 Chapter 222 of Varni the Vampire, Volume 3 This is a LibriVox recording, all LibriVox recordings in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org, recording by Ellie. Varni the Vampire, Volume 3 by Thomas Press Cat Press, Chapter 222 The Mad Men, The Vampire What does this mean? Cryed Sir Crofton excitedly. Hush, said Mr. Bevan. I pray you be calm, sir, if you are to make any discovery that will give you peace of mind rest assured it will not be made by violence. You do not answer my question. I cannot answer it. Remember that I know no more than you do, and that, like yourselves, I am an adventurer here in search of the truth. Sir George said no more upon that head, but with glassed hands and downcast eyes he stood in silence. While his two sons, armed with the crowbars that Mr. Bevan had provided for the occasion, proceeded to lift up the marble slab, which covered the vault where Lady Sister's remains. The work was not one of great difficulty, for the slab was not very large, and as it was not cemented down it yielded at once to the powerful leverage that was brought to play against it, and in a few minutes it was placed aside and the yawning abyss appeared before them. Oh sir, said Mr. Bevan, even now at this late hour and when the proceedings have commenced, I pray you pause. Pause? cried Sir George Crofton passionately. Pause for what? Disturb not the dead and let them rest in peace. Absolve the mind from the dangerous and perhaps fatal fences that possesses it. And let us say a prayer and close again this entrance to the tomb. His sons hesitated and they probably would have taken the clergyman's advice, but Sir George was firm. No sir, he said, already have I suffered much from coming thus far. I will not retreat until I have effected all my purpose, I swear it be heaven, whose temple we are in now. You would not, Mr. Bevan, have me break such an oath. I would not, but I regret you made it. Since however it must be so and this rash adventure is determined upon, follow me. I will lead you the way into these calm regions where you can sleep, I trust in peace. Sir George Crofton made a step forward and as he would have arrested Mr. Bevan's progress and led the way himself but already the clergyman had descended several steps so he had nothing to do but follow him. This they all did, Sir George going immediately after him and his two sons with pale anxious faces as if they had a suspicion about the adventure but ended something terrific came last and they glanced nervously and suspiciously about them but they said not the word. If they had spoken it would have been to express great apprehension and that was what they were ashamed to do. Mr. Bevan carried the light and when he felt that he was at the bottom of the stone steps by finding that he was treading upon the sawdust that was thrown on the floor of the wall he turned and held the lamp up at arm's length so that his companions might see the way down the steps. In another minute they all stood on the floor of the wall. The light burned with rather a faint and sickly glare for so rapidly were noxious gases evolved and that receptable for the dead that nonewithstanding it had been so frequently opened as it had been lately they had again accumulated. In a few moments however this was partially remedied by the air from the church above and the light burned still more brilliantly indeed quite sufficiently so to enable them to look around them in the world. Sir George Grafton's feelings at that moment must have been of the most painful and harrowing description. He had lived long enough to be a witness of the death and obsequious of many members of his family whom he had loved fondly and there he stood in the chamber of death surrounded by all remains of those beings the memory of whose appearance and voices came now freshly upon his mind. Mr. Bevan could well guess the nature of the said sorts that transpired in the breast of the Baronet and the sense having by accident cast their eyes upon the coffin that contained the remains of the mother regarded it in silence while memory was busy to within them in conjuring up her image. And it has come to this, said Sir George Solemly. We all must come to this. Interposed Mr. Bevan, this is indeed a place for solemn and holy sorts for self-examination for self-condemnation but there is peace here. There is the peace that shall be eternal but is that, cried Charles. The wind, said Mr. Bevan, nothing but the wind howling around and through the old belfry you will remember that it is a boisterous night. Turn, turn father Sir George turned and looked at Charles who pointed in silence to the coffin which contained the corpse of his mother the light gleamed upon the plate on which was engraved her name. Sir George's features moved convulsively as he read it and he turned aside to hide a sudden gush of emotion that came over him. After a few minutes he touched Mr. Bevan on the arm and said in a whisper, where did the place my child? The clergyman pointed to the narrow shelf on which was the coffin of Clara Grafton and then Sir George making a great effort to overcome his feelings said, Mr. Bevan, our worthy minister and friend and you likewise my boys, hear me you can guess to some extent but not wholly that can only be known by God the agony at the sight of the poor remains of her who has gone for me in all the pride of her youth and beauty must be to me. Yet now that I am here I consider it to be my duty to look once again upon the face of my child my well lost Clara. O father, father said Edwin, forgo this purpose you will spare us this, cried Charles. Repent you, sir, said Mr. Bevan, of the wish let her rest in peace the dead are sanctified but I am her father. Nay, Sir George, let me implore you implore me to what, sir not to look upon the face of my own child peace, it is no profanation for one who loved her as I loved her to look upon her once again urge me no more this is in vain, said Charles you are right, it is in vain. A shriek burst from the lips of Edwin at this moment and flinging his arms around his father he held him back Mr. Bevan too gave a cry of terror and Charles stood with his hands clasped as if turned to stone their eyes were all bent upon Clara's coffin the lid moved and a strange sound was heard from this interreceptacle for the dead the clock of the old church struck 12 the coffin lid moved again and then sliding on one side it eventually fell upon the floor of the vault the four spectators of this scene were struck speechless for the time with terror then they stood gazing at the coffin as if there were so many statues and now the light which Mr. Bevan stood for a miracle held in his trembling grasp shown on the mass of white clothing was in the coffin and in another moment that white clothing was observed to be in motion slowly the dead form that was there rose up and they all saw the pale and ghastly face a streak of blood was issuing from the mouth and the eyes were open Sir George Crofton lifted up both his hands and struck his head and he burst into a wild frightful laugh it was the laugh of insanity Mr. Bevan dropped the light and all was darkness laughed Sir George Crofton and the terrible laugh was taken up by many an echo in the old church and responded to the strange and most unearthly reverberations ha ha ha over the dreadful sound that was coming at such a time from the lips of the father fly Edwin or fly great Charles Edwin screamed twice for he was full of horror and then he fell on the floor of the world in a state of insensibility Charles had just since left him to spring towards the steps and made a frantic effort to reach the church in his hurry he felt twice but each time rising again with a shout of despair he resumed his efforts and all the while the horrible laugh of his many egg fathers sounded in his ears a sound which he felt that he could never forget by a great effort he reached the aisle of the church and then there he called out Mr. Bevin, Mr. Bevin help or help for the laugh of God speak help help Mr. Bevin where are you speak I employ you am I going mad or yes I shall I must but immortal intellect can stand such a scene as this help help or help the church was suddenly lit up by a flash of light and turning in the direction from when he proceeded Charles saw Mr. Bevin approaching with a light which he had procured from the chancel and it appeared that immediately upon dropping in his hurry the light on the vault he had run up the stairs with the intent of getting another who calls me who calls me he cried I, I said Charles oh God what a dreadful night this is the clergyman was trembling violently and was very pale but he made his way up to Charles from whose brow the perspiration was falling in heavy drops and then again they heard the mad third church loving in the vault oh God is it not horrible said Charles most horrible responded Mr. Bevin bang bang bang at this moment came a violent knocking at the church door and then several voices were heard without shouting the vampire the vampire the vampire what is that what is that said Charles nay I know not replied Mr. Bevin I am nearly distracted already whereas your brother did not escape from the vault where is he I will laugh good God that knocking too at the church door what can be the meaning of it heaven in its mercy guide us now what to do the reader will understand the meaning of the knocking although those bewildered persons who heard it in the church did not the fact is that the party from the ale house headed by the valiant blacksmith and he did by the two liberal potations had just arrived at the church and were clamoring for admission they had seen through one of the old pointed windows the reflection of the light which Mr. Bevin carried and that it was that convinced them someone was there who might if he would pay attention to a poorer summons the knocking lasted with terrible effect for the old door of the sacred edifice shook again it seemed as if certainly could not resist the making of such an attack Mr. Bevin was confounded a horrible suspicion came across him of what was meant by those violent demands for admission and he shook with brutal repetition as he conjectured what might be the effect of the proceedings of a lawless mob now heaven help us he said for we shall soon I fear be powerless good god what mean you said Charles I scarcely know how to explain to you all my fears they are too dreadful to think of but while that knocking continues what can I think I understand they call for my sister oh call her not by that name remember and remember with a shudder what she now is end of chapter 222 recording by Ellie June 2009 chapter 223 of Vanity Vampire Vol. 3 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information not to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Ellie Vanity Vampire Vol. 3 by Thomas Preske Press chapter 223 The Hand of the Vampire all these occurrences which had taken a considerable time in telling occurred simultaneously that although it would appear Mr. Bevan and Charles Crofton rather neglected Sir George and Edwin who were still in the world they had not really had time to think of them to say nothing of making any effort to extricate them from the frightful situation in which they were placed probably after procuring a light Mr. Bevan would have rushed to the rescue had noted incessant knocking at the church door suggested a new and more horrible danger still from the evil passions of an infuriated multitude oh Mr. Charles he said if you could but get your father away from the church there is no knowing what an amount of misery he might be spared misery sir? surely there is no more misery in store for us have you not suffered enough? more than enough oh Mr. Bevan we have fallen upon evil times and they tried to think what will yet be the end of those most frightful transactions then knocking at the church door continued violently and Charles indicated a wish to proceed there to ascertain what it was but Mr. Bevan stopped him saying no Charles no let them be I hardly think they will venture to break into the sacred edifice but whether they do or not remember that your duty and mine yours being the duty of a son and mine of a friend should take us now to your father's world that is true sir said Charles lead on I will follow you Mr. Bevan who had all the intellectual courage of a man of education and of regular habits led the way again to the world with the light in his hand it was a great relief that the insane and horrible love Sir George Grafton had seized the best friend of any man could almost have wished him dead where their ears had drunk in such horrible sounds the shouts and cries from his out now became incessant and it seemed as if some weapon had been procured their wish to hammer violently upon the church door for the strokes were regular and incessant and it was evident that if they continued long that frail defense against the incursions of the rebel route without Masungi's way the only effect however which these sounds had upon Mr. Bevan was to make him hasten his progress towards the world for anything in the shape of a collision between those who wanted to take the church by storm and Sir George Grafton was indeed most highly to be deprecated the steps were not many in number and once again the clergymen and Charles Grafton stood upon the sawdust that covered the flooring of the vault at first in consequence of the flaring of the light the state of affairs in that dismal region could not be asserted but as soon as they could get the view they found Sir George lying apparently in a state of insensibility across the coffin of his daughter Clara while Edwin was in the swoon close to his feet Sir George! Sir George! cried Mr. Bevan arouse yourself it is necessary that you leave this place at once the baronet got up and glanced at the intruders Charles uttered a deep groan for the most superficial observation of his father's face was sufficient to convince him that reason had fled and that wildness had set up his wild domination in his brain father, father he cried, speak to me anticipate the frightful sword what would you have of me Sir George! I'm a vampire and this is my tomb you should see me in the rays of the cold moon gliding, tweaked earth and heaven and panting for a victim I'm a vampire at this moment Edwin seemed to be partially recovering for his eyes opened as he lay upon the floor and he looked around him with a bewildered gaze which soon settled into more of intelligence as memory resumed his way and he recollected the various circumstances that had brought him into his present position house yourself Edwin, house yourself cried Mr. Bevan, you must aid us to remove your father do you talk of me, Sir George no you're not that I am one of those supernatural existences known as the death and despair healing vampires at this time I took my nightly prowl and looked for victims I must have blood, I must have blood gracious heaven, he raves said Charles heed him not, said Mr. Bevan heed him not and touch him not when we have him once clear of the church we can procure assistance and take him to his own home Edwin, whispered Charles what of our sister? Edwin shook his head and shuddered I know nothing but that they saw her oh, horrible sight, rising from her coffin and then in a convolution of terror my senses fled a frightful ringing laugh came to my ears and from that time till now, be the period longer short I have been blessed by a death-like trance said indeed, said Mr. Bevan Terry one moment, Sir George Grafton was ascending the steps of the world but his two sons paused for an instant at the request of Mr. Bevan and then the latter approaching Clara's coffin slightly removed the lid and was gratified as far as any feeling could be considered gratification under such circumstances to find that the corpse occupied an ordinary position in its narrow resting place all's right, he said let us persuade ourself that this too has been but a dream that we have been deceived and that imagination has played us tricks it is accustomed to play to those who give it the reign at such hours as these let us think and believe anything rather than that what we have seen tonight is real as he spoke these words he ascended hastily the steps in pursuit of Sir George who by this time alone reached the aisle the heavy strokes against the door of the church had ceased but an odd sort of scraping rattling sound convinced the clergyman that the workman of more skill than he who had wielded the hammer was now at work endeavouring to force an entrance oh, if we could get but out, he said by the small private entrance all might be well, Charles urge your father I pray you Charles did so to the best of his ability but the blacksmiths who had originally inched the crowd to attack the church in order to get possession of the body of the vampire had sent to his workshop for the tools of his craft and soon quietly accomplished by skill what brute force would have been a long time about, namely the opening of the church door it was flung wide open before Sir George crafted his son could reach the small private entrance to which Mr. Bevan had the key the sight of the multitude of persons for they looked such crowds in the church porch materially increased incipient sadness of the bereaved father end of chapter 223 recording by Ellie June 2009 chapter 224 of Vanity Vampire Volume 3 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Ellie Vanity Vampire Volume 3 by Thomas Prescott-Brest chapter 224 the fate of Sir George the crossroad when he saw the crowd of persons seemed to have some undefined idea that they were enemies but this would not have been productive of any serious consequences if it had not most unfortunately happened that the most formidable weapon was within his grasp the weapon consisted of one of the long iron crow bars which had been successfully used by his own sons in order to force a passage to the family world where such horrors had been witnessed suddenly then this weapon which in the hands of a ferocious man was the most awful one he swung it once around his head and then rushed upon those considered his foes he dealt by three blows and at each of those one of the sealants fell lifeless in the church porch to resist or to attempt to content with the man so armed and apparently possessed of such pretenetural strength was what some of the party wished and accordingly a free passage was left and he rushed out of the church into the night air shouting for vengeance and still at interval accusing himself of being a vampire a most dangerous scene to touch upon considering then the state of feeling in that little district anxiety for the safety of Sir George induced his sons at Mr. Bevan to rush after him regardless of all other consequences so that the church, the walls and everything they contained were left to the mercy of a mob infuriated by superstition rendered still more desperate by the loss of three of the number so sudden in the example the manor they opposed no obstacle to the leaving of those persons who thus for dearer considerations abandoned the old church that they rushed with wild shouts and gesticulations into the building the vampire the vampire cried the blacksmith death to the vampire death and destruction to the vampire hooray cried another to the walls this way to Sir George Crofton's world there seemed to be little doubt now the devil would execute some revisions upon the supposed nocturnal disturb of the peace of the district ever and unknown too as these shouts of discord and of threatening vengeance was upon the night air there would come a distant mattering of thunder for the storm had not yet ceased although its worst fury had certainly passed away dark and heavy clouds were sweeping up from the horizon and it seemed to be tolerably evident that some heavy deluge of rain would eventually settle the fury of the elements and reconciled the squad of wind and electricity several of the rioters were provided with links and matches so that in a few moments the whole interior of the church was brilliantly illuminated while at the same time it presented a grotesque appearance in consequence of the unsteady and wavering flames from the links from myriads of dancing shadows upon the walls there would have been no difficulty under any ordinary circumstances in finding the entrance to the mold where the dead of the Crofton family should have lain in peace but now since the large flagstone that covered the entrance to the receptacle of the grave was removed it met the observation at once it was strange now to perceive how for a moment superstition having led them so far the same feeling should induce them to pause where they ventured to make the way down these gloomy steps it was a critical moment and probably if anyone or two had taken a sudden panic the whole party might have left the church with precipitation having done a considerable amount of mischief and yet as it is so usual with rioters having left the principal object unaccomplished the blacksmith put an end to this state of indecision for seizing a link from the man who was nearest him he darted down the steps exclaiming as he did so who's afraid need not follow me this was a taunt they were not exactly prepared to submit to and the consequence was that in a very few moments the ancient and time honored world of the craftens was more full of the living than of the dead the blacksmith laid his hand upon Clara's coffin here it is he said I know the very pattern of the clothes and the fashion of the nails I saw it at Grinkens the undertakers before it was taken to the Grange Is she there, is she there? cried half a thousand voices at once even the blacksmith hesitated a moment he removed the lid from the receptacle of the death but when he did so well upon the face of the presumed vampire he seemed a choice to find in the appearances then exhibited some sort of justification for the act of violence of which already he had been the instigator here you are he said look at the bloom upon her lips why her cheeks are fresher and rosier than ever they were when she was alive a vampire my mates this is a vampire or may I never break bread again and now what's to be done burn her burn her write several well said the blacksmith mind it's as you like I brought you here and shown you what it is and now you can do what you like and of course I'll lend you a hand to do it anyone who had been very speculative in this affair might have detected in these last words of the blacksmith something like an inclination to creep out of the future consequences of what might next to be done while at the same time shame deterred him from exactly leaving his companions in the church after some suggestions then and some argumentation as to the probability or possibility of interruption the coffin itself was with it said and wretched occupant lifted from the niche where it should have remained until that awful day when all the dead shall rise for judgement and carried up the steps into the graveyard but scarcely had they done so and the surcharge clouds burst over the heads and the rain came down in perfect torrents the deluge was so frightful and continuous the character that they shrink back again beneath the shelter of the church porch and they awaited until its first fury had passed away such an even down storm seldom lasts long in our climate and the consequence was that in about ten minutes the shower had so far subsided although the continuous rain was falling it bore about the very distant comparison to what had taken place how are we to burn the body on such a night as this hey how indeed said another you could not so much as kindle a fire and if you did it would not live many minutes I'll tell you what to do at once said one who had a yet born but acquired part in the proceedings I'll tell you what to do at once for I saw it done myself a vampire is quite a secure bird in a crossroad with his stake through its body as if you burned it in all the fires in the world come on the rain won't hinder you doing that this was a suggestion highly approved of and the more so as there was a crossroad close at hand so that they did would be done quick and the parties dispersed to their respective homes for already the exertion they had taken and the rain that had fallen had had a great effect in sobering them and even now the perilous and disgusting operation of destroying the body by fire any other way might have been abandoned had any of the parties suggested such a cause but the threat of a future imputation of cowardice kept all silent once more the coffin was raised before of the strong and carried through the churchyard which was now running in many little rivulets in consequence of the rain the crossroad was not the perfect water of a mile from the spot and while those who were disengaged from carrying the body were hurrying away to get spades and methox the others walked through the rain and finally paused at the place they thought suitable for that ancient superstitious reed which it was thought would make the vampire rest in peace but to suppose that Sir George Croft and his sons and Mr. Bevan were all deceived concerning the symptoms of vitality which they had observed in the corpse of Clara but certainly now there was no appearance of anything of the kind and the only suspicious circumstances appeared to be the blood upon her lips and the very fresh like appearance of the face if it were really a fact that the attack of one in the vampire upon this fair young girl had converted her into one of those frightful existences and that she had been about to leave a tomb for the purpose of seeking a repast of blood it would appear that the intention had been checked and frustrated by the presence of Sir George and his party in the world at last a dozen men now arrived well armed with spades and picks and they commenced the work of digging a deep rather than a capacious grave in silence a gloomy and apprehensive spirit seemed to come over the whole assemblage and the probability is that this was chiefly owning to the fact that they now encountered no opposition and that they were permitted unimpended to accomplish a purpose which had never yet been attempted within the memory of any of the inhabitants of the place the grave was dug and about two feet depths of soil was thrown in a huge mound upon the surface the coffin was lowered and there lay the corpse within the receptacle of poor humanity unimpressed by any lid for that had been left in the vault and awaiting the tomb which had been decreed upon it which they now with the shattering horror shrunk from performing a hatched stake with a sharp point had been procured and also held it looked around them with terrified continences while the few links that had not been extinguished by the rain shed a strange and lurid clear upon all objects it must be done, said the blacksmith don't let it be said that we got thus far and then very afraid do it then yourself said the man that held the stake I dare not several voices, you brought us here why don't you do it, are you afraid after all your boasting afraid, afraid of the dead I am not afraid of any of you that are alive and it's not likely I am going to be afraid of a dead body, you are a pretty set of cowards I got no animosity against the girl but I want that we shall all sleep in peace and that our wives and children should not be disturbed nocturnally in their blessed repose I'll do it if none of you will do it I'll be afterwards for the act although I suppose if I get into trouble I shall have you all turned tail upon me no we won't no we won't well well, here goes, whether you do or I I'll do it directly he shrinks, cried one no, said another, he'll do it now for it, stand aside stand aside yourself do you want to fall into the grave the blacksmith shattered as he held the stake in an attitude to pierce the body at that moment it seemed to be a doubtful case whether he would be able to accomplish his purpose or not at length, when he all saw he was upon the point of abandoning his design and cast the stake away he thrusted with tremendous force through the body in the back of the coffin the eyes of the corpse opened wide her hands clenched and a shrill piercing shriek came from her lips the shriek was answered by as many as there were persons present and then, with palette 4 upon the countenances of the body End of Chapter 224 Recording by Ellie, June 2009 Chapter 225 The Solitary Man Varni's Despair There lay the dead, alone in that awful grave, dabbled in blood, and the victim of the horrible experiment that had been instituted to lay a vampire the rain still fell heavily oh, surely, pitting heaven sent those drops to wash out the remembrance of such a deed the grave slowly began to be a pool of water, it rose up the sides of the coffin, and in a few minutes nothing more of the ghastly and the terrible contents of that grave could have been seen before that took place, a man of tall stature and solemn gate stepped up and stood upon the brink of the little excavation for a time he was as still as that sad occupant of the little space of earth that served her for a resting place but at length in a tone of deep anguish he spoke to this, he said is this my work? oh horror, horror unspeakable in this some hideous dream or a reality of tragedy so far transcending all I looked for, that if I had tears I should shed them now but I have none a hundred years ago that fount was dry I thought that I had steeled my heart against all gentle impulses that I had crushed a, completely crushed a wide pity in my heart but it is not so and still sufficient of my once human feelings clings to me to make me grieve for the clericroft and thou victim we need not tell our readers now that it was no other than Varney the Vampire himself from whom these words came after thus then giving such fervent utterance to the sad feeling that had overcome him he stood for a silent time and then glancing around him as well as he could by the dim light he found the spades by the aid of which the grave had been dug and which the men had in their great fight left behind them seizing one he commenced with an energy and perseverance that was well adapted to accomplish the object to fill up the grave you shall now rest in peace he said in the course of about ten minutes the grave was leveled completely so that there were no signs or indications of anyone having been there and teared the rain was still falling and not withstanding that circumstance he continued at his work until he had stamped down the earth to a perfect level and then even as if he was still further anxious to thoroughly destroy any indication of the deed that had been done he took the loose earth that was superfluous and scattered it about this done he said surely you will now know peace he cast down the spade which he had been working and lingered for a few brief moments suddenly he started for he heard or thought he heard an approaching footstep his first impulse appeared to be to fly but that he soon corrected and folding his arms solemnly across his breast he waited for the man that was now evidently making speed towards that spot in a few moments more he saw the dusky outline of the figure and then Mr. Bevin the clergyman stood before him Mr. Bevin did not at the moment recognize in the form before him the man who had been the guest of Sir George Crofton and from whom it was supposed had sprung all the mischief and horror that had fallen upon the family at the Grange who are you he cried can you give me information of an outrage that has been committed here about many said Barney ah I know the voice are you not he who was rescued by the two sons of Sir George Crofton well now I know you and I am glad to have met with you will you try to kill me no no peace is my profession ah you are the priest of this place well sir what would you with me I would implore you to tell me if it really be true that that Mr. Bevin pause for he disliked to show that the fear there were such creatures as vampires had taken so strong a hold of him proceed said Barney I will are you then a vampire a strange question for one living man to put to another are you you are inclined to trifle with me but I implore you to answer me I am perhaps the only man in all this neighborhood to whom you can give an answer in the affirmative with safety and why so because I question not the decrees of heaven if it seems fit to the great ruler of heaven and of earth that there should ever be such horrible creatures as vampires ought I his creature to question it you ought not you ought not I have heard much from priests but from your lips I hear sound reason I am a vampire Mr. Bevin shrunk back and shook for a moment as he said in a low faltering tone for how long have you you would know how long I have endured such a state of existence I will tell you that I have a keen remembrance of being hunted through the streets of London in the reign of Henry IV Henry IV yes I have seen all the celebrities of this and many other lands from that period more than once I have endeavored to cast off this horrible existence but it is my destiny to remain in it I was picked up by the brothers often after one of my attempts to court death they have been repaid horribly I cannot help it I am what I am there was a strange and mournful solemnity about the tones of Arnie that went to the heart of Mr. Bevin and after a few moments pause he said you greatly very greatly awake my interest do not leave me ask yourself that there is anything that I can do to alleviate your destiny have you tried prayer prayer yes oh there is a great virtue in prayer I pray for what should I pray but for that death which whenever it seems to be in my grasp has them flitted from me in mockery leaving me still a stranded wretch upon the shores of this world perhaps you have at times fancied you have suffered some great amount of mental agony perhaps you have stood by the bedside of dying creatures and heard them howl their hopelessness of heaven's mercy but you cannot know you cannot imagine what I have suffered as he spoke he turned away but Mr. Bevin followed him saying remain remain I implore you remain and where for I will be your friend it is my duty to be such remain and you shall if you wish it have an asylum in my house if you will not pray yourself to heaven I will pray for you and in time to come you will have some hope oh believe me earnest prayer is not in vain my friend yes your friend I am I ought to be the friend of all who are unhappy and is there really one human being who does not turn from me in horror and disgust oh sir you jest no on my soul that which I say I mean come with me now and you shall if you please remain in secret in my house no one shall know you are with me in the moment that you cross the threshold you shall hope for happier days the vampire paused and it was evident that he was deeply affected by what Mr. Bevin said to him for his whole frame shook End of Chapter 225 Chapter 226 of Varney the Vampire Volume 3 This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer visit LibriVox.org Recording by Julie Bynum Varney the Vampire Volume 3 By Thomas Prescott-Prest Chapter 226 The Strange Guest The Little Chapel Varney's Narrative Mr. Bevin could not but see that he had made some impression even upon the obdurate heart of Varney and he was determined to follow that up by every means in his power Always have in mind, he said that by trusting me you trust one who is not in the habit of condemning his fellows you will be saved from anything like sanctified reproach For to my thinking, religion should be a principle of love and tenderness and not a subject upon which people who perhaps are themselves liable and obnoxious to all sorts of reproach should deal forth denunciations against their neighbors Is that indeed your faith? It is, and it is the real faith taught by my great master You are as one among many thousands Nay, you may have been unfortunate in meeting with bad specimens of those who are devoted in the priesthood Do not condemn hastily Hastily, I have been some hundreds of years in condemning You will come with me I will for once again put faith in human nature Tell me, then, before we leave this spot if you know out of what has happened to or become of the body of Clara Croton I can tell you it was left here buried but uncovered Indeed, the ground is level and I see no trace of a grave No, I have obliterated all such traces I have placed the earth upon her May she now rest in peace O, that such a flower should have been so rudely plucked and I the cause Is not that enough to make heaven's angels mutiny if I should say to pass the golden gates Say no more of that I thank God that the body is so disposed of and that it will not come in the way of any of the Crofton family This affair had far better now be let sink into oblivion Alas, poor Sir George is now the most pitiable sufferer Indeed, yes madness has seized upon him he only sits and smiles to himself weaving in his imagination strange fancies and you call that unhappy it is called and considered so O fatal error he is happy reason, boasted, godlike reason What are you but the curse of poor humanity The maniac who will in his cell fancy at a gorgeous hall and of the damp straw that is his couch make up a glittering coronet indeed, and most happy That is poetical, said Mr. Bevan if not true It is true Well, well, we will talk on that as well as other themes at our leisure Come on, and I will at once take you to my home where you will be safe and I hope more happy Are you not afraid I am not You are right Confidence is safety Lead on, Sir Take any human companionship tonight Mr. Bevan walked only about a step in advance as they proceeded toward the parsonage house and on the way he conversed with Varney with calmness which considering the very peculiar circumstances few men could have brought to bear upon the occasion but Mr. Bevan was no common man he looked upon nature and all the living creatures that make up its vital portion with peculiar eyes and if the bishop of his diocese had known one half of what Mr. Bevan thought he would not have suffered him to remain in his religious situation but he kept the mass of his liberal opinions to himself although he always acted upon them and a man more completely free from sectarian dogmas and the liberal fancies of superstition which our nicknamed faith could not be There was still notwithstanding all the circumstances a hope lingering in his mind that Varney might after all not be aware of what he thought himself to be but some enthusiast who had dreamt himself into a belief of his own horrible powers We know that such was not the case but it was natural enough for Mr. Bevan to hold as long as he could by such an idea and so those two most strangely assorted beings, the clergyman and the vampire, walked together towards the pretty and picturesque dwelling of the former said Mr. Bevan Nay, that matters not, replied Varney I spoke because I thought you seemed fatigued No, my frame is of iron My heart is bowed down with many griefs but the physical structure knows no feeling of dejection The life I possess is no common one Oh, would that it were so that I might shuffle it off as ordinary men can do Do not say that Who knows but that after all there are better things I cannot say that it accomplishes ought completely but one thing and that, that is my most exquisite misery Even that may pass away but here we are at my little garden gate Come in and fare nothing for if you will seek heaven as I would wish you you will find this place such a haven of peace and such refuge against the storms of life as you hardly fancied existed I dare say in this world to me, I did not fancy that there existed a spot on earth on which I could lie down in peace and yet it may be here End of Chapter 226 Chapter 227 of Varney the Vampire Volume 3 This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Julie Bynum Varney the Vampire Volume 3 by Thomas Prescott-Prest Chapter 227 Varney opens the vast storehouse of his memory A more singular conversation than that which took place between Varney the Vampire and this minister of religion could not be conceived If there was any one particle of goodness existing in Varney's disposition we may suspect it would now be developed Perhaps the whole domestic history of the world never yet exhibited so remarkable an association as that between Mr. Bevan and Varney And when they sat down together in the little cheerful study of the former never had four walls enclosed two beings of the same species and yet of such opposite pursuits But we can hardly call Varney the Vampire human His space of existence had been lengthened out beyond the ordinary routine of human existence and the kind of vitality that he now enjoyed if one might be allowed the expression was something distinct and peculiar It speaks volumes however for the philanthropy and liberality of the minister of any religion who could hold out the hand of fellowship to so revolting and to so horrible an existence But Mr. Bevan was no common man His religion was doctrinal certainly But it was free from bigotry and his charity to the feelings opinions and prejudices of others was immense He was accustomed to say may not my feelings be prejudices and one of the sublimest precepts of the whole scriptures was to him that which says, judge not lest ye too should be judged Hence it was that he would not allow himself to revolt at Varney It had seemed right to the great creator of all things that there should be such a being and therefore he Mr. Bevan would either question nor condemn it Look about you, he said to Varney with a disordered gaze You seem to look very about you as if there was a danger in the atmosphere you breathe, but be assured you are safe here It shall be my life for your life if any harm should be attempted to be done you Varney looked at him for a few moments silence and then in his deep and supple core voice he spoke saying, my race is run What mean you by that expression? I mean I shall no longer be a terror to the weak nor a curiosity to the strong In time past more than once I have tried to shuffle off the evil of this frightful existence but some accident strange, wild, and wonderful has brought me back to life again Perhaps not an accident, said Mr. Bevan You may be right but when I have sought to rid the world of my own bad company I have been moved to do so by some act of kindness and consideration most contrary to my desserts and then again when I have been cast back by the waves of fate upon the shores of existence my heart is burdened and I have begun to plan to work mischief and misery and woe to all I can understand how your feelings have alternated but I hope that our association will have better result Yes, a better result for with consummate art with cool perseverance and extended knowledge I trust to think of some things which cannot fail of changing this living frame to that dust from which it sprung and to which it should long since have returned You believe in that but do you not think there is a pure spirit that will yet live independent of the groveling earth There are times when I have hoped that even that fable were true but you have promised me rest will you keep your word That I will most certainly but will you keep yours You have promised me some details of your extraordinary existence and as a divine and I hope in some degree as a philosopher I look for them with some degree of anxiety You shall have them Leave me pens, ink and paper and in the solitude of this room until tomorrow morning and you shall have what I believe to be the origin of this most horrible career Your wishes shall be consulted but will you not take refreshment Nothing, nothing My refreshment is one I need not name to you and when forced by the world's customs and considerations of my own safety I have partaken of man's usual food it has but ill accorded with my preternatural existence I eat not drink not here You know me as I am As he continued speaking Varney evidently grew weaker and Mr. Bevin could scarcely persuade himself that it was not through actual want of nourishment the vampire assured him it was not so and that rest would recruit him to which opinion as the experience of human nature generally afforded no index to Varney's peculiar habits he was forced to subscribe There was a couch in the room and upon that Varney laid himself and as he seemed indisposed for further conversation Mr. Bevin left him promising to return to him as he himself requested in the morning with the hope of finding that he had a narrative to the effect mentioned it can scarcely be said that Mr. Bevin had thoroughly made up his mind to leave his guest for so long a period and as there was a window that looked from the study in his little garden he thought that by now and then peeping in to see that all was right he could scarcely be considered as breaking faith with his mysterious guest he will surely attempt nothing against his own life thought Mr. Bevin for already he seems to be impressed with the futility of such an attempt and to think that when he has made them he has been made the sport of circumstances that had forced him back to life again despite all his wishes to the contrary Mr. Bevin reasoned thus but he knew little what was passing in the mind of Varney the Vampire after about two hours more when the night was profoundly dark the liberal minded but anxious clergyman went into his garden for the purpose of peeping into his study and he then saw as he supposed his visitor lying enveloped in his large brown cloak lying upon the couch he was better pleased to see he was sleeping and recovering from the great fatigue of which he complained instead of writing although that writing promised to be of so interesting a character and he crept softly away for fear of awakening him the hour had now arrived at which Mr. Bevin usually retired to rest but he delayed doing so two hours more elapsed after which he again stole out of his garden and peeped into the study there lay the long slumbering figure upon the couch I am satisfied Mr. Bevin to himself fatigue has completely overcome him and he will sleep till morning now I long much to become acquainted with his strange eventful history after this Mr. Bevin retired to rest but not until in prayer he had offered up his thanks and stated his hopes of being able to turn aside from the wicked path he had been pursuing the wretched man who at that moment was slumbering peacefully beneath his roof we should have less of opposition to churchmen if they were all like Mr. Bevin and not the wily ravenous liberal grasping crew they really are there was no priest craft in him he was almost enough to make one in love with his doctrines be they what they might so that they were he is although we say that he retired to rest we should more properly say he retired to try to rest for after all there were feelings of excitement and anxiety about him which he could not repress wholly and although he had every reason to believe his guest was sleeping and calmly sleeping too yet he found he was becoming painfully alive to the slightest sound he became nervously alive to the least interruption and kept fancy in that he heard the slightest indications of movements in the house such as at any other time he would have paid no attention to it always happened too, provokingly that just as he was dropping into a slight slumber that he thought he heard one of these noises and then he would start awake and sit up in his bed and listen attentively until tired nature forced him to repose again those who have passed such a night of watchfulness need not be told how very very exciting it becomes an hour after hour becomes more intense and acute and the power of escaping its fell influence less and less indeed it was not until the dawn of morning that Mr. Bevan tasted the sweets of sound repose then as is generally usual after nights of fever and disquietude the cool pure life-giving air of early morning produced quite a different state of feeling and his repose was calm and serene end of chapter 227 chapter 228 of Barney the Vampire Volume 3 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Julie Binham Barney the Vampire Volume 3 by Thomas Prescott-Prest chapter 228 The Flight of the Vampire The Mass as was to be expected in consequence of the sleepless state in which he had been in the early part of the night Mr. Bevan did not awaken in his usually early hour and as his confidential servant had stolen into his room upon tiptoe and seeing that he was sleeping quietly and soundly she did not think proper to disturb him an autumnal sun was gleaming into his lattice window when he spontaneously awoke and the reflection of the sunlight upon a particular portion of the wall convinced him that it was late and he lay in that dreamy state when we are just conscious of where we are without having the smallest pretensions to another idea and probably he would have dropped asleep again had it not been that his servant again opened the door the lock of which had the infirmity of giving a particular snap every time it was used and that thoroughly awakened him oh you are awake sir said his old servant I never knew you sleep so long breakfast has been ready an hour and a half it's a cool morning sir and what's worse I can't get into your study to light you a bit of fire which I thought you would want the interruption altogether and the mention of the study served completely to arouse Mr. Bevin to a remembrance of the events of the preceding evening and he cried what's the time what's the time it's after nine and as for the study never mind the study never mind the study I will be down directly scarcely ever had Mr. Bevin dressed himself with such anticipation as he now did how provoking he thought that upon this particular occasion when I should like to have been up and stirring earlier than usual I am a good hour and a half later it can't be helped though and if my guest of last night is to be credited he won't be waiting for his breakfast the simple toilet of the kind hearted clergyman was soon completed and then he ran downstairs to the lower part of his house and finding that his servant was in the kitchen this proceed to a study to speak to the extraordinary inmate he had furnished farney with the means of locking himself in for the night and it would seem that the vampire had fully availed himself of those means for when Mr. Bevin tried the door he found himself as much at fault as his servant had been and could not by any means effect an admittance he said his fatigue was great remarked Mr. Bevin and so it seems it was for surely he is yet sleeping it is a comfort when one sleeps oneself that the necessity for one's rising has been put off by the same means unwilling to disturb Varney and not hearing from the slightest movement from within that he had yet done so Mr. Bevin went to his breakfast much better satisfied than he had been a quarter of an hour since and as the breakfast room had joined the study he had every opportunity if the vampire should be stirring of hearing and attending to him not above ten minutes elapsed in a kind of way when Mr. Bevin although he saw nothing of his guest heard something of the approach of a visitor by the trampling of feet upon the gravel walk and upon looking through the window he saw that it was his friend Sir George Crofton from the hall it was rather an early hour for visitors but still under the peculiar circumstances Sir George might be supposed not to stand upon ceremony in calling upon the clergyman of his parish and upon his old friend combining as Mr. Bevin did both these characters in one it was rather though placing the clergyman in a situation of difficulty for while there was nothing he so much hated as mystery and concealment he yet could not upon the spur of the moment decide whether he ought to inform Sir George of the presence of Varney or not after the frightful manner in which the baronette and his family had suffered from what might be called the mecanations of the vampire it could scarcely be supposed that his feelings were less than in a most exasperated state and it might for all he knew be actually dangerous for the personal safety of that guest whom he had pledged his honor to protect to allow Sir George Crofton to know at all that he was beneath his roof while he was engaged in these considerations and before he could come to anything like a conclusion concerning them Sir George was announced and shown as a privileged visitor into the parlor we cannot but pause to make a remark upon the best change that had taken place in the appearance of that unhappy man when first we presented him to the reader he was as good a specimen of the hail-hardy English gentlemen as we could wish to see good humor and good health beamed forth on every feature of his face and well they might do so for although the past had not been unchecked by trials the future wore to him a sunny aspect and some of the feelings of his youth were returning to him in the happiness of his children the change was now twenty years of ordinary existence with extraordinary vicissitudes would scarcely have produced the effect that the events of the last fortnight had upon that unhappy father he appeared to be absolutely sinking into the grave with grief and not only was his countenance strangely altered but the tones of his voice were completely changed from what they had been alas, poor Sir George Crofton never will the light of joy again illumine your face there are griefs, inevitable griefs which time will heal griefs which the more we look upon them the more we find our reason to ray itself against them but his sorrows were of a different complexion and were apt to grow more gigantic from thought good morning, Mr. Bevin, he said I am an early visitor, sir not more early than welcome, Sir George I pray you to be seated you are very good, said the Baronet but when one comes at an hour like this I am of opinion that he ought to come with something like a good excuse for his intrusion there is none needed I assure you but I have been thinking upon the advice which you have given me, Mr. Bevin to leave this part of the country and try the endeavor by the excitement and changes of foreign travel to lessen the weight of my calamities I think your determination is a good one, Sir George probably it is the best I could adopt but I must confess I am set about it in better spirit but I am haunted by apprehensions apprehensions, Sir George is not the worst past it may be and I hope to heaven it is but I have another child another daughter fair and beautiful as my lost Clara but what security have I that dreadful being may not pursue her and with frightful vindictiveness drive her to the grave Mr. Bevin was silent two or three minutes he crossed him that if he could get Sir George in the proper state of mind it would be perhaps better that he should know that the vampire was in the house and in such a state of mind as not to renew any outrages against him or his family then that he should go abroad with the dread clinging to him of still being followed and persecuted by that dreadful being Sir George said Mr. Bevin in an extremely serious voice Sir George did you ever reason with yourself calmly and seriously and in a Christian spirit about this affair calmly Mr. Bevin how could I reason calmly I have scarcely put my question as I ought what I meant to ask was what are your personal feelings towards the vampire we must recollect that even he dreadful existence as he is was fashioned by the same God that fashioned us and who shall say but he may be the victim of a horrible and stern necessity who shall say but he may be tortured by remorse and that the circumstances connected with your daughter of which you so justly complain may be to him sources of the bitterest reflection what if you were to be assured that never more with that mysterious man cross your path if man we can call him do you think that you could then forgive him it is hard to say but the feeling that my other child was safe would prompt me much Sir George I could make a communication to you if I thought you would listen to it patiently if you will swear to me to be calm I swear tell me oh tell me the vampire is in this house end of chapter 228 chapter 229 of Varney the Vampire volume 3 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Julie Bynum Varney the Vampire volume 3 by Thomas Prescott-Prest chapter 229 the mysterious disappearance one may form some sort of judgment of the astonishment with which Sir George Crofton heard this statement he looked indeed a few moments at Mr. Bevin as if he had a strong suspicion that he could not possibly have heard a right so that the good clergyman was induced to repeat his statement which he did by saying Sir George I assure you however remarkable such a circumstance may be and however much you may feel yourself surprised at it that in the extreme bitterness of spirit and feeling all the compunction that you could possibly wish him to feel Varney the Vampire is now an inmate of this house had a bombshell fallen at his feet Sir George Crofton could not have felt more surprised and he exhibited that surprise by several times repeating to himself Varney the Vampire an inmate of this house Varney the Vampire yes said Mr. Bevin here an inmate of this house he is within a few paces of you slumbering in the next department and from his own lips you shall have the assurance that never again will you have any trouble on his account and that he most bitterly and most deeply regrets the suffering he had brought upon you on yours will that regret said Sir George excitedly restore the dead will that regret give me my child again will it open the portals of the grave and restore her to me who was the life and joy of my existence tell me will it do that if not what is his regret to me no Sir George no his regret will not do that there is such power but it is not upon earth heaven delegates not such fearful responsibilities to any of its creatures and the only reason which has induced me to make this confidence was to take from you the fearful anxiety of fancy and yourself followed by that dreadful being vengeance replied Sir George Crofton vengeance shall be mine in the name of my lost child I cry for vengeance shall he not perish who has made her whom I love perish make way Mr. Bevin make way no Sir George no this is my house I as a Christian minister offered the hospitality of its roof to Varney the Vampire and I cannot violate my word you speak Sir to a desperate man cried Sir George no roof to me is sanctified beneath which the murderer of my child finds a shelter Mr. Bevin the respect that one man has for another or ever has had for another cannot exceed the respect I have for you but with all that Sir I cannot forget my own personal wrongs the shade of my murdered Clara beckons me fly Varney fly cried Mr. Bevin fly is it so said Sir George do you then side with my direst foe no no I side with Sir George Crofton against his own furious unbridled passions neither from profession nor practice was Mr. Bevin one who was likely to force to resist Sir George and at the moment the baronet was about to lay hands upon him to hurl him from his path he slipped aside rash man he said the time will come when you will repent this deed the door of the study was still fast but to the infuriated Sir George that opposed but a very frail obstacle and with the effort of a moment he forced it open and rushed into the apartment Varney monster he cried prepare to meet your doom your career is at an end Mr. Bevin was after him and in the room with him in a moment fully expecting that some very dreadful scene would ensue as a consequence of the unbridled passion of Sir George Crofton Sir George Crofton was standing in the apartment with Varney's large brown cloak in his grasp which he had dragged from the sofa but the vampire himself was not to be seen escaped he cried escaped thank heaven then said Mr. Bevin that this roof has not been desecrated by an act of violence oh Sir George it is a mercy that time has been given to think he has escaped I'll follow him we're at two perdition Sir George was about to open the window and rush into the garden of course it was by that means by which the vampire escaped but Mr. Bevin laid his hand upon the smooth gravel path that was immediately below the casement behold he said one of the first results of an autumnal night that this coating of fleecy sleet you see is undisturbed it fell about midnight nine hours have since elapsed and you perceive there is no foot mark upon it and in what direction would it fall he has such a start of you infuriated with passion as was Sir George Crofton the reasonableness of this statement struck him forcibly and he became silent a revulsion of feeling took place he staggered to a seat and wept yes he is gone he said yes the murderer of my child is gone vengeance is delayed but perhaps not altogether stopped oh Mr. Bevin Mr. Bevin why did you tell me he was here I do now regret having done so but I believed him to be here and his departure is as mysterious to me as it can be to you Mr. Bevin cast his eyes upon the table and there he saw a large packet addressed to himself Sir George saw it too at the same moment and pointing to it said is that the vampire's legacy to his new friend Sir George said Mr. Bevin let it suffice that the packet is addressed to me all the good breeding of the gentleman returned and Sir George Crofton bowed as he left the room closely followed by the clergyman who was as much bewildered by the disappearance of Varney as even Sir George could possibly be he had a most intense desire to examine the packet with the hope that there he should find some explanation or solution of the mystery but not being aware of course of what it contained he could not tell if it would be prudent to trust Sir George at that time with its contents as may be well there was a sort of restraint in the manner of both of them after what had happened and they did what was very rare with them both parted without making any appointment for the future but whatever might be the feelings of Sir George Crofton then a little reflection would be quite sure to bring him back again to a proper estimation of what was due to such a friend as Mr. Bevin and we cannot anticipate any serious interruption to their general friendly intercourse the moment that clergyman found himself alone he with eager steps went into his study and eagerly seized upon the packet that was left to him by the vampire the outside of which merely bore the superscription of these to the Reverend Mr. Bevin and strictly private with an eagerness he tore open the envelope and the first thing that attracted his attention was a long narrow slip of paper on which were written the following words it was not my intention to trespass largely upon your hospitality it would have been unjust almost approaching to criminality so to do I could only think of taking a brief refuge in your house so brief as should just enable me to avail myself of the shadows of night to escape from a neighborhood where I knew I should be hunted the few hours which I have quietly remained beneath your roof have been sufficient to accomplish that object and the papers that I leave you accompanying this contain the personal information concerning me you asked they had been previously prepared and are at your service to attempt to follow me would be feudal for I have as ample means of making a rapid journey as you could possibly call to your aid and I have the advantage of many hours start under these circumstances I have no hesitation in telling you that my destination is Naples and that perhaps the next you hear of me will be that some stranger in a fit of madness has cast himself into the crater of a burning mountain which would at once consume him and all his sorrows Barney the vampire one may imagine the feelings with which Mr. Bevin read this most strange and characteristic epistle feelings that for some moments kept him a prisoner to the most painful thoughts all that he had hoped to accomplish by the introduction of Barney to his house was lost now he had but in fact given him a better opportunity of carrying out a terrible design a design which now there really did not appear to be any means of averting the consummation of alas alas he said this is most grievous and what can I do now to avert the mischief nothing absolutely nothing if it be true that he has as he says he has the means of hastening on his journey all pursuit would be utterly useless this was taking a decidedly correct view of the matter Barney was not the sort of man if you really intended to reach Naples quickly to be a prisoner on his route and then there was another view of the subject which could not but occur to Mr. Bevin and that was that his mentioned destination might be but a blind to turn off pursuit End of Chapter 229 Chapter 230 of Barney the Vampire Volume 3 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Barney Barney the Vampire Volume 3 by Thomas Prescott-Prest Chapter 230 Barney gives some personal account of himself never had Mr. Bevin in all his recollection been in such a state of hesitation as now he was a man usually of rapid resolves and very energetic action but the circumstances that had recently taken place were of so very remarkable a nature that he was not able to bring to bear upon them any portion of his past experience he felt that he could come to no determination but was compelled by the irresistible force of events to be a spectator instead of an actor in what might ensue I shall hear he thought if any such event happens at Naples as that to which Barney has adverted and until I do so or until a sufficient length of time has elapsed make me feel certain that he will not plunge into that burning abyss I shall be a prey to every kind of fear and then again as regards Sir George Crofton what am I to say to him shall I show him this note or not even that was a question which he could not absolutely decide in his own mind although he was strongly inclined to think that it would be highly desirable to do so and while he was considering the point and holding his hand his eye fell upon the other papers which had been enclosed with it and addressed to him hoping and expecting that there he should find something that would better qualify him to come to an accurate conclusion he took up the packet and found that the topmost paper bore the following endorsement some particulars concerning my own life there then said Mr. Bevin is what he has promised me it was to be expected that Mr. Bevin should take up those papers with a very considerable amount of curiosity and as he could not think what course immediately to pursue that would do good to Varney or anybody else he thought he had better turn his attention at once to the documents that the vampire had left to his perusal telling his servant then not to allow him to be disturbed unless the affair was a very urgent one indeed he closed the door of a study and commenced reading one of the most singular statements that ever created being placed upon paper it was as follows During my brief intercourse and it has always been brief when of a confidential nature with various persons I have created surprise by talking of individuals and events long since swallowed up and passed in these few pages I declare myself more fully In the reign of the first Charles I resided in a narrow street in the immediate neighbourhood of Whitehall it was a straggling, torturous thoroughfare going down to the Thames it matters little what were my means of livelihood but I have no hesitation in saying that I was a well-paid agent in some of the political movements which graced and disgraced that period London was then a mass of mean-looking houses with here and there one that looked like a palace compared with its humbler neighbours almost every street appeared to be under the protection of some great house situated somewhere in its extent but such of those houses as have survived the wreck of time rank now with their neighbours and are so strangely altered that I, who knew many of them well could now scarcely point to the place where they used to stand I took no prominent part in the commotions of that period but I saw the head of a king held up in its gore at Whitehall as a spectacle for the multitude there were thousands of persons in England who needed to bring about that result but who were very far from expecting it and who were the first to fall under the ban of the gigantic power they had themselves raised among these were many of my employers men who had been quite willing to shake the stability of a throne so far as the individual occupying it was concerned but who certainly never contemplated the destruction of monarchy so the death of the first Charles and the dictatorship of Cromwell made royalists in abundance they had raised a spirit they could not quell again and this was a fact which the stern harsh man Cromwell with whom I had many interviews was aware of my house was admirably adapted for the purposes of secrecy and seclusion and I became a thriving man from the large sums I received for aiding the escape of distinguished loyalists some of whom lay for a considerable time per due at my house before an eligible opportunity arrived of dropping down the river quietly to some vessel which would take them to Holland it was to offer me so much per head for these royalists that Cromwell sent for me and there was one in particular who had been private secretary to the Duke of Cleveland a young man merely of neither family nor rank but of great ability whom Cromwell was exceedingly anxious to capture I think there likewise must have been some private reasons which induced the dictator of the commonwealth to be so anxious concerning this Master Francis Latham which was the name of the person alluded to it was late one evening when a stranger came to my house and having desired to see me was shown into a private apartment when I immediately waited upon him I am aware, he said that you have been confidentially employed by the Duke of Cleveland and I am aware that you have been very useful to distressed loyalists but in aiding Master Francis Latham the Duke's secretary was almost to name your own terms I named a hundred pounds which at that time was a much larger sum than now taking into consideration the relative value one half of it was paid to me at once and the other promised within four and twenty hours after Latham had affected his escape I was told that at half past twelve o'clock that night a man dressed in common working apparel and with a broom over his shoulder would knock at my door and ask if he could be recommended to a lodging and that by those tokens I should know him to be Francis Latham a Dutch lager I was further told was lying near Gravesend on board of which to earn my money I was expected to place the fugitive all this was duly agreed upon I had a boat in readiness with a couple of watermen upon whom I could depend and I was far from anticipating any extraordinary difficulties in carrying out the enterprise I had a son about twelve years of age who being a sharp acute lad I found very useful upon several occasions and I never scrupled to make him acquainted with any such affair as this that I am recounting half past twelve o'clock came and in a very few minutes after that period of time there came a knock at my door which my son answered and according to arrangement there was the person with a broom who asked to be recommended to a lodging and who was immediately requested to walk in he seemed rather nervous and asked me if I thought there was much risk no, said I no more than ordinary risk in all these cases but we must wait half an hour until the tide turns for just now to struggle against it down the river would really be nothing else but courting observation to this he perfectly agreed and sat down by my fireside I was as anxious as he to get the affair over for it was a ticklish job and Oliver Cromwell if he had brought anything of the kind exactly home to me would as life order me to be shot as he would have taken his luncheon in the name of the Lord I accordingly went down to the water-side to speak to the men who were lying there with the boat and had a certain from them that in about twenty minutes the tide would begin to ebb in the centre of the stream when two men confronted me practiced as I was in the habits and appearances of the times I guessed at once who they were in fact a couple of Oliver Cromwell's dismounted dragoons were always well known you are wanted said one of them to me yes you are particularly wanted said the other but gentlemen I am rather busy said I in an hour's time I will do myself the pleasure if you please of waiting upon you anywhere you wish to name the only reply they made to this was the practical one of getting on each side of me and then hurrying me on past my own door I was taken right away to St. James's at a rapid pace being hurried through one of the courtyards we paused at a small door at which was a sentinel my two guides communicated something to him and he allowed us to pass a narrow passage without any light and through another door at which was likewise a sentinel who turned the glare of a lantern upon me and my conductors some short explanation was given to him likewise during which I heard the words his highness which was the title which Cromwell had lately assumed they pushed me through this doorway closed it behind me and left me alone in the dark End of Chapter 230 Recording by Berenie Chapter 231 of Varni the Vampire Volume 3 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Berenie Varni the Vampire Volume 3 by Thomas Prescott Prest Chapter 21 A singular interview and the consequences of passion being perfectly ignorant of where I was I thought the most prudent plan was to stand stock still for if I advanced it might be into danger and my retreat was evidently cut off Moreover, those who brought me there must have some sort of intention and it was better for me to leave them to develop it and take any steps myself which might be of a very hazardous nature that I was adopting the best policy I was soon convinced for a flash of light suddenly came upon me and I heard a gruff voice say Who goes there? Come this way I walked on and passed through an open doorway into a small apartment in the centre of which standing by a common deal-table on which his clenched hand was resting I found Oliver Cromwell himself So, sirrer he said Royalists and pestilent characters are to ravage the land are they so? Answer me I have no answer to make your highness said I God's mercy no answer In your own house the Duke of Cleveland's prescribed secretary lies concealed I felt rather staggered but was certain I had been betrayed by someone and Cromwell continued rapidly without giving me time to speak The Lord is merciful and so are we but the malignant must be taken by the beloved soldiers of the commonwealth and the gospel God-fearing men who always turn to the Lord with short carbines will accompany you The malignant shall be taken from your house by you and the true God-fearing dragons shall linger in the shade behind you will take him to the riverside where the Lord willing there will be a boat with a small blue ensign on board of which you will place him wishing him good speed He paused gently upon me by the aid of the miserable light that was in the apartment What then, your highness I said Then you will probably call upon us to-morrow for a considerable sum which will be due to you for this good service to the commonwealth Yes, it shall be profitable to fight the battles of the Lord I must confess I had expected a very different result from the interview which I had been greatly in fear would have resulted in greatly endangering my liberty Cromwell was a man not to be tampered with I knew my danger and was not disposed to sacrifice myself for Master Latham Your highness shall be obeyed I said I, verily, he replied and if we be not obeyed we must make ourselves felt with a strong arm of flesh What oh God-firing Simkins art thou there Yes the Lord willing said a dragoon making his appearance at the door Cromwell Milley made him a sign with his hand and he laid hold of the upper part of my arm as though it had been in a vice and led me out into the passage again where the sentinels were posted In the course of a few moments I was duly in custody of my two guards again and we were proceeding at a very rapid pace towards my residence It was not a very agreeable affair view it in whatever light I might but as regarded Cromwell I knew my jeopardy and it would be perceived that I had not hesitated a moment in obeying him Moreover, I considered for I knew he was generous I should have a good round sum by the transaction which added to the fifty pounds I had received from the royalists made the affair appear to me in a pleasant enough light Indeed, I was revolving in my mind as I went along whether it would not be worthwhile almost entirely to attach myself to the protector If I reasoned with myself I should do that and still preserve myself a character with the royalists I should thrive But it will be seen that in adverse circumstance put an end to all those dreams When we reached the door of my house the first thing I saw was my son wiping his brow as if he had undergone some fatigue He ran up to me and catching me by the arm whispered to me I was so angered at the moment that heedless of what I did and passion getting the mastery over me I with my clenched fist struck him to the earth His head fell upon one of the hard round stones with which the street was paved and he never spoke again I had murdered him I don't know what happened immediately subsequent to this fearful deed All I can recollect is that there was a great confusion and a flashing of lights and it appeared to me as if something had suddenly struck me down to the earth with great force When I did thoroughly awaken I found myself lying upon a small couch but in a very large apartment dimly lighted and where there were many such couches ranged against the walls A miserable light just enabled me to see about me a little and some dim dusky looking figures were creeping about the place It was a hospital that the protector had lately instituted in the strand I tried to speak but could not My tongue seemed glued to my mouth and I could not and then a change came upon my sense of sight and I could scarcely see at all the dim dusky looking figures about me Someone took hold of me by the wrist and I heard one say quite distinctly He's entirely going now Suddenly it seemed as if something had fallen with a crushing influence upon my chest and then a consciousness that I was gasping for breath and then I thought I was at the bottom of the sea There was a moment, only a moment of frightful agony and then came a singing sound like the rush of waters after which I distinctly felt someone raising me in their arms I was dropped again my limbs felt numbed and chill a universal spasm shot through my whole system I opened my eyes and found myself lying in the open air a newly opened grave A full moon was sailing through the sky and the cold beams were upon my face a voice sounded in my ears a deep and solemn voice and painfully distinct was every word it uttered Mortimer it said, for that was my name Mortimer In life you did one deed which at once cast you out from all hope that anything in that life would be remembered in the world to come to your advantage You poisoned the pure font of mercy and not upon such as you can the downy freshness of heaven's bounty fall Murderer Murderer of that being sacredly presented to your care by the great creator of all things Live henceforth a being accursed Be to yourself a desolation and a blight shunned by all that is good and virtuous armed against all men and all men armed against thee Vaani the Vampire I staggered to my feet The scene around me was a churchyard I was gaunt and thin My clothes hung about me and tartared remnants The damp smell of the grave hung about them I met an aged man and asked him where I was He looked at me with a shudder as though I had escaped from some charnel house Why this is Isildon? said he A peel of bells came merrily upon the night air What means that? said I Why this is the anniversary of the restoration The restoration? What restoration? Why of the royal family to the throne to be sure return this day last year Have you been asleep so long that you don't know that? I shuddered and walked on determined to make further inquiries and to make them with so much caution that the real extent of my ignorance should scarce be surmised and the result was to me of the most astonishing character I found that I had been in the trance of death for nearly two years and that during that period great political changes had taken place The exiled royal family had been restored to the throne and the most remarkable revulsion of feeling that had ever taken place in a nation had taken place in England But personally I had not yet fully awakened to all the horror of what I was I had heard the words addressed to me but I had attached no very definite meaning to them End of chapter 231 Recording by Barony Chapter 232 of Varney the Vampire Volume 3 This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Mary Herndon Bell Varney the Vampire Volume 3 By Thomas Prescott Prest Chapter 232 Varney's narrative continued Mr. Bevin paused when he had got thus far to ask himself if he ought to give credence to what he read or put it down as the raving of some person whose wits had become tangled and deranged by misfortune Had the manuscript come to him without other circumstances to give it the air of truthfulness he would have read it only as a literary curiosity but it will be remembered that he had been a spectator of the resuscitation of Clara Crofton which afforded of itself a very frightful verification of Varney's story a story so horrible in all its details that but for the great interest which it really possessed he would have deeply regretted the mixing it up in his memory There was something yet to read in the papers before him and thinking that it was better to know all at once than to leave his imagination to work upon matters so likely seriously to affect it he resumed his perusal of these papers which might be considered the autobiography of Varney Blank I have already said that I was not yet fully alive to the horror of what I was but I soon found what the words which had been spoken to me by the mysterious being who had exhumed me meant I was a thing accursed a something to be shunned by all men a horror a blight and a desolation I felt myself growing sick and weak as I traversed the streets of the city and yet I loathed the sight of food whenever I saw it I reached my own house and saw that it had been burned down there lay nothing but a heap of charred ruins where it once stood but I had an interest in those ruins for from time to time I had buried considerable sums of money beneath the flooring of the lowest apartments and I had every reason to believe as such a secret treasure was only known to myself that it remained untouched I waited until the moon became obscured by some passing clouds and then having the most intimate knowledge of the locality I commenced groping about the ruins and removing a portion of them until I made my way to the spot where my money was hidden the morning came however and surprised me at my occupation so I hid myself among the ruins of what had once been my home for a whole day and never once stirred for my concealment oh it was a long and weary day I could hear the prattle of children at play an inn or change house was near at hand and I could hear noisy drinkers brawling forth songs that had been proscribed in the Commonwealth I saw a poor wretch hunted nearly to death close to where I lay concealed because from the fashion of his garments and the cut of his hair he was supposed to belong to the deposed party but the long expected night came at last it was a dark one too so that it answered my purpose well I had found an old rusty knife among the ruins and with that I set to work to dig up my hidden treasure I was successful and found it all not a guinea had been removed although in the immediate neighborhood there were those who would have sacrificed a human life for any piece of gold that I had hoarded I made no inquiries about anyone that had belonged to me I dreaded to receive some horrible and circumstantial answer but I did get a slight piece of news as I left the ruins although I ask not for it there's a poor devil said one did you ever see such a wretch in all your life why yes said another and he's enough to turn one's canary sour he seems to have come up from the ruins of Mortimer's house by the by did you ever hear what became of him yes to be sure he was shot by two of Cromwell's dragoons and some Freakess or another ah I recollect now I heard as much he murdered his son didn't he I passed on those words seemed to send a bolt of fire through the brain and I dreaded that the speaker might expatiate upon them a slow misty rain was falling which caused the streets to be very much deserted but being extremely well acquainted with the city I passed on till I came to that quarter which was principally inhabited by Jews who I knew would take my money without any troublesome questions being asked me and also I could procure every accommodation required and they did so for before another hour had passed over my head I emerged richly habited as a chivalier of the period having really not paid to the conscientious Israelite much more than four times the price of the clothing I walked away with and thus I was in the middle of London with some hundreds of pounds in my pocket and a horrible uncertainty as to what I was I was growing fainter and fainter still and I feared that unless I succeeded in housing myself shortly I should become a prey to someone who seeing my exhausted condition would notwithstanding I had a formidable rapier by my side rob me of all I possessed my career has been much too long and too checkered to one even to give the briefest sketch of all I propose here to relate is how I became convinced I was a vampire and that blood was my congenial nourishment and the only element of my new existence I passed on until I came to a street where I knew the houses were large but unfashionable and that they were principally occupied by persons who made a trade by letting out apartments and there I thought I might locate myself in safety as I made no difficulty about terms there was no difficulty at all of any sort and I found myself conducted into a tolerably handsome suite of rooms in the house of a decent looking widow woman who had two daughters, young and blooming girls both of whom regarded me as the new lodger with looks of anything but favor considering my awful and cadaverous appearance most probably as promising nothing at all in the shape of pleasant companionship this I was quite prepared for I had seen myself in a mirror that was enough and I could honestly have a bird that a more ghastly and horrible looking skeleton attired in silks and broadcloth never yet walked the streets of the city when I retired to my chamber I was so faint and ill that I could scarcely drag one foot after the other and was ruminating what I should do until a strange feeling crept over me that I should like what? blood raw blood reeking and hot bubbling and juicy from the veins of some gasping victim a clock upon the stairs struck one I arose and listened attentively all was still in the house still is the very grave it was a large old rambling building and had belonged at one time no doubt to a man of some mark and likelihood in the world my chamber was one of six that opened from a corridor of a considerable length in which traversed the whole length of the house I crept out into this corridor and listened again for full ten minutes but not the slightest sound saved my own faint breathing disturbed the stillness of the house and that emboldened me so that with my appetite for blood growing each moment stronger I began to ask myself from whose veins I could seek strength and nourishment but how was I to proceed how was I to know in that large house which of the sleepers I could attack with safety for it had now come to that that I was to attack somebody I stood like an evil spirit pondering over the best means of securing a victim and there came over me the horrible faintness again that faintness which each moment grew worse and which threatened completely to engulf me I feared that some flush of it would overtake me and then I should fall to rise no more as strange as it may appear I felt a disposition to cling to the new life that had been given to me I seemed to be acquainted already with all its horrors but not all its joys suddenly the darkness of the corridor was cleared away and soft and mellow light crept into it and I said to myself the moon has risen yes the bright and beautiful moon which I had felt the soft influence of when I lay among the graves had emerged from the bank of clouds along the eastern sky these beams descending through a little window they streamed right through the corridor faintly but effectually illuminating it and letting me see clearly all the different doors leading to the different chambers and thus it was that I had light for anything I wished to do but not information the moon beams playing upon my face seemed to give me a spurious sort of strength I did not know until after experience but a marked and sensible effect they would always have upon me but I felt it even then although I did not attribute it wholly to the influence of the queenly planet I walked on through the corridor and some sudden influence seemed to guide me to a particular door I know not how it was but I laid my hand upon the lock and said to myself I shall find my victim here End of chapter 232