Wednesday, 6 April
(late evening)

Today proved rather more satisfactory than yesterday. I spent a good deal of time with Edward, observing his daily routines, trying to learn his interests and capabilities. Graves assisted me, as promised, in selecting a good place for our schoolroom and seeing it reasonably appointed. I am sure that much of our school will consist of field work, but it will be good to have a place dedicated to our more academic studies.

Graves was also good enough to give Miss Whitnell, Mary, and myself a tour of the house and its facilities. This might help us avoid any pitfalls (and I mean that literally, in this house).

Miss Whitnell also made progress with decoding Mme Z's journal, which contained very incriminating reference to her part in the murder of Mr. St. John, and clues about her confederates. This pleases me, as our previous evidence hinges greatly on my discoveries while looking through the victim's correspondence. I'd rather avoid the scrutiny that would bring.

Some of our associates went out to search for Ned Land, as our inquiries have suggested that the French are on his trail, and he might be in danger. Sir Cosmo asked Lady Ottoline and her assistant to accompany them, as she is well known in the dismal parts of the Town for her humanitarian works. At the same time, they were discreetly inquiring after the girl Wilhelmina, hoping to assure her safety.

Not only did they find Mr. Land, they traced his would-be abductor to the docks and captured him--a French spy named Gerard. This Gerard is apparently Mme Z's superior, as he matches her journal entries in all particulars. Sir Anthony's office took him gladly (I'm glad too, as I've had my fill of interrogations in the cellar). In all, my new compatriots acquitted themselves well in battle and, moreover, used their wits.

Thursday, 7 April, 1870
(morning)

I stayed awake late last night working on Section 8 of the moth paper. Even so, I feel fairly alert this morning. I'm having a cup of tea and planning some lessons for the next few days.

I'm hoping for a response from Mr. Scuddamore, whom I have asked to read the paper to the Linnean Society.

Thursday 7 April
(late night-early morning)

Shortly after my last entry, I went to find Edward. He was not to be found. Graves hadn't seen him since last night. His notes (in sketch form, on the carriage house wall) suggested that he went out to collect larvae to feed to the newts, his usual nightly employment. Apparently, our injunction to stay at the house was not specific enough, and Edward did not recognize the danger from "the Master" and his minions.

I was able to track him, though it meant climbing up buildings and across roofs all over the neighborhood. Fortunately, Miss Whitnell was kind enough to lend me one of her Reform Dress costumes. I can only say that I am entirely converted to this style of dress for any active woman. The Mertons would be thoroughly scandalised, which is recommendation enough for me.

I was unable to find Edward, but I did find some useful clues, including evidence of an aerial chase across the walls of a church, in which Edward was pursued by several other wall-climbing persons.

The oddest thing was that when I returned, Miss Cuthbert described some things she saw in a clairvoyant vision. They matched the evidence that I had discovered. I have always viewed spiritualism as chicanery or muddle-headed self-deception (often both), but this gives me pause. While Miss Cuthbert is apparently quite intelligent, I know that general intelligence is no barrier to self-deception. All the same, this phenomenon seems to be more than coincidence.

While we were debating what to do next, we received a ransom demand from "the Master, (who is also known as "Young Cobb, and whose real name, I have since learned, is Jerrold Moriarty").

He suggested that we exchange our prisoners and the electric gun for Edward. We were to meet a boat which would take us to the exchange location. The circumstances he stipulated were not at all advantageous to our group, as we would essentially have to put ourselves at Mr. Moriarty's mercy, and I have seen that he has none. Sir Cosmo, apparently fearless for himself in the face of danger to his ward, was prepared to meet the demands.

We did make provision for our protection, however...

The exchange party included myself, Miss Namaste, and Sir Cosmo, as well as our two prisoners, Hartley and the Indian man Salmalin.

Meanwhile, the rest of our group boarded a Navy patrol boat, which Lt. Wooster requisitioned for the purpose. They proposed to follow at a distance after we met our boat.

We were taken on a rather seedy little steamboat to a large barge, apparently Mr. Moriarty's headquarters..

Our foe met us, and offered artificial civility, trying to seem calm and urbane. The tea wasn't poisoned, but I declined it disdainfully anyhow. I was permitted to see Edward before the exchange. He was being kept in a hanging cage. He had only fairly recently come to consciousness, and seemed cheerful as ever, but I found the cage cruel and unwholesome (though, in fact, more effective than anything else I could imagine for containing Edward.) Oddly, it seemed to be old, and couldn't have been made up just for the occasion. A very strange type of thing to keep about, as though he were expecting to need to contain monkeys here in the middle of London.

As for the exchange, we gave over our prisoners and Sir Cosmo handed over the gun, as well as all copies of diagrams for its construction. Edward was released and I took him back to the little boat. Sir Cosmo remained and Miss Namaste wouldn't leave his side for all his urging. I felt sure he had some plan to protect our backs as we left. But he had not told us what he planned. It came as no surprise that the villain brought up the gun we had just returned to him and made to fire at Sir Cosmo's back. Miss Namaste pushed him out of the line of fire. The Indian man Salmalin, for reasons I can only speculate upon, struck Moriarty's hand up, protecting the two from the shot.

At the same time, our Reserve Forces on the Navy boat began to fire at our enemies, with Mr. Cuthbert's shot striking Moriarty squarely, at quite a distance. Lt. Wooster was firing the Navy boat's cannon, and Dr. Wilson was shooting off rockets. Miss Namaste also shot Moriarty with her rocket parasol.
I missed much of the action at the time...frankly, I was too busy trying to keep my head down while preparing our nasty little boat for the quickest possible escape.

I had noted the smell of explosive powder earlier, and speculated that the villains were planning to destroy the evidence of their presence here as soon as this exchange was complete. What with rockets and gunfire everywhere, I expected doom at any moment. Edward, the small boat's captain, and I worked to free us from the barge as Sir Cosmo and Miss Namaste struggled toward us. With covering fire from our allies on the Navy boat and the continuing (unexpected) assistance of Salmalin, Sir Cosmo and Miss Namaste were almost safe. Then that unbearable Hartley grabbed the electric gun and made to fire it at Sir Cosmo.

What a noise ensued! Sir Cosmo had secretly replaced the battery of the gun with a different type made with Autinite. He knew from earlier experiments that Autinite batteries are explosively unstable.

What with rockets, the charges all over the barge, and the exploding electric gun, the whole river was alight.

We made it out safely, as did the group on the navy boat. We found Salmalin and administered what medical attention we could. We didn't find Moriarty's body, nor Hartley's, among the thugs in the water.

Later, we met with Sir Anthony to describe what we had learned, and to learn from him.

Referring back to Wednesday's musings, I can now answer most of our questions. Much of our recent confusion is the result of competition among enemies of Her Majesty.

The two primary items sought have been
1) the plans for the underwater vessel of Captain Nemo
2) the plans for the electric gun (which, I understand, is correctly called an "etheric pulse pistol."

The first brought the French agents, Gerard and Mme Zephyrine , to England. Mr. Arthur Milford and Mr. St. John were working with Sir Anthony's office to acquire these plans. (Mr. St. John, being in and out of France on account of his research, was an ideal agent for smuggling information) Gerard and Mme. Z were trying to learn what the British agents knew,, eliminate them, and regain the plans. They were also supposed to capture Ned Land and bring him to France.

Through Mr. Arthur Milford's involvement their assignment intersected with the matter of the etheric gun.

It happens that Arthur Milford's brother, Lionel Milford, was at the same time consulting with Lord Singleford about some plans and a sample of an alloy which the latter had acquired in Prussia. These were plans for the etheric gun. Mr. Phillip Whitnell, was also involved with this research, focusing on the power source. Herr Hans Bopp (the Prussian agent) had pursued the plans here to London, "Moriarty, and his agents were also pursuing these plans. They had a working model of the gun, (stolen from its inventor in Prussia) but I suppose they wished to maintain exclusive possession.

So, "the Master's" faction killed Lord Singleford and ransacked his office, Hartley murdered Miss Whitnell's father. McGrody killed Arthur Milford, mistaking him for Lionel Milford.

Edward happened along. He witnessed the murder of Arthur Milford, and received (quite accidentally) from him the case with the plans for the undersea vessel. McGrody no doubt reported the witness and so Moriarty's faction believed that Edward had intercepted the plans for the etheric gun.

Meanwhile, the misguided Herr Bopp had been harassing Dr Wilson, who had just begun work at the same rocketry laboratories as Mr. Lionel Milford. Herr Bopp is also the person responsible for Mr. Frazer's disappearance...I am happy to report that he was found and rescued by some of Sir Anthony's' other agents, and is recovering in hospital. He was kind enough to ask that I visit him there.

To cap off our eventful evening, Sir Anthony gave our group a name: "The League of the Golden Clematis." Everyone seems delighted about this. I think it’s absurd, but I hate to be the dog in the manger. I don’t feel it would be gracious to scoff, especially since we were also given a nice, practical, monetary reward.

Sir Anthony also gave me a set of references, in case I wish to seek employment as a Governess elsewhere. I have to admit, though, that I have felt exhilarated by working with people who are not concerned with artificial standards of propriety. , My new allies are, in fact, much stranger than I have ever been in my most secret heart, and yet I see in them genuine quality of character: loyalty, intelligence, ingenuity.

If I had to go back to a family like the Merton's, I would be crushing myself back into a tiny cage. I have begun to wonder if perhaps even my great secret could be entrusted to them. But I must not lose my head on the basis of a few day's knowledge. Life is uncertain, and I should keep all options available.

We have spent some hours talking over the night's events with Edward. Apparently, Moriarty claimed to be Edward's grandfather! He said that Edward's father had many of the same physical capabilities as Edward himself and that the cage Edward was in had been built for his father. I can easily imagine that supercilious, self-important cretin locking his own son, then his grandson, into a cage! I am horrified by this vicious behaviour, and I must admit that I'm glad he's gone.

I have learned more about Edward's past and his circumstances...
His mother is apparently a prostitute, and she was prepared to sell Edward's body as she sells her own when he ran from her. It breaks my heart to contemplate such a life for him. What is the nation coming to when such vile actions continue, yet the police occupy themselves with harassing perfectly decent women on the pretext of the Contagious Diseases Act.

The only remaining mystery is that of Wilelmina. Edward seems to know her well, is perhaps related to her, but his answers to questions about her are muddled and confusing. He seems convinced that she is safe where she is, so we'll have to leave well enough alone for now.

While searching for Edward earlier, I discovered that he has been making small drawings of his daily activities, rather like a diary. Perhaps he would enjoy drawing lessons. I also realized that his interest in gathering larvae for the salamanders can be encouraged and I can start teaching him entomology and insect classification. I'm thinking of starting some geography with him as well, starting with maps of London, which he knows well, and enlarging gradually to all of England, Europe, the world.

I hope that I can get some sleep now. Tomorrow, I will visit Mr. Frazer. I hope to bring him a little cheer. Being held captive my Herr Bopp for several days must have been harrowing. Perhaps I'll review some of his grandparents' papers so I can ask him intelligent questions.

Friday, 8 April 1870

My visit with Mr. Frazer went well. He's recovering nicely, though he still is rather easily tired. I decided not to trouble him with questions of Natural History, but rather allowed him to tell me whatever he wished about his experiences. I know that everyone likes to be listened to.

I spent the afternoon with Edward, doing a little Latin, a little penmanship, a little drawing, and a little looking for larvae.

He seems to grasp the general life cycles of several species, simply through his specialized (self-interested) observations. It is promising as a field of study for him. How nice to have a pupil who doesn't feel obliged to act squeamish!

I have been pondering our collective "nom-de-guerre," and I have decided to have a little fun with our identity as the "League of the Golden Clematis." I have determined that we must need a crest and perhaps even a motto. I shall, in the spirit of fun and camaraderie, invent something amusing and offer it to my colleagues for consideration.

Proceed to The Adventure of the Felonious Phantom

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