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Oscar takes the train back to London and starts asking around about Roby.
A person buying a book mentions that Randolph Carter had known Roby, and the next morning he can set up some time to talk to him.
Huh, wasn't that the guy Terrence talked to at the party? He seemed a bit much. But that's like 40% of his customers; he has a lot of experience in this area.
"I went to look at the tramp and-- there was a body there. A man, I think. His arms were held up to protect himself and his face was frozen in fear. Mouth open. He died terrified and-- I've never seen someone who looked so much in pain. I thought that Parker killed him but-- I don't know how. The corpse was as dry as dust. Not a single drop of blood in it. Like it was a mummy."
Oscar doesn't know what to say. Carter is clearly exaggerating, or his memory's addled somehow, but he seems so earnest that Oscar feels bad for him. And-- it is an awful story. He finally says: "Sounds like the incident had a big impact on you."
It's very possible that Carter remembers something disturbing-- yet unfortunately of our world-- via the conventions of, well, a horror story. He can't help but think of Roby here. Inaaya seems to think this is a bullshit thing to claim about someone without much evidence but it seems a lot kinder than dismissing someone outright.
What tack is he going to take here. God. Ignore the lurid supernatural bullshit, skip to the fact people prey on the helpless and lumpenized. "Do you think Parker might have known he had a nervous constitution or something? Taken advantage of that?" He pauses and thinks about it. "He can be cruel, sometimes. Or so I've heard."
"It sounds horrible." Oh no, Carter has picked up that he's being patronizing. Best to move on, he's found. "Thanks again for all you've shared. I'll write you to let you know if we get anywhere."
That afternoon, Oscar sends Carter a first edition of Machen's The Hill of Dreams for his trouble.
Meanwhile--
Terrence recalls a Ben Best. He's the author of British Gods: Religion and Myth in the Western Kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon Britain.
After a bit of time in the library, Terrence can't find anything else about Ben Best, but he can find a copy of British Gods.
The work is an academic text authored by Ben Best and published by Oxford University Press in 1924. Its primary focus is on Celtic, Roman, Sumerian and other gods believed to have been worshiped in southwest Britain from about 50 B.C. to 650 A.D. A more in-depth reading would take about two weeks.
Yeah, yeah, okay, he'll take that home with him. He'll start on that. Well, while he's in the library, he may as well look into Aldebaran too.
The Hyades is an open star cluster that constitutes the head of the constellation Taurus the bull. Marking his right eye is the bright red star Aldebaran — a magnitude 0.9 star and the ninth brightest star in our sky.
Further back in the constellation lie a tight cluster of young stars, the Pleiades. From mid-northern latitudes, all these stars are visible with the naked eye with the exception of the Pleiades. Six of the seven stars of this last cluster, called the seven sisters in Greek mythology, are about fourth magnitude and easy to see, but many more are visible with binoculars or a telescope.
In northern latitudes Taurus rises in the east in October, peaks in the southern sky in early January, and disappears into the west at the end of March.
Damn, Inaaya knows her stuff.
Okay, neat. ... He'll also revisit the Aldebaran chapters of the King in Yellow, once he's home, in case he can pull anything more out of that. This may turn into sacrificing the rest of the afternoon and evening on the King in Yellow, but like, twist his fuckin arm, what a terrible fate, you know?
He also places a phone call to Simone.
"My dear Simone! Good to see you. I wanted to ask if you might know any small theaters that I might reach out to about hosting a production on relatively short notice. It'll make good footfall, I should think."
"Listen, it's - I know there was a commotion, but you were there, it's not as though - it's not as though it was advocating for anarchy, or, or stabbing in the streets, or anything. It'd be ridiculous not to - not to show it, not to give some actors the chance at pay, just because the first showing had a rowdy crowd."
"It... upset me even before the riot," Simone says. "I don't think it's a good thing to perform. I... don't know how to put it into words but there's something evil about that play."
"I'm... sorry you feel that way. I... it is intense. I can understand that, at least."
"I don't think anyone should watch it. I'm not in favor of censorship but I'm not going to help you."
"...Well, you have your mind made up, I see. I'll take my leave of you. Take care, Simone."
Inspired, Terrence is gonna start writing a persuasive essay about why the King in Yellow is a great book that you should read, tailored to a relatively educated but non-occult audience. Also, it should not be banned. This'll be great. He can use the talking points in the future, too. Probably he can get it published.
...Under a pseudonym, somewhere.
Der Wanderer is a bit of a pain in the ass to find-- small print run, no one actually wants to read it-- but he eventually finds an owner of a small antiquarian book store who has a copy in the back room.
Der Wanderer durch den See in English and German by A. R., 1923, Whitehall Press, London. A small book, 6 inches by 4 inches, ninety-seven numbered pages, bound in all-white cloth, blank cover and spine. The title page gives title, author’s initials, date, press, and a dedication to Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Suppression Prepares for Overflow. The text is split into two halves, headed First Act and Second Act, and describes the dreams of a man. It is written in the form of a case history, but probably can be read as autobiographical despite the absence of personal pronouns. There is no mention of studying a subject or of interviews with him. The text does not seem to be organized for dramatic effect or to be a resource, nor is it fiction, poetry, or science.
Oscar expected a lot of things from Roby's work-- but dryness wasn't one of them. Oh well. He sets a tentative goal of reading 15 pages a day and taking notes.
That afternoon, Terrence asks Oscar to meet at a nearby coffeehouse.
He brings Best's book just in case, but he doubts it'll be of much help.
Oscar shows up to the meeting twenty-five minutes after the time he promised Terrence; he orders coffee with cream and sugar.
"Sorry I'm late," he says. "Got drawn into quite a conversation with Symons." He holds up an unassuming white book. "I've got this, by the way-- did you know Roby wrote a book?"
"No trouble at all." Terrence puts away Best's book, which he'd been reading in the meantime. "What? I had no idea. May I see?"
"Sure," he says, handing Terrence Der Wanderer. "I'll be honest-- it's given me a hard time."
Terrence takes a flip through, looking for anything King in Yellowy or otherwise notable about the contents.
Such as the numerous pages that mention the King in Yellow.
Paydirt, baby!
Terrence immediately perks up and starts reading more intently when he first sees the reference, but without actually reading the book all he gets is that it shows up in dreams.
"Hm. He mentions the King in Yellow. ...That's not surprising, is it."
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