On her way to breakfast, Nell stopped at the front desk at the Hotel Sacher and discovered that she had a telegram from New York. She also picked up a letter for Alisa.
After meeting Rupert, Harry, Alisa, Dan'l, and Niles for breakfast, Nell opened the telegram. It was from Jonah Kensington and outlined the lecture schedule of Professor Cowles. Nell noted that they had just missed Cowles in London but that he would be in Europe for another month. She resolved to find Lya and see if there was any reason for talking to Cowles again (the group had previously attended his lecture at NYU).
Alisa opened her letter and found that it was from Independent Investigations. It contained resumes for Jessica Wright and Velu as well as their availability for further investigations, in Britain or abroad. It also contained a newspaper clipping about Edward Gavigan.
This news caused great concern among the group. Alisa wondered if Gavigan intended to follow them to Vienna. Nell thought that Tewfik was the more dangerous one and noted that he must not have been arrested yet, or Velu and Jessica would have said something. Rupert speculated that Gavigan and Tewfik might show up in Cairo. Alisa agreed and thought that the leave of absence was a cover for increased overseas activity. Nell said that Australia might be the focus of activity, given that a front company (Western Mining and Exploration) seemed to be doing a lot of business there. Dan'l thought that Gavigan might be trying to find Jack Brady.
Everyone agreed that more investigation was in order. A list of additional tasks was compiled for Independent Investigations, which Alisa promised to send by courier that day.
The group then began discussing the day's activities. The general concensus was that there was no investigative work to be done in Vienna and that the time until the auction could be spent relaxing. Niles spoke up, though, with an idea: "Didn't the alienist, Dr. Huston, study in Vienna with that guy Freud?" Stunned silence greeted Niles' incisive observation. Nell agreed to pursue this lead, since she had the best facility in spoken German.
Consulting the Wiener Zeitung, Nell noted that there were numerous interesting musical events in Vienna that weekend: an all- Richard Strauss concert at the Philharmonic, conducted by the composer; at the Staatsoper, Lohengrin (Friday), Der Freischütz (Saturday), and Martha (Sunday); and operettas included Der Vogelhändler (Zeller), Madame Pompadour (Fall), Boccaccio (Suppe)and Der Lüstige Witwe (Lehar). The smash hit of the year, though was Gräfin Maritza (Kalman), which had opened in 1924 at the Theater an der Wien and was still selling out night after night. Alisa offered to see if she could get tickets for Saturday night through her firm.
The group then split up. Harry went to his favorite cafehaus to read the newspapers and play chess. Rupert visited the Austrian Museum of Military History, where he examined the newly-opened section on the Great War. He also took the opportunity to talk with the staff and gather some anecdotes about the war in the Alps and the Balkans. Alisa visited her firm and was not pleased to find that they had a large stack of documents for her to review, as well as meetings scheduled for this afternoon and Monday. She did manage to draft and send out the letter to Independent Investigations as well as get tickets to Gräfin Maritza for Saturday night before being immersed in work.
Nell walked the short distance to the church of St. Anton where she found Sister Sarah working on documenting the events of the past few weeks. Nell showed her Cowles' lecture schedule and they examined Lya's notes from the lecture at NYU. They also examined Lya's notes from her interview at Alienist Today (see Chapter 3) as well as the purloined files from the NY Medical Affairs Board. Sister Sarah recalled that there had been some scandal about Dr. Huston - he had abandoned his wife when he left the U.S. to study with Freud.
Nell then went down the street to the dafe Zum Schwarzen Kamel and, after a cafe einspänner (doppel mokka mit schlagobers) with esterhazy torte, telephoned Dr. Freud's office but was unable to persuade the secretary to tell her anything about Dr. Huston. She then walked over to Dr. Freud's office on Bergstrasse but was unable to get any information.
That evening Rupert and Alisa went to the Richard Strauss concert at the Philharmonic. Dan'l and Niles decided to go see the operetta Madame Pompadour at the Bürgertheatre, on the recommendation of the concierge ("pretty girls, great music, lavish sets and costumes"). Nell spent the evening with Lya at the church, going over her notes and looking for a pattern in all that had happened.
Alisa decided to sleep in and order breakfast in bed. Along with her tray of coffee and pastries, the bellboy brought a telegram. It was from Erica Carlyle in New York and had been originally sent to Brown's Hotel in London, then forwarded to the Ritz in Paris, then forwarded to the Hotel Imperial in Vienna, and finally reached her here at the Hotel Sacher.
Later that morning, Alisa, Dan'l, Niles, and Nell took a cruise along the Danube, returning to their hotel that afternoon.
Rupert spent the day at the Museum of Natural History but found nothing relating to ancient Egypt or archeology.
The group rendezvoused for dinner at a quaint old restaurant in the First District called the Sign of the Basilisk, then went to see Gräfin Maritza at the Theater an der Wien, with Richard Tauber singing the role of Tassilo. Afterwards they stopped at Demel's Konditorei for coffee and dessert. Rupert noticed that Demel's was one of the few establishments that still displayed the K.u.K. insignia of the vanished monarchy - it had been the official supplier of chocolate and pastries for the imperial court.
Sister Sarah spent the morning at Mass, followed by an afternoon of meditation and writing. Brother Paul stopped by and they discussed the nature of the occult. He expressed interest in co-authoring a book which described cross-cultural demons and cataloged stories, myths, and fables and their impact on the modern psyche. Brother Paul also expressed his concern at the paranoia of the others in the group and speculated that the stress of investigating the Carlyle Expedition might be taking a toll on their mental equilibrium.
That afternoon, Dan'l, Niles, Nell, Rupert, Harry, and Alisa went for a hike in the Wienerwald. The weather was surprisingly mild. They soon reached a rustic tavern and sampled some of the most recent harvest - a crisp 1924 Grüner Veltliner.
Rupert, Nell, and Alisa consulted with the hotel concierge about possible routes to Cairo and were given a schedule of steamship sailings. It was decided to take the Orient Expresss to Athens, then take a steamer to Cairo. Rupert resolutely refused to travel on Royal Rumanian State Lines and preferred to travel via the Khedivial Mail Line, as he knew it was really owned by the British government.
Alisa then went in to her office and, between meetings, instructed the travel bureau to purchase two double and one single berth compartment (1st class) on the Orient Express, from Vienna to Athens. The next departure after the auction was Wednesday night. She also booked three rooms at the Hotel Acropolis, in Athens. with an arrival date of Friday March 13. She made no travel arrangements for Sister Sarah and Brother Paul, assuming they would take care of that themselves.
Nell visited Sister Sarah and told her of the group's travel plans. Sister Sarah said that she and Brother Paul would travel on the same train as the others but would make their own arrangements. Nell then went shopping on the fashionable Graben, purchasing a new dress . She also purchased a fine hunting rifle as a gift for her father and china for her mother, to be shipped back to Cincinnati. Dan'l and Niles also purchased hunting rifles. Rupert purchased a shotgun and rifle, having left his firearms at customs in Southhampton. Dan'l also purchased an elephant gun, for "big game" in Egypt. Noticing his purchase, a man asked Dan'l if he was interested in buying hand grenades. Intrigued, Niles and Dan'l accompanied the man back to a dingy apartment, where Dan'l was shown a crate of grenades marked "K.u.K. Armee". Dan'l was unable to determine (safely) if the grenades were still active or how stable they were, so he declined to purchase any.
That afternoon, Rupert, Harry, Dan'l, and Niles arranged through the hotel concierge for some time at an indoor rifle range, where they improved their rifle skills. Alisa was disappointed that she had to spend the afternoon at work rather than at the rifle range but told the bank that she was leaving town Tuesday.
Nell spent her afternoon at the university and nearby cafes, where she attempted to find someone who had known Dr. Huston while he lived in Vienna. Her efforts were unsuccessful.
That evening, Rupert, Harry, Alisa, Niles, Nell, and Dan'l walked to the Auersperg auction house, for the long-awaited chance to obtain the tome Dark Cults of Africa. An entry fee of 5 pounds was required to ensure that only serious purchasers were present (Alisa paid for Dan'l). After passing through a magnificent reception room with burgundy carpeting, crystal chandeliers, and Louis XIV furniture, the investigators ascended a marble staircase and entered a tastefully decorated dining room, where a champagne buffet had been prepared. A string ensemble was playing Schubert's "Rosamunde" quartet.
A number of guests had already arrived, and Alisa was surprised and pleased to recognize one of her clients: Mr. Herbert Atherton, a well-known New York art dealer. Alisa walked over and greeted him, and Atherton seemed pleased to see her as well. He explained that he was here "on business" and was always looking for unusual items for his clients. After Alisa made mutual introductions for the group, Atherton offered to introduce them to the people he knew at the auction: Lady Margaret Jameson (English collector), M. Michel de Borsavin (French occultist), Colonel Martin Murray (British officer, Indian Army, retired), Geroge Walker (art dealer from Los Angeles, rumored to be working for W. Randolph Hearst), and Count Nikolai Tychevski (exiled Russian nobleman, now owns an export firm in Athens). When introduced to Count Nikolai, Rupert mentioned Count Kurasov and noted that Tychevski's demeanor changed and that the conversation soon ended. Atherton did not know the other three guests: a Hungarian (Czernin), a Swede (Daniel Kolson), and a French winemaker (Claude Leon).
Alisa spotted another aquaintance from Boston: Maude Deringer Daniels, wealthy widow and eccentric, accompanied by her young friend Rick Grant. Maude explained that she was taking Rick Grant on a tour of Europe for the furtherance of his education.
The group then went to see the auction "bank" to verify their credit limit. Rupert and Alisa pooled most of their allowance (400 pounds) and allocated it to Harry (who would bid on the book in order to help the investigators avoid the attention of deranged cultists). Dan'l declined to bid, prefering to enjoy the champagne and caviar instead. Nell examined the auction catalog.
At precisely 10 PM, the doors were opened to another room, with tall glass-fronted bookcases and display shelves. Large, comfortable airmchairs were arranged in front of a mahogany table with a podium. After cigars, coffee, and more desserts were offered, the auction began.
Each item was displayed in turn by white-gloved servants before bidding was allowed. The first item (ankh) drew spirited bidding and quickly passed beyond's Nell's limit. It finally went to Mr. Walker for 52 pounds. The second item (beth eloim) went to Borsavin for 44 pounds. The thrid item (magician's cassock) went to Walker for 48 pounds. The fourth item (hand of glory) was purchased by Maude for 35 pounds. The fifth item (Nandi drum and fetish) was of interest to Rupert and he managed to outbid Col. Murray for it, at a price of 15 pounds. The sixth item (Magus book) went to Lady Margaret for 54 pounds.
The seventh item (Dark Cults book) drew an opening bid of 10 pounds from Walker. Harry Letchwell, Herbert Atherton, and Col. Murray quickly jumped in. The price rose rapidly, and Walker dropped out at 60 pounds, followed by Murray at 100 pounds. Atherton and Letchwell continued the bidding until the price reached 160 pounds. At that point Atherton asked his friend Alisa if she could lend him additional credit, since he had reached his limit and it was imperative that he obtain the book. Torn between loyalty to a client and loyalty to her friends, Alisa allocated her remaining credit of 20 pounds to Atherton (knowing that Harry had enough to exceed this amount). Atherton quickly raised the bid to 180 pounds, which was then topped by Harry, who obtained the book for the astronomical sum of 200 pounds. Atherton appeared agitated and concerned and asked Alisa if she knew the man who had purchased the book. Alisa lied and said she did not. Atherton replied that the man was in great danger and he must speak with him after the auction.
The eighth item (jeweled skull) went to Count Nikolai for 82 pounds. The ninth item (brass head) went to Lady Margaret for 78 pounds. The tenth item (I-ching sticks) was bid on by Nell but eventually purchased by Lady Margaret for the outrageous sum of 62 pounds. The eleventh item (Crowley book) was purchased by Rupert for 52 pounds. The twelfth item (Prodigies in the New-England Canaan) was also of interest to Rupert but he was outbid by Walker at 46 pounds. The thirteenth item (medallions) went to Count Nikolai for 134 pounds. The fourteenth item (infernal dictionary) went to Kolson for 36 pounds. The fifteenth item (shaman bag) attracted little interest and was snapped up by Alisa for 19 pounds, having reclaimed her unused credit from Atherton. The sixteenth item (gold ring) was bid on by Nell but went to Count Nikolai for 94 pounds. The seventeenth item (medieval sword) went to the Hungarian Czernin for 78 pounds. The final item (tarot card) sparked a bidding war between the Frenchman Leon and Count Nikolai. Count Nikolai eventually dropped out when the price reached 130 pounds and Leon claimed the card.
Afterwards, Maude suggested to Alisa that they get together at the Hotel Imperial for afternoon tea.
Atherton approached Harry and said that he needed to speak with him on urgent business. Harry agreed to meet at the nearby Cafe Hawelka in half an hour. Harry then paid for the book and gave it to Rupert when they were alone, telling him of Atherton's desire for a meeting. Rupert then told Niles and Dan'l and asked them to follow Atherton. Rupert, Alisa, and Nell then returned to the Hotel Sacher, where Rupert had the book locked up in the hotel safe.
Dan'l and Niles followed Atherton to the Cafe Hawelka and took a nearby table. Harry Letchwell soon arrived and sat down with Atherton. Atherton told Harry that a wealthy and influential client would offer 400 pounds for the book. Harry replied that he had acted as an agent for a reclusive client and no longer had possession or knowledge of its whereabout. Pale and agitated, Atherton left without saying anything else.
Dan'l and Niles also left the cafe and saw Atherton get in a taxi. Following in a second taxi, they saw Atherton get out at the Hotel Post. They then returned to the Hotel Sacher and informed Rupert of what had occurred.
The next morning, Harry Letchwell returned to Venice on the morning train, his expenses paid for by Rupert along with a handsome gift.
Alisa, Nell, Niles, Dan'l, and Rupert spent the morning at the indoor rifle range.
Just before lunch, Alisa telephoned Herbert Atherton at the Hotel Post and discovered that he had checked out that morning, leaving no forwarding address.
That afternoon, Nell went back to the university with a new plan in mind. She visited the Medical School and engaged the Dean's secretary in conversation. She learned that Dr. Huston had spent two years there as a graduate student (1901-1903) under Dr. Freud's supervision, then continued as an assistant of Freud's. His studies in Vienna were abruptly terminated in 1906 due to an affair with a professor's daughter. Freud had insisted that an alienist must be "beyond reproach", and Huston left Vienna to continue his studies with Dr. Carl Jung at an asylum in Switzerland. Nell asked if Huston had a reputation as a "lady's man". The secretary replied that the "catalogue aria" from Don Giovanni was an apt description of Huston. Nell then stopped by the St. Anton's to update Sister Sarah and Brother Paul on the results of the auction. Brother Paul invited her to an organ recital by one of Bruckner's former pupils that evening but she declined.
Ruprt spent the afternoon at the Hotel Imperial with Count Kurasov, reviewing the final draft of the Count's biography. Afterwards, Rupert asked the Count's private secretary, Pierre, about Count Nikolai. Pierre confirmed Rupert's suspicions that Nikolai Tychevski was not a nobleman at all. He had been one of the Czar's huntsmen who was rumored to have stolen a large amount of cash and jewels before fleeing Russia in the chaos of the Civil War. Pierre warned Rupert to avoid Tychevski as he was involved in large-scale smuggling and criminal activity in the Balkans.
Alisa met Maude and Rick Grant for tea at the Hotel Imperial. They discussed the auction. Maude explained that she purchased the Hand of Glory as a gift for a psychic back in Arkham named Madame Blivestsky. Alisa told Maude that she and her friends would be traveling to Athens on the next day and invited her to join them. Maude agreed, saying that she had already taken Rick to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Zürich, Paris, Heisenberg (or was it Heidelberg?), Munich, and Berlin to meet the leading scientists and inventors of the day and that it would be good for him to see some of the sites of classical antiquity.
Rupert and Alisa went to the Staatsoper for a performance of Don Giovanni. Afterwards, they had dinner with Count Kurasov and informed him that they would be leaving Vienna the next day. Count Kurasov told them to drop by his estate in Vilnius if they were ever in the neighborhood.
Nell, Dan'l, and Niles went out for dinner and dancing.
At breakfast, Nell was shocked to read in the Wiener Zeitung that Herbert Atherton had been found dead, in an alley near the Stefansdom. At Alisa's urging, she telephoned the Hotel Post but got no information. Instead Nell was told to contact the police with any information she had about Atherton. Realizing that her previous inquiry about Atherton had probably already been reported, Alisa reluctantly agreed.
Alisa and Nell arrived at Police Headquarters and were immediately sent in to see Kriminalinspektor Klaus Steiger. He took statements from Nell and Alisa about their interaction with Atherton. Nell had little to say, and Alisa was careful to say nothing to the detective about cultists, tomes, strange wounds, or occult symbols. Steiger was satisfied with their answers and told them that they were free to go. Alisa told the detective he could contact her through her company and that she and Nell would be staying at the Hotel Acropolis in Athens for the next week or so.
The remainder of the day was spent packing and bidding farewell to the comforts and pleasures of civilization.
Maude purchased a double berth on the Orient Express for herself and her nurse (Miss Hilda Goodbody) and a shared compartment for Rick.
That evening, Rupert, Nell, Niles, Alisa, Dan'l, Sister Saarah, and Brother Paul boarded the Orient Express, which departed Vienna at 7:55 pm. The compartment assignments were as follows: Rupert and Dan'l, Niles, Alisa and Nell, Sister Sarah and a stranger, Brother Paul and Rick Grant, Maude and Nurse Goodbody.
After settling into their compartments, Maude, Rick, Nell, Alisa, and Niles went to the lounge car. There they found a convivial group being entertained by a gypsy violinist, accompanied on the piano by a second gypsy. (How did they get a piano inside this car, wondered Nell). Maude was pleased to find that the bar stocked her brand and bought a round of Jack Daniel's for the entire car, quickly making new friends. Rick struck up a conversation with a train enthusiast named Walter Partridge, who said he was from Mountain View, California, and was employed as a systems analyst (which he said was a California term for "accountant"). He had been traveling through Europe by train for the past two weeks. Rick offered to show Walter his wireless radio set and the two went to try and make contact with any nearby stations. (They were unsuccessful, due to the metal construciton of the car).
Alisa scanned the crowd for any sign of Tewfik or Gavigan, but saw no one suspicious. Could Tewfik be disguised as a gypsy? She wasn't sure. And was that Gavigan reading the Financial Times in the corner? No, the man was Turkish, although his tailor must have been from Savile Row.
Rupert and Dan'l remained in their compartment. Rupert began reading Dark Cults of Africa , and was delighted to find several passages that discussed the Black Wind and the Cult of the Bloody Tongue. He also found several intriguing spells, which he hoped to have the chance to try later (Hands to Snakes - material component Jack Daniel's?). Dan'l read an English-laguage newspaper he had purchased at the train station but kept a wary eye on Rupert as he babbled about casting spells.
The group assembled in the diner for the final seating of the evening. Alisa, Maud, Nurse Goodbody, and Rick sat at one table; Rupert, Dan'l, Niles, and Nell sat at the next table across the aisle; and Brother Paul and Sister Sarah sat with two strangers at another table - a French bureaucrat and his wife, on their way to Beirut.
After a superb meal that rivaled anything served by the finest Parisian restaurant, the somellier (Maurice) brought a bottle of wine over to Alisa. "The gentleman at the far table sends this, with his compliments". The wine was an excellent Hungarian tokaj, which the somellier proceeded to decant and, after a sip, pronounced "exquisite, with an extraordinary bouquet and a satiny finish". Alisa ordered the wine served to her table and Nell's, to the delight of all. The wine proved to indeed be extraordinary and provided an elegant summation to a fine day. Alisa asked the somellier to identify their generous benefactor so she could thank him for his gift, but Maurice said that the gentleman had already left the dining car. He thought the man was a financier from Belgium and promised to point him out at breakfast the next morning.
After a nightcap in the lounge car, the group decided to retire for
the evening. Nell later remembered waking up briefly when the train
stopped at Budapest before finally drifting off to sleep.