Thursday 30 January 2014

IV: Discussions and Diversions

Claspington, Brindleton, Kitson and Hodgkiss gather in the sitting room together, discussing art, France, Arabic phrases, and so forth.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Foxworth hits upon the plan of coming between the Baron's daughter and the painting. As soon as he does so, she becomes agitated. "No!" she yells and tries to crane her neck around to see it, half-standing. The look on her face is one of fear and almost physical pain.

"Please," the Baron hisses. "Stop! It has been tried! She will not tolerate it!"

17 comments:

  1. [Did any of us hear that? And is the butler still in the room?]

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. [No. The butler is coming and going. There are times when you are left alone, so I will assume anything of consequence you say, you are saying when he is out of the room.]

      Delete
    2. "Smith, I don't wish to bother the barons daughter excessively by trooping in and out of her room.

      Be a good fellow and describe this painting for us. Could you describe the contents, arrangement, the style. Anything unusual about it?

      How does she react to it? And please, be as precise and detailed as you can. Any piece of information, no matter how small or irrelivant, could be vital."

      Delete
    3. Smith describes it as I described it David. He says that the girl simply seems to be bewitched by it - almost as though in a trance. If anybody tries to move the painting, or her, or get between her and it, she becomes first angry, then fearful, then frenzied, and then catatonic. She threw a fit when the Baron tried to have her physically removed from the room, and almost swallowed her tongue. Since then he's thought it best to leave her be, at least for the time being. She eats, drinks, and does her toilet matters (this said rather uncomfortably) in the room.

      Delete
    4. Kitson leans back, crosses his legs and lights a cigarette.

      “Gentlemen, the situation may be more serious than we supposed. The patterning of the faces on the painting and the lady’s reference to ‘shells’ suggest that this painting may be an active painting of the Qliphoth.

      I’m sure you are all familiar with the Jewish mystical tradition known as the ‘Kabbalah’. It is a kind of path, or map, of divine energy as it leaves the creator and descends into the world, occupying different states on its way to us. The mystic attempts to work their way back up this path, achieving state after state, seeking mystical union with the godhead.

      While these mystical states can be challenging, even dangerous, they are not evil. However. The same tradition speaks of the Qliphoth. Often referred to as Shells or Husks. These emanations receive only their physical or outer selves from the godhead, within, they are hollow or empty. We might think of them as a kind of antiverse, or even, a kind of hell.

      If this painting is only an attempt to reproduce an image of the Qliphoth it may still be very dangerous indeed. If it is truly a portrait. A real depiction of real people. If those people exist. Well, I may have to go to France after all.

      Might I suggest we quietly join Foxworth? If my suppositions are wrong, it will take only a moment to prove. If correct, he may be about to get into a spot of bother.”

      Delete
    5. "I think it might be worth seeing what the good Reverend is up to; I think I heard him enter the room next to the one I happened on before when I, erm, got lost."

      [Hodgkiss will happily lead the way; who's coming?]

      Delete
    6. [Kistson goes with Hodgkiss to find the Reverend]

      Delete
  2. Foxworth is going to attempt to mesmerise the young woman [did she have a name? I can't remember] using his pocket watch. He'll step slightly aside to allow her to see part of the painting, but he wants her to focus on him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He didn't give a name but you know that it is Catherine.

      Delete
    2. Foxworth quietly removes his pocket watch and begins to swing it to-and-fro in an attempt to mesmerise Catherine...

      Delete
    3. He does this, but although Catherine seems distracted momentarily, it doesn't seem to have enough of an effect on her to break her focus entirely, and soon she is back to staring wide-eyed at the painting.

      Delete
  3. "This," Claspington whispered "is an intolerable distortion of that which was properly ordained. We must away to Tynemouth, or Lyon, as soon as we can."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Tynemouth is the closer. However. We must also enquire with Mr Adler in London. Anything we can find out about Defernex before we confront him may be vital.

      Not to mention this Arabic script.

      I often have a boat on the Tyne at this time of the year. My crew come from all over the globe, one of them may be able to read it.

      I would suggest speaking to one of Hodgiss's colleagues at Durham university about a translation but (Kistson lowers his voice and leans in) _the place is for the more bone-headed members of the ruling class. Ones even an earlship couldnt get into Oxford or Cambridge. Therefore I somewhat doubt the accuracy of their Professors. Better some Arab seaman than one of those pompous plum-duffs._

      Delete
  4. Brindleton quietly pockets the diary and shuts the desk drawer. There's no way he's going to get... oh hang on a minute. Also palms a letter opener or pen-trimmer.

    "Where did you say that convenience was, old chap?"

    Brindleton will try to unlock the diary in the bathroom.

    In passing, to Claspington: "Lyon, eh? Good restaurants in Lyon, I hear."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Okay, he leaves and goes to the WC, and tries to jiggle open the lock with a sabre-shaped letter opener. He can probably do this but it will break the lock (80% chance) or the letter opener (20% chance) in the process. Does he want to proceed?

      Delete
    2. he's ham-fisted and over-confident. OTOH he won't have time to read it in here anyway. He pockets it for later.

      Delete