Episode 1354

Aired: Thursday September 2, 1971

After a replay of Wednesday's close, Nicholas shouts at Quentin "Look at yourself! Look into that mirror!" Into a dusty old mirror comes a reflection of a dusty old Quentin - practically the image of the aged decaying body that was originally in the portrait. Quentin moans in a hoarse voice "Blair! I'll.....kill you for this.....what have you done to me?" Quentin can't bear to look in the mirror as Nicholas says "I've only robbed you of your peculiar immortality, my boy. You are now your true self, over one hundred years of age..." Quentin moans "Nooooooo!" Nicholas sneers "Perhaps you need to find out how powerful an enemy I can be before you try to kill me, you pathetic old man! Now you think about what I said and about the information I demand! You will find out the secrets of time that Daphne has buried within her or I will let you slowly rot away to dust! I will see you again at my leisure!" As old Quentin watches helplessly, Nicholas puts his hand on the portrait, and both dissolve from the attic. Quentin grabs out at them in desperation, but they are gone. He tries to catch his breath while he thinks about his situation.

Old Quentin manages to pick himself up and get down the attic stairs. We hear him thinking "I must reach Barnabas....or even Angelique.....only they can help me now....." Meanwhile, Daphne is stirring in her sleep again, and wakes up with a start saying "Quentin!" She gets her bearings and thinks "Another nightmare....each time they're getting worse...." She hurriedly gets out of bed and leaves her room. Daphne goes down the hall to Quentin's room. She looks around for him, but he is not there. As she is coming out, she bumps into Harrison walking in the hall. "Have you seen Quentin?" she asks. Harrison says no, and asks her if she's all right. "I just had another horrible dream about him," she answers. "I must see if he's all right." Harrison says he's sure Quentin is "just fine." Daphne says "You don't understand! I keep having dreams where Quentin is going to die!" Harrison tries to calm her, saying "Quentin is a young man, he's going to live a very very long time." Meanwhile, old Quentin is staggering through the west wing approaching the door to the main hallway. (Despite his age, sorry) He overhears Harrison and Daphne talking and gets scared. "Daphne....I mustn't let her see me....like this..." he thinks. Harrison says "We can look through the west wing for him if he's not in his room." Old Quentin hears this and manages to get behind a door as Harrison and Daphne approach. Daphne says "There's no one back here." Harrison says "Perhaps we should go downstairs and have a cup of tea. I'm sure he can't be far, and there's nothing to worry about." Daphne thanks Harrison, and he says he'll go tell Mrs. Johnson to prepare something. After he leaves, Daphne begins to follow, but then hears a creak. She turns and sees the door old Quentin hid behind moving slightly. She opens the door, and suddenly comes face to face with the decrepit white haired old hulk that was once her love. He gasps, and she screams and faints.

Harrison rushes back and finds Daphne fainted. He looks behind the door, but there is no one there. Harrison tells Daphne he will take her back to her room. As he does, we see a door at the far end of the hallway slightly open. Downstairs in the drawing room, old Quentin pops open the secret panel and begins to stagger through the room once he sees no one is there. "I must reach Barnabas and Angelique...." he thinks as he manages to get to the foyer. As he finally reaches the front door, Mrs. Johnson comes out from the kitchen thinking she hears Harrison. "Did you want the tea to be hot or iced?" she says, but then gets a look at the decaying aged Quentin, who looks back at her momentarily. Mrs. Johnson screams and steps back as old Quentin gets out the front door. Harrison comes out of the hallway and down the stairs, asking Mrs. Johnson "What is it?" Mrs. Johnson can hardly speak. "A man.....an old man.......he was so old.....like death! Like death itself!" she stammers. Harrison helps her back into the kitchen. Upstairs, Daphne is still passed out on her bed. As we pull back, we see Nicholas standing over her and smiling to himself.

Nicholas stands over Daphne and begins to cast a spell. "Spirits of darkness," he begins. "I call upon you to place this young woman in my hands. She holds a secret that I must know so that I can share it with all of the demons that I call my masters....she holds the secret of time within her mind....a secret that must be revealed to us......you will arise, Daphne....you will rise and show me these secrets..." Daphne opens her eyes, and slowly sits up. She is in a trance. "Yes...." Nicholas continues. "You are guided by the spirits of the damned.....you will show me what you know about Quentin Collins' secrets of time...." Daphne says "Quentin Collins.....my husband Quentin...." Nicholas smiles. "Yes....your husband Quentin. You will show me his secrets of moving through time..." Daphne seems to think a moment and then looks at Nicholas and says "I will show you Quentin's secrets. I will show you the laboratory...." Nicholas smiles and nods.