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'I'm hardly likely to forget it,' said Zoe. They were walking down the central staircase of the house with Carnacki, leaving their host to grieve over his dead spouse.

'Well,' continued the Doctor, 'did you notice anything odd about the

mirror in his room?' They reached the bottom of the staircase and

stood in the main hall of the house.

'The mirror?' said Zoe. 'No. Why?'

Carnacki suddenly interrupted them. 'If you'll excuse me, I want to look in on Celandine.'

'Of course,' said the Doctor, 'In fact we'll accompany you if that's all right.'

'Please.' Carnacki hurried off into the gloom of the west wing. Seeing the dead woman in the tub, and witnessing the grief of her husband, seemed to have shaken him. Zoe and the Doctor followed him to the library where he proceeded to check on Celandine, who was still lying on the low red velvet sofa, still breathing slowly and rhythmically, eyes shut, for all the world like someone peacefully asleep. The Doctor examined her swiftly and looked up at Carnacki. 'You mentioned that she had been talking?'

'The servants look in on her frequently and they've observed the phenomenon. As have I, looking in from time to time. She mutters broken fragments of phrases. Nothing I've been able to make out.' Carnacki spent the rest of the afternoon sitting with the comatose Celandine. Zoe spent it dodging as many domestic chores as she could. Finally the pale winter sun set and darkness fell. The cold of night began to penetrate the house, invading its bricks as though it were stealing into the bones of a living creature. In the house the servants fought back by stoking the fires in the innumerable fireplaces scattered around Fair Destine.

Under the pretext of attending to the fire in the library, Zoe joined the Doctor and Carnacki, who sat beside Celandine's recumbent form. There was no change in the girl's condition. She looked like she was asleep.

'Tell me,' said the Doctor. 'In Celandine's career as a medium has she ever –' he stopped speaking. There was a loud commotion outside the library door, followed by the unmistakable sound of running feet. 'What the devil's that?' said Carnacki. He followed Zoe and the Doctor to the door. They peered out to see that a terrified mob of guests was hurrying towards the front door, dressed in their winter coats and hats, heavily shod feet thundering on the wooden floor. 'It's like a stampede,' said Zoe.

Carnacki was nonplussed. 'What are they doing?'

'It would appear that they are abandoning the house.' The Doctor stopped the butler, Elder-Main, who was hurrying past, carrying an armful of fur wraps. 'Excuse me,' said the Doctor, 'What's going on?' 'People are very upset about all the murders and so on, sir. Seems everyone's scared that they might be the next victim. So they are all quitting the place, sir. At once. And it's created quite a muddle, I can tell you.' 'What prompted this sudden exodus?'

Elder-Main frowned. 'I believe one of the ladies started to panic sir. And the panic just spread.'

'Like a stampede,' said the Doctor. 'An interesting example of group dynamics in a mammal population.'

'But where do they think they're going?' Carnacki shook his head. 'The blizzard has made the roads impassable.'

'They say they'll strike off overland, sir. It's only ten or twelve miles to Canterbury.'

'In this freezing weather?' said the Doctor. 'Across deep snow drifts? At night?'

'I know, sir,' said Elder-Main, pursing his lips and shaking his head

ruefully.

'It's folly,' said the Doctor.

'Especially if they forget to wear their best furs,' said the butler, hurrying away.

Zoe and the others followed him. The entrance hall of the house was like an anthill stirred with a stick. The party guests were surging out of the door into the winter night, some carrying lamps, some with hip flasks and shooting sticks. They were streaming down the steps in a determined fashion, heading for the driveway, garden and dark countryside beyond.

Carnacki and the Doctor stared at