Back at Hill House, Luke Sanderson greets Eleanor and Theodora. Inside, Dr. Montague welcomes them to the house. The four of them sit in a little parlor and engage in lighthearted, playful conversation. Dr. Montague suggests they use the parlor as their “center of operations” (45). He has studied the floor plan and tells them they will explore all the rooms the next day.

They make their way through the dark hallways to the dining room. Mrs. Dudley has laid out a fine table and dinner for them. Dr. Montague tells them the Dudleys have taken care of the house for years and agrees to share with them the story of Hill House that night.

The four sit in the parlor as Dr. Montague explains how he came to be at Hill House. After chastising Theodora and Luke for making jokes about “disembodied hand[s] in the soup,” Dr. Montague suggests that “some houses are born bad” (50) and tells them that Hill House is “disturbed, “[l]eprous,” and “sick” (51). When he explains why he chose Theodora and Eleanor to come to Hill House, Eleanor is shocked that he believes the rocks falling onto her house were an example of “poltergeist phenomena” (52).