Jack Manningham tries to drive his wife Bella out of her mind with cunning heartlessness. He hides things he previously gave her for safekeeping, makes household items disappear only to find them in the most unlikely places, and puts words in Bella's mouth that she never said. All to convince her that, like her deceased mother, she is suffering from a split consciousness and delusions of persecution.Jack Manningham has his reasons. He doesn't want Bella to realize that he returns via mysterious paths over the rooftops to spend hours searching for treasure in the carefully locked upper floor. Fate has linked Jack to the old house since the day he committed a murder in it. The gas light, whose glow diminishes when a lamp is lit in the house and brightens when it is extinguished, puts Bella on the trail of the strange connections for the first time.