“ ‘It’s the best thing,’ said Stirling. ‘You asked me to come here, to listen to these stories, and I tell you, based on all I’ve heard, including this unforgivable little mental eavesdropping, that you should take Quinn away from here, away from Petronia’s temper and whims and go. You have a great prize to give your nephew in this trip. Give it to him while you can. And give it to yourself. You deserve to have this great gift from him.’

“ ‘Yes, that’s so true, Aunt Queen,’ I said. ‘Stirling, you’re a magician with words. You’ve teased out the truth of it. We’re going. I only need to talk to Mona.’

“ ‘Well, I think this is a marvelous resolution,’ said Aunt Queen, ‘but I’m still left with questions. Stirling, you speak as if you know of Petronia—.’

“ ‘No, I know nothing of her. I’ve never heard her name. I was judging from your story. All the elements were there to drive me to my conclusion that her tastes were nocturnal. Why else would she have agreed to split the usage of the Hermitage with Quinn, he for day, and she for night, were she not fond of the swamp after dark when few people like it save those who hunt for alligators, I suppose? As for the rest of her habits, she seems vicious and violent, and Quinn showed an enormous amount of courage in confronting her. I would imagine she left here very surprised last night.’

“ ‘She looked triumphant,’ I said. ‘She’d made me out to be a lunatic.’

“ ‘But you’re not a lunatic,’ said Stirling.

“ ‘No, you’re not,’ said Aunt Queen. ‘I’m immensely relieved. You’re not. But Stirling, you speak of her as though she’s a species of creature.’

“ ‘I didn’t mean to do that,’ he said. ‘That was unwise of me. I meant to disclose a feeling of impersonality by using that word, I suppose. As I said, I was trying to judge purely from the things you told me. I believe she’s a menace to Quinn and she’ll keep toying with him if you remain here. The important thing is to go away.’

“ ‘Nash, what do you think?’ Aunt Queen asked.

“Of course Nash demurred. It wasn’t really his place to comment, but Aunt Queen pressed him, as he had met Petronia and he had witnessed some of what had gone on.

“ ‘Quinn seems more than sane,’ Nash explained in his deep commanding voice. ‘I have to agree. As to the trip to Europe, I think it’s a marvelous idea. Now, Petronia, I must say that her theories on reincarnation gave me pause. She claimed herself to have lived in ancient Pompeii as we have discussed, and she spoke of witnessing the eruption of Vesuvius, and I must confess that I experienced a faint, what would you call it, a faint . . .’

“ ‘Disorientation,’ I said immediately.