Summary

Ruth wakes in the morning to find that Mr. Bell is outside jumping on a diving board that is placed over an empty pool. Ruth sees a lump in the empty pool and retrieves a box labeled, “SCOTTIES” (281) holding half a million dollars in it. Ruth quickly understands that Mr. Bell placed it there. Upon seeing the cash, Nat finally admits that he was faking his ability to talk to the dead, and Mr. Bell explains more about Merdellion’s plans. He is going to build his own exploding comet to make the cult of Etherists come to the same end he claimed in The Book of Etherism: exploding into outer space by a meteor. Mardellion has been shaving traces of an explosive from the mine on the property in order to make an explosive big enough for his use. Ruth understands that this...