The Staircase
- Parsefall works hard on rehearsing the puppets since he wants to be as good as Grisini someday. He's pretty serious about his future career as a puppeteer.
- He and Lizzie Rose are annoyed with each other because she won't rehearse with him and he won't help her clean up the house and wash the dogs.
- Out of nowhere, Grisini comes in looking like a caged predator. The children both go silent as Grisini goes through his stuff, and Parsefall peeks out the window to see a policeman waiting outside.
- That's when Parsefall gets mad: He knows Lizzie Rose must have said something to the cop, and he's worried Grisini will figure it out.
- Grisini comes in and demands that Lizzie Rose go out to distract the policeman. Then, he gets angry when he suspects that she's betrayed him.
- She denies it, but he slaps her anyway until she bleeds. Yikes.
- Parsefall jumps on Grisini, and when Grisini falls to the ground, Parsefall and Lizzie Rose run out the door with Ruby and knock frantically on Mrs. Pinchbeck's door.
- Before she can open it, Grisini appears at the top of the stairs, and they're sure that he's going to get them … until he falls down the stairs with a loud crash.
- That's when Mrs. Pinchbeck finally opens the door and lets the children in. They peer through a looking glass inside to see if Grisini is dead. He's bleeding a whole lot but appears to still be breathing.
- Mrs. Pinchbeck says they'll have to go find a doctor, but for the time being, the children can stay in her quarters. That way, they'll be totally safe from the evil Grisini.