Episode 1449

Aired: Thursday January 13, 1972

After a replay of Wednesday's close and the titles, Harrison finds Quentin drinking in the drawing room (no doubt after an extensive search of the house). Quentin remarks how he might be able to handle Rachel living under the same roof, but he's not sure about the idea of Rachel and Benjamin as a couple. Harrison says "A couple?" Quentin says "Sorry, just imagining things. But I think Benjamin is quite a different person now. And, he is related to me..." He gulps his drink. Harrison smiles and says "Rachel too? I thought Miss Drew and you were..." Quentin says "Aren't you the observant one....well, I suppose I could tell you a secret, but I think I'd want one in return from you." Harrison says "You know I've been hiding some from you..." Quentin says "I'd considered it. Especially when I see someone vanish before my eyes in a room that supposedly is a doorway to another world, yes." Harrison says "There's more to it than that." Quentin says "Don't tell me, you're not really from New York." Harrison answers "Well, actually I am, only not the New York you know." Quentin wonders what this might mean when Benjamin and Rachel return. As Quentin and Harrison listen from the other room, Benjamin tells Rachel what a nice time he had, and that he'll show Jamison around the shipyards the next day. He kisses her hand and she goes upstairs. Then he sees Quentin and Harrison looking at him. "You're both up rather late," he says. "Doesn't anyone in this house sleep normal hours?" Quentin says "No, it must be something in the water." Harrison asks Benjamin to come into the drawing room since "you should hear what I was going to tell Quentin." Benjamin is interested, and enters, closing the doors behind him. "It's time you both knew who I really am and where I really come from," Harrison says. Quentin and Benjamin wonder.

Harrison pours himself a drink and says "You must both understand that Petofi must not know what I'm telling you. I'm afraid he may use the knowledge against any one of us." He hands the drink to Benjamin, who asks "More tales of parallel worlds in East Wing rooms?" Harrison nods and says "More than that. I'm from that other world. I found myself here by accident when trying to return to my own time." Quentin says "Your own time?" Harrison says "I'm also from a different time in that other world. A time in the future. That's why I have no counterpart here in this time, as you do in the 1897 of the other world." Benjamin contemplates this as Quentin says "We all have counterparts in that other world? There's another Quentin Collins living there?" Harrison says "Yes, but he's not quite the same Quentin Collins as you are. You see, the people in that other world live other lives, based upon different choices they've made from you." Benjamin says "That's fascinating...each one of us living another life somewhere. Is it possible that in that other world Edward, or Beth or....Kitty.....could still be alive?" Harrison says "Edward is, or ought to be. He's my direct ancestor in that world." Benjamin says "Extraordinary! But how did you come to be able to travel through time?" Harrison says "Another ancestor in that world stumbled upon some secrets of time, secrets I accidentally discovered and became caught up in. I would've returned to my own world as quickly as possible, but after seeing Valery, I couldn't help but wonder why I had found myself here.... I had saved a counterpart of hers in my own world only to lose her...." Quentin says "And now you've lost Valery, it seems." Benjamin says "But you've saved both of us. Who knows what might have happened if you hadn't come here from your time? You may have changed the course of history here." Harrison answers "I still want to save Valery. I just don't want to owe Petofi for it. He'd want to know everything I just told you." Quentin and Benjamin think of this as we zoom out a bit to see that the image of everything we've just seen is on a window in the Young cottage as Petofi watches and laughs. He waves his hand and the image vanishes, becoming a stained glass window again. "Oh, Mr. Harrison... that was indeed most interesting..." he says.

Gladstone is looking through his books and newspapers, thinking "There must be an answer...there must be...." when Bradford's spirit appears to him. "You!" Gladstone shouts. "You won't win! You won't kill me and keep going on!" Bradford laughs and says that "Many more will die!" Gladstone answers "How can I cut my own hands off? It makes no sense!" Bradford laughs again. "When your body is found, I will find my new vessel....my revenge will continue...." Gladstone shouts "It won't! I will destroy you!" Bradford answers "The sanctified ground will sustain me forever...and will sustain the avenging blade....you cannot destroy me..." He laughs and vanishes as Gladstone grabs nothing but air as he reaches for him. Gladstone starts pacing and thinks "There must be an answer...." After a moment he says aloud "Sanctified ground?" He grabs a very old newspaper and starts to read. We hear him thinking "Here it is...from 1797... after the mob mutilated Bradford's body, he was buried in an unmarked grave in unsanctified ground...local preachers condemned Bradford as a follower of Satan...." He puts down the newspaper and thinks. "He wasn't buried in sanctified ground....but sanctified to him wouldn't mean the same thing...it would mean...." And then he realizes and says out loud "Where he was buried! If I can find his remains and destroy them.... that might be the key!" After a moment of thinking, Gladstone says "The cave! It must be the cave!" He puts on his coat and runs out.

Quentin asks Harrison why it would be so terrible for Petofi to know the truth. Harrison answers that "Petofi doesn't belong here. It's like you said, Benjamin, how my coming here has changed history. If Petofi is not returned to my own world in 1897, enough of the past will be altered that my own existence in that world might alter as well. It's too much of a chance to take. I've got to get him back there somehow, where he belongs." There is a knock at the door and Benjamin wonders who it could be at this hour. He opens the door and sees that it's Petofi, who says "Good evening, Mr. Collins. I trust that your cousin Harrison is available?" Benjamin lets Petofi in, and then Harrison sees him. Petofi sees them all looking at him, and he says "My, my, it seems we are all interested in my late night visit. I've only come to discuss a business matter with Mr. Harrison, but perhaps you both would be interested as well." Harrison says "I haven't any business to discuss with you." Petofi says "Oh, that's not true, Mr. Harrison. There is the matter of Miss Valery Stokes to discuss. And then, perhaps we could all continue your discussion of the strange nature of parallel time." Petofi smiles as the rest of them realize he's been eavesdropping.