by Bram Stoker
“Oh, dear, I did not know. You should have told me he was a little wrong about the brain; I might have quarreled with the lad. Dear me, how lamentable for his poor mother.”
“This will not do, Sir Francis Varney alias Bannerworth.”
“Oh — oh! Be calm — be calm.”
“I defy you to your teeth, sir! No, God, no! Your teeth!”
“Poor lad! Poor lad!”
“You are a cowardly demon, and here I swear to devote myself to your destruction.”
Sir Francis Varney drew himself up to his full height, and that was immense, as he said to Henry, —
“I pray you, Mr. Bannerworth, since I am thus grievously insulted beneath your roof, to tell me if your friend here be mad or sane?”
“He’s not mad.”
“Then — ”
“Hold, sir! The quarrel shall be mine. In the name of my persecuted sister — in the name of Heaven. Sir Francis Varney, I defy you.”
Sir Francis, in spite of his impenetrable calmness, appeared somewhat moved, as he said, —
“I have already endured insult sufficient — I will endure no more. If there are weapons at hand — ”
“My young friend,” interrupted Mr. Marchdale, stepping between the excited men, “is carried away by his feelings, and knows not what he says. You will look upon it in that light, Sir Francis.”
“We need no interference,” exclaimed Varney, his hitherto bland voice changing to one of fury. “The hot blooded fool wishes to fight, and he shall — to the death — to the death.”
“And I say he shall not,” exclaimed Mr. Marchdale, taking Henry by the arm. “George,” he added, turning to the young man, “assist me in persuading your brother to leave the room. Conceive the agony of your sister and mother if anything should happen to him.”
Varney smiled with a devilish sneer, as he listened to these words, and then he said, —
“As you will — as you will. There will be plenty of time, and perhaps better opportunity, gentlemen. I bid you good day.”
And with provoking coolness, he then moved towards the door, and quitted the room.
“Remain here,” said Marchdale; “I will follow him, and see that he quits the premises.”
He did so, and the young men, from the window, beheld Sir Francis walking slowly across the garden, and then saw Mr. Marchdale follow on his track.
While they were thus occupied, a tremendous ringing came at the gate, but their attention was so rivetted to what was passing in the garden, that they paid not the least attention to it.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE ADMIRAL’S ADVICE. — THE CHALLENGE TO THE VAMPYRE. — THE NEW SERVANT AT THE HALL.
The violent ringing of the bell continued uninterruptedly until at length George volunteered to answer it. The fact was, that now there was no servant at all in the place for, after the one who had recently demanded of Henry her dismissal had left, the other was terrified to remain alone, and had precipitately gone from the house, without even going through the ceremony of announcing her intention to. To be sure, she sent a boy for her money afterwards, which may be considered a great act of condescension.
Suspecting, then, this state of things, George himself hastened to the gate, and, being not over well pleased at the continuous and unnecessary ringing which was kept up at it, he opened it quickly, and cried, with more impatience, by a vast amount, than was usual with him.
“Who is so impatient that he cannot wait a seasonable time for the door to be opened?”
“And who the d — — l are you?” cried one who was immediately outside.
“Who do you want?” cried George.
“Shiver my timbers!” cried Admiral Bell, for it was no other than that personage. “What’s that to you?”
“Ay, ay,” added Jack, “answer that if you can, you shore-going-looking swab.”
“Two madmen, I suppose,” ejaculated George, and he would have closed the gate upon them; but Jack introduced between it and the post the end of a thick stick, saying, —
“Avast there! None of that; we have had trouble enough to get in. If you are the family lawyer, or the chaplain, perhaps you’ll tell us where Mister Charley is.”
“Once more I demand of you who you want?” said George, who was now perhaps a little amused at the conduct of the impatient visitors.
“We want the admiral’s nevey” said Jack.
“But how do I know who is the admiral’s nevey as you call him.”
“Why, Charles Holland, to be sure. Have you got him aboard or not?”
“Mr. Charles Holland is certainly here; and, if you had said at once, and explicitly, that you wished to see him, I could have given you a direct answer.”
“He is here?” cried the admiral.
“Most certainly.”
“Come along, then; yet, stop a bit. I say, young fellow, just before we go any further, tell us if he has maimed the vampyre?”
“The what?
“The wamphigher,” said Jack, by way of being, as he considered, a little more explanatory than the admiral.
“I do not know what you mean,” said George; “if you wish to see Mr. Charles Holland walk in and see him. He is in this house; but, for myself, as you are strangers to me, I decline answering any questions, let their import be what they may.”
“Hilloa! who are they?” suddenly cried Jack, as he pointed to two figures some distance off in the meadows, who appeared to be angrily conversing.
George glanced in the direction towards which Jack pointed, and there he saw Sir Francis Varney and Mr. Marchdale standing within a few paces of each other, and apparently engaged in some angry discussion.
His first impulse was to go immediately towards them; but, before he could execute even that suggestion of his mind, he saw Varney strike Marchdale, and the latter fell to the ground.
“Allow me to pass,” cried George, as he endeavoured to get by the rather unwieldy form of the admiral. But, before he could accomplish this, for the gate was narrow, he saw Varney, with great swiftness, make off, and Marchdale, rising to his feet, came towards the Hall.
When Marchdale got near enough to the garden-gate to see George, he motioned to him to remain where he was, and then, quickening his pace, he soon came up to the spot.
“Marchdale,” cried George, “you have had an encounter with Sir Francis Varney.”
“I have,” said Marchdale, in an excited manner. “I threatened to follow him, but he struck me to the earth as easily as I could a child. His strength is superhuman.”
“I saw you fall.”
“I believe, but that he was observed, he would have murdered me.”
“Indeed!”
“What, do you mean to say that lankey, horse-marine looking fellow is as bad as that!” said the admiral.
Marchdale now turned his attention to the two new comers, upon whom he looked with some surprise, and then, turning to George, he said, —
“Is this gentleman a visitor?”
“To Mr. Holland, I believe he is,” said George; “but I have not the pleasure of knowing his name.”
“Oh, you may know my name as soon as you like,” cried the admiral. “The enemies of old England know it, and I don’t care if all the world knows it. I’m old Admiral Bell, something of a hulk now, but still able to head a quarter-deck if there was any need to do so.”
“Ay, ay,” cried Jack, and taking from his pocket a boatswain’s whistle, he blew a blast so long, and loud, and shrill, that George was fain to cover his ears with his hands to shut out the brain-piercing, and, to him unusual sound.
“And are you, then, a relative,” said Marchdale, “of Mr. Holland’s, sir, may I ask?”
“I’m his uncle, and be d — — d to him, if you must know, and some one has told me that the young scamp thinks of marrying a mermaid, or a ghost, or a vampyre, or some such thing, so, for the sake of the memory of his poor mother, I’ve come to say no to the bargain, and d — n me, who cares.”
“Come in, sir,” said George, “I will conduct you to Mr. Holland. I presume this is your servant?”
“Why, not exactly. That’s Jack Pringle, he was my boatswain, you see, and now he’s a kind o’ something betwixt and between. Not exactly a servant.”
“Ay, ay, sir,” said Jack. “Have it all your own way, though we is paid off.”
“Hold your tongue, you audacious scoundrel, will you.”
“Oh, I forgot, you don’t like anything said about paying off, cos it puts you In mind of — ”
“Now, d — n you, I’ll have you strung up to the yard-arm, you dog, if you don’t belay there.”
“I’m done. All’s right.”
By this time the party, including the admiral, Jack, George Bannerworth, and Marchdale, had got more than half-way across the garden, and were observed by Charles Holland and Henry, who had come to the steps of the hall to see what was going on. The moment Charles saw the admiral a change of colour came over his face, and he exclaimed, —
“By all that’s surprising, there is my uncle!”
“Your uncle!” said Henry.
“Yes, as good a hearted a man as ever drew breath, and yet, withal, as full of prejudices, and as ignorant of life, as a child.”
Without waiting for any reply from Henry, Charles Holland rushed forward, and seizing his uncle by the hand, he cried, in tones of genuine affection, —
“Uncle, dear uncle, how came you to find me out?”
“Charley, my boy,” cried the old man, “bless you; I mean, confound your d — — d impudence; you rascal, I’m glad to see you; no, I ain’t, you young mutineer. What do you mean by it, you ugly, ill-looking, d — — d fine fellow — my dear boy. Oh, you infernal scoundrel.”
All this was accompanied by a shaking of the hand, which was enough to dislocate anybody’s shoulder, and which Charles was compelled to bear as well as he could.
It quite prevented him from speaking, however, for a few moments, for it nearly shook the breath out of him. When, then, he could get in a word, he said, —
“Uncle, I dare say you are surprised.”
“Surprised! D — n me, I am surprised.”
“Well, I shall be able to explain all to your satisfaction, I am sure. Allow me now to introduce you to my friends.”
Turning then to Henry, Charles said, —
“This is Mr. Henry Bannerworth, uncle; and this Mr. George Bannerworth, both good friends of mine; and this is Mr. Marchdale, a friend of theirs, uncle.”
“Oh, indeed!”
“And here you see Admiral Bell, my most worthy, but rather eccentric uncle.”
“Confound your impudence.”
“What brought him here I cannot tell; but he is a brave officer, and a gentleman.”
“None of your nonsense,” said the admiral.
“And here you sees Jack Pringle,” said that individual, introducing himself, since no one appeared inclined to do that office for him, “a tar for all weathers. One as hates the French, and is never so happy as when he’s alongside o’ some o’ those lubberly craft blazing away.”
“That’s uncommonly true,” remarked the admiral.
“Will you walk in, sir?” said Henry, courteously. “Any friend of Charles Holland’s is most welcome here. You will have much to excuse us for, because we are deficient in servants at present, in consequence of come occurrences in our family, which your nephew has our full permission to explain to you in full”
“Oh, very good, I tell you what it is, all of you, what I’ve seen of you, d — — e, I like, so here goes. Come along, Jack.”
The admiral walked into the house, and as he went, Charles Holland said to him, —
“How came you to know I was here, uncle?”
“Some fellow wrote me a despatch.”
“Indeed!”
“Yes, saying at you was a going to marry some odd sort of fish as it wasn’t at all the thing to introduce into the family.”
“Was — was a vampyre mentioned?”
“That’s the very thing.”
“Hush, uncle — hush.”
“What for?”
“Do not, I implore, hint at such a thing before these kind friends of mine. I will take an opportunity within the next hour of explaining all to you, and you shall form your own kind and generous judgement upon circumstances in which my honour and my happiness are so nearly concerned.”
“Gammon,” said the admiral.
“What, uncle?”
“Oh, I know you want to palaver me into saying it’s all right. I suppose if my judgment and generosity don’t like it, I shall be an old fool, and a cursed goose?”
“Now, uncle.”
“Now, nevey.”
“Well, well — no more at present. We will talk over this at leisure. You promise me to say nothing about it until you have heard my explanation, uncle?”
“Very good. Make it as soon as you can, and as short as you can, that’s all I ask of you.”
“I will, I will.”
Charles was to the full as anxious as his uncle could be to enter upon the subject, some remote information of which, he felt convinced, had brought the old man down to the Hall. Who it could have been that so far intermeddled with his affairs as to write to him, he could not possibly conceive.
A very few words will suffice to explain the precise position in which Charles Holland was. A considerable sum of money had been left to him, but it was saddled with the condition that he should not come into possession of it until he was one year beyond the age which is usually denominated that of discretion, namely, twenty-one. His uncle, the admiral, was the trustee of his fortune, and he, with rare discretion, had got the active and zealous assistance of a professional gentleman of great honour and eminence to conduct the business for him.
This gentleman had advised that for the two years between the ages of twenty and twenty-two, Charles Holland should travel, inasmuch as in English society he would find himself in an awkward position, being for one whole year of age, and yet waiting for his property.
Under such circumstances, reasoned the lawyer, a young man, unless he is possessed of very rare discretion indeed, is almost sure to get fearfully involved with money-lenders. Being of age, his notes, and bills, and bonds would all be good, and he would be in a ten times worse situation than a wealthy minor.
All this was duly explained to Charles, who, rather eagerly than otherwise, caught at the idea of a two years wander on the continent, where he could visit so many places, which to a well read young man like himself, and one of a lively imagination, were full of the most delightful associations.
But the acquaintance with Flora Bannerworth effected a great revolution in his feelings. The dearest, sweetest spot on earth became that which she inhabited. When the Bannerworths left him abroad, he knew not what to do with himself. Everything, and every pursuit in which he had before taken a delight, became most distasteful to him. He was, in fact, in a short time, completely “used up,” and then he determined upon returning to England, and finding out the dear object of his attachment at once. This resolution was no sooner taken, than his health and spirits returned to him, and with what rapidity he could, he now made his way to his native shores.
The two years were so nearly expired, that he made up his mind he would not communicate either with his uncle, the admiral, or the professional gentleman upon whose judgment he set so high and so just a value. And at the Hall he considered he was in perfect security from any interruption, and so he would have been, but for that letter which was written to Admiral Bell, and signed Josiah Crinkles, but which Josiah Crinkles so emphatically denied all knowledge of. Who wrote it, remains at present one of those mysteries which time, in the progress of our narrative, will clear up.
The opportune, or rather the painful juncture at which Charles Holland had arrived at Bannerworth Hall, we are well cognisant of. Where he expected to find smiles he found tears, and the family with whom he had fondly hoped h
e should pass a time of uninterrupted happiness, he found plunged in the gloom incidental to an occurrence of the most painful character.
Our readers will perceive, too, that coming as he did with an utter disbelief in the vampyre, Charles had been compelled, in some measure, to yield to the overwhelming weight of evidence which had been brought to bear upon the subject, and although he could not exactly be said to believe in the existence and the appearance of the vampyre at Bannerworth Hall, he was upon the subject in a most painful state of doubt and indecision.
Charles now took an opportunity to speak to Henry privately, and inform him exactly how he stood with his uncle, adding —
“Now, my dear friend, if you forbid me, I will not tell my uncle of this sad affair, but I must own I would rather do so fully and freely, and trust to his own judgment upon it.”
“I implore you to do so,” said Henry. “Conceal nothing. Let him know the precise situation and circumstances of the family by all means. There is nothing so mischievous as secrecy: I have the greatest dislike to it. I beg you tell him all.”
“I will; and with it, Henry, I will tell him that my heart is irrevocably Flora’s.”
“Your generous clinging to one whom your heart saw and loved, under very different auspices,” said Henry, “believe me, Charles, sinks deep into my heart. She has related to me something of a meeting she had with you.”
“Oh, Henry, she may tell you what I said; but there are no words which can express the depth of my tenderness. ‘Tis only time which can prove how much I love her.”
“Go to your uncle,” said Henry, in a voice of emotion. “God bless you, Charles. It is true you would have been fully justified in leaving my sister; but the nobler and the more generous path you have chosen has endeared you to us all.”
“Where is Flora now?” said Charles.
“She is in her own room. I have persuaded her, by some occupation, to withdraw her mind from a too close and consequently painful contemplation of the distressing circumstances in which she feels herself placed.”
“You are right. What occupation best pleases her?”
“The pages of romance once had a charm for her gentle spirit.”
