280 - July 21, 1967

[bunniefuu]

[Victoria narrating] - The night wind murmurs through the ancient trees

surrounding Collinwood,

sounding like hushed voices speaking in whispers...

voices from the past

whispering from a void that transcends time.

On this night, the voices may be heard

most clearly in the forest

surrounding a gloomy, forbidding old house.

For there is one in that house

who would transcend time this night,

who would cause the past to merge with the present,

who would cause the land of the living

to merge with the land of the dead.

- Everything's ready.

- Good.

- When will they get here?

- Soon.

- What's that you're lookin' at?

Isn't that...

- A volume of family portraits.

- The people whose costumes

they're going to wear to the party.

- Yes.

- I'm still surprised Mrs. Stoddard

and all the rest of them went along with this party.

- Only because I know them better than you.

They were delighted with the idea,

especially Miss Winters.

- And she didn't object coming dressed as Josette?

- She couldn't have been more delighted.

- And Mrs. Stoddard?

- She agreed to come dressed as Naomi Collins.

- Your mother? - Yes.

It will be like seeing my mother again.

The resemblance between the two is striking.

- Who's coming dressed as your father?

- Roger.

He bears a less-pronounced resemblance to my father

but a certain resemblance is there.

I look forward to their arrival.

It will be like... meeting again.

- Whose picture are you lookin' at now?

Isn't that...

- Jeremiah Collins.

- Josette's husband. - Yes.

- Well, why did you hate him so much?

- Because he stood in the way of my happiness...

and Josette's.

I loathed him more

than I ever loathed another human being.

Every moment I saw him I longed for his death.

And with Burke Devlin cast in the role of Jeremiah...

we will once more meet again...

...tonight.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[wind whistling]

- Listen to that wind.

- What about it?

- It's so loud tonight...

louder than usual.

- You are behaving rather strangely, Kitten.

- For some reason I-- I feel so nervous.

- Nervous?

I don't know why you should.

- I don't either.

But I have been all day...

ever since I tried on this costume.

I have a very odd feeling about wearing these clothes.

- Nonsense.

The costume is very becoming.

- I guess I'm just being silly.

We'll have a good time at the party.

- Of course we will.

You know, I think that party is a good idea...

not only for us but for your mother.

It will get her out of this house.

- Yes, I know.

- I'm actually looking forward to it.

Even though, thanks to Vicki,

it won't be strictly a family affair.

- I'm glad Vicki asked Burke.

Uncle Roger, please try to be civil to him.

- Well, I'll meet him halfway, Kitten,

but Mr. Devlin and I will never be the best of friends

under any circumstances.

- Even so, you should make the effort.

- Roger?

[Roger] - Liz!

Well, I should say Naomi.

My dear, you look splendid!

- I really don't want to go to the party.

- Now, Liz, you promised and you're already dressed.

- Well...

- That's nonsense now.

Barnabas has gone to a lot of trouble

and his feelings would be slighted if we didn't come.

- Uncle Roger is right, Mother.

You don't wanna hurt his feelings, do you?

- No, but--

- Now no buts about it, you can't back out.

If you don't enjoy yourself I'll bring you home

but you must at least put in an appearance.

- Well, all right.

I'll put in an appearance.

- That's better.

Now, can I get you a drink?

- No, thank you.

- Am I the last one?

- Well, Vicki!

Well, it's like seeing a portrait of Josette Collins.

- That's quite a compliment, thank you.

- You look lovely, Vicki.

- I-- I've never seen a dress so beautiful

and I've never felt so elegant in all my life.

I only wish it were possible to dress this way all the time.

- I'm just as glad we don't have to dress like this all the time.

- Well, I'm not.

I'd love it, I know I would.

- Well, your Mr. Devlin is not very punctual, Vicki.

- Well, you go on ahead.

I'll wait for him.

- I think perhaps we should.

We're a few minutes late already.

I don't want to keep Barnabas waiting.

- You go on and I'll see you at the party.

- Carolyn.

- I'll get my wrap.

- Liz, are you coming? - Yes.

- We'll see you later. - All right.

♪♪

- Josette?

This time don't disappoint me.

Let me come to you.

Accept me.

I have waited so long for you, Josette.

♪♪

[music box playing melody]

♪♪

- Your guests are here.

- All of them?

- All except Miss Winters and Burke Devlin.

- I see.

[music stops]

- What are you doing with that?

- Why do you ask?

- Are you planning to give it to Miss Winters?

- Possibly.

- Well, I don't think she'll accept it.

- Why not? - I just don't.

Now you said you wanted her to come to you willingly.

Now, that's not going to be as easy as you think.

- Isn't it?

- And even if she does...

there will be others who will stop her.

- Others?

- Burke Devlin for one.

He won't let her come to you.

- I don't think that Mr. Devlin will pose much of a problem.

- What are you planning to do with him?

- What makes you think I'm planning

to do anything with him?

- I know you, I know you're planning something, what is it?

- Willie, my plans are my own.

Now, my guests are waiting.

- What are you planning, Barnabas?

- I said my guests are waiting.

♪♪

- The accuracy in the restoration

of this room is uncanny.

I almost feel as though I had stepped into the past.

- So do I, and I'm not sure I like it.

- Neither am I.

- Well, you two surprise me.

I thought you would enjoy this charade.

I thought it would appeal to your sense of the romantic.

- This room is lovely by candlelight.

I will say that.

- Yes, I quite agree.

- Good evening.

- Good evening, Barnabas. - Hello.

- Elizabeth.

- We were just congratulating you, Barnabas,

on the reconstruction of this house.

I think you've done a remarkable job.

- Thank you.

It was a labor of love.

- Yes, obviously.

- Barnabas, you look so much like the portrait

of your ancestor dressed in those clothes.

- I'm not unique in that respect.

We all look like the portraits of our ancestors.

Particularly you, Elizabeth.

Dressed that way, you...

you have a striking resemblance to my...

- Great-great-grandmother?

- Yes.

May I offer you some claret cup?

- Thank you.

- Oh, by all means. I'm very fond of it.

- You always were. - What?

- I mean, your ancestor was, Joshua Collins.

- Oh...

For a moment I thought you had me confused with our ancestor.

- Well, it gives me great pleasure to think that,

for a moment, we are living in the past.

But then...

I tend to take these things too seriously.

- Well, you'll be amazed at Vicki's resemblance to Josette.

I was certainly.

- Really?

- Yes.

Oh, she and Devlin ought to be here by now.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

It was awfully nice of you to let Vicki invite Burke.

- It will be a pleasure to have him.

- At any rate, there will be a Jeremiah Collins

to escort Josette.

After all, it's only appropriate.

They were man and wife.

- Yes.

- According to the stories I've heard,

they were very much in love.

- That's not true!

- I'm sorry. - It isn't it?

- But, uh...

there's so many false versions of the old legends.

And hearing them tends to make me very impatient.

[banging on door]

Oh, that must be Miss Winters and Mr. Devlin.

I'll let them in, excuse me.

[wind whistling]

Miss Winters.

- Hello, Mr. Collins.

- May I say how lovely you look.

- Thank you.

- Hello, Collins.

♪♪

- Is anything wrong?

- No, of course not.

I'm delighted you could come.

- For a moment I thought you objected

to something about this costume.

- No, not at all.

As a matter of fact, Miss Winters

helped me select it.

- I think Burke looks just like Jeremiah Collins, don't you?

- Very much so.

- Well, I must say I feel rather strange.

This isn't exactly my style.

- Well, you look very handsome.

Don't you think so?

- Yes.

Will you come in?

- Hello, Liz. - Hello, Burke.

- Carolyn... - Hi.

- Devlin.

- I'm sorry we're late, it was my fault.

- Oh, it's quite all right.

Would you care for some claret cup?

- Please.

- I was just about to propose a toast.

[Roger] - Well, go ahead.

- Thank you.

- To the past and all its remembered glories.

- To the past.

- Do you know something odd?

- What is it?

- With this evening, I...

I feel as though I really were in the past.

- You know, Vicki, I said the same thing

when we walked into this room.

I think it's the candlelight.

They lend a marvelous atmosphere.

- No.

I don't think so at all

because I felt that way all evening.

When I put on this dress, I...

I really felt that I was Josette Collins.

- Was it an unpleasant feeling?

- No, quite to the contrary.

I think I would have been very happy as Josette.

- I like you just the way you are...

as Vicki Winters.

[bell tolling in the distance]

- Listen. - What, Liz?

- The bell tolling the hour.

- It's the chapel bell down in the valley.

- Oh, I didn't realize you could hear it from here.

- Yes, sometimes, at night, it's quite distinct.

- The stroke of :.

The hour before midnight.

What a splendid time to be visited by a ghost.

- Oh, Roger, don't talk like that.

- Oh, I was only joking, Liz.

- Look! - At what?

- The candles are flickering.

I wonder why.

- Oh...

It's suddenly so cold in here.

So very cold.

- Yes, I-- I can feel it, too.

- Why is it so cold?

I can feel it piercing right through me.

- I'm sorry but this old house does tend to be drafty.

- Oh! - Mother?

- What is it, Liz?

- I-- I thought I felt something.

- Felt something?

- I thought I felt a hand touching my shoulder.

- But how could that be?

There's no one standing behind you.

- I know.

♪♪

- Mother, it must have been your imagination.

- But it seemed so real.

- You've been very nervous all evening.

Now you're starting to imagine things.

- Perhaps.

- I think Carolyn is probably right.

- Of course, this house tends to work on the imagination.

- Are you sure it was Liz's imagination?

Could you have been touched by a ghost, Liz?

- A ghost?

- You must be joking.

- No, I've never been more serious in my life.

We all know of the legends of Collinwood.

The ghosts from the past

that come back to haunt this house.

What if one of them was trying to contact

you for some reason?

I think we should meet it halfway.

[Burke] - How do you mean?

- I think we should have a séance.

- A séance? - Yes.

I think that one of our ancestors is in this room.

It may be...

it may be Joshua or Millicent

or Naomi or perhaps Josette.

And it's trying to contact us.

I think we should find out why.

The answer to that is to have a séance.

- Roger, I must warn you,

I'm not overly fond of parlor games.

- Oh, but this isn't a game.

We had a séance once and, to my amazement,

it was quite successful.

I think we should try it again.

There's no doubt that it won't harm us and it might be fun.

- I must protest. - So must I.

Roger, you're being absurd.

- No.

I think we should.

What better evening's entertainment than to

converse with a ghost from the past?

- Roger, I wish you'd stop this.

- Oh, now Liz, I think we should go ahead with it.

You'll enjoy it once we get into the swing of it.

Now... if one of you gentlemen

would help me with this table.

- Roger, I dislike saying this,

but I really must protest.

- Well, why? What is your objection?

- Well, I merely object to frightening the ladies.

- Are you sure you're not afraid?

- Afraid? Why would I be afraid?

- Well, many people fear the-- the unseen.

But you surprise me.

I didn't think you would be one of them.

- Of course I'm not afraid.

- Then shall we proceed?

- Really. - It's no use, Barnabas.

Once Roger gets an idea in his head,

it's very hard to make him change his mind.

It's best to humor him.

- Good.

Then we'll go on with it?

- Reluctantly, but I still think it's a waste of time.

- Carolyn, Vicki, Devlin...

what do you say?

- I don't know.

- Vicki...

I'll leave it to you.

- Well, I...

I guess we could try it.

- Good.

Now...

put the table over here.

Now I'll...

put this candlestick on the table.

There.

Now, if you gentlemen would help move the chairs,

then we can all take our places.

Now... pardon me.

- What now?

- Now... everyone touch fingertips...

...so that we have

a complete circle of communication.

Barnabas, you're not joining the circle.

- Oh, forgive me.

But I must insist I think this is

a great deal of nonsense.

- So do I.

- We'll see now, come along.

There.

Now the circle of communication is complete.

Now, everyone try to erase everything from your mind.

Except, of course,

the person who's trying to contact us.

Concentrate on establishing communication.

Now...

...who is here with us?

Who is in this room?

Who is trying to communicate with us?

Is it you, Joshua?

Naomi?

Millicent?

Josette?

- Do you think it could be Josette?

[Roger] - Shh, Vicki, concentrate.

- I'm sorry.

- Who's here?

Who's in this room?

Who are you?

We're waiting...

for you to contact us.

We are waiting.

- Nothing's going to happen.

- Liz, please!

Speak to us.

Whoever you are... we're waiting.

We're waiting.

Speak to us.

- There's nothing here, Uncle Roger.

- Speak to us.

Speak to us.

[Burke] - I think Carolyn is right.

[Roger] - Speak to us.

- I'm afraid I must ask you all to put an end to this.

- Of course we should.

It's perfectly obvious that it's absolutely wasting time.

- All right, but...

- Oh...

- What is it, Liz?

- Well, I...

The piercing cold... it's here again.

It's come back.

- Yes, I feel it, too.

There's something here.

Something in this room.

[Elizabeth] - The candles.

Who blew them out?

- No one.

- I don't think we ought to go on with this.

[Carolyn] - Oh!

[Elizabeth] - The doors!

- It's the wind, just the wind.

- I think we'd better call a halt to this right now!

- I agree with you. - So do I.

- Oh... oh...

- Vicki?

- Oh... - Vicki?

- What's the matter, Vicki?

- Oh...

- It's too late to stop now.

- Ohh... - Even if we wanted to.

Vicki's going into a trance.

We're about to be contacted by someone...

someone from beyond the grave.

♪♪

[announcer] - "Dark Shadows" is a Dan Curtis production.