by Bram Stoker
“I cannot assert that I do,” said Charles.
“Then what the deuce do you make yourself so disagreeable for, eh?” cried the admiral.
“One cannot help one’s impression and feelings,” said Charles; “but I am willing to take Mr. Marchdale’s hand.”
“And I yours, young sir,” said Marchdale, “in all sincerity of spirit, and with good will towards you.”
They shook hands; but it required no conjuror to perceive that it was not done willingly or cordially. It was a handshaking of that character which seemed to imply on each side, “I don’t like you, but I don’t know positively any harm of you.”
“There now,” said the admiral, “that’s better.”
“Now, let us hold counsel about this Varney,” said Henry. “Come to the parlour all of you, and we will endeavour to come to some decided arrangement.”
“Do not weep, mother,” said Flora. “All may yet be well. We will leave this place.”
“We will consider that question, Flora,” said Henry; “and believe me your wishes will go a long way with all of us, as you may well suppose they always would.”
They left Mrs. Bannerworth with Flora, and proceeded to the small oaken parlour, in which were the elaborate and beautiful carvings which have been before mentioned.
Henry’s countenance, perhaps, wore the most determined expression of all. He appeared now as if he had thoroughly made up his mind to do something which should have a decided tendency to put a stop to the terrible scenes which were now day by day taking place beneath that roof.
Charles Holland looked serious and thoughtful, as if he were revolving some course of action in his mind concerning which he was not quite clear.
Mr. Marchdale was more sad and depressed, to all appearance, than any of them.
At for the admiral, he was evidently in a state of amazement, and knew not what to think. He was anxious to do something, and yet what that was to be he had not the most remote idea, any more than as if he was not at all cognisant of any of those circumstances, every one of which was so completely out of the line of his former life and experience.
George had gone to call on Mr. Chillingworth, so he was not present at the first part of this serious council of war.
CHAPTER XXII.
THE CONSULTATION. — THE DETERMINATION TO LEAVE THE HALL.
This was certainly the most seriously reasonable meeting which had been held at Bannerworth Hall on the subject of the much dreaded vampyre. The absolute necessity for doing something of a decisive character was abundantly apparent, and when Henry promised Flora that her earnest wish to leave the house should not be forgotten as an element in the discussion which was about to ensue, it was with a rapidly growing feeling on his own part, to the effect that that house, associated even as it was with many endearing recollections, was no home for him.
Hence he was the more inclined to propose a departure from the Hall if it could possibly be arranged satisfactorily in a pecuniary point of view. The pecuniary point of view, however, in which Henry was compelled to look at the subject, was an important and a troublesome one.
We have already hinted at the very peculiar state of the finances of the family; and, in fact, although the income derivable from various sources ought to have been amply sufficient to provide Henry, and those who were dependent upon him, with a respectable livelihood, yet it was nearly all swallowed up by the payment of regular instalments upon family debts incurred by his father. And the creditors took great credit to themselves that they allowed of such an arrangement, instead of sweeping off all before them, and leaving the family to starve.
The question, therefore, or, at all events, one of the questions, now was, how far would a departure from the Hall of him, Henry, and the other branches of the family, act upon that arrangement?
During a very few minutes’ consideration, Henry, with the frank and candid disposition which was so strong a characteristic of his character, made up his mind to explain all this fully to Charles Holland and his uncle.
When once he formed such a determination he was not likely to be slow in carrying it into effect, and no sooner, then, were the whole of them seated in the small oaken parlour than he made an explicit statement of his circumstances.
“But,” said Mr. Marchdale, when he had done, “I cannot see what right your creditors have to complain of where you live, so long as you perform your contract to them.”
“True; but they always expected me, I knew, to remain at the Hall, and if they chose, why, of course, at any time, they could sell off the whole property for what it would fetch, and pay themselves as far as the proceeds would go. At all events, I am quite certain there could be nothing at all left for me.”
“I cannot imagine,” added Mr. Marchdale, “that any men could be so unreasonable.”
“It is scarcely to be borne,” remarked Charles Holland, with more impatience than he usually displayed, “that a whole family are to be put to the necessity of leaving their home for no other reason than the being pestered by such a neighbour as Sir Francis Varney. It makes one impatient and angry to reflect upon such a state of things.”
“And yet they are lamentably true,” said Henry. “What can we do?”
“Surely there must be some sort of remedy.”
“There is but one that I can imagine, and that is one we all alike revolt from. We might kill him.”
“That is out of the question.”
“Of course my impression is that he bears the same name really as myself, and that he is my ancestor, from whom was painted the portrait on the panel.”
“Have circumstances really so far pressed upon you,” said Charles Holland, “as at length to convince you that this man is really the horrible creature we surmise he may be?”
“Dare we longer doubt it?” cried Henry, in a tone of excitement. “He is the vampyre.”
“I’ll be hanged if I believe it,” said Admiral Bell! “Stuff and nonsense! Vampyre, indeed! Bother the vampyre.”
“Sir,” said Henry, “you have not had brought before you, painfully, as we have, all the circumstances upon which we, in a manner, feel compelled to found this horrible belief. At first incredulity was a natural thing. We had no idea that ever we could be brought to believe in such a thing.”
“That is the case,” added Marchdale. “But, step by step, we have been driven from utter disbelief in this phenomenon to a trembling conviction that it must be true.”
“Unless we admit that, simultaneously, the senses of a number of persons have been deceived.”
“That is scarcely possible.”
“Then do you mean really to say there are such fish?” said the admiral.
“We think so.”
“Well, I’m d — — d! I have heard all sorts of yarns about what fellows have seen in one ocean and another; but this does beat them all to nothing.”
“It is monstrous,” exclaimed Charles.
There was a pause of some few moments’ duration, and then Mr. Marchdale said, in a low voice, —
“Perhaps I ought not to propose any course of action until you, Henry, have yourself done so; but even at the risk of being presumptuous, I will say that I am firmly of opinion you ought to leave the Hall.”
“I am inclined to think so, too,” said Henry.
“But the creditors?” interposed Charles.
“I think they might be consulted on the matter beforehand,” added Marchdale, “when no doubt they would acquiesce in an arrangement which could do them no harm.”
“Certainly, no harm,” said Henry, “for I cannot take the estate with me, as they well know.”
“Precisely. If you do not like to sell it, you can let it.”
“To whom?”
“Why, under the existing circumstances, it is not likely you would get any tenant for it than the one who has offered himself.”
“Sir Francis Varney?”
“Yes. It seems to be a great object with him to live here, and it appe
ars to me, that notwithstanding all that has occurred, it is most decidedly the best policy to let him.”
Nobody could really deny the reasonableness of this advice, although it seemed strange, and was repugnant to the feelings of them all, as they heard it. There was a pause of some seconds’ duration, and then Henry said, —
“It does, indeed, seem singular, to surrender one’s house to such a being.”
“Especially,” said Charles, “after what has occurred.”
“True.”
“Well,” said Mr. Marchdale, “if any better plan of proceeding, taking the whole case into consideration, can be devised, I shall be most happy.”
“Will you consent to put off all proceedings for three days?” said Charles Holland, suddenly.
“Have you any plan, my dear sir?” said Mr. Marchdale.
“I have, but it is one which I would rather say nothing about for the present.”
“I have no objection,” said Henry, “I do not know that three days can make any difference in the state of affairs. Let it be so, if you wish, Charles.”
“Then I am satisfied,” said Charles. “I cannot but feel that, situated as I am regarding Flora, this is almost more my affair than even yours, Henry.”
“I cannot see that,” said Henry. “Why should you take upon yourself more of the responsibility of these affairs than I, Charles? You induce in my mind a suspicion that you have some desperate project in your imagination, which by such a proposition you would seek to reconcile me to.”
Charles was silent, and Henry then added, —
“Now, Charles, I am quite convinced that what I have hinted at is the fact. You have conceived some scheme which you fancy would be much opposed by us?”
“I will not deny that I have,” said Charles. “It is one, however, which you must allow me for the present to keep locked in my own breast.”
“Why will you not trust us?”
“For two reasons.”
“Indeed!”
“The one is, that I have not yet thoroughly determined upon the course I project; and the other is, that it is one in which I am not justified in involving any one else.”
“Charles, Charles,” said Henry, despondingly; “only consider for a moment into what new misery you may plunge poor Flora, who is, Heaven knows, already sufficiently afflicted, by attempting an enterprise which even we, who are your friends, may unwittingly cross you in the performance of.”
“This is one in which I fear no such result. It cannot so happen. Do not urge me.”
“Can’t you say at once what you think of doing?” said the old admiral. “What do you mean by turning your sails in all sorts of directions so oddly? You sneak, why don’t you be what do you call it — explicit?”
“I cannot, uncle.”
“What, are you tongue-tied?”
“All here know well,” said Charles, “that if I do not unfold my mind fully, it is not that I fear to trust any one present, but from some other most special reason.”
“Charles, I forbear to urge you further,” said Henry, “and only implore you to be careful.”
At this moment the room door opened, and George Bannerworth, accompanied by Mr. Chillingworth, came in.
“Do not let me intrude,” said the surgeon; “I fear, as I see you seated, gentlemen, that my presence must be a rudeness and a disturbance to some family consultation among yourselves?”
“Not at all, Mr. Chillingworth,” said Henry. “Pray be seated; we are very glad indeed to see you. Admiral Bell, this is a friend on whom we can rely — Mr. Chillingworth.”
“And one of the right sort, I can see,” said the admiral, as he shook Mr. Chillingworth by the hand.
“Sir, you do me much honour,” said the doctor.
“None at all, none at all; I suppose you know all about this infernal odd vampyre business?”
“I believe I do, sir.”
“And what do you think of it?”
“I think time will develop the circumstances sufficiently to convince us all that such things cannot be.”
“D — n me, you are the most sensible fellow, then, that I have yet met with since I have been in this neighbourhood; for everybody else is so convinced about the vampyre, that they are ready to swear by him.”
“It would take much more to convince me. I was coming over here when I met Mr. George Bannerworth coming to my house.”
“Yes,” said George, “and Mr. Chillingworth has something to tell us of a nature confirmatory of our own suspicions.”
“It is strange,” said Henry; “but any piece of news, come it from what quarter it may, seems to be confirmatory, in some degree or another, of that dreadful belief in vampyres.”
“Why,” said the doctor, “when Mr. George says that my news is of such a character, I think he goes a little too far. What I have to tell you, I do not conceive has anything whatever to do with the fact, or one fact of there being vampyres.”
“Let us hear it,” said Henry.
“It is simply this, that I was sent for by Sir Francis Varney myself.”
“You sent for?”
“Yes; he sent for me by a special messenger to come to him, and when I went, which, under the circumstances, you may well guess, I did with all the celerity possible, I found it was to consult me about a flesh wound in his arm, which was showing some angry symptoms.”
“Indeed.”
“Yes, it was so. When I was introduced to him I found him lying on a couch, and looking pale and unwell. In the most respectful manner, he asked me to be seated, and when I had taken a chair, he added, —
“‘Mr. Chillingworth, I have sent for you in consequence of a slight accident which has happened to my arm. I was incautiously loading some fire-arms, and discharged a pistol so close to me that the bullet inflicted a wound on my arm.’
“‘If you will allow me,” said I, ‘to see the wound, I will give you my opinion.’
“He then showed me a jagged wound, which had evidently been caused by the passage of a bullet, which, had it gone a little deeper, must have inflicted serious injury. As it was, the wound was but trifling.
“He had evidently been attempting to dress it himself, but finding some considerable inflammation, he very likely got a little alarmed.”
“You dressed the wound?”
“I did.”
“And what do you think of Sir Francis Varney, now that you have had so capital an opportunity,” said Henry, “of a close examination of him?”
“Why, there is certainly something odd about him which I cannot well define, but, take him altogether, he can be a very gentlemanly man indeed.”
“So he can.”
“His manners are easy and polished; he has evidently mixed in good society, and I never, in all my life, heard such a sweet, soft, winning voice.”
“That is strictly him. You noticed, I presume, his great likeness to the portrait on the panel?”
“I did. At some moments, and viewing his face in some particular lights, it showed much more strongly than at others. My impression was that he could, when he liked, look much more like the portrait on the panel than when he allowed his face to assume its ordinary appearance.”
“Probably such an impression would be produced upon your mind,” said Charles, “by some accidental expression of the countenance which even he was not aware of, and which often occurs in families.”
“It may be so.”
“Of course you did not hint, sir, at what has passed here with regard to him?” said Henry.
“I did not. Being, you see, called in professionally, I had no right to take advantage of that circumstance to make any remarks to him about his private affairs.”
“Certainly not.”
“It was all one to me whether he was a vampyre or not, professionally, and however deeply I might feel, personally, interested in the matter, I said nothing to him about it, because, you see, if I had, he would have had a fair opportunity of saying at once, ‘Pray, s
ir, what is that to you?’ and I should have been at a loss what to reply.”
“Can we doubt,” said Henry, “but that this very wound has been inflicted upon Sir Francis Varney, by the pistol-bullet which was discharged at him by Flora?”
“Everything leads to such an assumption certainly,” said Charles Holland.
“And yet you cannot even deduce from that the absolute fact of Sir Francis Varney being a vampyre?”
“I do not think, Mr. Chillingworth,” said Marchdale, “anything would convince you but a visit from him, and an actual attempt to fasten upon some of your own veins.”
“That would not convince me,” said Chillingworth.
“Then you will not be convinced?”
“I certainly will not. I mean to hold out to the last. I said at the first, and I say so still, that I never will give way to this most outrageous superstition.”
“I wish I could think with you,” said Marchdale, with a shudder; “but there may be something in the very atmosphere of this house which has been rendered hideous by the awful visits that have been made to it, which forbids me to disbelieve in those things which others more happily situated can hold at arm’s length, and utterly repudiate.”
“There may be,” said Henry; “but as to that, I think, after the very strongly expressed wish of Flora, I will decide upon leaving the house.”
“Will you sell it or let it?”
“The latter I should much prefer,” was the reply.
“But who will take it now, except Sir Francis Varney? Why not at once let him have it? I am well aware that this does sound odd advice, but remember, we are all the creatures of circumstances, and that, in some cases where we least like it, we must swim with the stream.”
“That you will not decide upon, however, at present,” said Charles Holland, as he rose.
“Certainly not; a few days can make no difference.”
“None for the worse, certainly, and possibly much for the better.”
“Be it so; we will wait.”
“Uncle,” said Charles, “will you spare me half an hour of your company?”
“An hour, my boy, if you want it,” said the admiral, rising from his chair.
