Episode 1286

Aired: Monday May 31, 1971

In a replay of last Friday's close, Selby and Barnabas are at the door of the old house after searching for Storm, and Barnabas says "Perhaps we'll have better luck in the morning. Good night, Quentin." Selby nods, and says goodnight. Barnabas shuts the door, and Selby begins to leave, but then stops. He notices the garlic has been moved aside, and then quietly moves towards the window. Inside, Storm steps out from behind the bookcase and Barnabas asks him if he is all right. Storm answers "Yes." Barnabas then hesitates as he asks "Where have you been?" Storm catches his breath and says "I couldn't control the hunger for blood. I headed for the waterfront.." Barnabas looks at him knowingly, but Storm continues "I forced myself to run back into the woods. I found a farm... some cattle... I feel so disgusting...." Barnabas tells him "Don't blame yourself for the curse, Quentin. Be grateful you had enough will power to keep from hurting a human being." As Storm smiles at Barnabas, we cut to the outside and see that Selby has been watching all of this from the window. He smiles slyly. "The morning..." we hear him thinking, "I'll be back in the morning when you are most vulnerable, dear Quentin..."

In the morning, Barnabas and Julia are preparing to leave the old house to see Stokes when David comes downstairs. He tells them he's afraid to go back to Collinwood since "something's wrong with Quentin. I think Anderson did something to him after I ran away." Julia tells David that she and Barnabas need to go into town and see Professor Stokes, and David asks to come along. Barnabas tells him that they will stop at Collinwood first and tell Roger and Elizabeth that David is all right and that Daphne should come to the old house to see him. "If we see Quentin, we won't tell him anything, is that all right, David?" Barnabas asks. David says okay, and heads back upstairs. Barnabas looks at Julia and says "Part of me wants to tell him the truth, but it would mean too many other truths unfolding." Julia asks Barnabas if "Quentin, in that body, will be safe where he is now?" "It's the best we can do for him," Barnabas answers as the two of them leave. As they pass through the woods, we move further beyond some trees to see Selby standing and watching.

Selby walks into the old house and smiles when he sees the bookcase. We hear him thinking "You wouldn't be far from your portrait, would you, old boy..." as he walks towards the bookcase and starts to pull it open, not noticing that couple of books have fallen to the floor. He gets the secret room open, and smiles when he sees the coffin inside. But the smile turns to a look of concern when he looks around the room and sees that the portrait is not there. "Where is it?" we hear him think. "What safer place could there be but his own sanctuary, unless...." Selby looks towards the coffin, and after a moment of thought begins to lift the creaky lid. When he gets it open, he angrily looks inside...at its empty contents.

Selby is standing over the empty coffin when he hears David calling for Barnabas and coming downstairs. Selby gets out of the secret room and closes the bookcase as David comes downstairs and sees him. David freezes as Selby says "Good morning, David. What are you doing here?" David says nothing, and Selby moves closer to him with "David, tell me what you are doing here." David says that Barnabas let him stay there and nervously turns away from Selby. "What are you so afraid of?" Selby asks. "Barnabas and I will find Professor Anderson, if that's what's worrying you, my boy." David looks at Selby with some suspicion and asks where he thinks Anderson as gone. "I don't know, David. But something tells me he's hiding right here in this house." "Right here?" David says, but before he can say anything else Selby continues "Don't be scared, David." Selby puts his hand on David's shoulder and says "Tell me everything you know about the hiding places in this house." David seems to be in a trance from Petofi's touch as he answers "The basement has lots of neat hiding places. Barnabas doesn't like people to go down there." Selby smiles "Excellent, my boy, excellent. David, you're feeling very tired this morning. You want to go upstairs and go back to sleep now." David says "Yes. I'm very tired." Selby points upstairs and says "Now go" as David slowly walks upstairs. Satisfied with himself, Selby walks away from the stairway towards the back of the house. Selby comes to the locked iron door and tries the knob unsuccessfully at first. "Poor Barnabas," he thinks to himself. "how little you know of the power of Petofi." Selby presses his hand against the lock and the door clicks open.

Barnabas and Julia have returned, discussing how grateful they'll be to Stokes if he finds an answer to reversing Quentin's condition, which Stokes referred to as "the transmigration of the human soul into a new host body," according to Barnabas. Julia calls for David and gets no response, so she goes upstairs as Barnabas notices that some books have fallen out of the bookcase door. He opens the door and sees that the coffin is still open. Julia comes downstairs and says that David is gone. Barnabas looks at her and says that "Petofi has been here. He's searching." Julia gets scared and says "David! You don't think..." Barnabas says he's not sure, but he must see what else Petofi has disturbed. They leave the room, and we see Barnabas and Julia standing before the open basement door before they look at each other concerned.