Start of a transcript of
Savoir-Faire
An interactive search for loot. Copyright Emily Short 2002. 
Type INFO if you have not played before. 
Type LICENSE for the terms of use and distribution. 
Type CREDITS for tester and library acknowledgements.
Release 6 / Serial number 020420 / Inform v6.15 Library 6/10 
Standard interpreter 1.0 (6F) / Library serial number 991113

>restore
Ok.

>l

Old Conservatory
A chilly northern exposure, perhaps, but really quite lovely. This room used to
be where Marie would practice her music, and the Countess play her compositions;
Marie's own room lies to the west.

On the high shelf is a stone block.

The pianoforte stands in the center of the room.

>s

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>d

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west. The wooden door is currently
closed.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>[ok, hints said I could do this now]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>x keyhole
A keyhole in a fitted brass plate. There is an ornate key in the keyhole, pushed
in from the other side.

In the keyhole is an ornate key.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link ornate to pin
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just too dissimilar.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>x door
A wooden, pointed door in a very old style; this part of the building dates to a
previous version of the house, from only the chapel and a few other rooms
survive. 

There is a conspicuous keyhole plate in the door.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>i
You are carrying:
  a dark wooden box (which is open)
    a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
  a fork
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a sword
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is closed)
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    three pieces of silverware:
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a table knife
      a spoon
    eleven food items:
      a goat cheese
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
      a loaf of stale bread
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    three metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
      a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open but empty)
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
  a dashing hat (being worn)

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>push ornate with table knife
(first taking the table knife)
(putting the fork into the sack to make room)
The table knife is the wrong shape to push into the keyhole.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>push ornate with corkscrew
(first taking the silver-plated corkscrew)
(putting the dark wooden box into the sack to make room)
The silver-plated corkscrew is the wrong shape to push into the keyhole.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>read hollow
That's already open.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>[wacky]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>link ornate to teapot
(first unlinking the hinge-lidded teapot)
You succeed in unlinking the hinge-lidded teapot from the double doors.
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just too dissimilar.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link iron to teapot
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just too dissimilar.

Exactly on the hour, the cuckoo clock opens up its door and a mechanical bird
flies forward. It sings 6 times, then withdraws into its little door.

>link iron to silver
(the silver-plated corkscrew)
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just a little too
different. Maybe if they looked more alike.

The cuckoo clock clicks closed.

>link ornate to corkscrew
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just a little too
different. Maybe if they looked more alike.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>turn corkscrew
Nothing obvious happens.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>[sigh, no ideas]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>ne

Dining Room
A grand room, for dining in style. The plastered ceiling is several times your
height. The air now is cool and deep, the sunlight glancing through the windows
and scattering from the chandelier, putting points of light at your feet, over
the table, across the painted wallpaper and the handsome wood paneling.

Woodworked columns frame the exits west and southwest.

Heavy double doors open east to the kitchen.

>e

Kitchen Corridor
A narrow corridor between the kitchen and the main house, which has a thick
separate wall. The two buildings are only barely attached, to discourage fires.
A small staircase leads down.

Double doors give west onto the main house.

>e

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>e

Kitchen Garden
West is the wall of the kitchen. Most of the space along the wall is planted
with herbs -- bay, parsley, stalks of mint -- left of the open doorway. To its
right is only a drainage ditch, catching the outflow of a pipe that comes
through the wall.

In one corner of the plot is the well, drilled many deep feet; in another is the
antique sundial.

>w

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>u

Servants' Dormitory
Up here the female servants used to sleep. Now there is only a dreary row of
unmade beds; a rack for drying washing; the fireplace, hollow and untended. Time
was, when you were very young, that you used to creep in here for chatter and
gossip, and the language you were used to hearing at home.

>x stone
You can't see any such thing.

>x brick
A reddish-brown brick darkened by smoke, and pushed forward from its position
among the others.

>i
You are carrying:
  two pieces of silverware:
    a silver-plated corkscrew
    a table knife
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a sword
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is closed)
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    eleven food items:
      a goat cheese
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
      a loaf of stale bread
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    three metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
      a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open but empty)
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    two pieces of silverware:
      a fork
      a spoon
  a dashing hat (being worn)

>link box to brick
Which do you mean, the dark wooden box or the snuffbox?

>dark
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just too dissimilar.

>link snuffbox to dark
Bending your will, you form the link between the snuffbox and the dark wooden
box.

>undo
Servants' Dormitory
[Previous turn undone.]

>link snuffbox to brick
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just too dissimilar.

>i
You are carrying:
  two pieces of silverware:
    a silver-plated corkscrew
    a table knife
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a sword
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is closed)
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    eleven food items:
      a goat cheese
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
      a loaf of stale bread
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    three metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
      a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open but empty)
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    two pieces of silverware:
      a fork
      a spoon
  a dashing hat (being worn)

>link sponge to brick
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just too dissimilar.

>i
You are carrying:
  two pieces of silverware:
    a silver-plated corkscrew
    a table knife
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a sword
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is closed)
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    eleven food items:
      a goat cheese
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
      a loaf of stale bread
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    three metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
      a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open but empty)
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    two pieces of silverware:
      a fork
      a spoon
  a dashing hat (being worn)

>link brie to brick
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they seem as though they will
never go together.

>link pork to brick
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they seem as though they will
never go together.

>hit brick with fork
(first taking the fork)
(putting the table knife into the sack to make room)
The fork strikes the brick.

>undo
Servants' Dormitory
[Previous turn undone.]

>link portrait to brick
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they seem as though they will
never go together.

>open snuffbox
You open the snuffbox, revealing a quantity of snuff.

>link snuff to brick
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they seem as though they will
never go together.

>link snuff to mortar
You can't see any such thing.

>x brick
A reddish-brown brick darkened by smoke, and pushed forward from its position
among the others.

>x bricks
You can't see any such thing.

>x fireplace
Not nearly as large as the ones downstairs, of course, and principally intended
for keeping the inhabitants toasty when the winter set in especially hard.

>[arr]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>link brick to bed
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just too dissimilar.

>x brick
A reddish-brown brick darkened by smoke, and pushed forward from its position
among the others.

>x snuff
Finest snuff, enough (with luck) to last you until you can return to Paris.

>i
You are carrying:
  two pieces of silverware:
    a silver-plated corkscrew
    a table knife
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a sword
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    eleven food items:
      a goat cheese
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
      a loaf of stale bread
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    three metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
      a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open but empty)
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    two pieces of silverware:
      a fork
      a spoon
  a dashing hat (being worn)

>d

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>w

Kitchen Corridor
A narrow corridor between the kitchen and the main house, which has a thick
separate wall. The two buildings are only barely attached, to discourage fires.
A small staircase leads down.

Double doors give west onto the main house.

>w

Dining Room
A grand room, for dining in style. The plastered ceiling is several times your
height. The air now is cool and deep, the sunlight glancing through the windows
and scattering from the chandelier, putting points of light at your feet, over
the table, across the painted wallpaper and the handsome wood paneling.

Woodworked columns frame the exits west and southwest.

Heavy double doors open east to the kitchen.

>sw

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west. The wooden door is currently
closed.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock clicks closed.

>link keyhole to hanky
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they seem as though they will
never go together.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>i
You are carrying:
  two pieces of silverware:
    a silver-plated corkscrew
    a table knife
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a sword
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    eleven food items:
      a goat cheese
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
      a loaf of stale bread
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    three metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
      a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open but empty)
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    two pieces of silverware:
      a fork
      a spoon
  a dashing hat (being worn)

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link keyhole to sponge
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they seem as though they will
never go together.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link keyhole to world
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they seem as though they will
never go together.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>i
You are carrying:
  two pieces of silverware:
    a silver-plated corkscrew
    a table knife
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a sword
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    eleven food items:
      a goat cheese
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
      a loaf of stale bread
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    three metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
      a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open but empty)
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    two pieces of silverware:
      a fork
      a spoon
  a dashing hat (being worn)

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

> link keyhole to pine
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they seem as though they will
never go together.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>e
The south door leads only out of the estate, where you are not ready to go. You
can go only north, west, northeast, up or down.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>ne

Dining Room
A grand room, for dining in style. The plastered ceiling is several times your
height. The air now is cool and deep, the sunlight glancing through the windows
and scattering from the chandelier, putting points of light at your feet, over
the table, across the painted wallpaper and the handsome wood paneling.

Woodworked columns frame the exits west and southwest.

Heavy double doors open east to the kitchen.

>e

Kitchen Corridor
A narrow corridor between the kitchen and the main house, which has a thick
separate wall. The two buildings are only barely attached, to discourage fires.
A small staircase leads down.

Double doors give west onto the main house.

>e

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>u

Servants' Dormitory
Up here the female servants used to sleep. Now there is only a dreary row of
unmade beds; a rack for drying washing; the fireplace, hollow and untended. Time
was, when you were very young, that you used to creep in here for chatter and
gossip, and the language you were used to hearing at home.

>link bread to brick
Bending your will, you form the link between the loaf of stale bread and the
brick.

>[whoo!]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>move bread
Nothing obvious happens.

>break bread
Attempts to break it fail; truly this is the loaf of adamant. You'd have to
soften it up somehow first.

>d

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>e

Kitchen Garden
West is the wall of the kitchen. Most of the space along the wall is planted
with herbs -- bay, parsley, stalks of mint -- left of the open doorway. To its
right is only a drainage ditch, catching the outflow of a pipe that comes
through the wall.

In one corner of the plot is the well, drilled many deep feet; in another is the
antique sundial.

>fill pot from well
(first taking the hinge-lidded teapot)
(putting the table knife into the sack to make room)
Taken.

You put some water in the hinge-lidded teapot. This fills the hinge-lidded
teapot to the brim.

>pour water on bread
Which do you mean, the water in the well or the water in the hinge-lidded
teapot?

>pot
I didn't understand that sentence.

>pour pot on bread
The hinge-lidded teapot is not wet.

>pour water from pot on bread
You consume some of the water in moistening the loaf of stale bread.

>break bread
The loaf of stale bread breaks into bready-chunks, crumbling to nothing.

>w

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>u

Servants' Dormitory
Up here the female servants used to sleep. Now there is only a dreary row of
unmade beds; a rack for drying washing; the fireplace, hollow and untended. Time
was, when you were very young, that you used to creep in here for chatter and
gossip, and the language you were used to hearing at home.

In the fireplace are a bag on a string and some bits of shattered brick.

>[yay!]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>get bag
(putting the silver-plated corkscrew into the sack to make room)
Taken.

>open it
You open the bag on a string, revealing some silver coins.

>get silver coins
(putting the bag on a string into the sack to make room)
Taken.

[Your score has just gone up by four points.]

>[yay!]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>x silver
(the silver coins)
A not un-respectable horde of silver coins.

>x bag
A little linen bag on a grimy drawstring, able to be worn on the wrist or neck
and protect one's valuables.

>wear bag
(first taking the bag on a string)
(putting the silver coins into the sack to make room)
You put on the bag on a string.

>w
You can go only down.

>d

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>ww
That's not a verb I recognize.

>w

Kitchen Corridor
A narrow corridor between the kitchen and the main house, which has a thick
separate wall. The two buildings are only barely attached, to discourage fires.
A small staircase leads down.

Double doors give west onto the main house.

>w

Dining Room
A grand room, for dining in style. The plastered ceiling is several times your
height. The air now is cool and deep, the sunlight glancing through the windows
and scattering from the chandelier, putting points of light at your feet, over
the table, across the painted wallpaper and the handsome wood paneling.

Woodworked columns frame the exits west and southwest.

Heavy double doors open east to the kitchen.

>sw

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west. The wooden door is currently
closed.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link rug to ornate
You can't see any such thing.

>u

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>n

Old Conservatory
A chilly northern exposure, perhaps, but really quite lovely. This room used to
be where Marie would practice her music, and the Countess play her compositions;
Marie's own room lies to the west.

On the high shelf is a stone block.

The pianoforte stands in the center of the room.

>s

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>e

Long Salon
A long empty room with shined wooden floors, perfect for sliding in stocking-
feet. West is the top of the staircase, and rooms open to the north and east.

The door east is closed.

>n

Countess' Sitting Room
This was the countess' favorite room, and it is more richly decorated than any
other in the house, betraying her taste for the brightly-colored and the jewel-
like. The count brought her some things from his travels, and made others for
her. Most of the contents seem to be gone -- the chairs and sofas, and the wall
hangings -- but some bits remain.

A thick-pile Persian rug lies on the floor, patterned in lapis and emerald.

You can also see some glass shards here.

>get rug
Taken.

>s
(treading gingerly around the glass bits)

Long Salon
A long empty room with shined wooden floors, perfect for sliding in stocking-
feet. West is the top of the staircase, and rooms open to the north and east.

The door east is closed.

>w

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>d

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west. The wooden door is currently
closed.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link rug to ornate
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they seem as though they will
never go together.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>x ornate
It's not exactly easy to get a good look.

Just on the quarter-hour the cuckoo clock opens up its door and a mechanical
bird flies forward. It sings a brief warbling tune, then withdraws into its
little door.

>link pin to ornate
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just too dissimilar.

The cuckoo clock clicks closed.

>i
You are carrying:
  a rug
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
    not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    some silver coins
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a sword
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    ten food items:
      a goat cheese
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    two metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a table knife
      a fork
      a spoon
  a dashing hat (being worn)

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link fork to ornate
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just a little too
different. Maybe if they looked more alike.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link spoon to ornate
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just a little too
different. Maybe if they looked more alike.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link plate to keyhole
Which do you mean, the keyhole or the painted metal plate?

>metal
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they seem as though they will
never go together.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>x door
A wooden, pointed door in a very old style; this part of the building dates to a
previous version of the house, from only the chapel and a few other rooms
survive. 

There is a conspicuous keyhole plate in the door.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>x point
You can't see any such thing.

>l

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west. The wooden door is currently
closed.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>x stone
You can't see any such thing.

>x door
A wooden, pointed door in a very old style; this part of the building dates to a
previous version of the house, from only the chapel and a few other rooms
survive. 

There is a conspicuous keyhole plate in the door.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>x hinges
You can't see any such thing.

>i
You are carrying:
  a rug
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
    not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    some silver coins
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a sword
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    ten food items:
      a goat cheese
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    two metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a table knife
      a fork
      a spoon
  a dashing hat (being worn)

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link ornate to hat
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just too dissimilar.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>i
You are carrying:
  a rug
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
    not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    some silver coins
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a sword
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    ten food items:
      a goat cheese
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    two metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a table knife
      a fork
      a spoon
  a dashing hat (being worn)

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link ornate to bauble
(first unlinking the celestial bauble)
You succeed in unlinking the celestial bauble from the sunlight.
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just too dissimilar.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>undo
Entrance Hall
[Previous turn undone.]

>i
You are carrying:
  a rug
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
    not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    some silver coins
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a sword
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    ten food items:
      a goat cheese
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    two metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a table knife
      a fork
      a spoon
  a dashing hat (being worn)

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link necklace to ornate
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they seem as though they will
never go together.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>i
You are carrying:
  a rug
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
    not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    some silver coins
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a sword
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    ten food items:
      a goat cheese
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    two metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a table knife
      a fork
      a spoon
  a dashing hat (being worn)

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link dancers to ornate
(first unlinking the mechanical human dancers)
You succeed in unlinking the mechanical human dancers from the old letter.
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just a little too
different. Maybe if they looked more alike.

On the half-hour the cuckoo clock opens up its door and a mechanical bird flies
forward. It sings a brief warbling tune, then withdraws into its little door.

>undo
Entrance Hall
[Previous turn undone.]

>i
You are carrying:
  a rug
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
    not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    some silver coins
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a sword
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    ten food items:
      a goat cheese
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    two metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a table knife
      a fork
      a spoon
  a dashing hat (being worn)

On the half-hour the cuckoo clock opens up its door and a mechanical bird flies
forward. It sings a brief warbling tune, then withdraws into its little door.

>link ornate to portrait
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they seem as though they will
never go together.

The cuckoo clock clicks closed.

>x parsley
A sprig of parsley, branching into many lovely leaves.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>x ornate
It's not exactly easy to get a good look.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>x bottle
(the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc)
Aside from the contents, an entirely ordinary bottle.  Currently open and
corkless.

In the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc is some Sauvignon Blanc.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>i
You are carrying:
  a rug
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
    not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    some silver coins
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a sword
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    ten food items:
      a goat cheese
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    two metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a table knife
      a fork
      a spoon
  a dashing hat (being worn)

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>x a bottle
(the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc)
Aside from the contents, an entirely ordinary bottle.  Currently open and
corkless.

In the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc is some Sauvignon Blanc.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>x all bottles
You can't use multiple objects with that verb.

>get all bottles
(putting the rug into the sack to make room)
Taken.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>i
You are carrying:
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
    not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    a rug
    some silver coins
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a sword
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    a blue bottle (which is closed)
    ten food items:
      a goat cheese
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    two metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a table knife
      a fork
      a spoon
  a dashing hat (being worn)
  two bottles of wine:
    a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
    a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
      some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>x pape
A grand old bottle, a fine year: you recognize the vintage and know a Duke in
Paris who would give his own daughter's hand in marriage in exchange for a gift
like this. Worth it? Quite possibly.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link pape to ornate
You wouldn't want to jeopardize such a valuable commodity, surely.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link sword to key
Which do you mean, the ornate key, the iron key or the silver key?

>ornate
Bending your will, you form the link between the sword and the ornate key.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>turn sword
Nothing obvious happens.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>wave sword
You wave the sword. 
The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>unlink sword
You succeed in unlinking the sword from the ornate key.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>reverse link sword to key
Which do you mean, the ornate key, the iron key or the silver key?

>ornate
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just a little too
different. Maybe if they looked more alike.

Reverse links are even pickier than regular links that way.

Just on the quarter-hour the cuckoo clock opens up its door and a mechanical
bird flies forward. It sings a brief warbling tune, then withdraws into its
little door.

>link sword to key
Which do you mean, the ornate key, the iron key or the silver key?

>ornate
Bending your will, you form the link between the sword and the ornate key.

The cuckoo clock clicks closed.

>push ornate with sword
(first taking the sword)
(putting the bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape into the sack to make room)
You poke the sword into the keyhole, but the key seems to be quite solidly
jammed in place.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>open lock with sword
You can't see any such thing.

>unlock door with sword
That doesn't seem to fit the lock.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>x sword
A slender and flexible blade, and more decorative than useful, though there have
been a few occasions when it became helpful against brigands in the street. The
design at the hilt is a bit ornate, but not unpleasantly so.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>unscrew hilt
You can't see any such thing.

>x hilt
You can't see any such thing.

>attack door with sword
The sword strikes the gothic door with a clunk of metal on wood.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>wave sword
You wave the sword. 
The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>wiggle sword
That's not a verb I recognize.

>pour oil on ornate
Which do you mean, the olive oil in the green glass jar or the small portrait?

>olive
You consume some of the olive oil in moistening the ornate key.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>turn sword
Nothing obvious happens.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>put sword in keyhole
That doesn't fit in the keyhole.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>twist sword
Nothing obvious happens.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>turn sword
Nothing obvious happens.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>opendoor
That's not a verb I recognize.

>open door
It seems to be locked.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>turn sword
Nothing obvious happens.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>open door
It seems to be locked.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>turn around
You can't see any such thing.

>x ornate
It's not exactly easy to get a good look.

Exactly on the hour, the cuckoo clock opens up its door and a mechanical bird
flies forward. It sings 8 times, then withdraws into its little door.

>put sword in swordstick
You put the sword into the swordstick.

The cuckoo clock clicks closed.

>turn it
You rotate the sword in its sheath.  There is a clicking noise from the gothic
door as the ornate key also rotates in place.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>open gothic
You open the gothic door.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>w

Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

[Your score has just gone up by five points.]

>w

Chapel
The old private chapel, octagonal-shaped, with tall windows of stained glass,
casting a dazzling pattern of blue and green on the ground. Here the family used
to hold its private worship services, keeping a form of the official religion
that would no doubt have scandalized the parish curate.

There's a conspicuous rat-hole where the stone floor meets the wooden beams.

>x hole
A dark concavity, lined with the gathered debris of past services; bits of paper
curled into the shadows, and string, and gnawed grey cloth. Most notably, there 
are an gilded key, a wadded paper and a rat.

In the rat hole are an gilded key, a wadded paper and a rat.

>get gilded key
The rat nips your fingers sharply, drawing blood. You squeeze the offended
digits until the flow is staunched. "Bastard scion of the devil!" you yell at
it.

It stares back at you beadily.

>x rat
Bright and malevolent, with a long naked tail and teeth.

>attack rat with sword
(first taking the sword)
You draw the sword from its sheath. You stab. It dodges. The point of your sword
buries itself into the wood and takes a moment to pull out again.

With this kind of luck, it's going to take a lot of stabs before you get
anywhere. Maybe you'd be better off with a subtler strategy.

>link snuffbox to dark box
Bending your will, you form the link between the snuffbox and the dark wooden
box.

>open snuffbox
That's already open.

>drop wooden box
You haven't got that.

>get it
(putting the sword into the sack to make room)
Taken.

>drop it
Dropped.

>x it
A dark wooden box that smells faintly exotic.

In the dark wooden box is a mirror inset inside the box.

>show brie to rat
(first taking the wedge of brie)
The rat is unimpressed.

>show cheese to rat
(the wedge of brie to the rat)
The rat is unimpressed.

>get all cheese
There are none at all available!

>get all cheese from sack
goat cheese: (putting the wedge of brie into the sack to make room)
Removed.
salers: (putting the goat cheese into the sack to make room)
Removed.

>close blue
You close the blue glass jar.

>close red
You close the red glass jar.

>get goat, salers
goat cheese: (putting the blue glass jar into the sack to make room)
Taken.
salers: You already have that.

>show goat to rat
The rat is unimpressed.

>show salers to rat
The rat is unimpressed.

>put salers in dark
Which do you mean, the dark wooden box or the rat hole?

>box
That won't fit into the dark wooden box.

>put goat in dark
Which do you mean, the dark wooden box or the rat hole?

>box
You put the goat cheese into the dark wooden box.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>z
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Time passes.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>z
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Time passes.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>z
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Time passes.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>z
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Time passes.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>z
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Time passes.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>z
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Time passes.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>z
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Time passes.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>close snuff
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

That's not something you can close.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>close snuffbox
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

You close the snuffbox.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

The dark wooden box shuts.

>open snuffbox
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

You open the snuffbox, revealing a quantity of snuff.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

The dark wooden box opens.  The mirror inset inside the box begins to glow with
reflected light.

>close snuffbox
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

You close the snuffbox.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

The dark wooden box shuts.

>e
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.


Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>open snuffbox
You open the snuffbox, revealing a quantity of snuff.

>close it
You close the snuffbox.

>w

Chapel
The old private chapel, octagonal-shaped, with tall windows of stained glass,
casting a dazzling pattern of blue and green on the ground. Here the family used
to hold its private worship services, keeping a form of the official religion
that would no doubt have scandalized the parish curate.

There's a conspicuous rat-hole where the stone floor meets the wooden beams.

You can also see a dark wooden box (which is closed) here.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>e
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.


Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>open snuffbox
You open the snuffbox, revealing a quantity of snuff.

>z
Time passes.

>close it
You close the snuffbox.

>w

Chapel
The old private chapel, octagonal-shaped, with tall windows of stained glass,
casting a dazzling pattern of blue and green on the ground. Here the family used
to hold its private worship services, keeping a form of the official religion
that would no doubt have scandalized the parish curate.

There's a conspicuous rat-hole where the stone floor meets the wooden beams.

You can also see a dark wooden box (which is closed) here.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>open dark
(the dark wooden box)
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

You open the dark wooden box, revealing a goat cheese and a mirror inset inside
the box.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

The snuffbox opens.

The mirror inset inside the box begins to shine with reflected light.

>z
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Time passes.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>get dark
Which do you mean, the dark wooden box or the rat hole?

>box
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Taken.

>l

Chapel
The old private chapel, octagonal-shaped, with tall windows of stained glass,
casting a dazzling pattern of blue and green on the ground. Here the family used
to hold its private worship services, keeping a form of the official religion
that would no doubt have scandalized the parish curate.

There's a conspicuous rat-hole where the stone floor meets the wooden beams.

>x hole
A dark concavity, lined with the gathered debris of past services; bits of paper
curled into the shadows, and string, and gnawed grey cloth. Most notably, there 
are a rat, an gilded key and a wadded paper.

In the rat hole are a rat, an gilded key and a wadded paper.

>x wadded
Clearly ripped (or nibbled) out of a book, and somewhat tattered.

>[hee!]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>[extra space in room desc. in 'notably, there  are a rat'
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>e

Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>u
The worn and winding staircase is not so easy to climb, you find; it would be
worse with a flickering candle in the dark. But still you manage...

Bedchamber of the Count and Countess
As a child, you were never allowed in here; it is the only part of the house
that is completely unfamiliar to you, though some parts were better known than
others. The room, like the chapel below it, is made of stone, unfaced; high
windows, clear rather than stained glass, admit a pure light. It is also
octagonal, and the ceiling ribs meet at a boss overhead, shaped like a coiled
dragon.

It does not have the bare appearance of most of the other rooms of the house.
There is a full company of furniture -- a tall-backed ebony and ivory chair,
poster bed, wardrobe, inlaid florentine table. A staircase of worn stone steps
leads back down.

On the inlaid table are a fanciful book and an unfinished letter.

There is a trunk in the middle of the room, its lid thrown open and its contents
beginning to spill out.

>read unfinished
Dear Father,

Things have gone badly since you last wrote. I refused the hand of D'Envers, as
you recommended (though I cannot say that I had any desire to wed him in any
case), and, if he were a gentleman, that would have been the end of the matter.
But a few days later I caught one of the maids going through my personal things,
and when I questioned her it came out that D'Envers had bribed her to see if he
had a rival! I turned her off immediately, but things became worse. There are
men of the D'Envers livery passing by the estate on various pretenses, and I am
constantly watched.

I moved my things into your room -- it seems safer. I have shut away some of the
valuables. I am about to leave as well -- I will try to get to Pierre in Paris.
He will know what to do.

I wish you had left me some hint of what you were doing, what you intend...

>read book
Which do you mean, the fanciful book, Guide to Assorted Wines, The Lavori
d'Aracne, Clock Repair, On Vegetable Dyes or The World Is Hollow?

>fanciful
(first taking the fanciful book)

(putting the salers into the sack to make room)
Taken.

It seems to be set in Italy and to involve a number of improbable situations.
There is a daring heroine who gets herself into assorted scrapes, and also a
mysterious (and magic-using!) hero who appears to let her out of them again (but
then always irritatingly departs without a word).

>[heh]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>x trunk
The sort of trunk that someone packs things into in preparation for a journey.

In the trunk are a bracelet, an ivory silk gown and a pair of shoes.

>get bracelet
(putting the dark wooden box into the sack to make room)
Taken.

>x it
A bracelet of onyx beads, threaded on silk and silver. It has a clasp that opens
and closes.

>wear it
You had better pray that none of your acquaintance sees you so attired.

>x gown
An exquisite gown of ivory silk: its vast skirts are embroidered with an
intricate colored pattern of birds and foliage, and the bodice is decorated with
outsized bows.

>wear it
(first taking the ivory silk gown)
Even if your dignity would allow such a ludicrous gesture, you very much doubt
that the gown would fit you. It looks about Marie's size.

>get shoes
(the pair of shoes)
(putting the fanciful book into the sack to make room)
Taken.

[Your score has just gone up by four points.]

>[for the *shoes*?]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>x shoes
(the pair of shoes)
Ivory dress shoes for a woman with delicate feet (Marie; the Countess had larger
and less elegant extremities). The heels are studded with diamond chips. They're
worth a small fortune.

>[wow]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>wear shoes
(the pair of shoes)
Mincing about in Marie's heeled shoes is not likely to help you much.

>
[Oh, come on, you put me in a house full of women's clothing and don't let me play out my cross-dressing proclivities.]
I didn't understand that sentence.

>[meanie]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>l

Bedchamber of the Count and Countess
The room, like the chapel below it, is made of stone, unfaced; high windows,
clear rather than stained glass, admit a pure light. It is also octagonal, and
the ceiling ribs meet at a boss overhead, shaped like a coiled dragon.

It does not have the bare appearance of most of the other rooms of the house.
There is a full company of furniture -- a tall-backed ebony and ivory chair,
poster bed, wardrobe, inlaid florentine table. A staircase of worn stone steps
leads back down.

On the inlaid table is an unfinished letter.

There is a trunk in the middle of the room, its lid thrown open and its contents
beginning to spill out.

>x light
Warming and golden.

>look in trunk
The trunk is empty.

>[but its contents are spilling out?]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>x ebony chair
You can't see any such thing.

>x chair
Made of ebony but fitted, at the top of the back, with faces made of ivory and
inset into the heavy wood; and as for the upholstery, it is done in fine silver
on black.

>x ivory chair
You can't see any such thing.

>x poster bed
You can't see any such thing.

>x bed
An old, slightly battered frame, massive and sheltering, with posts like the
masts of a ship.

>search it
There is nothing on the bed.

>look under it
There's nothing under the bed; the place has been rigorously cleaned, and you
can't even find much dust.

>l

Bedchamber of the Count and Countess
The room, like the chapel below it, is made of stone, unfaced; high windows,
clear rather than stained glass, admit a pure light. It is also octagonal, and
the ceiling ribs meet at a boss overhead, shaped like a coiled dragon.

It does not have the bare appearance of most of the other rooms of the house.
There is a full company of furniture -- a tall-backed ebony and ivory chair,
poster bed, wardrobe, inlaid florentine table. A staircase of worn stone steps
leads back down.

On the inlaid table is an unfinished letter.

There is a trunk in the middle of the room, its lid thrown open and its contents
beginning to spill out.

>x wardrobe
Taller than you are yourself, but old and unfashionable; like most of the other
furnishings of the room, it suggests time and ancestry rather than the mood of a
moment.

>open it
You open the wardrobe, revealing a selection of dresses.

>[Whee!  I'm in heaven.]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>get dresses
No point in taking the entire armload of gowns. You'd only get them damaged, and
you can hardly afford to replace them.

>get a dress
(the selection of dresses)
No point in taking the entire armload of gowns. You'd only get them damaged, and
you can hardly afford to replace them.

>wear dress
(the ivory silk gown)
Even if your dignity would allow such a ludicrous gesture, you very much doubt
that the gown would fit you. It looks about Marie's size.

>[noooooo!!!!!]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>[ahem]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>get unfinished
(putting the ivory silk gown into the sack to make room)
Taken.

>l

Bedchamber of the Count and Countess
The room, like the chapel below it, is made of stone, unfaced; high windows,
clear rather than stained glass, admit a pure light. It is also octagonal, and
the ceiling ribs meet at a boss overhead, shaped like a coiled dragon.

It does not have the bare appearance of most of the other rooms of the house.
There is a full company of furniture -- a tall-backed ebony and ivory chair,
poster bed, wardrobe, inlaid florentine table. A staircase of worn stone steps
leads back down.

There is a trunk in the middle of the room, its lid thrown open and its contents
beginning to spill out.

>x table
(the inlaid table)
The top surface of the table is ornamented with inset stone in design; it looks
Florentine.

>get it
That's hardly portable.

>sleep on bed
I only understood you as far as wanting to sleep.

>enter bed
You get onto the bed.

>sleep
You're just not that tired.

>get up
You get off the bed.

Bedchamber of the Count and Countess
The room, like the chapel below it, is made of stone, unfaced; high windows,
clear rather than stained glass, admit a pure light. It is also octagonal, and
the ceiling ribs meet at a boss overhead, shaped like a coiled dragon.

It does not have the bare appearance of most of the other rooms of the house.
There is a full company of furniture -- a tall-backed ebony and ivory chair,
poster bed, wardrobe, inlaid florentine table. A staircase of worn stone steps
leads back down.

There is a trunk in the middle of the room, its lid thrown open and its contents
beginning to spill out.

>read unfinished
Dear Father,

Things have gone badly since you last wrote. I refused the hand of D'Envers, as
you recommended (though I cannot say that I had any desire to wed him in any
case), and, if he were a gentleman, that would have been the end of the matter.
But a few days later I caught one of the maids going through my personal things,
and when I questioned her it came out that D'Envers had bribed her to see if he
had a rival! I turned her off immediately, but things became worse. There are
men of the D'Envers livery passing by the estate on various pretenses, and I am
constantly watched.

I moved my things into your room -- it seems safer. I have shut away some of the
valuables. I am about to leave as well -- I will try to get to Pierre in Paris.
He will know what to do.

I wish you had left me some hint of what you were doing, what you intend...

>
Marie, I'm touched by your faith in me.  I will endeavor to make that faith a reality.
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>Hush, you, I'm having a private moment.
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>d

Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>[Alrighty.  One dead rat, coming up.]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>x dark box
A dark wooden box that smells faintly exotic.

In the dark wooden box are a goat cheese and a mirror inset inside the box.

>x goat cheese
A compact ball of goat cheese, faintly oily on the surface.

>i
You are carrying:
  an unfinished letter
  a pair of shoes
  a bracelet (being worn)
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
    not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    an ivory silk gown
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a goat cheese
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a blue glass jar (which is closed)
      some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
    a sword
    a rug
    some silver coins
    a red glass jar (which is closed)
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    two metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a table knife
      a fork
      a spoon
    six books:
      a fanciful book
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    nine food items:
      a salers
      a wedge of brie
      a sprig of mint
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
  a dashing hat (being worn)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)

>put mint on goat cheese
(first taking the sprig of mint)
(putting the pair of shoes into the sack to make room)
Taken.

Putting things on the goat cheese would achieve nothing.

>put parsley on goat
(first taking the sprig of parsley)
(putting the unfinished letter into the sack to make room)
Taken.

Putting things on the goat cheese would achieve nothing.

>put blanc in sac
You can't see any such thing.

>put blanc in sack
The sack is too porous.

>put bottle in sack
(the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in the sack)
Putting an open container of Sauvignon Blanc into the sack seems like an
invitation to disaster.

>[oh, right]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>i
You are carrying:
  two food items:
    a sprig of parsley
    a sprig of mint
  a bracelet (being worn)
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
    not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    an unfinished letter
    a pair of shoes
    an ivory silk gown
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a goat cheese
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a blue glass jar (which is closed)
      some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
    a sword
    a rug
    some silver coins
    a red glass jar (which is closed)
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    two metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a table knife
      a fork
      a spoon
    six books:
      a fanciful book
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    seven food items:
      a salers
      a wedge of brie
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
  a dashing hat (being worn)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)

>x bracelet
A bracelet of onyx beads, threaded on silk and silver. It has a clasp that opens
and closes.

>open bracelet
You open the bracelet.

>close it
You close the bracelet.

>link it to pin
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just too dissimilar.

>[Oh, come on--both jewellry, both open and close...]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>x goat
A compact ball of goat cheese, faintly oily on the surface.

>eat it
(first taking the goat cheese)
(putting the sprig of mint into the sack to make room)
You polish off the goat cheese. You taste nothing unexpected.

>undo
Narrow Corridor
[Previous turn undone.]

>[Oops, returned false, not true.  Or, hey, after routines.]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>eat brie
(first taking the wedge of brie)
(putting the sprig of mint into the sack to make room)
It seems a bit uncouth just to take bites out of the brie without slicing it or
anything. Even if no one's watching.

>slice brie
What do you want to slice the wedge of brie with?

>table
(first taking the table knife)
(putting the sprig of parsley into the sack to make room)
You slice yourself a piece of the brie.

>put piece in box
Which do you mean, the dark wooden box or the snuffbox?

>dark
(first taking the crumpled paper)
(putting the wedge of brie into the sack to make room)
Taken.

You put the crumpled paper into the dark wooden box.

>[eh?]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>get crumpled
(putting the table knife into the sack to make room)
Taken.

>put piece of brie in box
You can't see any such thing.

>i
You are carrying:
  a crumpled paper
  a slice of brie
  a bracelet (being worn)
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
    not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    an unfinished letter
    a pair of shoes
    an ivory silk gown
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a goat cheese
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a blue glass jar (which is closed)
      some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
    a sword
    a rug
    some silver coins
    a red glass jar (which is closed)
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    two metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    six books:
      a fanciful book
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a table knife
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a fork
      a spoon
    nine food items:
      a wedge of brie
      a sprig of parsley
      a sprig of mint
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
  a dashing hat (being worn)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)

>put slice in box
Which do you mean, the dark wooden box or the snuffbox?

>dark
You put the slice of brie into the dark wooden box.

>x box
Which do you mean, the dark wooden box or the snuffbox?

>dark
A dark wooden box that smells faintly exotic.

In the dark wooden box are a slice of brie, a goat cheese and a mirror inset
inside the box.

>get goat
Taken.

>drop dark
You haven't got that.

>drop dark wooden box
You haven't got that.

>get it
(putting the crumpled paper into the sack to make room)
Taken.

>drop dark wooden box
Dropped.

>l

Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

You can also see a dark wooden box (in which are a slice of brie and a mirror
inset inside the box (providing light)) here.

>get it
That's hardly portable.

>get box
(the dark wooden box)
Taken.

>w

Chapel
The old private chapel, octagonal-shaped, with tall windows of stained glass,
casting a dazzling pattern of blue and green on the ground. Here the family used
to hold its private worship services, keeping a form of the official religion
that would no doubt have scandalized the parish curate.

There's a conspicuous rat-hole where the stone floor meets the wooden beams.

>drop it
The rat hole is already here.

>drop wooden box
Dropped.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>z
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Time passes.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>get dark
Which do you mean, the dark wooden box or the rat hole?

>box
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Taken.

>x it
A dark wooden box that smells faintly exotic.

In the dark wooden box are a slice of brie and a mirror inset inside the box.

>get slice
(putting the goat cheese into the sack to make room)
Taken.

>pour snuff into dark box
The snuff is not susceptible to pouring.

>get snuff
You put a pinch -- really just the tiniest bit -- on the back of one hand and
lift it to your nose. Refreshing, invigorating, and mercifully not spoilt with
an excess of perfume such as everyone seems to prefer these days.

>put snuff in dark box
(first taking the snuff)
Your nose is assailed by a vigorous prickling. Really, it is possible to overdo
this sort of thing.
You need to be holding the snuff before you can put it on top of something else.

>transfer snuff to dark box
There's no reason to remove the snuff from its box; the results would most
likely be unfortunate.

>unlink dark
(the rat hole)
You are unable to.

>unlink dark box
You succeed in unlinking the dark wooden box from the snuffbox.

>put slice in pine
You put the slice of brie into the pine chest.

>drop pine
You haven't got that.

>get it
Taken.

>drop it
Dropped.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>link dark to pine
(the rat hole to the pine chest)
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they seem as though they will
never go together.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>link dark box to pine
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Bending your will, you form the link between the dark wooden box and the pine
chest.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>close dark
(the rat hole)
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

That's not something you can close.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>close dark box
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

You close the dark wooden box.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

The pine chest shuts.

>get it
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

You already have that.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>e
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.


Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>open dark box
You open the dark wooden box, revealing a mirror inset inside the box.

The mirror inset inside the box begins to shine with reflected light.

>z
Time passes.

>z
Time passes.

>close it
You close the dark wooden box.

>w

Chapel
The old private chapel, octagonal-shaped, with tall windows of stained glass,
casting a dazzling pattern of blue and green on the ground. Here the family used
to hold its private worship services, keeping a form of the official religion
that would no doubt have scandalized the parish curate.

There's a conspicuous rat-hole where the stone floor meets the wooden beams.

You can also see a pine chest (which is closed) here.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>[tap tap tap]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>[OK, ng time--I saw some hint about this.]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>[oh.]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>attack rat with sword
(first taking the sword)
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

It dodges your attack adeptly. Speed and agility are on its side.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>g
You're closer this time, you can feel it -- the rat is out, exposed, and
unprotected. You strike--

You miss!

The rat scurries back into its hole.

>g
It dodges your attack adeptly. Speed and agility are on its side.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>g
You're closer this time, you can feel it -- the rat is out, exposed, and
unprotected. You strike--

It dodges your attack adeptly. Speed and agility are on its side.  A more
superstitious man might begin to suspect the rat of demonic possession.

The rat scurries back into its hole.

>g
Your attack goes awry!

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>
I beg your pardon?

>g
You're closer this time, you can feel it -- the rat is out, exposed, and
unprotected. You strike--

The rat stares cross-eyed at you and seems about to die this time-- but then it
saves itself at the last moment, springing out of the way.

The rat scurries back into its hole.

>g
The rat stares cross-eyed at you and seems about to die this time-- but then it
saves itself at the last moment, springing out of the way.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>g
You're closer this time, you can feel it -- the rat is out, exposed, and
unprotected. You strike--

It dodges your attack adeptly. Speed and agility are on its side.

The rat scurries back into its hole.

>g
Oops!

Rat: 10. You: 0.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>g
You're closer this time, you can feel it -- the rat is out, exposed, and
unprotected. You strike--

You miss!

The rat scurries back into its hole.

>g
You miss!

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>g
You're closer this time, you can feel it -- the rat is out, exposed, and
unprotected. You strike--

Oops!

Rat: 13. You: 0.

The rat scurries back into its hole.

>g
The rat stares cross-eyed at you and seems about to die this time-- but then it
saves itself at the last moment, springing out of the way.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>g
You're closer this time, you can feel it -- the rat is out, exposed, and
unprotected. You strike--

Your attack goes awry!  You pant for breath.

The rat scurries back into its hole.

>z
Time passes.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>g
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Time passes.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>attack rat with sword
You're closer this time, you can feel it -- the rat is out, exposed, and
unprotected. You strike--

The rat stares cross-eyed at you and seems about to die this time-- but then it
saves itself at the last moment, springing out of the way.

The rat scurries back into its hole.

>z
Time passes.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
pine chest.

>attack rat with sword
Ha ha! The horrid creature is not in its home! You plunge! and for once the
rat's reflexes fail. The tip of your sword sinks into its little rodential
belly.

"Take that!" you exclaim.

It replies only with a pathetic gurgle.

[Your score has just gone up by five points.]

>get all from hole
gilded key: (putting the dark wooden box into the sack to make room)
Removed.
wadded paper: (putting the sword into the sack to make room)
Removed.

>get pine
(putting the gilded key into the sack to make room)
Taken.

>read wadded
...can be used to view the other member of a strong link. Under most
circumstances there is a word of some sort required to activate such viewing
devices, which may be spoken to it or in its presence. 

Next to this in handwriting: "(Our mirror from the workshop in the Rue des
Arbres.)"

>x gilded
A gilded key.

>[heh]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>e

Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>e

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>u

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>e

Long Salon
A long empty room with shined wooden floors, perfect for sliding in stocking-
feet. West is the top of the staircase, and rooms open to the north and east.

The door east is closed.

>unlock door with gilded
(first taking the gilded key)
(putting the wadded paper into the sack to make room)
You unlock the tall door.

>[yaaaayyy!]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>open east door
You open the tall door.

>e

Count's Study
A large room with windows that face south, and a fireplace along the east. The
place is a mess. Other rooms have looked bare, but this one-- this room has been
ransacked. Furniture has not simply been removed or disarranged, it has been
thrown around, in some cases even chopped up. The handsome secretaire has been
turned into splinters.

North is the doorway into the room that was once your bedroom.

An open door leads back west into the corridor.

[Your score has just gone up by five points.]

>[Oh, how sad.]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>n

Your Old Bedroom
A large, bright, sunny room, which you still regard with affection. 

In your absence it has turned into a general sitting room. Gone is the table
where you used to study -- it took you a long time to learn to read as well as
Marie, but you did not care to be left behind by someone two years younger than
yourself; also the wardrobe, which astonished when you found that it was to
contain nothing but clothes for you.

On the windowsill is a vase (in which are some dead roses).

>x vase
A tall vase of some kind of turned stone, ornamented somewhat on the outside but
neatly cylindrical inside.

In the vase are some dead roses.

>get it
(putting the pine chest into the sack to make room)
Taken.

>x dead roses
Dried and disintegrating, though you can tell that they were once red. The
petals are crumbling into a papery dust around them, however.

Something about the dead roses tickles your recollection.

>remember roses

...

"How does he treat you?"  Your mother, standing outside in the field in her best
dress because she refused to be brought inside the house. "Is he very strict?
Does he beat you?"

"No, of course not, Maman. It is just as though he were my own Papa." 

She frowned, looked away. "And I suppose you are learning all sorts of things,"
she said.

"Oh, yes, much more than at home."

She made a little gesture; then her mood changed. "But you must be missing the
sweet bread I make at home, no? I'll bring you some in a basket."

"No, Maman, the cooks make me anything I want."

...

>[aww...]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>l

Your Old Bedroom
A large, bright, sunny room, which you still regard with affection. 

In your absence it has turned into a general sitting room. Gone is the table
where you used to study -- it took you a long time to learn to read as well as
Marie, but you did not care to be left behind by someone two years younger than
yourself; also the wardrobe, which astonished when you found that it was to
contain nothing but clothes for you.

>x table
A silver knife with the crest of the family stamped on the handle.

>x wardrobe
You can't see any such thing.

>x window
Windows framed in the old style, arched at the top with a little knot of carved
flowerettes and ribbon-work.

>x vase
A tall vase of some kind of turned stone, ornamented somewhat on the outside but
neatly cylindrical inside.

In the vase are some dead roses.

>s

Count's Study
A large room with windows that face south, and a fireplace along the east. The
place is a mess. Other rooms have looked bare, but this one-- this room has been
ransacked. Furniture has not simply been removed or disarranged, it has been
thrown around, in some cases even chopped up. The handsome secretaire has been
turned into splinters.

North is the doorway into the room that was once your bedroom.

An open door leads back west into the corridor.

>x furniture
You can't see any such thing.

>x fireplace
A handsome fireplace with the family crest carved in stone on the mantel.

In the fireplace are some remains of papers.

>get papers
(the remains of papers)
They're tiny pieces, and ashy too; nothing to be taken away or kept.

>search papers
Which do you mean, the remains of papers or the household papers?

>remains
You find nothing of interest.

>[aww!]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>x mantel
You can't see any such thing.

>x secretaire
It was -- once -- a delicate piece with careful veneerwork in kingswood. It is
now rendered into chunks mostly no larger than your hand, all the drawers taken
out and strewn around.

Something about the wreckage tickles your recollection.

>remember it

...

You sat on one of the chairs, legs dangling, while your father talked to the
Count.

"Whatever you like," the Count said. "We owe you everything... My daughter's
life..."  He spread his hand, and you felt awed that this man could owe your
father anything.

Then your father glanced at you sideways, turned the cap in his hands, and
began: "My lord, we have many mouths at home."

...

>
[Oh, that was when I initially came here, because he had linked me to his daughter.  Or maybe I climbed the well
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>[or some such]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>search it
You find nothing of interest.

>l

Count's Study
A large room with windows that face south, and a fireplace along the east. The
place is a mess. Other rooms have looked bare, but this one-- this room has been
ransacked. Furniture has not simply been removed or disarranged, it has been
thrown around, in some cases even chopped up. The handsome secretaire has been
turned into splinters.

North is the doorway into the room that was once your bedroom.

An open door leads back west into the corridor.

>x windows
Windows framed in the old style, arched at the top with a little knot of carved
flowerettes and ribbon-work.

>look through windows
You find nothing of interest.

>x furniture
You can't see any such thing.

>s
You can go only north or west.

>w

Long Salon
A long empty room with shined wooden floors, perfect for sliding in stocking-
feet. West is the top of the staircase, and rooms open to the north and east.

The door to the Count's study stands open.

>s
You can go only north, east or west.

>w

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>d

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock clicks closed.

>e
The south door leads only out of the estate, where you are not ready to go. You
can go only north, west, northeast, up or down.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>e
The south door leads only out of the estate, where you are not ready to go. You
can go only north, west, northeast, up or down.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>ne

Dining Room
A grand room, for dining in style. The plastered ceiling is several times your
height. The air now is cool and deep, the sunlight glancing through the windows
and scattering from the chandelier, putting points of light at your feet, over
the table, across the painted wallpaper and the handsome wood paneling.

Woodworked columns frame the exits west and southwest.

Heavy double doors open east to the kitchen.

>e

Kitchen Corridor
A narrow corridor between the kitchen and the main house, which has a thick
separate wall. The two buildings are only barely attached, to discourage fires.
A small staircase leads down.

Double doors give west onto the main house.

>e

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>e

Kitchen Garden
West is the wall of the kitchen. Most of the space along the wall is planted
with herbs -- bay, parsley, stalks of mint -- left of the open doorway. To its
right is only a drainage ditch, catching the outflow of a pipe that comes
through the wall.

In one corner of the plot is the well, drilled many deep feet; in another is the
antique sundial.

>link vase to well
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just too dissimilar.

>[curses!  I really thought that was it.]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>[Oh, hey, better save]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>save
Ok.

>[OK, a word.  hmm....]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>x crumpled
A bit of soiled, wadded paper, old and dirty.

>read it
Your name is written on it, perhaps a dozen times, with various honorifics, in
Marie's elegant handwriting. She was fluently literate but always a painstaking
writer, determined never to blot her work, and wrote, even when grown up, with
the tip of her tongue caught between her teeth.

>w

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>w

Kitchen Corridor
A narrow corridor between the kitchen and the main house, which has a thick
separate wall. The two buildings are only barely attached, to discourage fires.
A small staircase leads down.

Double doors give west onto the main house.

>n
You can go only east, west or down.

>w

Dining Room
A grand room, for dining in style. The plastered ceiling is several times your
height. The air now is cool and deep, the sunlight glancing through the windows
and scattering from the chandelier, putting points of light at your feet, over
the table, across the painted wallpaper and the handsome wood paneling.

Woodworked columns frame the exits west and southwest.

Heavy double doors open east to the kitchen.

>sw

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

On the half-hour the cuckoo clock opens up its door and a mechanical bird flies
forward. It sings a brief warbling tune, then withdraws into its little door.

>u

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>n

Old Conservatory
A chilly northern exposure, perhaps, but really quite lovely. This room used to
be where Marie would practice her music, and the Countess play her compositions;
Marie's own room lies to the west.

On the high shelf is a stone block.

The pianoforte stands in the center of the room.

>w

Marie's Chamber
Stripped of the elegant clutter it once possessed, the room still offers a
charming view through the north window of the old grounds, and the way out is to
the east. The wallpaper and floorboards are still as elegant as ever.

Hanging on the wall is an elegant gilt-wood mirror, reflecting sunlight over the
ground before it.

Her desk remains, pushed against the wall.

>pierre
That's not a verb I recognize.

>say pierre
(to yourself)
There is no reply.

>read chewed
What do you want to read in?

>x paper
(the wallpaper)
Ivory and powder-blue, with a tracery of blush roses.

>i
You are carrying:
  a vase
    some dead roses
  an gilded key (which opens the tall door)
  a bracelet (being worn)
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
    not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    a pine chest (which is closed)
    a wadded paper
    a sword
    a dark wooden box (which is closed)
    a crumpled paper
    an unfinished letter
    a pair of shoes
    an ivory silk gown
    a blue glass jar (which is closed)
      some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
    a rug
    some silver coins
    a red glass jar (which is closed)
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    two metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    six books:
      a fanciful book
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a table knife
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a fork
      a spoon
    ten food items:
      a goat cheese
      a wedge of brie
      a sprig of parsley
      a sprig of mint
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
  a dashing hat (being worn)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)

>x vase
A tall vase of some kind of turned stone, ornamented somewhat on the outside but
neatly cylindrical inside.

In the vase are some dead roses.

>get roses
(the wallpaper)
That's hardly portable.

>get dead roses
(putting the gilded key into the sack to make room)
Taken.

>remember roses
(the wallpaper)
The wallpaper raises no special memories for you.

>remember dead roses

...

"How does he treat you?"  Your mother, standing outside in the field in her best
dress because she refused to be brought inside the house. "Is he very strict?
Does he beat you?"

"No, of course not, Maman. It is just as though he were my own Papa." 

She frowned, looked away. "And I suppose you are learning all sorts of things,"
she said.

"Oh, yes, much more than at home."

She made a little gesture; then her mood changed. "But you must be missing the
sweet bread I make at home, no? I'll bring you some in a basket."

"No, Maman, the cooks make me anything I want."

...

>[Dude, kid, say "Yes I miss your bread" to your mom.]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>[word word word word word...]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>i
You are carrying:
  some dead roses
  a vase
  a bracelet (being worn)
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
    not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    a pine chest (which is closed)
    a wadded paper
    a sword
    a dark wooden box (which is closed)
    a crumpled paper
    an unfinished letter
    a pair of shoes
    an ivory silk gown
    a blue glass jar (which is closed)
      some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
    a rug
    some silver coins
    a red glass jar (which is closed)
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    two metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
    six books:
      a fanciful book
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a table knife
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a fork
      a spoon
    ten food items:
      a goat cheese
      a wedge of brie
      a sprig of parsley
      a sprig of mint
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
    three keys:
      an gilded key (which opens the tall door)
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
  a dashing hat (being worn)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)

>read wadded
...can be used to view the other member of a strong link. Under most
circumstances there is a word of some sort required to activate such viewing
devices, which may be spoken to it or in its presence. 

Next to this in handwriting: "(Our mirror from the workshop in the Rue des
Arbres.)"

>arbres
That's not a verb I recognize.

>rue
That's not a verb I recognize.

>workshop
That's not a verb I recognize.

>e

Old Conservatory
A chilly northern exposure, perhaps, but really quite lovely. This room used to
be where Marie would practice her music, and the Countess play her compositions;
Marie's own room lies to the west.

On the high shelf is a stone block.

The pianoforte stands in the center of the room.

>w

Marie's Chamber
Stripped of the elegant clutter it once possessed, the room still offers a
charming view through the north window of the old grounds, and the way out is to
the east. The wallpaper and floorboards are still as elegant as ever.

Hanging on the wall is an elegant gilt-wood mirror, reflecting sunlight over the
ground before it.

Her desk remains, pushed against the wall.

>leonie
That's not a verb I recognize.

>say leonie
(to yourself)
There is no reply.

>say anabelle
(to yourself)
There is no reply.

>say marie
(to yourself)
There is no reply.

>say rue des arbres
(to yourself)
There is no reply.

>say arbres
(to yourself)
There is no reply.

>read wadded
...can be used to view the other member of a strong link. Under most
circumstances there is a word of some sort required to activate such viewing
devices, which may be spoken to it or in its presence. 

Next to this in handwriting: "(Our mirror from the workshop in the Rue des
Arbres.)"

>read old letter
"Daughter," it begins. "If I ever leave you or am lost, there are some matters
you must know of. First-- I have laid aside some provisions, a small store only,
against disaster: money, letters of introduction to certain persons, but most of
all the means to defend yourself, if need comes. They are hidden, and the ways
to find them woven up long ago where only the proper light will show it. You're
a clever girl, Marie. I know you will not resort to them heedlessly.

"Look after the servants: they have been loyal and good all your life. If you
find you wish to sell any of the odder things I brought your mother, don't give
them away cheap. They'll fetch a large price from M. Couligne in the Rue des
Arbres. If you marry, for your mother's sake let it be a man who is well-born,
but for mine, please daughter, not someone who will deny you the right to
practice your craft.

"And last -- my dear girl, this will come as a shock to you, and I am sorry. But
when you were stuck in the well as a child, and so close to death, I became
desperate, and took the very dangerous step of linking you to Pierre, so that
you would not die as long as he lived. So you see, it was not only gratitude
that made us raise him almost as your brother, but concern for your very life,
since your mother and I knew that as long as he was healthy and well, so would
you be. Therefore, child, keep an eye on him, and if ever he is in want, look
after him carefully. I know that you are fond of him in any case, but think on
this in addition: his very life is yours."

It is signed, "Your loving father."

>say couligne
(to yourself)
There is no reply.

>couligne
You speak the word, but nothing happens.

>open dark
You open the dark wooden box, revealing a mirror inset inside the box.

The pine chest opens.  The mirror inset inside the box begins to glow with
reflected light.

>couligne
You speak the word, but nothing happens.

>unlink dark
You succeed in unlinking the dark wooden box from the pine chest.

>couligne
You speak the word, but nothing happens.

>[crap!]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>read old
"Daughter," it begins. "If I ever leave you or am lost, there are some matters
you must know of. First-- I have laid aside some provisions, a small store only,
against disaster: money, letters of introduction to certain persons, but most of
all the means to defend yourself, if need comes. They are hidden, and the ways
to find them woven up long ago where only the proper light will show it. You're
a clever girl, Marie. I know you will not resort to them heedlessly.

"Look after the servants: they have been loyal and good all your life. If you
find you wish to sell any of the odder things I brought your mother, don't give
them away cheap. They'll fetch a large price from M. Couligne in the Rue des
Arbres. If you marry, for your mother's sake let it be a man who is well-born,
but for mine, please daughter, not someone who will deny you the right to
practice your craft.

"And last -- my dear girl, this will come as a shock to you, and I am sorry. But
when you were stuck in the well as a child, and so close to death, I became
desperate, and took the very dangerous step of linking you to Pierre, so that
you would not die as long as he lived. So you see, it was not only gratitude
that made us raise him almost as your brother, but concern for your very life,
since your mother and I knew that as long as he was healthy and well, so would
you be. Therefore, child, keep an eye on him, and if ever he is in want, look
after him carefully. I know that you are fond of him in any case, but think on
this in addition: his very life is yours."

It is signed, "Your loving father."

>m. couligne
That's not a verb I recognize.

>read mirrors
What do you want to read in?

>read ars
What do you want to read in?

>x books
You can't see any such thing.

>i
You are carrying:
  some dead roses
  a vase
  a bracelet (being worn)
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
    not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    a pine chest (which is open)
      a slice of brie
    a wadded paper
    a sword
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (providing light)
    a crumpled paper
    an unfinished letter
    a pair of shoes
    an ivory silk gown
    a blue glass jar (which is closed)
      some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
    a rug
    some silver coins
    a red glass jar (which is closed)
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    two metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
    six books:
      a fanciful book
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a table knife
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a fork
      a spoon
    ten food items:
      a goat cheese
      a wedge of brie
      a sprig of parsley
      a sprig of mint
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
    three keys:
      an gilded key (which opens the tall door)
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
  a dashing hat (being worn)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)

>read lavori
(first taking The Lavori d'Aracne)

(putting the vase into the sack to make room)
Taken.

On the subject of mirrors: Unusual and costly mirrors of special power exist
which enhance the workings of the lavori d'Aracne; they may be recognized by
their failure to reflect in the ordinary way. Some make it easier to form a link
through the mirror than through open air, allowing the magician to reverse-link
items that are otherwise too dissimilar to use. Likewise, such a mirror...

But then, unfortunately, it breaks off, the page apparently having been chewed
out and carried away by something or other.

>read wadded
...can be used to view the other member of a strong link. Under most
circumstances there is a word of some sort required to activate such viewing
devices, which may be spoken to it or in its presence. 

Next to this in handwriting: "(Our mirror from the workshop in the Rue des
Arbres.)"

>[Did I miss one?]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>e

Old Conservatory
A chilly northern exposure, perhaps, but really quite lovely. This room used to
be where Marie would practice her music, and the Countess play her compositions;
Marie's own room lies to the west.

On the high shelf is a stone block.

The pianoforte stands in the center of the room.

>s

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>e

Long Salon
A long empty room with shined wooden floors, perfect for sliding in stocking-
feet. West is the top of the staircase, and rooms open to the north and east.

The door to the Count's study stands open.

>e

Count's Study
A large room with windows that face south, and a fireplace along the east. The
place is a mess. Other rooms have looked bare, but this one-- this room has been
ransacked. Furniture has not simply been removed or disarranged, it has been
thrown around, in some cases even chopped up. The handsome secretaire has been
turned into splinters.

North is the doorway into the room that was once your bedroom.

An open door leads back west into the corridor.

>couligne
You speak the word, but nothing happens.

>n

Your Old Bedroom
A large, bright, sunny room, which you still regard with affection. 

In your absence it has turned into a general sitting room. Gone is the table
where you used to study -- it took you a long time to learn to read as well as
Marie, but you did not care to be left behind by someone two years younger than
yourself; also the wardrobe, which astonished when you found that it was to
contain nothing but clothes for you.

>couligne
You speak the word, but nothing happens.

>s

Count's Study
A large room with windows that face south, and a fireplace along the east. The
place is a mess. Other rooms have looked bare, but this one-- this room has been
ransacked. Furniture has not simply been removed or disarranged, it has been
thrown around, in some cases even chopped up. The handsome secretaire has been
turned into splinters.

North is the doorway into the room that was once your bedroom.

An open door leads back west into the corridor.

>[oh, hey![
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>w

Long Salon
A long empty room with shined wooden floors, perfect for sliding in stocking-
feet. West is the top of the staircase, and rooms open to the north and east.

The door to the Count's study stands open.

>w

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>d

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>e
The south door leads only out of the estate, where you are not ready to go. You
can go only north, west, northeast, up or down.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>ne

Dining Room
A grand room, for dining in style. The plastered ceiling is several times your
height. The air now is cool and deep, the sunlight glancing through the windows
and scattering from the chandelier, putting points of light at your feet, over
the table, across the painted wallpaper and the handsome wood paneling.

Woodworked columns frame the exits west and southwest.

Heavy double doors open east to the kitchen.

>e

Kitchen Corridor
A narrow corridor between the kitchen and the main house, which has a thick
separate wall. The two buildings are only barely attached, to discourage fires.
A small staircase leads down.

Double doors give west onto the main house.

>e

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>e

Kitchen Garden
West is the wall of the kitchen. Most of the space along the wall is planted
with herbs -- bay, parsley, stalks of mint -- left of the open doorway. To its
right is only a drainage ditch, catching the outflow of a pipe that comes
through the wall.

In one corner of the plot is the well, drilled many deep feet; in another is the
antique sundial.

>couligne
You speak the word, but nothing happens.

>[crap!]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>w

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>w

Kitchen Corridor
A narrow corridor between the kitchen and the main house, which has a thick
separate wall. The two buildings are only barely attached, to discourage fires.
A small staircase leads down.

Double doors give west onto the main house.

>w

Dining Room
A grand room, for dining in style. The plastered ceiling is several times your
height. The air now is cool and deep, the sunlight glancing through the windows
and scattering from the chandelier, putting points of light at your feet, over
the table, across the painted wallpaper and the handsome wood paneling.

Woodworked columns frame the exits west and southwest.

Heavy double doors open east to the kitchen.

>sw

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>w

Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>w

Chapel
The old private chapel, octagonal-shaped, with tall windows of stained glass,
casting a dazzling pattern of blue and green on the ground. Here the family used
to hold its private worship services, keeping a form of the official religion
that would no doubt have scandalized the parish curate.

A rat corpse lies here in unappetizing state.

There's a conspicuous rat-hole where the stone floor meets the wooden beams.

>couligne
You speak the word, but nothing happens.

>e

Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>u
The worn and winding staircase is not so easy to climb, you find; it would be
worse with a flickering candle in the dark. But still you manage...

Bedchamber of the Count and Countess
The room, like the chapel below it, is made of stone, unfaced; high windows,
clear rather than stained glass, admit a pure light. It is also octagonal, and
the ceiling ribs meet at a boss overhead, shaped like a coiled dragon.

It does not have the bare appearance of most of the other rooms of the house.
There is a full company of furniture -- a tall-backed ebony and ivory chair,
poster bed, wardrobe, inlaid florentine table. A staircase of worn stone steps
leads back down.

There is a trunk in the middle of the room, its lid thrown open and its contents
beginning to spill out.

>couligne
You speak the word, but nothing happens.

>[crap crap crap]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>d

Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>e

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock clicks closed.

>u

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>n

Old Conservatory
A chilly northern exposure, perhaps, but really quite lovely. This room used to
be where Marie would practice her music, and the Countess play her compositions;
Marie's own room lies to the west.

On the high shelf is a stone block.

The pianoforte stands in the center of the room.

>w

Marie's Chamber
Stripped of the elegant clutter it once possessed, the room still offers a
charming view through the north window of the old grounds, and the way out is to
the east. The wallpaper and floorboards are still as elegant as ever.

Hanging on the wall is an elegant gilt-wood mirror, reflecting sunlight over the
ground before it.

Her desk remains, pushed against the wall.

>couligne
You speak the word, but nothing happens.

>read old
"Daughter," it begins. "If I ever leave you or am lost, there are some matters
you must know of. First-- I have laid aside some provisions, a small store only,
against disaster: money, letters of introduction to certain persons, but most of
all the means to defend yourself, if need comes. They are hidden, and the ways
to find them woven up long ago where only the proper light will show it. You're
a clever girl, Marie. I know you will not resort to them heedlessly.

"Look after the servants: they have been loyal and good all your life. If you
find you wish to sell any of the odder things I brought your mother, don't give
them away cheap. They'll fetch a large price from M. Couligne in the Rue des
Arbres. If you marry, for your mother's sake let it be a man who is well-born,
but for mine, please daughter, not someone who will deny you the right to
practice your craft.

"And last -- my dear girl, this will come as a shock to you, and I am sorry. But
when you were stuck in the well as a child, and so close to death, I became
desperate, and took the very dangerous step of linking you to Pierre, so that
you would not die as long as he lived. So you see, it was not only gratitude
that made us raise him almost as your brother, but concern for your very life,
since your mother and I knew that as long as he was healthy and well, so would
you be. Therefore, child, keep an eye on him, and if ever he is in want, look
after him carefully. I know that you are fond of him in any case, but think on
this in addition: his very life is yours."

It is signed, "Your loving father."

>[Hmm.  Inky says this refers to a new place.]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>e

Old Conservatory
A chilly northern exposure, perhaps, but really quite lovely. This room used to
be where Marie would practice her music, and the Countess play her compositions;
Marie's own room lies to the west.

On the high shelf is a stone block.

The pianoforte stands in the center of the room.

>s

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>d

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>w

Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>u
The worn and winding staircase is not so easy to climb, you find; it would be
worse with a flickering candle in the dark. But still you manage...

Bedchamber of the Count and Countess
The room, like the chapel below it, is made of stone, unfaced; high windows,
clear rather than stained glass, admit a pure light. It is also octagonal, and
the ceiling ribs meet at a boss overhead, shaped like a coiled dragon.

It does not have the bare appearance of most of the other rooms of the house.
There is a full company of furniture -- a tall-backed ebony and ivory chair,
poster bed, wardrobe, inlaid florentine table. A staircase of worn stone steps
leads back down.

There is a trunk in the middle of the room, its lid thrown open and its contents
beginning to spill out.

>x ceiling
(the ceiling)
Ribbed and coming to bosses.

>[bosses is an unfamiliar word to me in this context]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>d

Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>w

Chapel
The old private chapel, octagonal-shaped, with tall windows of stained glass,
casting a dazzling pattern of blue and green on the ground. Here the family used
to hold its private worship services, keeping a form of the official religion
that would no doubt have scandalized the parish curate.

A rat corpse lies here in unappetizing state.

There's a conspicuous rat-hole where the stone floor meets the wooden beams.

>x corpse
The corpse bears the marks of a violent and sudden death: the claws clench on
open air, the mouth is open in a frozen rictus. The tail coils like a spring.
Only the eyes are not sharp with the horror of death; they are dull and filmed
instead, and not alert.

>[Wow, that's vivid.]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>x hole
A dark concavity, lined with the gathered debris of past services; bits of paper
curled into the shadows, and string, and gnawed grey cloth. 

>look in it
The rat hole is empty.

>[except for the gnawed grey cloth, etc.]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>search it
The rat hole is empty.

>put bauble in it
You put the celestial bauble into the rat hole.

>look in it
Inside are a tiny golden sun and a tiny silver star.

>look in dark
(the rat hole)
In the rat hole is a celestial bauble.

>get bauble
Taken.

>l

Chapel
The old private chapel, octagonal-shaped, with tall windows of stained glass,
casting a dazzling pattern of blue and green on the ground. Here the family used
to hold its private worship services, keeping a form of the official religion
that would no doubt have scandalized the parish curate.

A rat corpse lies here in unappetizing state.

There's a conspicuous rat-hole where the stone floor meets the wooden beams.

>x stained glass
They form an odd, abstract pattern, unlike most stained glass windows you are
acquainted with.

>x pattern
(the pattern)
A lovely display of green and blue light on the worn stone of the old chapel.

>close dark
(the rat hole)
That's not something you can close.

>close dark box
You close the dark wooden box.

>open green jar
That's already open.

>x it
A green glass container with a wide mouth and a stopper.

In the green glass jar is some olive oil.

>x red jar
A red glass container with a wide mouth and a stopper. The glass is molded with
a design of vines and clustering grapes around the top.

>x blue jar
A blue glass container with a wide mouth and a stopper.

>[Wow, missed that on the red jar earlier]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>x jar
(the green glass jar)
A green glass container with a wide mouth and a stopper.

In the green glass jar is some olive oil.

>open blue jar
Opening a container of onion dye while it is in the sack seems like an
invitation to disaster.

>get it
(putting the dead roses into the sack to make room)
Taken.

>get green
You already have that.

>get cup
(putting The Lavori d'Aracne into the sack to make room)
Taken.

>pour blue into cup
The blue glass jar is closed.

>open it
You open the blue glass jar.

>pour blue into cup
You put some onion dye in the cup, exhausting the supply in the blue glass jar. 
There is still some room remaining in the cup.

>put bauble in blue
You put the celestial bauble into the blue glass jar.

>close blue
You close the blue glass jar.

>l

Chapel
The old private chapel, octagonal-shaped, with tall windows of stained glass,
casting a dazzling pattern of blue and green on the ground. Here the family used
to hold its private worship services, keeping a form of the official religion
that would no doubt have scandalized the parish curate.

A rat corpse lies here in unappetizing state.

There's a conspicuous rat-hole where the stone floor meets the wooden beams.

>i
You are carrying:
  a blue glass jar (which is closed)
    a celestial bauble (providing blue light)
  a bracelet (being worn)
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    some dead roses
    a vase
    a pine chest (which is open)
      a slice of brie
    a wadded paper
    a sword
    a dark wooden box (which is closed)
    a crumpled paper
    an unfinished letter
    a pair of shoes
    an ivory silk gown
    a rug
    some silver coins
    a red glass jar (which is closed)
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    a plate
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a table knife
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a fork
      a spoon
    ten food items:
      a goat cheese
      a wedge of brie
      a sprig of parsley
      a sprig of mint
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
    three keys:
      an gilded key (which opens the tall door)
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    six books:
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      a fanciful book
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
  a dashing hat (being worn)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  two metal dishes:
    a cup
      some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the cup)
    a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
      not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)

>x pattern
(the pattern)
A lovely display of green and blue light on the worn stone of the old chapel.

>open blue
You open the blue glass jar.

>get bauble
Taken.

>pour green into blue
You put some olive oil in the blue glass jar, exhausting the supply in the green
glass jar.  There is still some room remaining in the blue glass jar.

>put bauble in green
You put the celestial bauble into the green glass jar.

>close green
You close the green glass jar.

>i
You are carrying:
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a bracelet (being worn)
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a green glass jar (which is closed)
    a celestial bauble (providing green light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    some dead roses
    a vase
    a pine chest (which is open)
      a slice of brie
    a wadded paper
    a sword
    a dark wooden box (which is closed)
    a crumpled paper
    an unfinished letter
    a pair of shoes
    an ivory silk gown
    a rug
    some silver coins
    a red glass jar (which is closed)
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    a plate
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a table knife
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a fork
      a spoon
    ten food items:
      a goat cheese
      a wedge of brie
      a sprig of parsley
      a sprig of mint
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
    three keys:
      an gilded key (which opens the tall door)
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    six books:
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      a fanciful book
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
  a dashing hat (being worn)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  two metal dishes:
    a cup
      some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the cup)
    a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
      not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)

>x pattern
(the pattern)
A lovely display of green and blue light on the worn stone of the old chapel.

>x stone
A tall vase of some kind of turned stone, ornamented somewhat on the outside but
neatly cylindrical inside.

>x worn stone
You can't see any such thing.

>x floor
You see nothing special about the floor.

>x ground
You see nothing special about the floor.

>read old
"Daughter," it begins. "If I ever leave you or am lost, there are some matters
you must know of. First-- I have laid aside some provisions, a small store only,
against disaster: money, letters of introduction to certain persons, but most of
all the means to defend yourself, if need comes. They are hidden, and the ways
to find them woven up long ago where only the proper light will show it. You're
a clever girl, Marie. I know you will not resort to them heedlessly.

"Look after the servants: they have been loyal and good all your life. If you
find you wish to sell any of the odder things I brought your mother, don't give
them away cheap. They'll fetch a large price from M. Couligne in the Rue des
Arbres. If you marry, for your mother's sake let it be a man who is well-born,
but for mine, please daughter, not someone who will deny you the right to
practice your craft.

"And last -- my dear girl, this will come as a shock to you, and I am sorry. But
when you were stuck in the well as a child, and so close to death, I became
desperate, and took the very dangerous step of linking you to Pierre, so that
you would not die as long as he lived. So you see, it was not only gratitude
that made us raise him almost as your brother, but concern for your very life,
since your mother and I knew that as long as he was healthy and well, so would
you be. Therefore, child, keep an eye on him, and if ever he is in want, look
after him carefully. I know that you are fond of him in any case, but think on
this in addition: his very life is yours."

It is signed, "Your loving father."

>link light to bauble
The two are already linked.

>unlink bauble
You succeed in unlinking the celestial bauble from the sunlight.

>link bauble to pattern
(the pattern)
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they seem as though they will
never go together.

>link bauble to light
Bending your will, you form the link between the celestial bauble and the
sunlight.

The celestial bauble commences to shine with reflected light.

>x bauble
A delicate ornament made of glass, containing inside it a little sun and star
that whirl infinitely in the hollow space. It was a plaything of Marie's, which
(due to careful reverse linking to a perfectly round rock) she could hurl at
walls and never break, drop down staircases and find intact at the bottom. But
it is very doubtful that the link has lasted out the years.

>i
You are carrying:
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a bracelet (being worn)
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a green glass jar (which is closed)
    a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    some dead roses
    a vase
    a pine chest (which is open)
      a slice of brie
    a wadded paper
    a sword
    a dark wooden box (which is closed)
    a crumpled paper
    an unfinished letter
    a pair of shoes
    an ivory silk gown
    a rug
    some silver coins
    a red glass jar (which is closed)
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    a plate
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a table knife
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a fork
      a spoon
    ten food items:
      a goat cheese
      a wedge of brie
      a sprig of parsley
      a sprig of mint
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
    three keys:
      an gilded key (which opens the tall door)
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    six books:
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      a fanciful book
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
  a dashing hat (being worn)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  two metal dishes:
    a cup
      some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the cup)
    a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
      not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)

>
[Oh, hey, *very* minor bug--the bauble is now providing white light, despite being in the jar still]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>drop rug
(first taking the rug)
Taken.

Dappled blue and green light plays over the rug.

>x rug
It's a deep, thick carpet, so comfortable that your mother would have been happy
to have it for a bed. There is a peculiar pattern woven into the rug, made
visible by the matching pattern of blue and green light. It looks somewhat like
this:

..#...#...#..#...#..#####..####...#####..
..#...#...#..#...#..#......#...#..#......
..#...#...#..#####..####...####...####...
...#..#..#...#...#..#......#...#..#......
...###.###...#...#..#####..#...#..#####..
.........................................
.....###.###....###...####...#..#####....
.....#..#..#...#...#..#...#..#..#........
....#...#...#..#####..####...#..####.....
....#...#...#..#...#..#...#..#..#........
....#...#...#..#...#..#...#..#..#####....
.........................................
........#####..#####..#......#...........
........#......#......#......#...........
........####...####...#......#...........
........#......#......#......#...........
........#......#####..#####..#####.......


>[Yesssss!!!!]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>e

Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>e

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>ne

Dining Room
A grand room, for dining in style. The plastered ceiling is several times your
height. The air now is cool and deep, the sunlight glancing through the windows
and scattering from the chandelier, putting points of light at your feet, over
the table, across the painted wallpaper and the handsome wood paneling.

Woodworked columns frame the exits west and southwest.

Heavy double doors open east to the kitchen.

>e

Kitchen Corridor
A narrow corridor between the kitchen and the main house, which has a thick
separate wall. The two buildings are only barely attached, to discourage fires.
A small staircase leads down.

Double doors give west onto the main house.

>e

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>e

Kitchen Garden
West is the wall of the kitchen. Most of the space along the wall is planted
with herbs -- bay, parsley, stalks of mint -- left of the open doorway. To its
right is only a drainage ditch, catching the outflow of a pipe that comes
through the wall.

In one corner of the plot is the well, drilled many deep feet; in another is the
antique sundial.

>[ok, the well]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>x well
A dark circle of stone, the depths of which you cannot see. The water comes up
within reach.

A bar of iron crosses the well, to support a bucket on a rope (which, however,
is itself lacking).

In the well is a body of water.

>enter well
The water would stain the silk of your good waistcoat!

>put rope on bar
(first taking the rope ladder)
Taken.

You adroitly fasten the rope ladder to the bar.

>d
The water would stain the silk of your good waistcoat!

>search well
In the well is a body of water.

>look in well
In the well is a body of water.

>[oh, man, that rug message was the best thing *ever*]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>w

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>e

Kitchen Garden
West is the wall of the kitchen. Most of the space along the wall is planted
with herbs -- bay, parsley, stalks of mint -- left of the open doorway. To its
right is only a drainage ditch, catching the outflow of a pipe that comes
through the wall.

In one corner of the plot is the well, drilled many deep feet; in another is the
antique sundial.

>read old
"Daughter," it begins. "If I ever leave you or am lost, there are some matters
you must know of. First-- I have laid aside some provisions, a small store only,
against disaster: money, letters of introduction to certain persons, but most of
all the means to defend yourself, if need comes. They are hidden, and the ways
to find them woven up long ago where only the proper light will show it. You're
a clever girl, Marie. I know you will not resort to them heedlessly.

"Look after the servants: they have been loyal and good all your life. If you
find you wish to sell any of the odder things I brought your mother, don't give
them away cheap. They'll fetch a large price from M. Couligne in the Rue des
Arbres. If you marry, for your mother's sake let it be a man who is well-born,
but for mine, please daughter, not someone who will deny you the right to
practice your craft.

"And last -- my dear girl, this will come as a shock to you, and I am sorry. But
when you were stuck in the well as a child, and so close to death, I became
desperate, and took the very dangerous step of linking you to Pierre, so that
you would not die as long as he lived. So you see, it was not only gratitude
that made us raise him almost as your brother, but concern for your very life,
since your mother and I knew that as long as he was healthy and well, so would
you be. Therefore, child, keep an eye on him, and if ever he is in want, look
after him carefully. I know that you are fond of him in any case, but think on
this in addition: his very life is yours."

It is signed, "Your loving father."

>w

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>w

Kitchen Corridor
A narrow corridor between the kitchen and the main house, which has a thick
separate wall. The two buildings are only barely attached, to discourage fires.
A small staircase leads down.

Double doors give west onto the main house.

>w

Dining Room
A grand room, for dining in style. The plastered ceiling is several times your
height. The air now is cool and deep, the sunlight glancing through the windows
and scattering from the chandelier, putting points of light at your feet, over
the table, across the painted wallpaper and the handsome wood paneling.

Woodworked columns frame the exits west and southwest.

Heavy double doors open east to the kitchen.

>sw

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>w

Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>w

Chapel
The old private chapel, octagonal-shaped, with tall windows of stained glass,
casting a dazzling pattern of blue and green on the ground. Here the family used
to hold its private worship services, keeping a form of the official religion
that would no doubt have scandalized the parish curate.

A rat corpse lies here in unappetizing state.

On the pattern is a rug.

There's a conspicuous rat-hole where the stone floor meets the wooden beams.

>[on the pattern is a rug?]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>get rug
Taken.

>x it
It's a deep, thick carpet, so comfortable that your mother would have been happy
to have it for a bed. The pattern is intricate and peculiar.

>drop it
Dappled blue and green light plays over the rug.

>x it
It's a deep, thick carpet, so comfortable that your mother would have been happy
to have it for a bed. There is a peculiar pattern woven into the rug, made
visible by the matching pattern of blue and green light. It looks somewhat like
this:

..#...#...#..#...#..#####..####...#####..
..#...#...#..#...#..#......#...#..#......
..#...#...#..#####..####...####...####...
...#..#..#...#...#..#......#...#..#......
...###.###...#...#..#####..#...#..#####..
.........................................
.....###.###....###...####...#..#####....
.....#..#..#...#...#..#...#..#..#........
....#...#...#..#####..####...#..####.....
....#...#...#..#...#..#...#..#..#........
....#...#...#..#...#..#...#..#..#####....
.........................................
........#####..#####..#......#...........
........#......#......#......#...........
........####...####...#......#...........
........#......#......#......#...........
........#......#####..#####..#####.......


>[mmmm, goosebumps]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>get rug
Taken.

>e

Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>e

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock clicks closed.

>ne

Dining Room
A grand room, for dining in style. The plastered ceiling is several times your
height. The air now is cool and deep, the sunlight glancing through the windows
and scattering from the chandelier, putting points of light at your feet, over
the table, across the painted wallpaper and the handsome wood paneling.

Woodworked columns frame the exits west and southwest.

Heavy double doors open east to the kitchen.

>e

Kitchen Corridor
A narrow corridor between the kitchen and the main house, which has a thick
separate wall. The two buildings are only barely attached, to discourage fires.
A small staircase leads down.

Double doors give west onto the main house.

>e

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>e

Kitchen Garden
West is the wall of the kitchen. Most of the space along the wall is planted
with herbs -- bay, parsley, stalks of mint -- left of the open doorway. To its
right is only a drainage ditch, catching the outflow of a pipe that comes
through the wall.

In one corner of the plot is the well, drilled many deep feet; in another is the
antique sundial.

>put rug in well
You put the rug into the well. The rug sinks into oblivion.

>undo
Kitchen Garden
[Previous turn undone.]

>read old
"Daughter," it begins. "If I ever leave you or am lost, there are some matters
you must know of. First-- I have laid aside some provisions, a small store only,
against disaster: money, letters of introduction to certain persons, but most of
all the means to defend yourself, if need comes. They are hidden, and the ways
to find them woven up long ago where only the proper light will show it. You're
a clever girl, Marie. I know you will not resort to them heedlessly.

"Look after the servants: they have been loyal and good all your life. If you
find you wish to sell any of the odder things I brought your mother, don't give
them away cheap. They'll fetch a large price from M. Couligne in the Rue des
Arbres. If you marry, for your mother's sake let it be a man who is well-born,
but for mine, please daughter, not someone who will deny you the right to
practice your craft.

"And last -- my dear girl, this will come as a shock to you, and I am sorry. But
when you were stuck in the well as a child, and so close to death, I became
desperate, and took the very dangerous step of linking you to Pierre, so that
you would not die as long as he lived. So you see, it was not only gratitude
that made us raise him almost as your brother, but concern for your very life,
since your mother and I knew that as long as he was healthy and well, so would
you be. Therefore, child, keep an eye on him, and if ever he is in want, look
after him carefully. I know that you are fond of him in any case, but think on
this in addition: his very life is yours."

It is signed, "Your loving father."

>e
Your options are west into the kitchen or southeast into the shed.

>search sundial
You find nothing of interest.

>x sundial
A sturdy old sundial, its bronze weathered green. Unlike various tawdry sundials
you have encountered in your life, it has a firmly-attached gnomon that is
unlikely to come off in times of trouble.

>turn gnomon
It resists your stubborn efforts with a patience born of ages.

>x wabe
You can't see any such thing.

>[aww...]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>dig
What do you want to dig?

>hole
There's no loose ground to dig in.

>hop
You leap, displaying the same fine footwork that serves you in dance and fence.

>jump
You leap, displaying the same fine footwork that serves you in dance and fence.

>kweepa
That's not a verb I recognize.

>d
The water would stain the silk of your good waistcoat!

>link vase to well
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just too dissimilar.

>fill vase
What do you want to fill the vase with?

>fill vase from well
(first taking the vase)
(putting the green glass jar into the sack to make room)
Taken.

You put some water in the vase. This fills the vase to the brim.

>link vase to well
Bending your will, you form the link between the vase and the well.

>empty vase
water: (putting the rug into the sack to make room)
You pour the water out onto the ground.

The level of the water in the well sinks out of sight.

>d
You're going to need both hands to climb.

>drop all
vase: Dropped.
blue glass jar: You set the blue glass jar down gently.
sack: Dropped.

The sun burns off some of the water.

>i
You are carrying:
  a bracelet (being worn)
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a dashing hat (being worn)
  a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
    some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)
  two metal dishes:
    a cup
      some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the cup)
    a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
      not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)

>drop all
There are none at all available!

>[er]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>drop bottle
(the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc)
You set the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc down gently.

>drop cup
Dropped.

>drop teapot
Dropped.

>d
You'd be wise not to descend into the well without a light.

>put bauble in bag
(first taking the celestial bauble)
The green glass jar isn't open.
You need to be holding the celestial bauble before you can put it on top of
something else.

>open green jar
You open the green glass jar.

>put bauble in bag
(first taking the celestial bauble)
Taken.

You put the celestial bauble into the bag on a string.

>d

Deep in the Well
You cling to the rope ladder, deep within the well. The sky has narrowed above
you to a coin of pale blue. The damp stones brush against your body as you move,
no doubt leaving stains on the elegance of your attire, but there is no longer
time for such concerns.

An opening in the north wall. You could crawl, if you chose.

>n
You squirm your way through the close packing of stones, a tunnel not much wider
than your body...

Deep Room
A room like a coffin of rock: rock lines the floor, packed rocks vault the roof,
in a shape little longer than a man's body, and just tall enough to accommodate
you in sitting upright. There is an odor of dampness and vague decay, though you
can feel, brushing round you in the air, the web of strong protections. The room
does not seem to have been soaked, despite the water level in the well outside.

The sloping passage leads back into the body of the well, to the south.

There's a rounded stone in the back wall that looks loose.

Pushed to one side is a heavy box.

[Your score has just gone up by five points.]

>move rounded stone
You can't see any such thing.

>x box
Like the strong box that people take in their coaches for traveling.

>open it
You open the box, revealing an important paper and some gold coins.

>read important
The text is too long to read, but you get the sense of it quickly. It is an
order from the King: the traitor the Baron D'Envers, otherwise the heir through
primogeniture of the estate of the Count, is prevented from the enjoyment of
that inheritance, though for unnamed reasons he is not to be executed.

The text goes on to add that these matters are to be kept private, but that
Marie is female heir effective to the Count's line, with all the rights and
honors preserved, and that anyone she marries, regardless of background, will
become rightful Count.

[Your score has just gone up by two points.]

>[yaaaayyy!]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>x gold coins
A nontrivial portable fortune, obviously packed up with exactly that in mind.
The coins are brightly minted, but old.

>get box
Taken.

>move stone
Moving the rock reveals a strange mirror imbedded in the back wall.

>x mirror
It is, or should be, a mirror, but it is surrounded by odd markings. A spot at
the bottom of the frame seems worn by touch. At one point there is what would
seem to be a maker's mark, an ornate letter C.

>[um, dangit, what was his name]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>[sigh]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Deep Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Deep Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Deep Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Deep Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Deep Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Deep Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Deep Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Deep Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Deep Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Deep Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Deep Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Deep in the Well
[Previous turn undone.]

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Kitchen Garden
[Previous turn undone.]

>read old
"Daughter," it begins. "If I ever leave you or am lost, there are some matters
you must know of. First-- I have laid aside some provisions, a small store only,
against disaster: money, letters of introduction to certain persons, but most of
all the means to defend yourself, if need comes. They are hidden, and the ways
to find them woven up long ago where only the proper light will show it. You're
a clever girl, Marie. I know you will not resort to them heedlessly.

"Look after the servants: they have been loyal and good all your life. If you
find you wish to sell any of the odder things I brought your mother, don't give
them away cheap. They'll fetch a large price from M. Couligne in the Rue des
Arbres. If you marry, for your mother's sake let it be a man who is well-born,
but for mine, please daughter, not someone who will deny you the right to
practice your craft.

"And last -- my dear girl, this will come as a shock to you, and I am sorry. But
when you were stuck in the well as a child, and so close to death, I became
desperate, and took the very dangerous step of linking you to Pierre, so that
you would not die as long as he lived. So you see, it was not only gratitude
that made us raise him almost as your brother, but concern for your very life,
since your mother and I knew that as long as he was healthy and well, so would
you be. Therefore, child, keep an eye on him, and if ever he is in want, look
after him carefully. I know that you are fond of him in any case, but think on
this in addition: his very life is yours."

It is signed, "Your loving father."

>couligne
You speak the word, but nothing happens.

>d

Deep in the Well
You cling to the rope ladder, deep within the well. The sky has narrowed above
you to a coin of pale blue. The damp stones brush against your body as you move,
no doubt leaving stains on the elegance of your attire, but there is no longer
time for such concerns.

An opening in the north wall. You could crawl, if you chose.

>n
You squirm your way through the close packing of stones, a tunnel not much wider
than your body...

Deep Room
A room like a coffin of rock: rock lines the floor, packed rocks vault the roof,
in a shape little longer than a man's body, and just tall enough to accommodate
you in sitting upright. There is an odor of dampness and vague decay, though you
can feel, brushing round you in the air, the web of strong protections. The room
does not seem to have been soaked, despite the water level in the well outside.

The sloping passage leads back into the body of the well, to the south.

There's a rounded stone in the back wall that looks loose.

Pushed to one side is a heavy box.

[Your score has just gone up by five points.]

>open box
You open the box, revealing an important paper and some gold coins.

>get papers
You can't see any such thing.

>read important
The text is too long to read, but you get the sense of it quickly. It is an
order from the King: the traitor the Baron D'Envers, otherwise the heir through
primogeniture of the estate of the Count, is prevented from the enjoyment of
that inheritance, though for unnamed reasons he is not to be executed.

The text goes on to add that these matters are to be kept private, but that
Marie is female heir effective to the Count's line, with all the rights and
honors preserved, and that anyone she marries, regardless of background, will
become rightful Count.

[Your score has just gone up by two points.]

>get gold
Taken.

[Your score has just gone up by four points.]

>put all in box
gold coins: Done.

>get box
Taken.

>move stone
Moving the rock reveals a strange mirror imbedded in the back wall.

>couligne
When you speak the word, the mirror brightens somewhat, attentive to your
intentions.

[Your score has just gone up by three points.]

>look in mirror
In the mirror you see reflected your own face, a bit distant and strange. And
then a round stone.  Around the edges you can make out other indications of Deep
Room.

>marie
That's not a verb I recognize.

>say marie
(to the mirror)
There is no reply.

>x mirror
It is, or should be, a mirror, but it is surrounded by odd markings. A spot at
the bottom of the frame seems worn by touch. At one point there is what would
seem to be a maker's mark, an ornate letter C.

>couligne
The mirror is already functioning.

>get it
That's fixed in place.

>link mirror to light
You can't see any such thing.

>link mirror to bauble
The mirror is more strongly linked than you can control.

>x mirror
It is, or should be, a mirror, but it is surrounded by odd markings. A spot at
the bottom of the frame seems worn by touch. At one point there is what would
seem to be a maker's mark, an ornate letter C.

>look in it
In the mirror you see reflected your own face, a bit distant and strange. And
then a round stone.  Around the edges you can make out other indications of Deep
Room.

>touch it
The mirror brightens and clears.

You make out the image of Marie, alone, in a room high in a tower. The place is
bare, except for a cot, and the clothes she is wearing.

On the wall of the room you can discern the painted emblem of the house of
D'Envers.

Marie shifts uncomfortably from one position to another.

>[ha-HA!]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>maire, hi
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>mirror, hi
The mirror is steadfastly silent.

Marie rubs at the handcuffs, shifting her hands.

>z
Time passes.

Marie shifts uncomfortably from one position to another.

>z
Time passes.

Marie rubs at the handcuffs, shifting her hands.

>x handcuffs
(the handcuffs through the mirror)
Ugly, thick metal that bind Marie's wrists.

Marie shifts uncomfortably from one position to another.

>link handcuffs to bracelet
(the handcuffs through the mirror)
Bending your will, you form the link between the handcuffs and the bracelet.

Marie shifts uncomfortably from one position to another.

>open bracelet
You open the bracelet.

Marie pokes at her hair hopelessly, perhaps trying to restore it to some
semblance of order.

The handcuffs fall open. Marie appears surprised, but not too surprised to
react; she immediately pulls the handcuffs off fully and throws them on the
ground.

[Your score has just gone up by three points.]

>x marie
(Marie through the mirror)
She seems bedraggled and dispirited. She is wearing a good dress, but it has
been on her for a while, and is ruined by damp and dirt, and frayed at the hems.

Marie sits down against the wall, with a disgusted expression.

>z
Time passes.

Marie pokes at her hair hopelessly, perhaps trying to restore it to some
semblance of order.

>[her hair.]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>i
You are carrying:
  a box (which is open)
    some gold coins
    an important paper
  a bracelet (being worn)
  a bag on a string (being worn and open)
    a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a dashing hat (being worn)

Marie pokes at her hair hopelessly, perhaps trying to restore it to some
semblance of order.

>close bracelet
You close the bracelet.

Marie walks across the width of the room and stands looking up through the high
window for a moment.

The handcuffs close.

>x window
(the window through the mirror)
The window seems to be glass, but with iron bars across it, ensuring against an
easy escape even if the hypothetical escapee could reach it.

Marie walks across the width of the room and stands looking up through the high
window for a moment.

>x hat
Made of black felt, and quite ordinary, except for the breadth and sweep of the
brim, and the majesty of the pure white feather.

Marie pokes at her hair hopelessly, perhaps trying to restore it to some
semblance of order.

>x door
You can't see any such thing.

>look in mirror
In the mirror you see reflected some handcuffs, a cot, Marie and a window. 
Around the edges you can make out other indications of Prison Room.

Marie pokes at her hair hopelessly, perhaps trying to restore it to some
semblance of order.

>x cot
(the cot through the mirror)
It looks mostly clean, at least, which is a mercy.

Marie sits down against the wall, with a disgusted expression.

>x window
(the window through the mirror)
The window seems to be glass, but with iron bars across it, ensuring against an
easy escape even if the hypothetical escapee could reach it.

Marie walks across the width of the room and stands looking up through the high
window for a moment.

>i
You are carrying:
  a box (which is open)
    some gold coins
    an important paper
  a bracelet (being worn)
  a bag on a string (being worn and open)
    a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a dashing hat (being worn)

Marie pokes at her hair hopelessly, perhaps trying to restore it to some
semblance of order.

>x hair
Since you are in the country, there was no point in bothering with a wig.

Marie walks across the width of the room and stands looking up through the high
window for a moment.

>x marie's hair
You can't see any such thing.

>put box in bag
The bag on a string will accommodate only small items.

Marie walks across the width of the room and stands looking up through the high
window for a moment.

>put coins in bag
(first taking the gold coins)
Taken.

The bag on a string can really only accomodate one object at a time.

Marie pokes at her hair hopelessly, perhaps trying to restore it to some
semblance of order.

>put paper in bag
(first taking the important paper)
Taken.

The bag on a string can really only accomodate one object at a time.

Marie sits down against the wall, with a disgusted expression.

>link paper to window
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they seem as though they will
never go together.

Marie pokes at her hair hopelessly, perhaps trying to restore it to some
semblance of order.

>[arr][
That's not a verb I recognize.

>x high window
You can't see any such thing.

>x window
(the window through the mirror)
The window seems to be glass, but with iron bars across it, ensuring against an
easy escape even if the hypothetical escapee could reach it.

Marie walks across the width of the room and stands looking up through the high
window for a moment.

>[Man, the synonyms really slack off at the end of the game, don't they?]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>[Er, that wasn't meant to be an indightment]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>x bars
You can't see any such thing.

>link bauble to window
(first unlinking the celestial bauble)
You succeed in unlinking the celestial bauble from the sunlight.
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just too dissimilar.

Marie sits down against the wall, with a disgusted expression.

>undo
Deep Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>s
You can't crawl with your hands full.

Marie pokes at her hair hopelessly, perhaps trying to restore it to some
semblance of order.

>put all in bag
important paper: The bag on a string can really only accomodate one object at a
time.
gold coins: The bag on a string can really only accomodate one object at a time.
box: The bag on a string will accommodate only small items.

Marie sits down against the wall, with a disgusted expression.

>drop box
Dropped.

Marie walks across the width of the room and stands looking up through the high
window for a moment.

>s
You can't crawl with your hands full.

Marie sits down against the wall, with a disgusted expression.

>drop box
The box is already here.

Marie sits down against the wall, with a disgusted expression.

>i
You are carrying:
  an important paper
  some gold coins
  a bracelet (being worn)
  a bag on a string (being worn and open)
    a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a dashing hat (being worn)

Marie walks across the width of the room and stands looking up through the high
window for a moment.

>put paper in box
You put the important paper into the box.

Marie walks across the width of the room and stands looking up through the high
window for a moment.

>x bracelet
A bracelet of onyx beads, threaded on silk and silver. It has a clasp that opens
and closes.

Marie walks across the width of the room and stands looking up through the high
window for a moment.

>x pin
Decorated with fine-chip diamonds, and formed into the shape of a complicated
bow of several strands, for a lady's use. The clasp is currently shut.

Marie sits down against the wall, with a disgusted expression.

>link pin to window
Bending your will, you form the link between the jeweled pin and the window.

Marie sits down against the wall, with a disgusted expression.

>open pin
You open the clasp. Naturally, the pin falls off.


Marie flinches as the window swings abruptly open, spraying bits of stone as it
does so. You can't hear through the medium of the mirror, but you imagine that
it must make a great deal of noise: Marie puts up her arms around her head as
though to protect her ears and face.

Then she takes them down again.

>look in mirror
In the mirror you see reflected some handcuffs, a cot, Marie and a window. 
Around the edges you can make out other indications of Prison Room.


Marie goes to where the cot is and pushes it under the window, obviously in
preparation for climbing out.

Just as she does so, however, the door behind her opens, and D'Envers walks in.
He says something sharply, which you are unable to hear. She feels around on the
bed; you see her hand close around something behind her, and your hopes rise --
but then you see it is only a pillow, roughly round in shape.

>link pillow to bauble
(the pillow through the mirror)
(first unlinking the celestial bauble)
You succeed in unlinking the celestial bauble from the sunlight.
You valiantly try to link the two objects, but they are just too dissimilar.

D'Envers strides towards Marie, and she throws the pillow in his face, hard, but
it is obviously not enough to distract him. She scrambles for the window, but he
catches her ankle and pulls her back into the room. A shout to the open door,
and the guards come running...


    *** You have failed Marie ***


In that game you scored 116 out of a possible 125, in 1496 turns, giving you the
rank of returned prodigal.

Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, give the FULL score for that
game or QUIT?
> undo
Deep Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>link pillow to rock
(the pillow through the mirror)
Bending your will, you form the link between the pillow and the round stone.

D'Envers strides towards Marie, and she throws the pillow in his face, hard, but
it is obviously not enough to distract him. She scrambles for the window, but he
catches her ankle and pulls her back into the room. A shout to the open door,
and the guards come running...


    *** You have failed Marie ***


In that game you scored 116 out of a possible 125, in 1496 turns, giving you the
rank of returned prodigal.

Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, give the FULL score for that
game or QUIT?
> undo
Deep Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>reverse link pillow to rock
(the pillow through the mirror)
Bending your will and all your attention, you manage to make a reverse-link
between the pillow and the round stone, feeling their properties begin to merge
together.

D'Envers strides towards Marie, and she swings the pillow in his face; it hits
so hard that his head snaps back and his nose streams blood. He falls without
even crying out.

Marie stands over him for a moment, startled. She leans forward and touches
D'Envers' wrist, and then stands up and kicks him hard in the ribs.

Only then does she climb out the window...









[MORE]


Ten days later
Your townhouse in Paris

Marie sips from the cup of coffee in her hand. "I still do not understand," she
says, "why you were at the estate in the first place."

You shrug. "I had-- certain obligations."  Her eyes meet yours, and she waits.
"Gambling debts," you elaborate. "I was hoping your father would advance--"

"I did not know you gambled."

"Under ordinary circumstances, I do not. I was-- led into it, in a way, by an
acquaintance, and found myself indebted through him to the Baron D'Envers. He
became quite unpleasant about the matter."  You examine your fingernails. "In
the event, it seems that I am absolved of these debts. I doubt his heir will
press them."

She nods. You consider whether to tell her the rest of what you learned. But she
speaks first, frowning into her cup. "I should tell you, Pierre, it might not be
a coincidence, your trouble with D'Envers."  She bites her lower lip. "You see,
he was pressing me to marry him, and he might have had the impression-- that is
to say, he might have thought--"

You raise your right eyebrow. "If you used me as an excuse, Marie, do not worry
about it," you say, with great generosity. "I have been the subject of more
embarrassing rumors."

She opens her mouth again, and you smile...


    *** You have won ***


In that game you scored 124 out of a possible 125, in 1496 turns, giving you the
rank of future Count.

Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, give the FULL score for that
game, see some suggestions for AMUSING things to do or QUIT?
> amusing

Have you tried...

  -- smelling the dust?
  -- examining Marie's household papers several times? (several different items)
  -- reverse-linking the recipe cylinders, then using them?
  -- playing other dances on the piano ("tango," "waltz," "charleston," etc.)?
  -- >TAKE SNUFF twice in rapid succession?
  -- >XYZZY?
  -- climbing the bar on the well?
  -- swinging from the chandelier?
  -- eating the books?


Have you succeeded in...

  -- removing corks without the corkscrew?
  -- using the clock as an aid in killing the rat?


The first non-beta players to finish the game (to the best of my knowledge) were
Storme Winfield and Sam Kabo Ashwell, at 3:16 PM EDT, 4/19/02.


Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, give the FULL score for that
game, see some suggestions for AMUSING things to do or QUIT?
> restore
Ok.

>remember me
Some would say you're always thinking of yourself.

>remember father
Your father is dead.

>remember mother
You have not seen your own mother in many years -- not even for years before you
left the estate. You are not quite certain whether she lives.

>remember marie
She ought to be here, but she isn't. The fact is somewhat disturbing.

>remember count
You had expected to find him here, but then, he is often away on matters of
business.

>remember d'envers
You can't see any such thing.

>restart
Are you sure you want to restart? y



The beautiful life is always damned, they say. As for you, you've overexpended
yourself: fifteen years of prominence, champagne, carriage rides in the
Tuileries, having your name whispered behind manicured hands, getting elegant
ladies out of elegant fixes -- and you're in debt. Bound by oath and honor to a
pack of scoundrels. Your father, old peasant that he was, could have warned you
against their type.

You'd hoped to find the Count at home; your original plan was to ask him for an
advance on the money you expect to earn on your estate in a month or two. But
according to the local population, the Count hasn't been home in months, and
Marie, who was in residence until recently, has vanished as well. "No one around
the big house now," says one of the peasant women tersely. "Even turned off the
cook, they did." 

But you need the money at once; if you return to Paris without it, your
creditors are unlikely to be forgiving. So you walked over the fields anyway,
and got in through the gap in the kitchen garden wall. You will just have to
find what you can.





Savoir-Faire
An interactive search for loot. Copyright Emily Short 2002. 
Type INFO if you have not played before. 
Type LICENSE for the terms of use and distribution. 
Type CREDITS for tester and library acknowledgements.
Release 6 / Serial number 020420 / Inform v6.15 Library 6/10 

Kitchen Garden
West is the wall of the kitchen. Most of the space along the wall is planted
with herbs -- bay, parsley, stalks of mint -- left of the open doorway. To its
right is only a drainage ditch, catching the outflow of a pipe that comes
through the wall.

In one corner of the plot is the well, drilled many deep feet; in another is the
antique sundial.

A tangle of climbing roses covers almost completely the wall and door of a shed
to the southeast.

>restore
Ok.

>w

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>w

Kitchen Corridor
A narrow corridor between the kitchen and the main house, which has a thick
separate wall. The two buildings are only barely attached, to discourage fires.
A small staircase leads down.

Double doors give west onto the main house.

>w

Dining Room
A grand room, for dining in style. The plastered ceiling is several times your
height. The air now is cool and deep, the sunlight glancing through the windows
and scattering from the chandelier, putting points of light at your feet, over
the table, across the painted wallpaper and the handsome wood paneling.

Woodworked columns frame the exits west and southwest.

Heavy double doors open east to the kitchen.

>x table
(the table)
A glossy mahogany table. Seats 25 easily; supports a massive epergne without
complaint. Once the Baroness of Venchy (who was not an entirely respectable
lady, having been an actress for some years before the Baron met her)-- once,
elevated by spirits, she also became elevated by this very table, and delivered
herself of two monologues and her overskirt before anyone had the presence of
mind to call her to a halt.

>stand on table
(the table)
You get onto the table.

>dance
Dancing alone is an occupation for court performers. You dance only in company.

>jump
You get off the table.

Dining Room
A grand room, for dining in style. The plastered ceiling is several times your
height. The air now is cool and deep, the sunlight glancing through the windows
and scattering from the chandelier, putting points of light at your feet, over
the table, across the painted wallpaper and the handsome wood paneling.

Woodworked columns frame the exits west and southwest.

Heavy double doors open east to the kitchen.

>undo
Dining Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>swing on chandelier
You grasp the chandelier firmly with both hands and push off. Whee!

Then you collide with the opposite wall and are dumped unceremoniously to earth.

Dining Room
A grand room, for dining in style. The plastered ceiling is several times your
height. The air now is cool and deep, the sunlight glancing through the windows
and scattering from the chandelier, putting points of light at your feet, over
the table, across the painted wallpaper and the handsome wood paneling.

Woodworked columns frame the exits west and southwest.

Heavy double doors open east to the kitchen.

>x table
(the table)
A glossy mahogany table. Seats 25 easily; supports a massive epergne without
complaint. Once the Baroness of Venchy (who was not an entirely respectable
lady, having been an actress for some years before the Baron met her)-- once,
elevated by spirits, she also became elevated by this very table, and delivered
herself of two monologues and her overskirt before anyone had the presence of
mind to call her to a halt.

>deliver monologue
You feel uninspired.

>drink blanc
You upend the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and take a sip of the Sauvignon Blanc,
leaving a considerable quantity behind. Dry and understated, though not bad.

>deliver monologue
You feel uninspired.

>drink blanc
You upend the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and take a long draft of the Sauvignon
Blanc, leaving only another few sips. Dry and understated, though not bad.

>deliver monologue
You feel uninspired.

>drink blanc
You take a long draft of the Sauvignon Blanc, leaving only another sip or two.
Dry and understated, though not bad.

>deliver monologue
You feel uninspired.

>drink blanc
You take a sip of the Sauvignon Blanc, leaving only enough for another sip. Dry
and understated, though not bad.

>drink blanc
You take a sip of the Sauvignon Blanc, finishing it off. Dry and understated,
though not bad.

>deliver monologue
You feel uninspired.

>i
You are carrying:
  a vase
    some dead roses
  an gilded key (which opens the tall door)
  a bracelet (being worn)
  a bag on a string (being worn and open but empty)
  a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open)
    not very much water (which leaves some room in the hinge-lidded teapot)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    a pine chest (which is closed)
    a wadded paper
    a sword
    a dark wooden box (which is closed)
    a crumpled paper
    an unfinished letter
    a pair of shoes
    an ivory silk gown
    a blue glass jar (which is closed)
      some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
    a rug
    some silver coins
    a red glass jar (which is closed)
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
    a snuffbox (which is open)
      a quantity of snuff
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    two metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    six books:
      a fanciful book
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
    two bottles of wine:
      a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
      a blue bottle (which is closed)
    four pieces of silverware:
      a table knife
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a fork
      a spoon
    ten food items:
      a goat cheese
      a wedge of brie
      a sprig of parsley
      a sprig of mint
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
  a dashing hat (being worn)
  a blue bottle

>remember antone
You can't see any such thing.

>remember anton
Anton was the chef who was here when you first arrived -- he must be dead by
now; Leonie was his faintly harrassed wife.

>remember leonie
Anton was the chef who was here when you first arrived -- he must be dead by
now; Leonie was his faintly harrassed wife.

>stand on table
(the table)
You get onto the table.

>deliver monologue
Feeling suddenly the touch of the muse, you stride to one end of the table and
address the wallpaper stirringly with a superb comic moment from Le Bourgeois
Gentilhomme.

[Your score has just gone up by one point.]

>g
Feeling suddenly the touch of the muse, you stride to one end of the table and
address the wallpaper stirringly with one of Racine's better speeches.

>g
Feeling suddenly the touch of the muse, you stride to one end of the table and
address the wallpaper stirringly with one of Racine's better speeches.

>g
Feeling suddenly the touch of the muse, you stride to one end of the table and
address the wallpaper stirringly with one of Racine's better speeches.

>g
Feeling suddenly the touch of the muse, you stride to one end of the table and
address the wallpaper stirringly with a soliloquy that you saw performed from Le
Cid.

>g
Feeling suddenly the touch of the muse, you stride to one end of the table and
address the wallpaper stirringly with a soliloquy borrowed out of Le Cid.

>g
Feeling suddenly the touch of the muse, you stride to one end of the table and
address the wallpaper stirringly with one of Racine's better speeches.

>[Aha!]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>[So, hey, off to try the other method of getting that bee.]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>restore
Ok.

>i
You are carrying:
  a bottle of mead (which is closed)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a navy cloak (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc (which is closed)
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
    some documents
    a rope ladder
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a blue glass jar (which is closed)
      some sea-salt (which leaves the blue glass jar about half full)
    an old letter
    a dark wooden box (which is open)
      a mirror inset inside the box (reflecting white light from the sunlight)
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a stone block
    a crumpled paper
    a white handkerchief
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a sponge
    a swordstick
      a sword
    a snuffbox (which is closed)
    ten food items:
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      some andouillettes
      a sprig of mint
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
      a loaf of stale bread
      a single yellow onion
    three recipe cylinders:
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      an Andouillettes Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    three metal dishes:
      a plate
      a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open but empty)
      a cup
  a dashing hat (being worn)

>l

Countess' Sitting Room
This was the countess' favorite room, and it is more richly decorated than any
other in the house, betraying her taste for the brightly-colored and the jewel-
like. The count brought her some things from his travels, and made others for
her. Most of the contents seem to be gone -- the chairs and sofas, and the wall
hangings -- but some bits remain.

A thick-pile Persian rug lies on the floor, patterned in lapis and emerald.

Against one wall is a glass case full of rare and valuable clockwork figures.

>drop box
Which do you mean, the dark wooden box or the snuffbox?

>dark
You haven't got that.

>get it
Taken.

>drop it
Dropped.

>open it
That's already open.

>w
You can go only south.

>break case with stone
(first taking the stone block)
The stone block strikes the glass case.  The glass case smashes into dozens of
pieces.  It spills the clockwork bee and the mechanical human dancers.

The clockwork bee buzzes faintly, spreading its jeweled wings.

>s
(treading gingerly around the glass bits)

Long Salon
A long empty room with shined wooden floors, perfect for sliding in stocking-
feet. West is the top of the staircase, and rooms open to the north and east.

The door east is closed.

>w

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>n

Old Conservatory
A chilly northern exposure, perhaps, but really quite lovely. This room used to
be where Marie would practice her music, and the Countess play her compositions;
Marie's own room lies to the west.

On the high shelf is a celestial bauble.

The pianoforte stands in the center of the room.

In your hunger, you hallucinate curls of toasted bread.

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Staircase, First Floor
[Previous turn undone.]

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Long Salon
[Previous turn undone.]

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Countess' Sitting Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>
Hot key -- Undo one turn
Countess' Sitting Room
[Previous turn undone.]

>link dark box to snuff box
You can't see any such thing.

>l

Countess' Sitting Room
This was the countess' favorite room, and it is more richly decorated than any
other in the house, betraying her taste for the brightly-colored and the jewel-
like. The count brought her some things from his travels, and made others for
her. Most of the contents seem to be gone -- the chairs and sofas, and the wall
hangings -- but some bits remain.

A thick-pile Persian rug lies on the floor, patterned in lapis and emerald.

Against one wall is a glass case full of rare and valuable clockwork figures.

You can also see a dark wooden box (in which is a mirror inset inside the box
(providing light)) here.

>link dark box to snuffbox
Bending your will, you form the link between the dark wooden box and the
snuffbox.

>open snuffbox
You open the snuffbox, revealing a quantity of snuff.

In your hunger, you imagine in great clarity an omelette of herbs and chives.

>close it
You close the snuffbox.

The dark wooden box closes.

>open it
You open the snuffbox, revealing a quantity of snuff.

The dark wooden box opens.

>s

Long Salon
A long empty room with shined wooden floors, perfect for sliding in stocking-
feet. West is the top of the staircase, and rooms open to the north and east.

The door east is closed.

>w

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>e

Long Salon
A long empty room with shined wooden floors, perfect for sliding in stocking-
feet. West is the top of the staircase, and rooms open to the north and east.

The door east is closed.

>n

Countess' Sitting Room
This was the countess' favorite room, and it is more richly decorated than any
other in the house, betraying her taste for the brightly-colored and the jewel-
like. The count brought her some things from his travels, and made others for
her. Most of the contents seem to be gone -- the chairs and sofas, and the wall
hangings -- but some bits remain.

A thick-pile Persian rug lies on the floor, patterned in lapis and emerald.

Against one wall is a glass case full of rare and valuable clockwork figures.

You can also see a dark wooden box (in which is a mirror inset inside the box
(providing light)) here.

>break case with stone
(first taking the stone block)
The stone block smacks the glass case.  The glass case shatters dramatically, 
spilling the clockwork bee and the mechanical human dancers.

The clockwork bee buzzes faintly, spreading its jeweled wings.

>s
(treading gingerly around the glass bits)

Long Salon
A long empty room with shined wooden floors, perfect for sliding in stocking-
feet. West is the top of the staircase, and rooms open to the north and east.

The door east is closed.

>w

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>n

Old Conservatory
A chilly northern exposure, perhaps, but really quite lovely. This room used to
be where Marie would practice her music, and the Countess play her compositions;
Marie's own room lies to the west.

On the high shelf is a celestial bauble.

The pianoforte stands in the center of the room.

>w

Marie's Chamber
Stripped of the elegant clutter it once possessed, the room still offers a
charming view through the north window of the old grounds, and the way out is to
the east. The wallpaper and floorboards are still as elegant as ever.

Hanging on the wall is an elegant gilt-wood mirror, reflecting sunlight over the
ground before it.

Her desk remains, pushed against the wall.

>look in mirror
(the gilt-wood mirror)
In the mirror you see reflected your own face, a bit distant and strange. And
then very little.

In the mirror, you see the clockwork bee fly into the dark wooden box.

>close snuffbox
You close the snuffbox.

The dark wooden box closes.

>e

Old Conservatory
A chilly northern exposure, perhaps, but really quite lovely. This room used to
be where Marie would practice her music, and the Countess play her compositions;
Marie's own room lies to the west.

On the high shelf is a celestial bauble.

The pianoforte stands in the center of the room.

>s

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>e

Long Salon
A long empty room with shined wooden floors, perfect for sliding in stocking-
feet. West is the top of the staircase, and rooms open to the north and east.

The door east is closed.

In your hunger, you imagine in great clarity the hearts of artichokes. The image
is more vivid than the vision of food has any right to be.

>n

Countess' Sitting Room
This was the countess' favorite room, and it is more richly decorated than any
other in the house, betraying her taste for the brightly-colored and the jewel-
like. The count brought her some things from his travels, and made others for
her. Most of the contents seem to be gone -- the chairs and sofas, and the wall
hangings -- but some bits remain.

A thick-pile Persian rug lies on the floor, patterned in lapis and emerald.

You can also see some glass shards, some mechanical human dancers and a dark
wooden box (which is closed) here.

>get dark wooden box
Taken.

[Your score has just gone up by five points.]

>[wa-hoo!]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>[actually...]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>restore
Ok.

>w

Kitchen
A long, cross-beamed room, originally washed with white, though smoke has tinged
the walls above the massive fireplace in which roasts are prepared. In addition,
there are thick high tables that run the length of the room. 

To the east is the kitchen garden through which you entered; west is the
corridor that connects with the main house. To the north there is the little
scullery, and upstairs is the attic where the servants sleep.

On the kitchen tables is a delicate contraption (which is empty).

>w

Kitchen Corridor
A narrow corridor between the kitchen and the main house, which has a thick
separate wall. The two buildings are only barely attached, to discourage fires.
A small staircase leads down.

Double doors give west onto the main house.

>w

Dining Room
A grand room, for dining in style. The plastered ceiling is several times your
height. The air now is cool and deep, the sunlight glancing through the windows
and scattering from the chandelier, putting points of light at your feet, over
the table, across the painted wallpaper and the handsome wood paneling.

Woodworked columns frame the exits west and southwest.

Heavy double doors open east to the kitchen.

>sw

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>w

Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>w

Chapel
The old private chapel, octagonal-shaped, with tall windows of stained glass,
casting a dazzling pattern of blue and green on the ground. Here the family used
to hold its private worship services, keeping a form of the official religion
that would no doubt have scandalized the parish curate.

A rat corpse lies here in unappetizing state.

There's a conspicuous rat-hole where the stone floor meets the wooden beams.

>restore
Ok.

>restore
Ok.

>l

Old Conservatory
A chilly northern exposure, perhaps, but really quite lovely. This room used to
be where Marie would practice her music, and the Countess play her compositions;
Marie's own room lies to the west.

On the high shelf is a stone block.

The pianoforte stands in the center of the room.

>s

Staircase, First Floor
The top of a broad curving stair: east is the long salon that goes the length of
the house, downstairs are the foyer and the grand receiving rooms. 

North is the old conservatory.

>d

Entrance Hall
Flourishing, spacious; it is its best with a half-dozen servants in livery. The
floor is Italian marble, and the walls are dressed with yellow silk hangings.

The main staircase ascends to the corridor on the second floor, and a smaller
version leads down into the dim basement. Doors also open north and northeast.

An old gothic door framed in stone leads west. The wooden door is currently
closed.

A sad heap of used yellow brocade huddles on the floor here.

On the wall is one of those mechanical clocks that pop open on the hour,
allowing the ingenious internal figures out to play.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>link ornate to sword
Bending your will, you form the link between the ornate key and the sword.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>sheath sword
(first taking the sword)
(putting the fork into the sack to make room)
Taken.

You put the sword into the swordstick.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>turn it
You rotate the sword in its sheath.  There is a clicking noise from the gothic
door as the ornate key also rotates in place.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>open gothic
You open the gothic door.

The cuckoo clock ticks sullenly.

>w

Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

[Your score has just gone up by five points.]

>w

Chapel
The old private chapel, octagonal-shaped, with tall windows of stained glass,
casting a dazzling pattern of blue and green on the ground. Here the family used
to hold its private worship services, keeping a form of the official religion
that would no doubt have scandalized the parish curate.

There's a conspicuous rat-hole where the stone floor meets the wooden beams.

>drop brie
You haven't got that.

>get goat
Taken.

>drop it
Dropped.

Seeing the cheese lying tantalizingly out on the floor, the rat scurries out and
takes it.

>undo
Chapel
[Previous turn undone.]

>put goat in dark box
You put the goat cheese into the dark wooden box.

>drop dark box
Dropped.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>drop blue bottle
I only understood you as far as wanting to drop the blue glass jar.

>get blue bottle
You can't see any such thing.

>get bottle
Which do you mean, a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc or the bottle of Chateauneuf du
Pape?

>neither.
You can't see any such thing.

>get all bottles
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Taken.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>g
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

You already have that.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>i
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

You are carrying:
  a blue glass jar (which is open)
    some onion dye (which leaves a little room in the blue glass jar)
  a green glass jar (which is open)
    some olive oil (which leaves a little room in the green glass jar)
  a celestial bauble (providing white light)
  a jeweled pin (being worn)
  a pearl necklace (being worn)
  a sack (which is open)
    a red glass jar (which is open but empty)
    a yellow handkerchief
    a sponge
    a cork
    a pine chest (which is open but empty)
    some mechanical human dancers
    a navy cloak
    a round metal tin (which is open but empty)
    some documents
    an old letter
    some household papers
    a small portrait
    a crumpled paper
    a burnt scrap of paper
    a butcher knife
    a swordstick
      a sword
    a snuffbox (which is closed)
    a blue bottle (which is closed)
    ten food items:
      a sprig of mint
      a wedge of brie
      a salers
      some apples
      some hunks of salt pork
      some lentils
      a sprig of parsley
      a bay leaf
      a clove of garlic
      a loaf of stale bread
    four recipe cylinders:
      a Tea Recipe
      a Chocolate Recipe
      an Easter Egg Recipe
      a Lentil Soup Recipe
    four pieces of silverware:
      a fork
      a silver-plated corkscrew
      a table knife
      a spoon
    three metal dishes:
      a plate
      a cup
      a hinge-lidded teapot (which is open but empty)
    two keys:
      an iron key (which opens the magenta door leading east)
      a silver key (which opens the red door leading west)
    five books:
      Guide to Assorted Wines
      The Lavori d'Aracne
      Clock Repair
      On Vegetable Dyes
      The World Is Hollow (which is open but empty)
  a dashing hat (being worn)
  two bottles of wine:
    a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape (which is closed)
    a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
      some Sauvignon Blanc (which leaves some room in the bottle of Sauvignon
Blanc)

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>e
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.


Narrow Corridor
The walls in this area are unfaced stone, without the plastering, scrollwork,
and wallpaper of the main building. To the west is the family's private chapel,
for their devotions when they did not feel like attending the parish church.

A staircase of worn stone steps leads up to the area above the chapel.

The door to the foyer is back to the east.

>drop all bottles
You set the bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape down gently.

>g
The bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape is already here.

>drop bottle
(the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc)
You set the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc down gently.

>[that's kind of weird]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>w

Chapel
The old private chapel, octagonal-shaped, with tall windows of stained glass,
casting a dazzling pattern of blue and green on the ground. Here the family used
to hold its private worship services, keeping a form of the official religion
that would no doubt have scandalized the parish curate.

There's a conspicuous rat-hole where the stone floor meets the wooden beams.

You can also see a dark wooden box (in which are a goat cheese and a mirror
inset inside the box (providing light)) here.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>get bottle
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Taken.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>drop it
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

You set the blue bottle down gently.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

>open it
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

(first taking the corkscrew)
Taken.

Delicately you extract the cork and then remove it from the corkscrew.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

The mechanical bee hovers above the mead.

>z
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Time passes.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

The bee briefly attempts a landing on the mead.

>z
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Time passes.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

The bee hovers above the mead.

>z
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Time passes.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

The clockwork bee buzzes around the mead.

>close bottle
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

That's not something you can close.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

The clockwork bee buzzes around the mead.  It doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

>cork bottle
That's not a verb I recognize.

>put cork in bottle
(the cork in the blue bottle)
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

The cork, once liberated, has expanded to such a degree that it is no longer
willing to return to its former abode.

That, and it's gotten a bit dusty.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

The mechanical bee briefly attempts a landing on the mead.

>get mead
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

The mechanical bee buzzes around the mead with such menacing purpose that you
don't exactly dare.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

The bee briefly attempts a landing on the mead.

>get bottle
The rat scampers back into the rathole with unseemly haste.

Taken.

The rat emerges from its hole and sniffs with interest around the outside of the
dark wooden box.

The clockwork bee buzzes irritably in the direction of the rat. The rat scampers
towards the rathole, but doesn't make it all the way; there's an agonized
squeal, and then both bee and rat fall still, the one spent, the other dead.

[Your score has just gone up by five points.]

>get bee
(putting the silver-plated corkscrew into the sack to make room)
Taken.

>[aha]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>pray
You direct a few heartfelt words to your deity, but considering the number and
frivolity of some of your past requests, you're doubtful about the likelihood of
a response.

Still, it can't hurt.

>[heh]
That's not a verb I recognize.

>pray
You direct a few heartfelt words to your deity, but considering the number and
frivolity of some of your past requests, you're doubtful about the likelihood of
a response.

Still, it can't hurt.

>[Well, yay again!]
You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom.

>quit
Are you sure you want to quit? y