353 - November 1, 1967

[bunniefuu]

[Victoria narrating] - A brilliant afternoon sun shines over Collinwood

and the shadows of the night have disappeared.

But terror still st*lks the great house.

For one girl has fallen under the spell of the supernatural

and forces of evil possess her,

forces bent on death and destruction.

[thinking] - Vicki was my friend

but I am no longer able to have friends

except you,

dear Cousin Barnabas.

You will claim her as your bride

and I will help you.

Vicki likes me.

She listens to me.

Because of me, she will come to you willingly

and stay with you forever.

♪♪

[eerie music] ♪♪

- Carolyn?

- What?

- What are you doing?

- Just studying this portrait.

I have always been particularly fond of it.

- You seem to be a little vague today.

- Do I? I can't imagine why.

- Well, I wanted to ask you

if you were doing anything this evening.

- This evening? - Yes.

I thought you might like to go to a movie or something

to get out of the house.

- Would you mind another suggestion?

- No, what?

- Why don't you go down to the old house

and visit Barnabas.

You told me he volunteered to help you

with the restoration of the west wing.

- Well -- yes.

- Why don't you get started on it?

It might be the best thing in the world for you

to have a project to work on and I know Barnabas

would be delighted to help you with it.

- I -- I

- What is it?

- I just don't want to impose on Barnabas, that's all.

- You seem hesitant to accept his help.

- I don't know why I should be.

Maybe, I will go down to the old house.

I don't know.

- Oh, hello.

- Hello, Julia. - Hello.

- Did you have a nice walk?

- Oh, I had a splendid walk. It's a beautiful day.

I walked all the way to town and back.

- You are very fond of taking walks.

- Yes, I am.

- You know, I had the strangest dream

about you last night.

- About me? - Yes.

I dreamt we were going someplace together.

We walked for a long, long time

until we came to a very old house.

You wanted me to come inside with you,

but I didn't want to.

I was frightened.

But you kept telling me to follow you.

- How curious.

- What happened then?

- I woke up.

- But, if dreams are supposed to mean something,

I wonder what that one meant?

- Yes, so do I.

- Oh, I often try to analyze dreams,

but I've never been very successful at it.

I've never been able to figure out what they mean.

- Well, it's not important.

I'd better go and see what David is up to.

Excuse me.

- Strange about Vicki's dream.

- Yes, yes it is.

- You and Vicki take a walk together

and Vicki dreamt about taking a walk.

- Well, what about it?

- I just think it's a strange coincidence.

- Oh?

- Something else is even stranger.

- What?

- Vicki doesn't remember taking a walk.

- She doesn't?

- She doesn't even remember leaving the house.

- Well -- it -- it probably slipped her mind.

- Probably.

- She -- she is somewhat absent-minded these days.

I think she's thinking about Burke Devlin.

- Yes. I know.

- Why -- why are you looking at me that way?

- I am not looking at you in any special way, Julia.

- If you have something to say to me

I wish you would say it.

- I don't have anything to say.

- You seem -- you seem hostile to me.

- I'm not. Why should I be?

We're both trying to help Barnabas, aren't we?

- Yes, we are.

- Then there's no reason for me to be hostile to you.

Is there?

- No. No, there isn't.

- I have things to do.

Excuse me.

♪♪

[thinking] - She suspects me.

I've got to be very careful.

If she found out that Vicki was under hypnosis

when we left the house yesterday,

she would tell Barnabas,

and that would be the end of everything.

I can handle Vicki.

It's Carolyn I must watch and fear.

♪♪

[thinking] - Sunset -- at last, at last --

I hear you.

I hear you calling to me, dear Cousin Barnabas.

[Joe] - Carolyn?

- Hey! Carolyn!

- Joe. What are you doing here?

- Well, I came to see you.

- What for?

- Well, I've been thinking about that talk

we had the other night.

- Talk? - Yeah, at the Blue Whale.

- Oh -- oh, yes.

What about it?

- Well look, it's been bothering me a lot.

Look, well maybe, maybe, I was unreasonable.

- In what way?

- Well, maybe, it's wrong of us to ignore these --

these stories of David's.

Anyway, I'm willing to go out to the cemetery right now

and take another stab at trying to find that secret room.

- That won't be necessary, Joe.

- I thought you wanted me to take you out there.

- That was before I found out about David.

- Found out what?

- All the things that he is been saying

are only his imagination.

None of them exist.

- How do you know?

- I went to the old house and looked around.

Cousin Barnabas showed me through the entire house

from attic to cellar.

There is nothing strange there.

The -- the coffin that David describes doesn't exist --

except in poor David's imagination.

- Well, he didn't imagine Sarah.

You told me you saw her.

- I -- I -- I was wrong.

I wanted to believe I really saw her for David's sake.

But I didn't.

- Well, Maggie and Sam saw her.

They didn't imagine her. - Joe, I can't explain to you about Sarah.

I only know that everything David has said about Barnabas

is his imagination.

- Well, this is quite a switch from the other night.

You were practically pleading with me to believe him.

- Because I wanted to believe him.

I didn't want to admit that he is disturbed.

That's understandable, isn't it?

- Yeah, I guess so.

- Well, I was wrong.

David is disturbed --

and we're not going to help him

by refusing to admit it to ourselves.

So, you can just forget everything I said.

All right?

- All right.

- It's nice of you to be concerned about David, Joe,

and thank you for coming up here.

- Are you going someplace?

- Just for a walk.

- Do you want me to come with you?

- Why -- why don't you go in and see Vicki?

She still had no word about Burke.

- Yeah, I know.

- It helps to know you have friends.

Why don't you go inside and say hello to her?

- OK.

- And thank you again for coming up here, Joe.

- Sure.

♪♪

[door opens]

- I have been expecting you.

- I was detained.

Joe Haskell came to see me

and it took me a moment to get rid of him.

- What did he want?

- He volunteered to take me to the Collins mausoleum.

- Mausoleum?

Why?

- I -- I told you about the talk I had with him.

I wanted him to take me there to look for the secret room.

- But he didn't want to go.

- He decided he may have been wrong.

That there might have been some truth in David's stories.

But I convinced him it was all David's imagination.

- Are you sure you convinced him?

- Yes.

He doesn't suspect anything.

- I want you to see that he never suspects anything --

anything at all.

- I will.

- Did you speak to Vicki?

- Yes and I said everything you instructed me

to say to her.

I suggested she come here this evening.

- And is she coming?

- I don't know.

- Well, didn't she say?

- She didn't commit herself one way or the other.

But for some reason she seemed

reluctant to come here.

- Reluctant?

Why should she be reluctant to come here?

- I don't know. I didn't understand it.

All I know is she wasn't very enthusiastic

about coming here.

- If she is reluctant to see me there must be a reason.

I must find out what it is and do something about it

immediately.

♪♪

- What's odd about her?

- Well, I can't put my finger on it exactly but I --

I did get the distinct impression

she was trying to get rid of me.

- Why would she do that?

- Well, I don't know.

- It must be your imagination.

- Maybe.

But she wasn't acting like the Carolyn I know.

She seems, uh, how should I put this --

sort of remote.

It's as if she is talking to you

and looking right through you at the same time.

- Yes, I know.

She has been a little vague lately.

I think it's because she is so terribly worried about David.

That must be the cause of it.

- It could be that.

[knocking] - I'm sure it is.

Excuse me. - Yeah.

- Hello, Vicki.

- Barnabas, come in.

- Do you have a free moment?

I would like to speak to you about something.

- Yes, of course.

- Hello, Haskell, how are you?

Hello, Mr. Collins. I'm fine.

I'm also on my way out.

- Oh, do you have to go?

- Yeah, I'm afraid so.

I'm supposed to pick up Maggie in a couple of minutes.

Well, listen, Vicki, call us, will you?

If you have any free time on your hands

and you'd like to spend it with us,

would you do that? - I will.

Good night, Joe. - Good night.

- Good night.

[door opens]

- Well, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?

- I hesitate to bring up the subject.

- It's about Burke?

- Yes.

- Well -- we haven't had any news at all.

- I assumed you hadn't or I would have heard about it.

- I've got to stop waiting for news

because I know it will come when I least expect it.

- Vicki, I have a proposal to make.

- A proposal?

- I'd like to finance a private search party. - Barnabas --

- Well, I could start making the arrangements

tonight if you'd let me.

- But I -- A private search party?

That would cost you a great deal of money.

- That doesn't matter to me.

The only thing that matters is your happiness.

- Well I -- I do appreciate the offer.

- Then you will accept?

- No, I can't.

- Why not?

- Well, for one thing,

the authorities are doing everything they can

to find Burke.

If they can't find him then -- then nobody can.

- Well, if there's anything I can do I,

I want to do it, Vicki, anything.

- Sometimes, I think you're the kindest man I've ever met.

- Not kind, just concerned about you.

I want you to feel that you can turn to me for anything.

- I do.

- Remember it. - [gasps]

What's the matter?

- Oh, I don't know.

- What is it, Vicki?

- I don't know. I -- I do apologize.

- There's no need for that.

I must have startled you.

- Yes, I -- I guess that's what it is.

I'm terribly sorry.

- Please, don't be sorry.

I can sense that you would rather be alone.

I'd better go.

- Oh no, you don't have to go.

- I -- I'd better.

Just remember my offer and think about it.

Good night, Vicki.

- Good night, Barnabas.

Oh, and -- and thank you.

Thank you so very much.

- Of course.

♪♪

- Vicki, here you are.

I thought Barnabas was stopping by the house this evening.

Hasn't he arrived?

- He has already left.

- So soon?

- Carolyn, I'm so ashamed of myself.

- Why?

- Well, Barnabas stopped by

to make the most generous offer.

He said he wanted to send out a private search party

to find Burke.

- Barnabas is very generous to the people he cares about --

and he certainly counts you among them.

That's nothing to be ashamed of.

- I'm not ashamed of that.

I'm ashamed of the way I behaved.

- What do you mean?

- Well, at one point

he just reached out to touch my hand and --

and I gasped and jumped.

I -- I even turned away from him.

- Why?

- That's just it -- I don't know.

There was something about his touch,

his hand.

It -- it felt so cold and clammy.

It was like --

- Go on, tell me.

- It was like the hand of a dead man.

- Vicki --

- Oh, I know I shouldn't say such a thing.

I -- I shouldn't even think it.

Barnabas has always been so kind

and he's never been anything but good to me.

- No, he hasn't.

- I don't know what got into me tonight.

I've -- I've always been so glad to see Barnabas.

But tonight, I felt uncomfortable with him

the whole time that he was here.

- Why should you be uncomfortable?

- I don't know --

but I was more than uncomfortable.

- I was frightened.

- Frightened?

- Yes and I don't know why I should be.

I don't understand it, Carolyn.

I don't understand it at all.

- Why should she recoil from me?

Why?

- There -- There may be a very simple explanation.

- What?

- Well, Vicki is still in love with Burke Devlin.

- But why should she be frightened?

Why should she be?

She was never frightened before.

- Perhaps,

perhaps, she senses your interest in her

and isn't willing to accept it.

- Nonsense.

- Well, it's -- it's a possibility, Barnabas,

whether you are willing to face it or not.

- You have said enough.

I am growing weary of your company.

- I know you don't want to hear these things,

but they may be true

whether you like to hear them or not.

- Barnabas, I've --

Oh, you're not alone?

- I was just saying good night to Dr. Hoffman.

- Oh, is that what we were saying?

- Yes. Good night, Doctor.

- All right, Barnabas. Good night.

- Vicki told me about your visit.

- What did she say?

- She said she was afraid of you.

- Why? For what reason?

- She didn't know why herself --

only that she was afraid.

Do you know what I think?

- What?

- I think that Julia Hoffman has something to do with it.

- Why do you say that?

- Because of something strange that happened.

Julia and Vicki left the house together.

Julia says they just went for a walk,

but Vicki doesn't remember having taken a walk.

She doesn't even remember leaving the house.

But they did leave together. I saw them.

- Well, why didn't you follow them?

- I -- I had no reason to think there was anything peculiar

about their leaving the house together.

But now I think Julia is up to something.

- Watch her.

Watch every move she makes and report back to me.

- I will.

- If the eminent doctor

has done anything to impair my relations with Vicki,

she has just signed her own death certificate.

♪♪

[eerie music] ♪♪