October 16, 1868. Evening
Phillips Harbour
After preparing twenty photographic plates for use the next day, Shaft packs them away with the camera and other equipment that will need to be brought to the balloon in the morning, including a range-finder theodolite, magnetic compass and log book. Once these mundane tasks are completed, he decides to return to the boathouse to see what he can do about adjusting the Spirit Lamp
It takes a few minutes to disconnect the device from the Analytical Engine, and a bit longer to do the same with the Spirit Trap. He then brings them to a worktable and get the small portable Spirit Battery he uses with the Darklight Camera, even though it's almost out of power already.
Herbert connects the devices together - if he does attract anything while experimenting, he hopes the Trap can handle it. That last item in the test is the magic compass, even though it's proximity won't help determine how 'bright' the lamp is, he hopes the speed at which the rings adjust will give him some feedback. When everything is ready, he activates the lamp, hoping the nearly drained battery will at least meet the threshold requirements of the Lamp without bringing it up to full power.
Before the Lamp is turned on, the Compass's rings spin lazily, not orienting on any particular thing. Once the switch them is flipped, nothing on the lamp changes -- but the outermost ring ceases its rotations, coming slowly to a halt pointing towards the lamp. The lamp is clearly the nearest/most powerful thing it's detecting the moment, but the compass's response if far slower than it was to the Engine earlier.
Herbert hmms. "Interesting, the Lamp is operating, I think," he mutters, and watches the Trap for any signs of activity. Given the status of the battery, he isn't sure how long it can provide the minimum power needed for the Lamp. "I really must enlist the aid of a ghost sometime to quantify all of this, if only they weren't so.. stubborn."
Shaft leaves the lamp on, puttering about the workshop while he waits to see if it attracts anything. After ten minutes or so, one of facets of the spirit trap abruptly lights -- he's caught something!
The spirit battery hasn't gone down much; judging by what it's used so far, there's at least half an hour of lamp-time left in it.
Herbert hurries over to turn off the Lamp, so that he can examine the Trap. Like many spirit-related devices, it gives little information beyond 'on' or 'off', so the man can't tell what kind of spirit was caught - not without connecting the Trap to the Engine and Caliban. "Let's just see if anyone comes barging in to protest your capture," he tells the crystal.
As before, the only indication that anything's changed by having him turn off the Lamp is that the compass stops pointing at it. The crystal with the captured spirit glows under Shaft's examination; it doesn't seem as bright as when he captured the ghost girl the night before, in a different facet, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.
"Well, no point in keeping you until we can find out what you are, I suppose," Shaft says, and touches the release contacts while chanting the proper control phrase to release the spirit.
The glow of the trap fades out as he finishes the release incantation.
Shaft waits for a moment to see if an angry ghost appears to berate him.
At first, nothing happens. Then, after a few moments ... nothing continues to happen. The flame of the lantern lights the room, unremarkable save for the once-more lazily revolving rings of the compass.
"Hmm," Herbert goes. "Well, that was.. err.. actually inconclusive," he admits to himself, as he folds the Trap back into it's box shape and disconnects the various components of the experiment. "This battery was charged from the fox, so, possibly it is the nature of the source of the necroplasm that influences the operation of the Lamp. Perhaps Mrs. Albason's essence attracts human ghosts, or little girl ghosts specifically? I'll definitely need to conduct further experiments along this line of thought." He jots these musings down in his notebook, along with a sketch of a potential power regulator for the Lamp, and then goes about securing the boathouse for the night.
Rowan says, "No, he's not, actually. We're taking a break so I can help my mates in PP, then I'll be back and try to wrap it up. (I'm in PP now, but there's a lull.)"