Varney the Vampire; Or, the Feast of Blood
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CHAPTER LXVI.
FLORA BANNERWORTH'S APPARENT INCONSISTENCY.--THE ADMIRAL'S CIRCUMSTANCESAND ADVICE.--MR. CHILLINGWORTH'S MYSTERIOUS ABSENCE.
For a brief space let us return to Flora Bannerworth, who had sufferedso much on account of her affections, as well as on account of themysterious attack that had been made upon her by the reputed vampyre.
After leaving Bannerworth Hall for a short time, she seemed to recoverher spirits; but this was a state of things which did not last, and onlyshowed how fallacious it was to expect that, after the grievous thingsthat had happened, she would rapidly recover her equanimity.
It is said, by learned physiologists, that two bodily pains cannotendure at the same space of time in the system; and, whether it be so ornot, is a question concerning which it would be foreign to the nature ofour work, to enter into anything like an elaborate disquisition.
Certainly, however, so far as Flora Bannerworth was concerned, sheseemed inclined to show that, mentally, the observation was a true one,for that, now she became released from a continued dread of the visitsof the vampyre, her mind would, with more painful interest than ever,recur to the melancholy condition, probably, of Charles Holland, if hewere alive, and to soul-harrowing reflections concerning him, if he weredead.
She could not, and she did not, believe, for one moment, that hisdesertion of her had been of a voluntary character. She knew, or fanciedshe knew, him by far too well for that; and she more than once expressedher opinion, to the effect that she was perfectly convinced hisdisappearance was a part and parcel of all that train of circumstanceswhich had so recently occurred, and produced such a world of unhappinessto her, as well as to the whole of the Bannerworth family.
"If he had never loved me," she said to her brother Henry, "he wouldhave been alive and well; but he has fallen a victim to the truth of apassion, and to the constancy of an affection which, to my dying day, Iwill believe in."
Now that Mr. Marchdale had left the place there was no one to disputethis proposition with Flora, for all, as well as she, were fullyinclined to think well of Charles Holland.
It was on the very morning which preceded that evening when Sir FrancisVarney called upon Charles Holland in the manner we have related, withthe gratifying news that, upon certain conditions, he might be released,that Flora Bannerworth, when the admiral came to see them, spoke to himof Charles Holland, saying,--
"Now, sir, that I am away from Bannerworth Hall, I do not, and cannotfeel satisfied; for the thought that Charles may eventually come back,and seek us there, still haunts me. Fancy him, sir, doing so, and seeingthe place completely deserted."
"Well, there's something in that," said the admiral; "but, however, he'shardly such a goose, if it were so to happen, to give up the chase--he'dfind us out somehow."
"You think he would, sir? or, do you not think that despair would seizeupon him, and that, fancying we had all left the spot for ever, he mightlikewise do so; so that we should lose him more effectually than we havedone at present?"
"No; hardly," said the admiral; "he couldn't be such a goose as that.Why, when I was of his age, if I had secured the affections of a younggirl like you, I'd have gone over all the world, but I'd have found outwhere she was; and what I mean to say is, if he's half such a goose asyou think him, he deserves to lose you."
"Did you not tell me something, sir, of Mr. Chillingworth talking oftaking possession of the Hall for a brief space of time?"
"Why, yes, I did; and I expect he is there now; in fact, I'm sure he'sthere, for he said he would be."
"No, he ain't," said Jack Pringle, at that moment entering the room;"you're wrong again, as you always are, somehow or other."
"What, you vagabond, are you here, you mutinous rascal?"--"Ay, ay, sir;go on; don't mind me. I wonder what you'd do, sir, if you hadn'tsomebody like me to go on talking about."
"Why, you infernal rascal, I wonder what you'd do if you had not anindulgent commander, who puts up even with real mutiny, and says nothingabout it. But where have you been? Did you go as I directed you, andtake some provisions to Bannerworth Hall?"
"Yes, I did; but I brought them back again; there's nobody there, anddon't seem likely to be, except a dead body."
"A dead body! Whose body can that be!"--"Tom somebody; for I'm d----d ifit ain't a great he cat."
"You scoundrel, how dare you alarm me in such a way? But do you mean totell me that you did not see Dr. Chillingworth at the Hall?"--"How couldI see him, if he wasn't there?"
"But he was there; he said he would be there."--"Then he's gone again,for there's nobody there that I know of in the shape of a doctor. I wentthrough every part of the ship--I mean the house--and the deuce a soulcould I find; so as it was rather lonely and uncomfortable, I came awayagain. 'Who knows,' thought I, 'but some blessed vampyre or another maycome across me.'"
"This won't do," said the old admiral, buttoning up his coat to thechin; "Bannerworth Hall must not be deserted in this way. It is quiteclear that Sir Francis Varney and his associates have some particularobject in view in getting possession of the place. Here, youJack."--"Ay, ay, sir."
"Just go back again, and stay at the Hall till somebody comes to you.Even such a stupid hound as you will be something to scare awayunwelcome visitors. Go back to the Hall, I say. What are you staringat?"--"Back to Bannerworth Hall!" said Jack. "What! just where I've comefrom; all that way off, and nothing to eat, and, what's worse, nothingto drink. I'll see you d----d first."
The admiral caught up a table-fork, and made a rush at Jack; but HenryBannerworth interfered.
"No, no," he said, "admiral; no, no--not that. You must recollect thatyou yourself have given this, no doubt, faithful fellow of your'sliberty to do and say a great many things which don't look like goodservice; but I have no doubt, from what I have seen of his disposition,that he would risk his life rather than, that you should come to anyharm."
"Ay, ay," said Jack; "he quite forgets when the bullets were scuttlingour nobs off Cape Ushant, when that big Frenchman had hold of him by the_skirf_ of his neck, and began pummelling his head, and the lee scupperswere running with blood, and a bit of Joe Wiggins's brains had come slapin my eye, while some of Jack Marling's guts was hanging round my necklike a nosegay, all in consequence of grape-shot--then he didn't say asI was a swab, when I came up, and bored a hole in the Frenchman's backwith a pike. Ay, it's all very well now, when there's peace, and nodanger, to call Jack Pringle a lubberly rascal, and mutinous. I'mblessed if it ain't enough to make an old pair of shoes faint away."
"Why, you infernal scoundrel," said the admiral, "nothing of the sortever happened, and you know it. Jack, you're no seaman."--"Werry good,"said Jack; "then, if I ain't no seaman, you are what shore-going peoplecalls a jolly fat old humbug."
"Jack, hold your tongue," said Henry Bannerworth; "you carry thesethings too far. You know very well that your master esteems you, and youshould not presume too much upon that fact."--"My master!" said Jack;"don't call him my master. I never had a master, and don't intend. He'smy admiral, if you like; but an English sailor don't like a master."
"I tell you what it is, Jack," said the admiral; "you've got your goodqualities, I admit."--"Ay, ay, sir--that's enough; you may as well leaveoff well while you can."
"But I'll just tell you what you resemble more than anythingelse."--"Chew me up! what may that be, sir?"
"A French marine."--"A what! A French marine! Good-bye. I wouldn't sayanother word to you, if you was to pay me a dollar a piece. Of all theblessed insults rolled into one, this here's the worstest. You mighthave called me a marine, or you might have called me a Frenchman, but tomake out that I'm both a marine and a Frenchman, d--me, if it isn'tenough to make human nature stand on an end! Now, I've done with you."
"And a good job, too," said the admiral. "I wish I'd thought of itbefore. You're worse than a third day's ague, or a hot and a cold feverin the tropics."--"Very good," said Jack; "I only hope Providence willhave mercy upon you, and keep an eye upon you
when I'm gone, otherwise,I wonder what will become of you? It wasn't so when young Belinda, whoyou took off the island of Antiggy, in the Ingies, jumped overboard, andI went after her in a heavy swell. Howsomdever, never mind, you shookhands with me then; and while a bushel of the briny was weeping out ofthe corner of each of your blinkers, you says, says you,--"
"Hold!" cried the admiral, "hold! I know what I said, Jack. It's cut afathom deep in my memory. Give us your fist, Jack, and--and--"--"Holdyourself," said Jack; "I know what you're going to say, and I won't hearyou say it--so there's an end of it. Lor bless you! I knows you. I ain'ta going to leave you. Don't be afraid; I only works you up, and worksyou down again, just to see if there's any of that old spirit in youwhen we was aboard the Victory. Don't you recollect, admiral?"
"Yes--yes; enough, Jack."--"Why, let me see--that was a matter of fortyyears ago, nearly, when I was a youngster."
"There--there, Jack--that'll do. You bring the events of other yearsfresh upon my memory. Peace--peace. I have not forgotten; but still, tohear what you know of them, if recited, would give the old man apang."--"A pang," said Jack; "I suppose that's some dictionary word fora punch in the eye. That would be mutiny with a vengeance; so I'm off."
"Go, go."--"I'm a going; and just to please you, I'll go to the Hall, soyou sha'n't say that you told me to do anything that I didn't."
Away went Jack, whistling an air, that might have been popular when heand the admiral were young, and Henry Bannerworth could not but remarkthat an appearance of great sadness came over the old man, when Jack wasgone.
"I fear, sir," he said, "that heedless sailor has touched upon someepisode in your existence, the wounds of which are still fresh enough togive you pain."--"It is so," said the old admiral; "just look at me,now. Do I look like the hero of a romantic love story?"
"Not exactly, I admit."--"Well, notwithstanding that, Jack Pringle hastouched a chord that vibrates in my heart yet," replied the admiral.
"Have you any objection to tell me of it?"--"None, whatever; andperhaps, by the time I have done, the doctor may have found his way backagain, or Jack may bring us some news of him. So here goes for a short,but a true yarn."