A bright light, which seemed to have encased Beauty herself, egressed through the cracks around the voluptuous framework of the door to the white room. The incandescence captured ones attention to such an extent that one might take no notice to the other gaieties that filled the apartments; the magnificence of the illumination brought all to a trance so that the loud prattle of the other guests reduced to a mere murmur. The light arrested the attention of all who came near.

Once the door was opened the entirety of the room was unveiled. Along the back wall were seven windows stained a milky white, and seven chalky windowsills, and seven pallid vases, and seven colorless roses, each slightly more withered as one looked from east to west; the last rose was completely bare, not a single petal hung from the drooping bloodless stem and around the vase stood a pile of the hoary, dried out, petals. The silken curtains of the seven windows were draped around the edges of the glass and fell to the sides in ruffles resembling the hem of a dress and adding to the piquancy of the apartment. The bright white and sense of purity in the room was alluring. On both ends of the room hung a tapestry which at first glance seemed to be just blank and colorless, yet at a more contiguous standpoint the guests noticed that each tapestry consisted of a portrait, one of a nobleman and one of a lady.

As the masqueraders danced to the lively orchestra, a music box, which had priorly been unnoticed, began to sing sweetly and softly and wonderfully and beautifully, notes that seized the attention of all. And then, as a slight breeze caused a shudder to ripple throughout the room, two apparitions resurrected in the center of ivory ballroom floor.  Flawlessly, they danced. Flushed faces turned pale; the color from everyones face dissolved so that the tone of their skin nearly matched the alabaster walls. The room was filled with the feeling of mystery, of suspense, of uncertainty, and of awe; not a soul in the room could convince their eyes to part with the act of such elegance and magnificence. This phantasm couple danced and spun to the music which, though soft and delicate, seemed to diffuse throughout the crowd from the music box better than even the music performed by the largest of orchestras.

Suddenly the music slowed and the couple began to fade. There was a short pause; everything became silent and the entire party froze as if waiting for something, something unknown. Then the music started up again, getting quieter and quieter until the couple disappeared and the guests were left in silence.

The white room, with all its embellishments, seemed to be at a standstill. Though a facade covered up each masquerader, the discomfort of uncertainty, the displeasure of confusion, and the fear of the unknown emanated from each and every person in the room. The silence was deafening. In that silence the ghastly ebony clock must have taken in a breath; it was ten tolls voiced by that very clock that broke the prolonged silence. And then one petal from each rose delicately fell and the masquerade continued as everyone moved on to the next room.