Varney the Vampire. James Malcolm Rymer

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СКАЧАТЬ have not courted it," said Marchdale. "I have much temper, but I am not a stick or a stone."

      "D——e, if I don't think," said the admiral, "you are a bit of both."

      "Mr. Henry Bannerworth," said Marchdale, "I am your guest, and but for the duty I feel in assisting in the search for Mr. Charles Holland, I should at once leave your house."

      "You need not trouble yourself on my account," said the admiral; "if I find no clue to him in the neighbourhood for two or three days, I shall be off myself."

      "I am going," said Henry, rising, "to search the garden and adjoining meadows; if you two gentlemen choose to come with me, I shall of course be happy of your company; if, however, you prefer remaining here to wrangle, you can do so."

      This had the effect, at all events, of putting a stop to the dispute for the present, and both the admiral and Mr. Marchdale accompanied Henry on his search. That search was commenced immediately under the balcony of Charles Holland's window, from which the admiral had seen him emerge.

      There was nothing particular found there, or in the garden. Admiral Bell pointed out accurately the route he had seen Charles take across the grass plot just before he himself left his chamber to seek Henry.

      Accordingly, this route was now taken, and it led to a low part of the garden wall, which any one of ordinary vigour could easily have surmounted.

      "My impression is," said the admiral, "that he got over here."

      "The ivy appears to be disturbed," remarked Henry.

      "Suppose we mark the spot, and then go round to it on the outer side?" suggested George.

      This was agreed to; for, although the young man might have chosen rather to clamber over the wall than go round, it was doubtful if the old admiral could accomplish such a feat.

      The distance round, however, was not great, and as they had cast over the wall a handful of flowers from the garden to mark the precise spot, it was easily discoverable.

      The moment they reached it, they were panic-stricken by the appearances which it presented. The grass was for some yards round about completely trodden up, and converted into mud. There were deep indentations of feet-marks in all directions, and such abundance of evidence that some most desperate struggle had recently taken place there, that the most sceptical person in the world could not have entertained any doubt upon the subject.

      Henry was the first to break the silence with which they each regarded the broken ground.

      "This is conclusive to my mind," he said, with a deep sigh. "Here has poor Charles been attacked."

      "God keep him!" exclaimed Marchdale, "and pardon me my doubts—I am now convinced."

      The old admiral gazed about him like one distracted. Suddenly he cried—

      "They have murdered him. Some fiends in the shape of men have murdered him, and Heaven only knows for what."

      "It seems but too probable," said Henry. "Let us endeavour to trace the footsteps. Oh! Flora, Flora, what terrible news this will be to you."

      "A horrible supposition comes across my mind," said George. "What if he met the vampyre?"

      "It may have been so," said Marchdale, with a shudder. "It is a point which we should endeavour to ascertain, and I think we may do so."

      "How!"

      "By some inquiry as to whether Sir Francis Varney was from home at midnight last night."

      "True; that might be done."

      "The question, suddenly put to one of his servants, would, most probably, be answered as a thing of course."

      "It would."

      "Then that shall be decided upon. And now, my friends, since you have some of you thought me luke-warm in this business, I pledge myself that, should it be ascertained that Varney was from home at midnight last evening, I will defy him personally, and meet him hand to hand."

      "Nay, nay," said Henry, "leave that course to younger hands."

      "Why so?"

      "It more befits me to be his challenger."

      "No, Henry. You are differently situated to what I am."

      "How so?"

      "Remember, that I am in the world a lone man; without ties or connexions. If I lose my life, I compromise no one by my death; but you have a mother and a bereaved sister to look to who will deserve your care."

      "Hilloa," cried the admiral, "what's this?"

      "What?" cried each, eagerly, and they pressed forward to where the admiral was stooping to the ground to pick up something which was nearly completely trodden into the grass.

      He with some difficulty raised it. It was a small slip of paper, on which was some writing, but it was so much covered with mud as not to be legible.

      "If this be washed," said Henry, "I think we shall be able to read it clearly."

      "We can soon try that experiment," said George. "And as the footsteps, by some mysterious means, show themselves nowhere else but in this one particular spot, any further pursuit of inquiry about here appears useless."

      "Then we will return to the house," said Henry, "and wash the mud from this paper."

      "There is one important point," remarked Marchdale, "which it appears to me we have all overlooked."

      "Indeed!"

      "Yes."

      "What may that be?"

      "It is this. Is any one here sufficiently acquainted with the handwriting of Mr. Charles Holland to come to an opinion upon the letters?"

      "I have some letters from him," said Henry, "which we received while on the continent, and I dare say Flora has likewise."

      "Then they should be compared with the alleged forgeries."

      "I know his handwriting well," said the admiral. "The letters bear so strong a resemblance to it that they would deceive anybody."

      "Then you may depend," remarked Henry, "some most deep-laid and desperate plot is going on."

      "I begin," added Marchdale, "to dread that such must be the case. What say you to claiming the assistance of the authorities, as well as offering a large reward for any information regarding Mr. Charles Holland?"

      "No plan shall be left untried, you may depend."

      They had now reached the house, and Henry having procured some clean water, carefully washed the paper which had been found among the trodden grass. When freed from the mixture of clay and mud which had obscured it, they made out the following words—

      "—it be so well. At the next full moon seek a convenient spot, and it can be done. The signature is, СКАЧАТЬ