In which we are introduced to the grim and solitary figure of Doctor Grimshawe, whose somber house abuts an ancient and dreary graveyard that serves as a playground for two lively children, amidst an atmosphere thick with dust and webs. The Doctor’s peculiar abode, cluttered with scientific instruments and teeming with countless spiders—most notably a monstrous South American specimen—reflects a life of mysterious study and oddly affectionate loathing towards his arachnid charge.