Varney the Vampire; Or, the Feast of Blood

by Thomas Preskett Prest

  CHAPTER XCV.

  THE MARRIAGE IN THE BANNERWORTH FAMILY ARRANGED.

  After the adventure of the doctor with regard to the picture about whichsuch an air of mystery and interest has been thrown, the Bannerworthfamily began to give up all hopes of ever finding a clue to thosecircumstances concerning which they would certainly have liked to haveknown the truth, but of which it was not likely they would ever hearanything more.

  Dr. Chillingworth now had no reserve, and when he had recoveredsufficiently to feel that he could converse without an effort, he tookan opportunity, while the whole of the family were present, to speak ofwhat had been his hopes and his expectations.

  "You are all aware," he said, "now, of the story of MarmadukeBannerworth, and what an excessively troublesome person he was, with alldeference, to you, Henry; first of all, as to spending all his money atthe gaming-table, and leaving his family destitute; and then, when hedid get a lump of money which might have done some good to those he leftbehind him--hiding it somewhere where it could not be found at all, andso leaving you all in great difficulty and distress, when you might havebeen independent."

  "That's true enough, doctor," said Henry; "but you know the oldproverb,--that ill-gotten wealth never thrives; so that I don't regretnot finding this money, for I am sure we should have been none thehappier with it, and perhaps not so happy."

  "Oh, bother the old proverb; thirty or forty thousand pounds is notrifle to be talked lightly of, or the loss of which to be quietly putup with, on account of a musty proverb. It's a large sum, and I shouldlike to have placed it in your hands."

  "But as you cannot, doctor, there can be no good possibly done byregretting it."

  "No, certainly; I don't mean that; utter regret is always a very foolishthing; but it's questionable whether something might not be done in thematter, after all, for you, as it appears, by all the evidence we cancollect, that it must have been Varney, after all, who jumped down uponme from the garden-wall in so sudden a manner: and, if the picture bevaluable to him, it must be valuable to us."

  "But how are we to get it, and if we could, I do not see that it wouldbe of much good to anybody, for, after all, it is but a painting."

  "There you go again," said the doctor, "depreciating what you knownothing about; now, listen to me, Master Henry, and I will tell you.That picture evidently had some sort of lining at the back, over theoriginal canvas; and do you think I would have taken such pains to bringit away with me if that lining had not made me suspect that between itand the original picture the money, in bank notes, was deposited?"

  "Had you any special reason for supposing such was the case?"

  "Yes; most unquestionably I had; for when I got the picture fairly down,I found various inequalities in the surface of the back, which led me tobelieve that rolls of notes were deposited, and that the great mistakewe had all along made was in looking behind the picture, instead of atthe picture itself. I meant immediately to have cut it to pieces when Ireached here with it; but now it has got into the hands of somebodyelse, who knows, I suspect, as much I do."

  "It is rather provoking."

  "Rather provoking! is that the way to talk of the loss of Heaven knowshow many thousands of pounds! I am quite aggravated myself at the ideaof the thing, and it puts me in a perfect fever to think of it, I canassure you."

  "But what can we do?"

  "Oh! I propose an immediate crusade against Varney, the vampyre, for whobut he could have made such an attack upon me, and force me to deliverup such a valuable treasure?"

  "Never heed it, doctor," said Flora; "let it go; we have never had orenjoyed that money, so it cannot matter, and it is not to be consideredas the loss of an actual possession, because we never did actuallypossess it."

  "Yes," chimed in the admiral; "bother the money! what do we care aboutit; and, besides, Charley Holland is going to be very busy."

  "Busy!" said the doctor, "how do you mean?"

  "Why, isn't he going to be married directly to Flora, here, and am not Igoing to settle the whole of my property upon him on condition that hetakes the name of Bell instead of Holland? for, you see, his mother wasmy sister, and of course her name was Bell. As for his father Holland,it can't matter to him now what Charley is called; and if he don't takethe name of Bell I shall be the last in the family, for I am not likelyto marry, and have any little Bells about me."

  "No," said the doctor; "I should say not; and that's the reason why youwant to ring the changes upon Charles Holland's name. Do you see thejoke, admiral?"

  "I can't say I do--where is it? It's all very well to talk of jokes, butif I was like Charles, going to be married, I shouldn't be in any jokinghumour, I can tell you, but quite the reverse; and as for you and yourpicture, if you want it, doctor, just run after Varney yourself for it;or, stay--I have a better idea than that--get your wife to go and askhim for it, and if she makes half such a clamour about his ears that shedid about ours, he will give it her in a minute, to get rid of her."

  "My wife!--you don't mean to say she has been here?"

  "Yes, but she has though. And now, doctor, I can tell you I have seen agood deal of service in all parts of the world, and, of course, pickedup a little experience; and, if I were you, some of these days, whenMrs. Chillingworth ain't very well, I'd give her a composing draughtthat would make her quiet enough."

  "Ah! that's not my style of practice, admiral; but I am sorry to hearthat Mrs. Chillingworth has annoyed you so much."

  "Pho, pho, man!--pho, pho! do you think she could annoy me? Why, I haveencountered storms and squalls in all latitudes, and it isn't a woman'stongue now that can do anything of an annoying character, I can tellyou; far from it--very far from it; so don't distress yourself upon thathead. But come, doctor, we are going to have the wedding the day afterto-morrow."

  "No, no," said Flora; "the week after next, you mean,"

  "Is it the week after next? I'll be hanged if I didn't think it was theday after to-morrow; but of course you know best, as you have settled itall among you. I have nothing to do with it."

  "Of course, I shall, with great pleasure," returned the doctor, "bepresent on the interesting occasion; but do you intend taking possessionof Bannerworth Hall again?"

  "No, certainly not," said Henry; "we propose going to the Dearbrookestate, and there remaining for a time to see how we all like it. Wemay, perchance, enjoy it very much, for I have heard it spoken of as anattractive little property enough, and one that any one might fancy,after being resident a short time upon it."

  "Well," said the admiral; "that is, I believe, settled among us, but Iam sure we sha'n't like it, on account of the want of the sea. Why, Itell you, I have not seen a ship myself for this eighteen months;there's a state of things, you see, that won't do to last, because onewould get dry-mouldy: it's a shocking thing to see nothing but land,land, wherever you go."

  From the preceding conversation may be gathered what were the designs ofthe Bannerworth family, and what progress had been made in carrying themout. From the moment they had discovered the title-deeds of theDearbrook property, they had ceased to care about the large sum of moneywhich Marmaduke Bannerworth had been supposed to have hidden in someportion of Bannerworth Hall.

  They had already passed through quite enough of the busy turmoils ofexistence to be grateful for anything that promised ease and competence,and that serenity of mind which is the dearest possession which any onecan compass.

  Consequently was it, that, with one accord, they got rid of all yearningafter the large sum which the doctor was so anxious to procure for them,and looked forward to a life of great happiness and contentment. On thewhole, too, when they came to talk the matter over quietly amongthemselves, they were not sorry that Varney had taken himself off in theway he had, for really it was a great release; and, as he had couchedhis farewell in words which signified it was a final one, they wereinclined to think that he must have left England, and that it was notlikely they should ever again encounter him, under any circ
umstanceswhatever.

  It was to be considered quite as a whim of the old admiral's, thechanging of Charles Holland's name to Bell; but, as Charles himself saidwhen the subject was broached to him,--"I am so well content to becalled whatever those to whom I feel affection think proper, that I giveup my name of Holland without a pang, willingly adopting in its steadone that has always been hallowed in my remembrance with the best andkindest recollections."

  And thus this affair was settled, much to the satisfaction of Flora, whowas quite as well content to be called Mrs. Bell as to be called Mrs.Holland, since the object of her attachment remained the same. Thewedding was really fixed for the week after that which followed theconversation we have recorded; but the admiral was not at all disposedto allow Flora and his nephew Charles to get through such an importantperiod of their lives without some greater demonstration and show thancould be made from the little cottage where they dwelt; and consequentlyhe wished that they should leave that and proceed at once to a largermansion, which he had his eye upon a few miles off, and which was to behad furnished for a time, at the pleasure of any one.

  "And we won't shut ourselves up," said the admiral; "but we will findout all the Christian-like people in the neighbourhood, and invite themto the wedding, and we will have a jolly good breakfast together, andlots of music, and a famous lunch; and, after that, a dinner, and then adance, and all that sort of thing; so that there shall be no want offun."

  As may be well supposed, both Charles and Flora shrunk from so public anaffair; but, as the old man had evidently set his heart upon it, theydid not like to say they positively would not; so, after a vain attemptto dissuade him from removing at all from the cottage until they removedfor good, they gave up the point to him, and he had it all his own way.

  He took the house, for one month, which had so taken his fancy, andcertainly a pretty enough place it was, although they found outafterwards, that why it was he was so charmed with it consisted in thefact that it bore the name of a vessel which he had once commanded; butthis they did not know until a long time afterwards, when it slipped outby mere accident.

  They stipulated with the admiral that there should not be more thantwenty guests at the breakfast which was to succeed the marriageceremony; and to that he acceded; but Henry whispered to CharlesHolland,--

  "I know this public wedding to be distasteful to you, and mostparticularly do I know it is distasteful to Flora; so, if you do notmind playing a trick upon the old man, I can very easily put you in theway of cheating him entirely."

  "Indeed; I should like to hear, and, what is more, I should like topractise, if you think it will not so entirely offend him as to make himimplacable."

  "Not at all, not at all; he will laugh himself, when he comes to knowit, as much as any of us; the present difficulty will be to procureFlora's connivance; but that we must do the best way we can bypersuasion."

  What this scheme was will ultimately appear; but, certain it is, thatthe old admiral had no suspicion of what was going on, and proceeded tomake all his arrangements accordingly.

  From his first arrival in the market town--in the neighbourhood of whichwas Bannerworth Hall--it will be recollected that he had taken a greatfancy to the lawyer, in whose name a forged letter had been sent him,informing him of the fact that his nephew, Charles Holland, intendedmarrying into a family of vampyres.

  It was this letter, as the reader is aware, which brought the oldadmiral and Jack Pringle into the neighbourhood of the Hall; and,although it was a manoeuvre to get rid of Charles Holland, which failedmost signally, there can be no doubt but that such a letter was theproduction of Sir Francis Varney, and that he wrote it for the expresspurpose of getting rid of Charles from the Hall, who had begunmaterially to interfere with his plans and projects there.

  After some conversation with himself, the admiral thought that thislawyer would be just the man to recommend the proper sort of people tobe invited to the wedding of Charles and Flora; so he wrote to him,inviting himself to dinner, and received back a very gracious reply fromthe lawyer, who declared that the honour of entertaining a gentlemanwhom he so much respected as Admiral Bell, was greater than he had aright to expect by a great deal, and that he should feel most gratefulfor his company, and await his coming with the greatest impatience.

  "A devilish civil fellow, that attorney," said the admiral, as he putthe letter in his pocket, "and almost enough to put one in conceit oflawyers."

  "Yes," said Jack Pringle, who had overheard the admiral read the letter.

  "Yes, we will honour him; and I only hope he will have plenty of grog;because, you see, if he don't--D--n it! what's that? Can't you keepthings to yourself?"

  This latter exclamation arose from the fact that the admiral was soindignant at Jack for listening to what he had been saying, as to throwa leaden inkstand, that happened to be upon the table, at his head.

  "You mutinous swab!" he said, "cannot a gentleman ask me to dinner, orcannot I ask myself, without you putting your spoke in the windlass, youvagabond?"

  "Oh! well," said Jack, "if you are out of temper about it, I had bettersend my mark to the lawyer, and tell him that we won't come, as it hasmade some family differences."

  "Family, you thief!" said the admiral. "What do you mean? What family doyou think would own you? D--n me, if I don't think you came over in somestrange ship. But, I tell you what it is, if you interfere in thismatter, I'll be hanged if I don't blow your brains out."

  "And you'll be hanged if you do," said Jack, as he walked out of theroom; "so it's all one either way, old fizgig."

  "What!" roared the admiral, as he sprang up and ran after Jack. "Have Ilived all these years to be called names in my own ship--I mean my ownhouse? What does the infernal rascal mean by it?"

  The admiral, no doubt, would have pursued Jack very closely, had notFlora intercepted him, and, by gentle violence, got him back to theroom. No one else could have ventured to have stopped him, but theaffection he had for her was so great that she could really accomplishalmost anything with him; and, by listening quietly to his complaints ofJack Pringle--which, however, involved a disclosure of the fact which hehad intended to keep to himself, that he had sought the lawyer'sadvice--she succeeded in soothing him completely, so that he forgot hisanger in a very short time.

  But the old man's anger, although easily aroused, never lasted verylong; and, upon the whole, it was really astonishing what he put up withfrom Jack Pringle, in the way of taunts and sneers, of all sorts anddescriptions, and now and then not a little real abuse.

  And, probably, he thought likewise that Jack Pringle did not mean whathe said, on the same principle that he (the admiral), when he calledJack a mutinous swab and a marine, certainly did not mean that Jack wasthose things, but merely used them as expletives to express a greatamount of indignation at the moment, because, as may be well supposed,nothing in the world could be worse, in Admiral Bell's estimation, thatto be a mutinous swab or a marine.

  It was rather a wonder, though, that, in his anger some day, he did notdo Jack some mischief; for, as we have had occasion to notice in one ortwo cases, the admiral was not extremely particular as to what sorts ofmissiles he used when he considered it necessary to throw something atJack's head.

  It would not have been a surprising thing if Jack had really made somecommunication to the lawyer; but he did stop short at that amount ofpleasantry, and, as he himself expressed it, for once in a way he letthe old man please himself.

  The admiral soon forgot this little dispute, and then pleased himselfwith the idea that he should pass a pleasant day with the attorney.

  "Ah! well," he said; "who would have thought that ever I should havegone and taken dinner with a lawyer--and not only done that, but invitedmyself too! It shows us all that there may be some good in all sorts ofmen, lawyers included; and I am sure, after this, I ought to begin tothink what I never thought before, and that is, that a marine mayactually be a useful person. It shows that, as one gets older, one getswiser.
"

  It was an immense piece of liberality for a man brought up, as AdmiralBell had been, in decidedly one of the most prejudiced branches of thepublic service, to make any such admissions as these. A very great thingit was, and showed a liberality of mind such as, even at the presenttime, is not readily found.

  It is astonishing, as well as amusing, to find how the mind assimilatesitself to the circumstances in which it is placed, and how society,being cut up into small sections, imagines different things merely as aconsequence of their peculiar application. We shall find that evenpeople, living at different ends of a city, will look with a sort ofpity and contempt upon each other; and it is much to be regretted thatpublic writers are found who use what little ability they may possess inpandering to their feelings.

  It was as contemptible and silly as it was reprehensible for a latecelebrated novelist to pretend that he believed there was at placecalled Bloomsbury-square, but he really did not know; because that wasmerely done for the purpose of raising a silly laugh among persons whowere neither respectable on account of their abilities or their conduct.

  But to return from this digression. The admiral, attired in his bestsuit, which always consisted of a blue coat, the exact colour of thenavy uniform, an immense pale primrose coloured waistcoat, and whitekerseymere continuations, went to the lawyer's as had been arranged.

  If anything at all could flatter the old man's vanity successfully, itcertainly would be the manner in which he was received at the lawyer'shouse, where everything was done that could give him satisfaction.

  A very handsome repast was laid before him, and, when the cloth wasremoved, the admiral broached the subject upon which he wished to askthe advice of his professional friend. After telling him of the weddingthat was to come off, he said,--

  "Now, I have bargained to invite twenty people; and, of course, as thatis exclusive of any of the family, and as I don't know any people aboutthis neighbourhood except yourself, I want you and your family to cometo start with, and then I want you to find me out some more decentpeople to make up the party."

  "I feel highly flattered," said the attorney, "that, in such a case asthis, you should have come to me, and my only great fear is, that Ishould not be able to give you satisfaction."

  "Oh! you needn't be afraid of that; there is no fear on that head; so Ishall leave it all to you to invite the folks that you think proper."

  "I will endeavour, certainly, admiral, to do my best. Of course, livingin the town, as I have for many years, I know some very nice people aswell as some very queer ones."

  "Oh! we don't want any of the queer ones; but let those who are invitedbe frank, hearty, good-tempered people, such as one will be glad to meetover and over again without any ceremony--none of your simpering people,who are afraid to laugh for fear of opening their mouths too wide, butwho are so mighty genteel that they are afraid to enjoy anything forfear it should be vulgar."

  "I understand you, admiral, perfectly, and shall endeavour to obey yourinstructions to the very letter; but, if I should unfortunately inviteanybody you don't like, you must excuse me for making such a mistake."

  "Oh, of course--of course. Never mind that; and, if any disagreeablefellow comes, we will smother him in some way."

  "It would serve him right, for no one ought to make himselfdisagreeable, after being honoured with an invitation from you; but Iwill be most especially careful, and I hope that such a circumstancewill not occur."

  "Never mind. If it should, I'll tell you what I'll do; I'll set JackPringle upon him, and if he don't worry his life out it will be astrange thing to me."

  "Oh," said the lawyer, "I am glad you have mentioned him, for it givesme an opportunity of saying that I have done all in my power to make himcomfortable."

  "All in your power to make him comfortable! What do you mean?"

  "I mean that I have placed such a dinner before him as will please him;I told him to ask for just whatever he likes."

  The admiral looked at the lawyer with amazement, for a few moments, insilence, and then he said,

  "D--n it! why, you don't mean to tell me, that that rascal is here."

  "Oh, yes; he came about ten minutes I before you arrived, and said youwere coming, and he has been down stairs feasting all the while since."

  "Stop a bit. Do you happen to have any loaded fire arms in the house?"

  "We have got an old bunderbuss; but what for, admiral?"

  "To shoot that scoundrel, Pringle. I'll blow his brains out, as sure asfate. The impudence of his coming here, directly against my orders,too."

  "My dear sir, calm yourself, and think nothing of it; it's of noconsequence whatever."

  "No consequence; where is that blunderbuss of yours? Do you mean to tellme that mutiny is of no consequence? Give me the blunderbuss."

  "But, my clear sir, we only keep it _in terrorem_, and have no bullets."

  "Never mind that, we can cram in a handful of nails, or brass buttons,or hammer up a few halfpence--anything of that sort will do to settlehis business with."

  "How do you get on, old Tarbarrel?" said Jack, putting his head in atthe door. "Are you making yourself comfortable? I'll be hanged if Idon't think you have a drop too much already, you look so precious redabout the gills. I have been getting on famous, and I thought I'd justhop up for a minute to make your mind easy about me, and tell you so."

  It was quite evident that Jack had done justice to the good cheer of thelawyer, for he was rather unsteady, and had to hold by the door-post tosupport himself, while there was such a look of contentment upon hiscountenance as contrasted with the indignation that was manifest uponthe admiral's face that, as the saying is, it would have made a catlaugh to see them.

  "Be off with ye, Jack," said the lawyer; "be off with ye. Go down stairsagain and enjoy yourself. Don't you see that the admiral is angry withyou."

  "Oh, he be bothered," said Jack; "I'll soon settle him if he comes anyof his nonsense; and mind, Mr. Lawyer, whatever you do, don't you givehim too much to drink."

  The lawyer ran to the door, and pushed Jack out, for he rightly enoughsuspected that the quietness of the admiral was only that calm whichprecedes a storm of more than usual amount and magnitude, so he wasanxious to part them at once.

  He then set about appeasing, as well as he could, the admiral's anger,by attributing the perseverance of Jack, in following him wherever hewent, to his great affection for him, which, combined with hisignorance, might make him often troublesome when he had really nointention of being so.

  This was certainly the best way of appeasing the old man; and, indeed,the only way in which it could be done successfully, and the proof thatit was so, consisted in the fact, that the admiral did consent, at thesuggestion of the attorney, to forgive Jack once more for the offence hehad committed.

  CHAPTER XCVI.

  THE BARON TAKES ANDERBURY HOUSE, AND DECIDES UPON GIVING A GRANDENTERTAINMENT.

  It was not considered anything extraordinary that, although the BaronStolmuyer of Saltzburgh went out with the mysterious stranger who hadarrived at the Anderbury Arms to see him, he should return without himfor certainly he was not bound to bring him back, by any means whatever.

  Moreover, he entered the inn so quietly, and with such an appearance ofperfect composure, that no one could have suspected for a moment that hehad been guilty really of the terrific crime which had been laid to hischarge--a crime which few men could have committed in so entirelyunmoved and passionless a manner as he had done it.

  But he seemed to consider the taking of a human life as a thing not ofthe remotest consequence, and not to be considered at all as a matterwhich was to put any one out of the way, but as a thing to be done whennecessity required, with all the ease in the world, without arousing orawaking any of those feelings of remorse which one would suppose oughtto find a place in the heart of a man who had been guilty of suchmonstrous behaviour.

  He walked up to his own apartment again, and retired to rest with thesame feeling, apparentl
y, of calmness, and the same ability to taste ofthe sweets of repose as had before characterized him.

  The stranger's horse, which was a valuable and beautiful animal,remained in the stable of the inn, and as, of course, that wasconsidered a guarantee for his return, the landlord, when he himselfretired to rest, left one of his establishment sitting up to let in theman who now lay so motionless and so frightful in appearance in one ofthe ice-wells of the mysterious passage leading from the base of thecliff, to the grounds of Anderbury House.

  But the night wore on, and the man who had been left to let the strangerin, after making many efforts to keep himself awake, dropped into soundrepose, which he might just as well have done in the first instance,inasmuch as, although he knew it not, he was engaged in the vain task ofwaiting for the dead.

  The morning was fresh and beautiful, and, at a far earlier hour than aperson of his quality was expected to make his appearance, the barondescended from his chamber; for, somehow or other, by common consent, itseems to be agreed that great personages must be late in rising, andequally late in going to bed.

  But the baron was evidently not so disposed to turn night into day, andthe landlord congratulated himself not a little upon the fact that hewas ready for his illustrious guest when he descended so unexpectedlyfrom his chamber as he did.

  An ample breakfast was disposed of; that is to say, it was placed uponthe table, and charged to the baron, who selected from it what hepleased; and when the meal was over the landlord ventured to enter theapartment, and said to him, with all due humility,--

  "If you please, sir, Mr. Leek, who has the letting ofAnderbury-on-the-Mount, that is, Anderbury House, as it is usuallycalled, is here, sir, and would be happy to take your orders as to whenyou would be pleased to look at those premises?"

  "I shall be ready to go in half a hour," said the baron; "and, as thedistance is not great, I will walk from here to the mansion."

  This message was duly communicated to Mr. Leek, who thereupon determinedupon waiting until the baron should announce his readiness to departupon the expedition; and he was as good as his word, for, in abouthalf-an-hour afterwards, he descended to the hall, and then Mr. Leek wassummoned, who came out of the bar with such a grand rush, that he fellover a mat that was before him, and saluted the baron by digging hishead into his stomach, and then falling sprawling at his feet, andlaying hold of his ankle.

  This little incident was duly apologised for, and explained; after whichMr. Leek walked on through the town, towards Anderbury-on-the-Mount,followed by the illustrious personage whom he sincerely hoped he shouldbe able to induce to take it.

  It was a curious thing to see how they traversed the streets together;for while the baron walked right on, and with a solemn and measuredstep, Mr. Leek managed to get along a few paces in front of him,sideways, so that he could keep up a sort of conversation upon themerits of Anderbury House, and the neighbourhood in general, withoutmuch effort; to which remarks the baron made such suitable and dignifiedreplies as a baron would be supposed to make.

  "You will find, sir," said Mr. Leek, "that everything about Anderbury isextremely select, and amazingly correct; and I am sure a more delightfulplace to live in could not be found."

  "Ah!" said the baron; "very likely."

  "It's lively, too," continued Mr. Leek; "very lively; and there are twochapels of ease, besides the church."

  "That's a drawback," said the baron.

  "A drawback, sir! well, I am sorry I mentioned it; but perhaps you are aRoman Catholic, sir, and, in that case, the chapels of ease have nointerest for you."

  "Not the slightest; but do not, sir, run away with any assumptionconcerning my religious opinions, for I am not a Roman Catholic."

  "No, sir, no, sir; nor more am I; and, as far as I think, and my opiniongoes, I say, why shouldn't a gentleman with a large fortune be what helikes, or nothing, if he likes that better? but here we are, sir, closeto one of the entrances of Anderbury House. There are three principalentrances, you understand, sir, on three sides of the estate, and thefourth side faces the sea, where there is that mysterious passage thatleads down from the grounds to the beach, which, perhaps, you have heardof, sir."

  "The landlord of the inn mentioned it."

  "We consider it a great curiosity, sir, I can assure you, in theseparts--a very great curiosity; and it's an immense advantage to thehouse, because, you see, sir, in extremely hot weather, all sorts ofprovisions can be taken down there, and kept at such a very lowtemperature as to be quite delightful."

  "That is an advantage."

  Mr. Leek rang the bell that hung over one of the entrances, and hissummons for admission was speedily answered by the old couple who hadcharge of the premises, and then, with a view of impressing them with anotion of the importance of the personage whom he had brought to look atthe place, he said, aloud,--

  "The Baron Stoltmayor, of Saltsomething, has come to look at thepremises."

  This announcement was received with all due deference and respect, andthe task of showing the baron the premises at once fairly commenced.

  "Here you have," said Mr. Leek, assuming an oratorical attitude--"hereyou have the umbrageous trees stooping down to dip their leaves in thepurling waters; here you have the sweet foliage lending a deliciousperfume to the balmy air; here you have the murmuring waterfalls playingmusic of the spheres to the listening birds, who sit responsive upon thedancing boughs; here you have all the fragrance of the briny ocean,mingling with the scent of a bank of violets, and wrapping the senses inElysium; here you may never tire of an existence that presentsnever-ending charms, and that, in the full enjoyment of which, you maylive far beyond the allotted span of man."

  "Enough--enough," said the baron.

  "Here you have the choicest exotics taking kindly to a soil gifted bynature with the most extraordinary powers of production; and all thatcan pamper the appetite or yield delight to the senses, is scatteredaround by nature with a liberal hand. It is quite impossible thatroyalty should come near the favoured spot without visiting it as athing of course; and I forgot to mention that a revenue is derived fromsome cottages, which, although small, is yet sufficient to pay the titheon the whole estate."

  "There, there--that will do."

  "Here you have purling rills and cascades, and fish-ponds so redundantwith the finny tribe, that you have but to wish for sport, and it isyours; here you have in the mansion, chambers that vie with theaccommodation of a palace--ample dormitories and halls of ancientgrandeur; here you have--"

  "Stop," said the baron, "stop; I cannot be pestered in this way withyour description. I have no patience to listen to such mere words--showme the house at once, and let me judge for myself."

  "Certainly, sir; oh! certainly; only I thought it right to give you aslight description of the place as it really was: and now, sir, that wehave reached the house, I may remark that here we have--"

  "Silence!" said the baron; "if you begin with here we have, I know notwhen you will leave off. All I require of you is to show me the place,and to answer any question which I may put to you concerning it. I willdraw my own conclusions, and nothing you can say, one way or another,will affect my imagination."

  "Certainly, sir, certainly; I shall only be too happy to answer anyquestions that may be put to me by a person of your lordship's greatintelligence; and all I can remark is, that when you reach thedrawing-room floor, any person may truly say, here you have--I reallybeg your pardon, sir--I had not the slightest intention of saying hereyou have, I assure you; but the words came out quite unawares, I assureyou."

  "Peace--peace!" cried again the baron; "you disturb me by this incessantclatter."

  Thus admonished, Mr. Leek was now quiet, and allowed the baron in hisown way to make what investigation he pleased concerning AnderburyHouse.

  The investigation was not one that could be gone over in ten minutes;for the house was extremely extensive, and the estate altogetherpresented so many features of beauty and interest, that it wasimposs
ible not to linger over it for a considerable period of time.

  The grounds were most extensive, and planted with such a regard to orderand regularity, everything being in its proper place, that it was apleasure to see an estate so well kept. And although the baron was not aman who said much, it was quite evident, by what little he did utter,that he was very well pleased with Anderbury-on-the-Mount.

  "And now," said Mr. Leek, "I will do myself the pleasure, sir, ofshowing your grace the subterranean passage."

  At this moment a loud ring at one of the entrance gates was heard, andupon the man who had charge of the house answering the summons foradmission, he found that it was a gentleman, who gave a card on whichwas the name of Sir John Westlake, and who desired to see the premises.

  "Sir John Westlake," said Mr. Leek; "oh! I recollect he did call at myoffice, and say that he thought of taking Anderbury-on-the-Mount. Agentleman of great and taste is Sir John, but I must tell him, baron,that you have the preference if you choose to embrace it."

  At this moment the stranger advanced, and when he saw the baron, hebowed courteously, upon which Mr. Leek said,--

  "I regret, Sir John, that if you should take a fancy to the place, I amcompelled first of all to give this gentleman the refusal of it."

  "Certainly," said Sir John Westlake; "do not let me interfere with anyone. I have nearly made up my mind, and came to look over the propertyagain; but of course, if this gentleman is beforehand with me, I must becontent. I wish particularly to go down to the subterranean passage tothe beach, if it is not too much trouble."

  "Trouble! certainly not, sir. Here, Davis, get some links, and we can goat once; and as this gentleman likewise has seen everything but thatstrange excavation, he will probably descend with us."

  "Certainly," said the baron; "I shall have great pleasure;" and he saidit with so free and unembarrassed an air, that no one could havebelieved for a moment in the possibility that such a subject of fearfulinterest to him was there to be found.

  The entrance from the grounds into this deep cavernous place was in asmall but neat building, that looked like a summer-house; and now,torches being procured, and one lit, a door was opened, which conductedat once into the commencement of the excavation; and Mr. Leek headingthe way, the distinguished party, as that gentleman loved afterwards tocall it in his accounts of the transaction, proceeded into the verybowels of the earth, as it were, and quickly lost all traces of thedaylight.

  The place did not descend by steps, but by a gentle slope, which itrequired some caution to traverse, because, being cut in the chalk,which in some places was worn very smooth, it was extremely slippery;but this was a difficulty that a little practice soon overcame, and asthey went on the place became more interesting every minute.

  Even the baron allowed Mr. Leek to make a speech upon the occasion, andthat gentleman said,--

  "You will perceive that this excavation must have been made, at a greatexpense, out of the solid cliff, and in making it some of the mostcurious specimens of petrifaction and fossil remains were found. You seethat the roof is vaulted, and that it is only now and then a lump ofchalk has fallen in, or a great piece of flint; and now we come to oneof the ice-wells."

  They came to a deep excavation, down which they looked, and when the manheld the torch beneath its surface, they could dimly see the bottom ofit, where there was a number of large pieces of flint stone, and,apparently, likewise, the remains of broken bottles.

  "There used to be a windlass at the top of this," said Mr. Leek, "andthe things were let down in a basket. They do say that ice will keep fortwo years in one of these places."

  "And are there more of these excavations?" said the baron.

  "Oh, dear, yes, sir; there are five or six of them for differentpurposes; for when the family that used to live in Anderbury House hadgrand entertainments, which they sometimes had in the summer season,they always had a lot of men down here, cooling wines, and passing themup from hand to hand to the house."

  From the gradual slope of this passage down to the cliffs, and thezigzag character of it, it may be well supposed that it was ofconsiderable extent. Indeed, Mr. Leek asserted that it was half a milein actual measured length.

  The baron was not at all anxious to run any risk of a discovery of thedead body which he had cast into that ice-well which was nearest to theopening on to the beach, so, as he went on, he negatived the differentproposals that were made to look down into the excavations, andsucceeded in putting a stop to that species of inquiry in the majorityof instances, but he could not wholly do so.

  Perhaps it would have been better for his purpose if he had encouraged alook into every one of the ice-wells; for, in that case, theirsimilarity of appearance might have tired out Sir John Westlake beforethey got to the last one; but as it was, when they reached the one downwhich the body had been precipitated, he had the mortification to hearMr. Leek say,--

  "And now, Sir John, and you, my lord baron, as we have looked at thefirst of these ice wells and at none of the others, suppose we look atthe last."

  The baron was afraid to say anything; because, if the body werediscovered, and identified as that of the visitor at the inn, and whohad been seen last with him, any reluctance on his part to have thatice-well examined, might easily afterwards be construed into a verypowerful piece of circumstantial evidence against him.

  He therefore merely bowed his assent, thinking that the examinationwould be but a superficial one, and that, in consequence, he shouldescape easily from any disagreeable consequences.

  But this the fates ordained otherwise; and there seemed no hope of thatice-well in particular escaping such an investigation as was sure toinduce some uncomfortable results.

  "Davis," said Mr. Leek, "these places are not deep, you see, and I wasthinking that if you went down one of them, it would be as well; forthen you would be able to tell the gentlemen what the bottom was fairlycomposed of, you understand."

  "Oh, I don't mind, sir," said Davis. "I have been down one of thembefore to-day, I can tell you, sir."

  "I do not see the necessity," said Sir John Westlake, "exactly, of sucha thing; but still if you please, and this gentleman wishes--"

  "I have no wish upon the occasion," said the baron; "and, like yourself,cannot see the necessity."

  "Oh, there is no trouble," said Mr. Leek; "and it's better, now you arehere, that you see and understand all about it. How can you get down,Davis?"

  "Why, sir, it ain't above fourteen feet altogether; so I sha'n't haveany difficulty, for I can hang by my hands about half the distance, anddrop the remainder."

  As he spoke he took off his coat, and then stuck the link he carriedinto a cleft of the rock, that was beside the brink of the excavation.

  The baron now saw that there would be no such thing as avoiding adiscovery of the fact of the dead body being in that place, and his onlyhope was, that in its descent it might have become so injured as to defyidentification.

  But this was a faint hope, because he recollected that he had himselfseen the face, which was turned upwards, and the period after death wasby far too short for him to have any hope that decomposition could havetaken place even to the most limited extent.

  The light, which was stuck in a niche, shed but a few inefficient raysdown into the pit, and, as the baron stood, with folded arms, lookingcalmly on, he expected each moment a scene of surprise and terror wouldensue.

  Nor was he wrong; for scarcely had the man plunged down into that deepplace, than he uttered a cry of alarm and terror, and shouted,--

  "Murder! murder! Lift me out. There is a dead man down here, and I havejumped upon him."

  "A dead man!" cried Mr. Leek and Sir John Westlake in a breath.

  "How very strange!" said the baron.

  "Lend me a hand," cried Davis; "lend me a hand out; I cannot stand this,you know. Lend me a hand out, I say, at once."

  This was easier to speak of than to do, and Mr. Davis began to discoverthat it was easier by far to get into a dee
p pit, than to get out ofone, notwithstanding that his assertion of having been down into thoseplaces was perfectly true; but then he had met with nothing alarming,and had been able perfectly at his leisure to scramble out the best wayhe could.

  Now, however, his frantic efforts to release himself from a much moreuncomfortable situation than he had imagined it possible for him to getinto, were of so frantic a nature, that he only half buried himself inpieces of chalk, which he kept pulling down with vehemence from thesides of the pit, and succeeded in accomplishing nothing towards hisrescue.

  "Oh! the fellow is only joking," said the baron, "and amusing himself atour expense."

  But the manner in which the man cried for help, and the marked terrorwhich was in every tone, was quite sufficient to prove that he was notacting; for if he were, a more accomplished mimic could not have beenfound on the stage than he was.

  "This is serious," said Sir John Westlake, "and cannot be allowed. Haveyou any ropes here by which we can assist him from the pit? Don't bealarmed, my man, for if there be a dead body in the pit, it can't harmyou. Take your time quietly and easily, and you will assuredly get out."

  "Aye," said the baron, "the more haste, the worst speed, is an Englishproverb, and in this case it will be fully exemplified. This man wouldeasily leave the pit, if he would have the patience, with care andquietness, to clamber up its sides."

  It would appear that Davis felt the truth of these exhortations, foralthough he trembled excessively, he did begin to make some progress inhis ascent, and get so high, that Mr. Leek was enabled to get hold ofhis hand, and give him a little assistance, so that, in another minuteor so, he was rescued from his situation, which was not one of peril,although it was certainly one of fright.

  He trembled so excessively, and stuttered and stammered, that for someminutes no one could understand very well what he said; but at length,upon making himself intelligible, he exclaimed,--

  "There has been a murder! there has been a murder committed, and thebody thrown into the ice pit. I felt that I jumped down upon somethingsoft, and when I put down my hand to feel what it was, it came across adead man's face, and then, of course, I called out."

  "You certainly did call out."

  "Yes, and so would anybody, I think, under such circumstances. I supposeI shall be hung now, because I had charge of the house?"

  "That did not strike me until this moment," said the baron; "but ifthere be a dead body in that pit, it certainly places this man in a veryawkward position."

  "What the deuce do you mean?" said Davis; "I don't know no more about itthan the child unborn. There is a dead man in the ice-well, and that isall I know about it; but whether he has been there a long time, or ashort time, I don't know any more than the moon, so it's no usebothering me about it."

  "My good man," said the baron, "it would be very wrong indeed to imputeto you any amount of criminality in this business, since you may beentirely innocent; and I, for one, believe that you are so, for I cannotthink that any guilty man would venture into the place where he had putthe body of his victim, in the way that you ventured into that pit. Isay I cannot believe it possible, and therefore I think you innocent,and will take care to see that no injustice is done you; but at the sametime I cannot help adding, that I think, of course, you will findyourself suspected in some way."

  "I am very much obliged to you, sir," said Davis; "but as I happen to bequite innocent, I am very easy about it, and don't care one straw whatpeople say. I have not been in this excavation for Heaven knows howlong."

  "But what's to be done?" said Mr. Leek. "I suppose it's our duty to dosomething, under such circumstances."

  "Unquestionably," said the baron; "and the first thing to be done, is toinform the police of what has happened, so that the body may be got up;and as I have now seen enough of the estate to satisfy me as regards itscapabilities, I decide at once upon taking it, if I can agree upon theconditions of the tenancy, and I will purchase it, if the price be suchas I think suitable."

  "Well," said Mr. Leek, "if anything could reconcile me to theextraordinary circumstance that has just occurred, it certainly is,baron, the having so desirable a tenant for Anderbury-on-the-Mount asyourself. But we need not traverse all this passage again, for it ismuch nearer now to get out upon the sea-coast at once, as we are soclose to the other opening upon the beach. It seems to me that we oughtto proceed at once to the town, and give information to the authoritiesof the discovery which we have made."

  "It is absolutely necessary," said the baron, "so to do; so come alongat once. I shall proceed to my inn, and as, of course, I have seennothing more than yourselves, and consequently could only repeat yourevidence, I do not see that my presence is called for. Nevertheless, ofcourse, if the justices think it absolutely necessary that I shouldappear, I can have no possible objection to so do."

  This was as straightforward as anything that could be desired, and,moreover, it was rather artfully put together, for it seemed to implythat he, Mr. Leek, would be slighted, if his evidence was not consideredsufficient.

  "Of course," said Mr. Leek; "I don't see at all why, as you, sir, haveonly the same thing to say as myself, I should not be sufficient."

  "Don't call upon me on any account," said Sir John Westlake.

  "Oh! no, no," cried Mr. Leek; "there is no occasion. I won't, you maydepend, if it can be helped."

  Sir John, in rather a nervous and excited manner, bade them good day,before they got quite into the town, and hurried off; while the baron,with a dignified bow, when he reached the door of his hotel, said to Mr.Leek,--

  "Of course I do not like the trouble of judicial investigations morethan anybody else, and therefore, unless it is imperatively necessarythat I should appear, I shall take it as a favour to be released fromsuch a trouble."

  "My lord baron," said Mr. Leek, "you may depend that I shall mentionthat to the magistrates and the coroner, and all those sort of people;"and then Mr. Leek walked away, but he muttered to himself, as he did so,"They will have him, as sure as fate, just because he is a baron; andhis name will look well in the 'County Chronicle.'"

  Mr. Leek then repaired immediately to the house of one of the principalmagistrates, and related what had occurred, to the great surprise ofthat gentleman, who suggested immediately the propriety of making thefact known to the coroner of the district, as it was more his business,than a magistrate's, in the first instance, since nobody was accused ofthe offence.

  This suggestion was immediately followed, and that functionary directedthat the body should be removed from where it was to the nearestpublic-house, and immediately issued his precept for an inquiry into thecase.

  By this time the matter had begun to get bruited about in the town, andof course it went from mouth to mouth with many exaggerations; andalthough it by no means did follow that a murder had been committedbecause a dead body had been found, yet, such was the universalimpression; and the matter began to be talked about as the murder in thesubterranean passage leading to Anderbury House, with all the gustowhich the full particulars of some deed of blood was calculated toinspire. And how it spread about was thus:--

  The fact was, that Mr. Leek was so anxious to let Anderbury-on-the-Mountto the rich Baron Stolmuyer, of Saltzburgh, that he got a friend of histo come and personate Sir John Westlake, while he, the baron, waslooking at the premises, in order to drive him at once to a conclusionupon the matter; so that what made Sir John so very anxious that heshould not be called forward in the matter, consisted in the simple factthat he was nothing else than plain Mr. Brown, who kept a hatter's shopin the town; but he could not keep his own counsel, and, instead ofholding his tongue, as he ought to have done, about the matter, he toldit to every one he met, so that in a short time it was generally knownthat something serious and startling had occurred in the subterraneanpassage to Anderbury House, and a great mob of persons thronged thebeach in anxious expectation of getting more information on the matter.

  The men, likewise, who had been ordered
by the coroner to remove thebody, soon reached the spot, and they gave an increased impetus to theproceedings, by opening the door of the subterranean passage, and thenlooking earnestly along the beach as if in expectation of something orsomebody of importance.

  When eagerly questioned by the mob, for the throng of persons nowassembled quite amounted to a mob, to know what they waited for, one ofthem said,--

  "A coffin was to have been brought down to take the body in."

  This announcement at once removed anything doubtful that might be in theminds of any of them upon the subject, and at once proclaimed the factnot only that there was a dead body, but that if they looked out theywould see it forthwith.

  The throng thickened, and by the time two men were observed approachingwith a coffin on their shoulders, there was scarcely anybody left in thetown, except a few rare persons, indeed, who were not so curious astheir neighbours.

  It was not an agreeable job, even to those men who were not the mostparticular in the world, to be removing so loathsome a spectacle as thatwhich they were pretty sure to encounter in the ice-well; but they didnot shrink from it, and, by setting about it as a duty, they got throughit tolerably well.

  They took with them several large torches, and then, one havingdescended into the pit, fastened a rope under the arms of the dead man,and so he was hauled out, and placed in the shell that was ready toreceive him.

  They were all surprised at the fresh and almost healthful appearance ofthe countenance, and it was quite evident to everybody that if any onehad known him in life, they could not have the least possible difficultyin recognising him now that he was no more.

  And the only appearance of injury which he exhibited was in thatdreadful wound which had certainly proved his death, and which wasobservable in his throat the moment they looked upon him.

  The crush to obtain a sight of the body was tremendous at the moment itwas brought out, and a vast concourse of persons followed it inprocession to the town, where the greatest excitement prevailed. It waseasily discovered that no known person was missing, and some who hadcaught a sight of the body, went so far as to assert that it must havebeen in the ice-well for years, and that the extreme cold had preservedit in all its original freshness.

  The news, of course, came round, although not through the baron, for hedid not condescend to say one word about it at the inn, and it was thelandlord who first started the suggestion of--"What suppose it is thegentleman who left his horse here?"

  This idea had no sooner got possession of his brain, than it each momentseemed to him to assume a more reasonable and tangible form, and withoutsaying any more to any one else about it, he at once started off towhere the body lay awaiting an inquest, to see if his suspicions werecorrect.

  When he arrived at the public-house and asked to see the body, he was atonce permitted to do so; for the landlord knew him, and was as curiousas he could be upon the subject by any possibility. One glance, ofcourse, was sufficient, and the landlord at once said,--

  "Yes, I have seen him before, though I don't know his name. He came tomy house last night, and left his horse there; and, although I only sawhim for a moment as he passed through the hall, I am certain I am notmistaken. I dare say all my waiters will recognise him, as well as theBaron Stolmuyer of Saltzburgh, who is staying with me, and who no doubtknows very well who he is, for he went out with him late and came homealone, and I ordered one of my men to wait up all night in order to letin this very person who is now lying dead before us."

  "The deuce you did! But you don't suppose the baron murdered him, doyou?"

  "It's a mystery to me altogether--quite a profound mystery. It's veryunlikely, certainly; and what's the most extraordinary part of the wholeaffair is, how the deuce could he come into one of the ice-wellsbelonging to Anderbury House. That's what puzzles me altogether."

  "Well, it will all come out, I hope, at the inquest, which is to be heldat four o'clock to day. There must have been foul play somewhere, butthe mystery is where, and that Heaven only knows, perhaps."

  "I shall attend," said the landlord, "of course, to identify him; and Isuppose, unless anybody claims the horse, I may as well keep possessionof it."

  "Don't you flatter yourself that you will get the horse out of thetransaction. Don't you know quite well that the government takespossession of everything as don't belong to nobody?"

  "Yes; but I have got him, and possession, you know, is nine points ofthe law."

  "It may be so; but their tenth point will get the better of you for allthat. You take my word for it, the horse will be claimed of you; but Idon't mind, as an old acquaintance, putting you up to a dodge."

  "In what way?"

  "Why, I'll tell you what happened with a friend of mine; but don't thinkit was me for if it was I would tell you at once, so don't think it. Hekept a country public-house; and, one day, an elderly gentleman came in,and appeared to be unwell. He just uttered a word or two, and thendropped down dead. He happened to have in his fob a gold repeater, thatwas worth, at least a hundred guineas, and my friend, before anybodycame, took it out, and popped in, in its stead, an old watch that hehad, which was not worth a couple of pounds."

  "It was running a risk."

  "It was; but it turned out very well, because the old gentleman happenedto be a very eccentric person, and was living alone, so that his friendsreally did not know what he had, or what he had not, but took it forgranted that any watch produced belonged to him. So, if I were you inthis case, when the gentleman's horse is claimed. I'd get the d--destold screw I could, and let them have that."

  "You would?"

  "Indeed would I, and glory in it, too, as the very best thing that couldbe done. Now, a horse is of use to you?"

  "I believe ye, it is."

  "Exactly; but what's the use of it to government? and, what's more, ifit went to the government, there might be some excuse; but thegovernment will know no more about it, and make not so much as I shall.Some Jack-in-office will lay hold of it as a thing of course and aperquisite, when you might just as well, and a great deal better, too,keep it yourself, for it would do you some good, as you say, and none tothem."

  "I'll do it; it is a good and a happy thought. There is no reason onearth why I shouldn't do it, and I will. I have made up my mind to itnow."

  "Well, I am glad you have. What do you think now the dead man's horse isworth?"

  "Oh! fifty or sixty guineas value."

  "Then very good. Then, when the affair is all settled, I will troubleyou for twenty pounds.

  "You?"

  "Yes, to be sure. Who else do you suppose is going to interfere withyou? One is enough, ain't it, at a time; and I think, after giving yousuch advice as I have, that I am entitled, at all events, to something."

  "I tell you what," said the landlord of the hotel, "taking all thingsinto consideration, I have altered my mind rather, and won't do it."

  "Very good. You need not; only mind, if you do, I am down upon you likea shot."

  The excitement contingent upon the inquest was very great; indeed, thelarge room in the public-house, where it was held, was crowded tosuffocation with persons who were anxious to be present at theproceedings. When the landlord reached home, of course he told hisguest, the baron, of the discovery he had made, that the murdered manwas the strange visitor of the previous night; for now, from thefrightful wound he had received in his throat, the belief that he wasmurdered became too rational a one to admit of any doubts, and was thatwhich was universally adopted in preference to any other suggestion uponthe occasion; although, no doubt, people would be found who would notscruple to aver that he had cut his own throat, after making his wayinto the well belonging to Anderbury House.

  The landlord had his own misgivings concerning his guest, the baron, nowthat something had occurred of such an awful and mysterious a nature toone who was evidently known to him. It did not seem to be a pleasantthing to have such an intimate friend of a man who had been murdered inone's house, especially when it
came to be considered that he was thelast person seen in his company, and that, consequently, he waspeculiarly called upon to give an explanation of how, and under whatcircumstances, he had parted with him.

  The baron was sitting smoking in the most unconcerned manner in theworld, when the landlord came to bring him this intelligence, and, whenhe had heard him to an end, the remark he made was,--

  "Really, you very much surprise me; but, perhaps, as you are betteracquainted with the town than I am, you can tell me who he was?"

  "Why, sir, that is what we hoped you would be able to tell us."

  "How should I tell you? He introduced himself to me as a Mr. Mitchell, asurveyor, and he said that, hearing I talked of purchasing or rentingAnderbury-on-the-Mount, he came to tell me that the principal side wall,that you could see from the beach, was off the perpendicular."

  "Indeed, sir!"

  "Yes; and as this was a very interesting circumstance to me, consideringthat I really did contemplate such a purchase or renting, and do sostill, as it was a moonlight night, and he said he could show me in aminute what he meant if I would accompany him, I did so; but when we gotthere, and on the road, I heard quite enough of him to convince me thathe was a little out of his senses, and, consequently, I paid no moreattention to what he said, but walked home and left him on the beach."

  "It's a most extraordinary circumstance, sir; there is no such person, Iassure you, as Mitchell, a surveyor, in the town; so I can't make it outin the least."

  "But, I tell you, I consider the man out of his senses, and perhaps thatmay account for the whole affair."

  "Oh, yes, sir, that would, certainly; but still, it's a very odd thing,because we don't know of such a person at all, and it does seem soextraordinary that he should have made his appearance, all of a sudden,in this sort of way. I suppose, sir, that you will attend the inquest,now, that's to be held upon him?"

  "Oh, yes; I have no objection whatever to that; indeed, I feel myselfbound to do so, because I suppose mine is the latest evidence that canbe at all produced concerning him."

  "Unquestionably, sir; our coroner is a very clever man, and you will beglad to know him--very glad to know him, sir, and he will be glad toknow you, so I am sure it will be a mutual gratification. It's at fouro'clock the inquest is to be, and I dare say, sir, if you are there byhalf-past, it will be time enough."

  "No doubt of that; but I will be punctual."

  We have already said the room in which the inquest was to be held wascrowded almost to suffocation, and not only was that the case, but thelower part of the house was crammed with people likewise; and there canbe very little doubt but the baron would have shrunk from such aninvestigation from a number of curious eyes, if he could have done so;while the landlord of the house would have had no objection, as far ashis profit was concerned in the sale of a great quantity of beer andspirits, to have had such an occurrence every day in the week, ifpossible.

  The body lay still in the shell where it had been originally placed.After it had been viewed by the jury, and almost every one had remarkedupon the extraordinary fresh appearance it wore, they proceeded at onceto the inquiry, and the first witness who appeared was Mr. Leek, whodeposed to have been in company with some gentlemen viewing AnderburyHouse, and to have found the body in one of the ice-wells of thatestablishment.

  This evidence was corroborated by that of Davis, who had so unexpectedlyjumped into the well, without being aware that it contained already sodisagreeable a visitor as it did in the person of the murdered man,regarding the cause of whose death the present inquiry was instituted.

  Then the landlord identified the body as that of a gentleman who hadcome to his house on horseback, and who had afterwards walked out withBaron Stolmuyer of Saltzburgh, who was one of his guests.

  "Is that gentleman in attendance?" said the coroner.

  "Yes, sir, he is; I told him about it, and he has kindly come forward togive all the evidence in his power concerning it."

  There was a general expression of interest and curiosity when the baronstepped forward, attired in his magnificent coat, trimmed with fur, andtendered his evidence to the coroner, which, of course, was preciselythe same as the statement he had made to the landlord of the house; for,as he had made up such a well connected story, he was not likely toprevaricate or to depart from it in the smallest particular.

  He was listened to with breathless attention, and, when he hadconcluded, the coroner, with a preparatory hem! said to him,

  "And you have reason to suppose, sir, that this person was out of hissenses?"

  "It seemed to me so; he talked wildly and incoherently, and in such amanner as to fully induce such a belief."

  "You left him on the beach?"

  "I did. I found when I got there that it was only a very small portion,indeed, of Anderbury House that was visible; and, although the moonshone brightly, I must confess I did not see, myself, any signs ofdeviation from the perpendicular; and, such being the case, I left thespot at once, because I could have no further motive in staying; and,moreover, it was not pleasant to be out at night with a man whom Ithought was deranged. I regretted, after making this discovery, that Ihad come from home on such a fool's errand; but as, when one is going toinvest a considerable sum of money in any enterprise, one is naturallyanxious to know all about it, I went, little suspecting that the man wasinsane."

  "Did you see him after that?"

  "Certainly not, until to-day, when I recognised in the body that hasbeen exhibited to me the same individual."

  "Gentlemen," said the coroner to the jury, "it appears to me that thisis a most mysterious affair; the deceased person has a wound in histhroat, which, I have no doubt, you will hear from a medical witness hasbeen the cause of death; and the most singular part of the affair is,how, if he inflicted it upon himself, he has managed to dispose of theweapon with which he did the deed."

  "The last person seen in his company," said one of the jury, "was thebaron, and I think he is bound to give some better explanation of theaffair."

  "I am yet to discover," said the baron, "that the last person whoacknowledges to having been in the company of a man afterwards murdered,must, of necessity, be the murderer?"

  "Yes; but how do you account, sir, for there being no weapon found bywhich the man could have done the deed himself?"

  "I don't account for it at all--how do you?"

  "This is irregular," said the coroner; "call the next witness."

  This was a medical man, who briefly stated that he had seen thedeceased, and that the wound in his throat was amply sufficient toaccount for his death; that it was inflicted with a sharp instrumenthaving an edge on each side.

  This, then, seemed to conclude the case, and the coroner remarked,--

  "Gentlemen of the jury,--I think this is one of those peculiar cases inwhich an open verdict is necessary, or else an adjournment without date,so that the matter can be resumed at any time, if fresh evidence can beprocured concerning it. There is no one accused of the offence, althoughit appears to me impossible that the unhappy man could have committedthe act himself. We have no reason to throw the least shade of suspicionor doubt upon the evidence of the Baron Stolmuyer of Saltzburgh; for asfar as we know anything of the matter, the murdered man may have been inthe company of a dozen people after the baron left him."

  A desultory conversation ensued, which ended in an adjournment of theinquest, without any future day being mentioned for its re-assembling,and so the Baron Stolmuyer entirely escaped from what might have been avery serious affair to him.

  It did not, however, appear to shake him in his resolution of takingAnderbury-on-the-Mount, although Mr. Leek very much feared it would; buthe announced to that gentleman his intention fully of doing so, and toldhim to get the necessary papers drawn up forthwith.

  "I hope," he said, "within a few weeks' time to be fairly installed inthat mansion, and then I will trouble you, Mr. Leek, to give me a listof the names of all the best families in the neighbourhood; f
or I intendgiving an entertainment on a grand scale in the mansion and grounds."

  "Sir," said Mr. Leek, "I shall, with the greatest pleasure, attend uponyou in every possible way in this affair. This is a very excellentneighbourhood, and you will have no difficulty, I assure you, sir, ingetting together an extremely capital and creditable assemblage ofpersons. There could not be a better plan devised for at onceintroducing all the people who are worth knowing, to you."

  "I thank you," said the baron; "I think the place will suit me well;and, as the Baroness Stolmuyer of Saltzburgh is dead, I have some ideaof marrying again; and therefore it becomes necessary and desirable thatI should be well acquainted with the surrounding families of distinctionin this neighbourhood."

  This was a hint not at all likely to be thrown away upon Mr. Leek, whowas the grand gossip-monger of the place, and he treasured it up inorder to see if he could not make something of it which would beadvantageous to himself.

  He knew quite enough of the select and fashionable families in thatneighbourhood, to be fully aware that neither the baron's age nor hisugliness would be any bar to his forming a matrimonial alliance.

  "There is not one of them," he said to himself, "who would not marry thevery devil himself and be called the Countess Lucifer, or any name ofthe kind, always provided there was plenty of money: and that the baronhas without doubt, so it is equally without doubt he may pick and choosewhere he pleases."

  This was quite correct of Mr. Leek, and showed his great knowledge ofhuman nature; and we entertain with him a candid opinion, that if theBaron Stolmuyer of Saltzburgh had been ten times as ugly as he was, andHeaven knows that was needless, he might pick and choose a wife almostwhen he pleased.

  This is a general rule; and as, of course, to all general rules thereare exceptions, this one cannot be supposed to be free from them. Underall circumstances, and in all classes of society, there aresingle-minded beings who consult the pure dictates of their own hearts,and who, disdaining those things which make up the amount of theambition of meaner spirits, stand aloof as bright and memorable examplesto the rest of human nature.

  Such a being was Flora Bannerworth. She would never have been found tosacrifice herself to the fancied advantages of wealth and station, butwould have given her heart and hand to the true object of her affection,although a sovereign prince had made the endeavour to wean her from it.