another to paint someone and have them come to life! But I've done it, says Charles--and Amanda knows everything!
Quentin gets in Tate's face-if you come here and bother Amanda again, he warns, I'll have you certified a lunatic! And he leaves Tate in the drawing room.
Amanda sits on her bed, wondering what am I--where did I come from? If Charles didn't create me, why can't I remember my past? Will I have to go on like this, never knowing until one day I just disappear, like that man? Tate enters. I didn't want to talk to anyone! cries Amanda. I know what you wants, he says, but I can't wait until tomorrow! Haven't you caused me enough misery? she asks. I don't want to cause you any, you must believe that, he says, I want you to tell me what you feel about Quentin. Why? she asks--will it surprise you to learn that your creation has feelings even you can't control? How do you feel about Quentin? asks Charles. "I love him," she admits. No, he says, you can't! But I do, she says. It's impossible for both of them, he insists, because I told him about you, about how you came into being, what you are.
STOP IT! she cries, covering her ears. I'll stop it when you understand I love you. (so he wants to destroy her happiness, does that make sense?) Please, have mercy on me, she begs-- destroy me now the way you destroyed your last creation, please take me out of my misery! she sobs. Charles, miserable, doesn't have a clue what to do about this mess.
Tate sits beside Amanda on the bed. I don't want to destroy you, he says. I don't care, I can't go on living like this! wails Amanda. When I first started painting your portrait, I never dreamed any of this would happen, he says-I wanted to paint someone who reflected my own ideal of what a woman was, and I painted your face--I was motivated by something very beautiful, not trying to play God, but now that I know you exist, I love you! She walks away from him, clutching her stomach. Don't you understand? he continues, fate brought us together! You expect me to feel that way because fate meant it to be? she demands, her voice rising in fury. You'll feel the same way, someday, he says, realizing people don't have control over their feelings. And what of my feelings for Quentin? she asks. Someday, you'll forget you ever knew him, says Tate. You're wrong, she says, no matter what happens, I'll love him until the day I die-and all your power, conviction and conceit won't change that. You don't even know the man, protests Tate. I know I love him! she says. He's evil, says Tate--he'll leave you the way he left all the others. "Good night, Mr. Tate!" says Amanda sharply. Not goodbye, he says, "I'll be back, because Quentin is going to leave you, I assure you of that, just like he did all the others as soon as he understands I've told you the truth about him." And he goes. She reaches under her bed for her suitcase and begins packing her clothes. Quentin enters-was that Tate I just saw? He asks. Yes, she admits, it was. What are you doing? He asks. Leaving Collinwood, alone, she says. I know why, says Q, Tate told me everything?I didn't believe a word he said, and hope you don't, either. I don't know?says Amanda. Quentin touches her--listen to me!--even if it were true, it wouldn't change my feelings for you! But if it were true? she asks. But it's not true, he says. We'd always have doubts, insists Amanda. I wouldn't, Quentin assures her. Oh, but if you ever did, she says. I never will, he promises--will you go away with me now? They hold each other. Whenever you say, she replies. They kiss, very enthusiastically, leaving the infamous string of spit between their lips. (No open-mouthed kisses!--censors) They smile at each other. In the meantime, he says, you had better?there's a train leaving for NY at 6 PM tomorrow evening, and we will be on it-I'll take care of the arrangements. I think I should leave Collinwood first, says Amanda--I have Trask to worry about, and you have Angelique. We'd better not see each other for the next 24 hours, says Quentin, until everything is ready. She offers to go back to the Inn. No, I have a better place in mind, says Quentin-the old rectory--the woman there will put you up until you're ready to leave--I'll meet you at the station at quarter to six tomorrow night.
I'm so happy, she says, and they kiss again.
Tate sneaks into Quentin's room, closing the door behind him. He uncovers Quentin's portrait, staring at it. "Amanda Harris is mine, Quentin," he says to himself, "you can try to take her away from me, but you won't succeed, not without this portrait-if the portrait should be destroyed, you would be cursed again, Quentin! And if it becomes necessary, I will destroy it!" And he takes the painting out of the frame, and away with him?
NOTES: Tate has Quentin's portrait, which pretty much puts Q-man at the mercy of the nutty painter. Selby sure does love those kissing scenes, and puts plenty of enjoyment into them-and plenty of spit, too. I thought open-mouthed kisses were verboten back then? He sneaks 'em in!
Truthfully, I have little interest in Amanda, Tim or Charles, so these episodes don't impress me much. It was great seeing Julia, but I miss Magda, too.
849 - Kitty comes to visit Petofi at the abandoned mill. It's a pleasure to see you, he says. Curtly, she asks, do we have to pretend to like each other? Your beauty demands it, he says. What do you really see when you look at me? she asks, but doesn't give him a chance to answer--you consider someone you can play tricks on a fool, she says angrily, control through fear. You're obsessed with me, accuses Petofi. You sent poor, mad Charity Trask to see me-you coached her in what to say. I'm used to being blamed for everything, says Petofi, but in this case? She rehearsed her lesson well, says Kitty--she was most impressive when she began humming the music box song-I was actually frightened. Were you, asks Petofi. Her prophecy, death and destruction, rants Kitty, your favorite themes! Petofi smiles, he isn't alone in that. It was a stroke of genius, placing that music box in her room, blathers Kitty, knowing she would be curious enough to play it, and when she did, she'd hear the same song Charity had sung. Kitty takes the music box out of her reticule and tells him to present it to someone else-tell her it will cause her death, not hers. He can't force her from Collinwood-she knows his ways, she knows and she'll fight! (Love her spunk!) Petofi picks up and listens to the music box, nodding his head with satisfaction.
I have never seen the music box before, he says. Oh, I must be quite a challenge to you, she says,you can't play the same trick you did at Hampshire Hall on poor Gerald. You think a music box is a harbinger of doom? he asks. Yes, that's quite your style, he remarks. Exactly, she says. I'd hate to think someone is imitating me--who could it be? He tries to list the possibilities, but she stops him--admit you did it! she insists. I can't, he says, closing the music box--because I didn't--you have an admirer at Collinwood, does it surprise you? An admirer didn't send Charity to see me, says Kitty. Coincidence? suggests Petofi. I don't believe in that, she says. I have no explanation you will accept, says Petofi--believe me when I say I carry no grudge and hope you will get the money you deserve--I'd hate to see you reduced to your former place as a governess. If Edward sent it?he did not, Kitty insists. Not Trask, says Petofi, not bucolic enough for his taste. That leaves?Quentin, guesses Kitty. I'm glad you're beginning to believe me, says Petofi--Quentin, is he attracted to you?--we'll discuss this as we return to Collinwood, he says, picking up the music box--I'm fascinated by your admirer. He returns the music box to her. Kitty listens to the tune, seeing Barnabas' portrait in her mind's eye as she does so. Her brow furrows. Yes, says Petofi, it does mean something to you, quite different from what Charity says.
Yes, says Kitty in a childlike voice, but I don't understand it at all. She closes the music box.
Rectory - I'm not laughing at you, Quentin, when you confess to being in love with Amanda, saysJulia. I wouldn't ask if Amanda could stay here if I weren't, says Q. Julia looks unsure. Do you mind? he asks. No, she says, but you must leave here before Petofi acts, she begs--he knows, and we will leave as soon as he can make arrangements. I don't want to leave because of her, he says. I can take care of myself, Julia assures him. Why not try to return to your own time? he suggests. I can't leave until I finish what Barnabas started, she said. What must you do? he asks. I can't tell you, she says, things you don't need to know. Then I will stay, too, he insists. No, says Julia. You must deal with Petofi and Aristede, he reminds her. I haven't seen the latter since the night Barnabas saved me at the Old Mill, she says--and as for Petofi, we've established a truce. It won't last, says Q. It has more chance of lasting if you're gone, she says--take Amanda and go, and let me know where you are--I'll tell you when everything is settled here. Can't you tell me what's really happening here? he asks. No, she says, not now, Petofi won't always be the threat he is now--perhaps he'll simply disappear, as Aristede has--I'm not giving up, she promises.
Old Mill - Beth enters. She hears a sound and calls to Petofi, but as she begins to light candles, Aristede comes out of the back room. She's surprised to see him. What are you doing here? he asks--did his Excellency feel it necessary to replace me?--I'm back, he warns her--back for good!
At the front door of Collinwood, Petofi tells Kitty, I'll leave you here so we can keep up the delightful fiction of not knowing one another--good luck in finding out who sent the music box-don't rule out Quentin, he advises, he always has time to spare on any beautiful woman. She looks after his retreating back, angry, puzzled.
Quentin pours himself a drink in he drawing room. She holds up the music box--do I owe you thanks for it? she asks. He's shocked to see it--where did you get it? he demands. I hoped you could tell me, she says. I don't know, says Q. You've seen it before, she challenges him--where? I must be wrong, it can't be the same one, he says. Who did it belong to? she asks---it matters to me, a great deal. He reluctantly tells her it belonged to a relative who once lived at the Old House. Barnabas Collins? she asks. How do you know that name? he asks. I collect information, she says craftily, and remember what I hear--you wouldn't expect me to forget a vampire, would you?--I listen when people speak--now is there any reason I shouldn't know? No, not now, he says--Barnabas is dead. I think I saw him the first night I was here, says Kitty--I cannot believe he was a vampire. She opens the music box and asks, "If this was his, why was it given to me?"
I don't know, says Quentin. She looks haughty and disbelieving. She drops the lid, closing off the music.
Mill - Aristede waits for Petofi, who comes in calling for Beth. Aristede comes out--I sent her on an errand, he says. So, you came back, says P--where have you been?--to Boston for some new finery--let me see what you purchased! Aristede grins--I did buy something, he admits. He stands before the Count and displays a new cravat. Petofi calls it charming, then backhands Aristede across the face. Aristede holds his stinging cheek--don't be angry! he begs--I left because of Barnabas, who had vowed to kill me--when I heard he'd been destroyed, I came back, as you knew I would. Yes, I knew you would, agrees the Count, don't think I didn't prepare a special homecoming for you, because I did--"you bungling fool!"--what had I told you to do?--what was my last order? To kill Julia Hoffman, says Aristede. Did you do it? asks the Count. Yes! replies Aristede. Did you check to make sure she was dead? She had to be, insists Aristede--I didn't SEE her die, but I tied her in a chair, fixed up the gun to shoot her through the heart when Barnabas opened the door--it was a clever, brilliant plan, it had to have worked! Then why didn't it? asks Petofi. I heard Barnabas open the door, insists Aristede, heard the shot--she must be dead! Must she? demands Petofi. The gun was pointed directly at her-it couldn't have missed her! says Aristede. He takes Petofi into the other room and shows him the bullet hole in the chair--it had to have gone through her! Amazing, pronounces Petofi, and leaves. Let me come with you, cries Aristede, but Petofi is already gone. Aristede lights up a cheroot. Beth enters--Petofi rushed right past me, very upset, she says, what's wrong with him?--I've never seen him that way before. He's pleased with my success, boasts Aristede, glad to have me back, I can tell.
Julia prepares a hypo. Petofi knocks at the door. She pushes a cotton ball onto the needle, puts it in her case and asks, what do you want? I came to pay my respects, he says, to see how you're faring in our time--won't you let me in, my dear? (Big bad wolf, huffing and puffing?) She reluctantly lets him in--I have little time, she warns him. Pity, we have much to discuss, he says--I want to talk to you over some brandy. There's some brandy, she says, pointing. Your manner almost makes me want to decline, he remarks--I won't, the night air has brought on a chill. I don't drink with enemies, says Julia. Petofi pours her a glass, anyway--I come as a friend, he says. What do you want? asks Julia. We will discuss that when we've had our drinks, he says. He takes out a vial of something, probably poison, and slips it into her drink. I don't believe you came to me out of friendship, she says--we must be honest with each other. He slips poison into her drink. I believe in honesty, he says, I read some of the virtues of your time as I did your age. He hands her a drink. She takes it. Petofi toasts--to your enjoyment of 1897. She drinks. He smiles. She takes another swallow and asks, again, why did you come here?
To watch you die, he replies--there was cyanide in that brandy, enough to kill 10 women--will it kill you? he asks--that's what I came to see!
Do you feel any pain? asks Petofi. She rises from her chair. Petofi holds out a warning hand--no remedies!--is your throat burning yet?--unbearable pains?--it should have started, he says, I went to town to purchase that exact drug that would act instantly. I would like to act it out for you, she says, yes, I really would, I'd like to make you think I feel every pain the poison can cause, but I know you, know you'd wait for the very end. "You cannot die?" he demands--"Why?" I won't tell you, she says. He holds out the magic hand, forcing Julia to explain, my body exists only in 1969, it's sitting in a trance in a room there-- my astral self is here, and it cannot be killed--I don't understand it. That isn't necessary, says Petofi--it's enough to know it. He leaves. Julia is trembling. She picks up the brandy glass.
Aristede drinks, complimenting Beth on her cooking skills. "We might have a use for you," he remarks. I didn't come to cook, she insists. Why did you? he asks. I want more than I have, she says. Petofi comes downstairs--out, Aristede! Did he find Julia alive? asks Aristede. In a manner of speaking, yes, says Petofi, now get out. You're planning something, guesses Aristede. You can guess what it is as you walk through the woods, invites Petofi--good night, he bids him, holding out his hand as if to do something to him. Aristede goes. You've been a great help to me, Beth, praises Petofi. Do you want me to go through the I Ching again? she asks. No, he assures her, something far more interesting. Tell me now, she asks eagerly. If you had made it to the future the other night, he says, only your essence would have gone. Your astral self--your body--would have stayed in a trance, unable to defend itself, vulnerable to a gypsy with a knife--but your astral self in the future, no one could kill that. Charity killed Barnabas, Beth reminds him. Precisely, says Petofi, you're more intelligent than I thought, because the Barnabas who existed in 1969 was born in the 18th century, and in this year, 1897, his body was in the tomb--but Barnabas' astral self had a body to occupy, as he himself must have in 1969! You're mad! says Beth. If I am, he says, I'm very far-sighted--what I had intended for Quentin's portrait to accomplish has happened. He goes into his cupboard and orders her--look in it-forget me and what we were discussing--look, concentrate on the future and tell me what you see, he demands.
She does; the cupboard becomes a TV set again. We see modern-day Collinwood, which Beth calls so different--strange lights, not at all like our lamps, and the furniture is changed. Quentin is in the room, dressed oddly. He's in another time, says Petofi, what is he doing? He's very angry, says Beth, he has a weird gun in his hand, he's going to kill someone! It can't be, cries Beth--Quentin isn't in another time--he's here, but he looks the same, no older. She's upset. You will not remember anything, says Petofi, not even my coming into the room. He waves his hand before her face. She turns and asks, when did you come in? A few moments ago, he says, and I have wonderful news--I know now how I'll go to the future!
NOTES: Aristede is pathetic, a blowhard and fool if he believes Petofi still wants or trusts him. Was he really just clothing shopping all this time? I figured he knew he hadn't killed Julia and that's why he stayed away so long. Great scene between him and Petofi, and between Lady Kitty and Petofi, too. She's just so pissed at him, and apparently not afraid, the way she kept interrupting him. Who did give her the music box? Quentin found it odd, but it's another clue for us, as was Julia's prepared hypo again today. It was amazing, that Petofi actually had the gall to give her a drink filled with so much poison. Lucky for her she was immune to it, but how casually he was going to let her die! He's so cold-hearted, it makes one shiver all over!
Love, Robin
