Episode 1442

Aired: Tuesday January 4, 1972

Alexandra Moltke's voiceover: "In the strange and dangerous world of parallel time in the year 1897, Collinwood is a den of treachery. Harrison Collins has been forced to bring the evil Count Petofi from the other band of time into this one. Petofi's first act has been to save Harrison Collins' life, but for his own purposes, in a way that has made an enemy of the Collins family unrecognizable...."

After a replay of Monday's close and the titles, Trask (having a very bad face day) lunges towards Carl. Charity screams, adding "What is it? It's horrible!" Carl says he doesn't know, and yells at it to "get back!" Trask flails his arms and moans, but when he takes another step inside, Carl fires the gun. Trask grabs his arm and howls in pain before running out of the house and into the woods. Carl slams the door and locks it. Charity runs to him and asks him what kind of "horrible monster" that could have been. Carl says he doesn't know, and wonders if it has anything to do with the "evil force" possessing Gladstone. Charity asks Carl if it will be safe for them now that they know the truth about Gladstone, and Carl says that he's sure Gladstone is perfectly safe during the day, and that "I'm sure we can protect ourselves." They both look at the locked door as we dissolve a hallway at Collinwood. Petofi is about to enter a room when Benjamin appears. Benjamin says hello, asks who Petofi is. Petofi introduces himself and says he's a guest of Harrison's and Quentin's. "I am Benjamin Collins," Benjamin says. "Petofi is a Magyar name, are you from that part of the world?" Petofi says yes, though he's "discovered a fondness for Collinsport." Benjamin tells him to enjoy his stay. As Petofi enters his room, Benjamin thinks "Who is this man....why would he suddenly appear now? Does it have something to do with that secret will, I wonder.... He looked at me so strangely...as if he already knew who I was in a way....perhaps Kitty can discover more about him...." He walks away, and Petofi peers out of the door. "Remarkable..." he says softly. "Even Barnabas has a counterpart here...."

Benjamin finds Quentin in the drawing room. He first asks how Valery is doing, and Quentin says the doctor gave her a sedative. "We'll have to wait until she wakes up to see what kind of treatment she'll need." Benjamin remarks on how "villainous" Trask was, but also how naive Valery was in trusting him. After a beat, Benjamin says "I just met your friend Count Petofi. Did you meet him while traveling?" Quentin says no, he only met him this night. "He's a friend of Harrison's." Benjamin asks "Harrison is back? Where did he disappear to?" Quentin says "That's a more interesting question than you realize." Harrison enters the room, and Benjamin says "Harrison, we were just discussing you. I just met your friend Count Petofi upstairs." Harrison looks at Quentin a moment, and then says "Yes, he won't stay here too long, however." Benjamin says "I suppose you brought him here to help you with this mysterious will?" Harrison says "No, he has no interest in that. He only came here to...." Quentin finishes the fib with "He came here to help find Valery." Benjamin asks if he is a detective of sorts, and Quentin replies "He claims to have psychic powers. And so far, they seem to be working." Benjamin seems concerned by this, and says "I've never believed in those who claim a second sight. Are you sure your friend is not a charlatan?" Harrison takes a drink and says "Petofi may be many things, but he doesn't fake his powers." Benjamin says "How interesting..." and then walks out of the room with an odd smile. Quentin remarks how Benjamin hasn't been himself lately. Harrison closes the doors. "Benjamin aside, I think Petofi is sleeping upstairs. That means I can tell you what you want to know about me, and what happened when I vanished in that room." Quentin is intrigued.

Quentin has heard an earful from Harrison and he's taking another drink. Harrison tells him that Petofi must never know the true timeband he is from. Quentin asks Harrison "If you really are from that other world, and you know of Petofi, why doesn't he already know about you?" Harrison says "There's one more thing. I know it sounds fantastic, but you must accept it. In that other world, I am not from this time of 1897. I'm from a time many years in the future." Quentin looks skeptically at Harrison, but Harrison finishes "The tricks of the doorway in that room upstairs are many. I found myself in this time, in this world, as a total surprise when trying to return to my own." Quentin says "Trying to get back? Can you control what happens in that room?" Harrison says "I think I can now....and that's what Petofi must never know. I fear he would use that knowledge for evil purposes." Quentin snickers and says "And you've only used it to save Valery....Harrison Collins, no matter where you're from, you're a man after my own heart." Harrison smiles. After a daytime shot of Collinwood, Kitty is having coffee in the drawing room with Benjamin when Petofi enters. Benjamin introduces Petofi to Kitty, and he says he's charmed. Kitty looks him over and asks him how long he'll be staying. Petofi answers that he "may be here a while, as I have taken quite a shine to Collinsport." Benjamin says "Harrison said that you had a second sight....and that is how you helped him to find my cousin Valery. I've always been fascinated by psychic abilities, though I've never met anyone who has actually had them." Petofi smiles and says "Perhaps you have without realizing it." He looks at Kitty and says "Perhaps you have met people with all sorts of mysterious secrets that they have hidden. Well, I think I will go into town for a while this morning. It was an honor to meet you, Kitty." He takes her gloved hand in his and seems to think a moment before kissing it. "Yes, it's been an honor indeed," he says as he leaves. Benjamin asks Kitty if Petofi's powers pose a risk to them. Kitty says her hand felt strange when he touched it, but that "my powers are beyond those of mere mortal psychic abilities. And if he learns too much about us, then we will simply deal with him." Benjamin smiles.

Carl is in the woods, gun still in hand, looking around the area where Gladstone had found the cave. He hears leaves rustling, and he turns calling "Who is it?" Gladstone appears, his clothes torn and ragged, and collapses at Carl's feet. Carl rushes to him and says "What's happened to you? What happened to you last night?" Gladstone says he doesn't remember, but begs Carl to tell him that he didn't hurt anyone. Carl looks away and tells him "I wish I could....but my sister Alice....she...." Gladstone cries "Oh my God!" and then tells Carl that Carl should have killed him. Carl says "It wasn't you...I saw you change! Some evil force took you over!" Gladstone says he doesn't know how to destroy the evil force, and wishes that he could. "Even when I entered the cave, it seemed to take me over..." Carl asks him where the cave is, and Gladstone says "You mustn't go in there! It might take you over as well!" Carl says that it's daytime and he wants to see the cave. "The more we learn about it the better chance we'll know what to do!" Carl says. Gladstone tells him he'll take him to the cave, but warns him that if "you see me begin to change...you've got to promise to kill me. Kill me and end this!" Carl reluctantly nods.