replied.
“I’ll go,” Elizabeth said.
I turned to her in surprise. “But what of your beliefs? Isn’t it a grave sin to dabble with the occult?”
“As you say, it’s the only way. Next time we’ll both go in, Victor, and that will tell us the truth.”
“Which is why you’ll need me to watch over you,” said Henry, nodding as if this had been his design all along. “And when you return, you’ll each write your account in silence, and I will compare them with utter impartiality.”
“Excellent,” I said. “Tonight, then, when the house is asleep.”
“Too soon,” Elizabeth said, looking distrustfully at the green bottle of elixir. “Remember Wilhelm’s notes. Not more than once a day.”
“It’s just as well,” said Henry. “I need to go home this afternoon. My father’s returning from a business trip, and I should be there to greet him. And,” he added with a grimace, “there will soon be preparations for a trip of my own.”
Startled, I looked at him. “What trip?”
“You’re going away?” Elizabeth said in genuine distress. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner!”
He laughed. “Difficult to fit in, what with all the excitement at Château Frankenstein. Well, yes, Father has decided it’s time for me to accompany him on one of his merchant voyages.”
“When?” I asked.
“Two weeks.”
“For how long?” Elizabeth wanted to know.
“Two months.”
“So long?” Elizabeth said, and I saw Henry blush at this show of attention. “Well, then, we must see as much of you as we can. Tell your father you’ve been invited to be our houseguest for the next two weeks.”
“Absolutely,” I said. “Mother and Father will insist on it.”
“Well, I’m very touched,” said Henry.
I smiled at him and raised my eyebrows devilishly. “It will be excellent to have you so close at hand, Henry, at such an exciting time.”
“Yes, how lucky I am always to be included.”
With great care we made our separate descents on the chandelier, making sure to take all the apparatus from the secret chamber: the elixir, the spirit clock, the notebook. It would be too tricky—and possibly dangerous—to return here to make our next trip to the spirit world.
Before opening the door to the chapel, I put my ear to the door to listen for servants.
“Tomorrow night, then,” I said to the others, “and not a word of this to anyone.”
* * *
That night I dreamed I was in my room, undressing for bed, and the door drifted open just a bit. I knew it was only a draft, for my window was open as well, the evening was so warm and fine. I walked over to close the door properly, but when I pushed it, I met with resistance, and I knew there was someone, waiting, on the other side.
C HAPTER 4
MOMENTOUS DISCOVERIES
A ND SO YOU CAN SEE ,” F ATHER TOLD US AT OUR LESSONS THE next morning, “that throughout Ovid’s Metamorphoses there is a constant theme of transformation. Daphne is turned into a tree, Narcissus into a flower, Actaeon into a stag—all of these the work of the gods, of course. But perhaps we can take away from this an appreciation of the endless and fascinating mutability of our own world and—”
There was a knock at the door, and Klaus, one of our servants, poked his head apologetically into the room.
“I’m very sorry to disturb you, sir,” he said, “but there’s been a bit of a problem at the bottom of the shaft.”
“No one’s injured, I hope,” Father said.
“No, sir. It’s just that we started filling in the well down there, like you wanted, and, um, it’s not a well.”
“What do you mean, Klaus?”
“There’s a false bottom in it, sir, and it gave out under the weight of the gravel.”
“What’s below, then?” I couldn’t help asking.
“Looks to be a cave of some sort. We didn’t want to do anything until we told you about it first, sir.”
I was watching Father’s face carefully, trying to guess if this was news to him. He was, I
“I’ll go,” Elizabeth said.
I turned to her in surprise. “But what of your beliefs? Isn’t it a grave sin to dabble with the occult?”
“As you say, it’s the only way. Next time we’ll both go in, Victor, and that will tell us the truth.”
“Which is why you’ll need me to watch over you,” said Henry, nodding as if this had been his design all along. “And when you return, you’ll each write your account in silence, and I will compare them with utter impartiality.”
“Excellent,” I said. “Tonight, then, when the house is asleep.”
“Too soon,” Elizabeth said, looking distrustfully at the green bottle of elixir. “Remember Wilhelm’s notes. Not more than once a day.”
“It’s just as well,” said Henry. “I need to go home this afternoon. My father’s returning from a business trip, and I should be there to greet him. And,” he added with a grimace, “there will soon be preparations for a trip of my own.”
Startled, I looked at him. “What trip?”
“You’re going away?” Elizabeth said in genuine distress. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner!”
He laughed. “Difficult to fit in, what with all the excitement at Château Frankenstein. Well, yes, Father has decided it’s time for me to accompany him on one of his merchant voyages.”
“When?” I asked.
“Two weeks.”
“For how long?” Elizabeth wanted to know.
“Two months.”
“So long?” Elizabeth said, and I saw Henry blush at this show of attention. “Well, then, we must see as much of you as we can. Tell your father you’ve been invited to be our houseguest for the next two weeks.”
“Absolutely,” I said. “Mother and Father will insist on it.”
“Well, I’m very touched,” said Henry.
I smiled at him and raised my eyebrows devilishly. “It will be excellent to have you so close at hand, Henry, at such an exciting time.”
“Yes, how lucky I am always to be included.”
With great care we made our separate descents on the chandelier, making sure to take all the apparatus from the secret chamber: the elixir, the spirit clock, the notebook. It would be too tricky—and possibly dangerous—to return here to make our next trip to the spirit world.
Before opening the door to the chapel, I put my ear to the door to listen for servants.
“Tomorrow night, then,” I said to the others, “and not a word of this to anyone.”
* * *
That night I dreamed I was in my room, undressing for bed, and the door drifted open just a bit. I knew it was only a draft, for my window was open as well, the evening was so warm and fine. I walked over to close the door properly, but when I pushed it, I met with resistance, and I knew there was someone, waiting, on the other side.
C HAPTER 4
MOMENTOUS DISCOVERIES
A ND SO YOU CAN SEE ,” F ATHER TOLD US AT OUR LESSONS THE next morning, “that throughout Ovid’s Metamorphoses there is a constant theme of transformation. Daphne is turned into a tree, Narcissus into a flower, Actaeon into a stag—all of these the work of the gods, of course. But perhaps we can take away from this an appreciation of the endless and fascinating mutability of our own world and—”
There was a knock at the door, and Klaus, one of our servants, poked his head apologetically into the room.
“I’m very sorry to disturb you, sir,” he said, “but there’s been a bit of a problem at the bottom of the shaft.”
“No one’s injured, I hope,” Father said.
“No, sir. It’s just that we started filling in the well down there, like you wanted, and, um, it’s not a well.”
“What do you mean, Klaus?”
“There’s a false bottom in it, sir, and it gave out under the weight of the gravel.”
“What’s below, then?” I couldn’t help asking.
“Looks to be a cave of some sort. We didn’t want to do anything until we told you about it first, sir.”
I was watching Father’s face carefully, trying to guess if this was news to him. He was, I
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