CHAPTER XXI.
THE CONFERENCE BETWEEN THE UNCLE AND NEPHEW, AND THE ALARM.
Meanwhile Charles Holland had taken his uncle by the arm, and led himinto a private room.
"Dear uncle," he said, "be seated, and I will explain everything withoutreserve."
"Seated!--nonsense! I'll walk about," said the admiral. "D--n me! I'veno patience to be seated, and very seldom had or have. Go on now, youyoung scamp."
"Well--well; you abuse me, but I am quite sure, had you been in mysituation, you would have acted precisely as I have done."
"No, I shouldn't."
"Well, but, uncle--"
"Don't think to come over me by calling me uncle. Hark you,Charles--from this moment I won't be your uncle any more."
"Very well, sir."
"It ain't very well. And how dare you, you buccaneer, call me sir, eh? Isay, how dare you?"
"I will call you anything you like."
"But I won't be called anything I like. You might as well call me atonce Morgan, the Pirate, for he was called anything he liked. Hilloa,sir! how dare you laugh, eh? I'll teach you to laugh at me. I wish I hadyou on board ship--that's all, you young rascal. I'd soon teach you tolaugh at your superior officer, I would."
"Oh, uncle, I did not laugh at you."
"What did you laugh at, then?"
"At the joke."
"Joke. D--n me, there was no joke at all!"
"Oh, very good."
"And it ain't very good."
Charles knew very well that, this sort of humour, in which was the oldadmiral, would soon pass away, and then that he would listen to himcomfortably enough; so he would not allow the least exhibition ofpetulance or mere impatience to escape himself, but contented himself bywaiting until the ebullition of feeling fairly worked itself out.
"Well, well," at length said the old man, "you have dragged me here,into a very small and a very dull room, under pretence of havingsomething to tell me, and I have heard nothing yet."
"Then I will now tell you," said Charles. "I fell in love--"
"Bah!"
"With Flora Bannerworth, abroad; she is not only the most beautiful ofcreated beings--"
"Bah!"
"But her mind is of the highest order of intelligence, honour, candour,and all amiable feelings--"
"Bah!"
"Really, uncle, if you say 'Bah!' to everything, I cannot go on."
"And what the deuce difference, sir, does it make to you, whether I say'Bah!' or not?"
"Well, I love her. She came to England, and, as I could not exist, butwas getting ill, and should, no doubt, have died if I had not done so, Icame to England."
"But d----e, I want to know about the mermaid."
"The vampyre, you mean, sir?"
"Well, well, the vampyre."
"Then, uncle, all I can tell you is, that it is supposed a vampyre cameone night and inflicted a wound upon Flora's neck with his teeth, andthat he is still endeavouring to renew his horrible existence from theyoung, pure blood that flows through her veins."
"The devil he is!"
"Yes. I am bewildered, I must confess, by the mass of circumstances thathave combined to give the affair a horrible truthfulness. Poor Flora ismuch injured in health and spirits; and when I came home, she, at once,implored me to give her up, and think of her no more, for she could notthink of allowing me to unite my fate with hers, under suchcircumstances."
"She did?"
"Such were her words, uncle. She implored me--she used that word,'implore'--to fly from her, to leave her to her fate, to endeavour tofind happiness with some one else."
"Well?"
"But I saw her heart was breaking."
"What o' that?"
"Much of that, uncle. I told her that when I deserted her in the hour ofmisfortune that I hoped Heaven would desert me. I told her that if herhappiness was wrecked, to cling yet to me, and that with what power andwhat strength God had given me, I would stand between her and all ill."
"And what then?"
"She--she fell upon my breast and wept and blessed me. Could I deserther--could I say to her, 'My dear girl, when you were full of health andbeauty, I loved you, but now that sadness is at your heart I leave you?'Could I tell her that, uncle, and yet call myself a man?"
"No!" roared the old admiral, in a voice that made the room echo again;"and I tell you what, if you had done so, d--n you, you puppy, I'd havebraced you, and--and married the girl myself. I would, d----e, but Iwould."
"Dear uncle!"
"Don't dear me, sir. Talk of deserting a girl when the signal ofdistress, in the shape of a tear, is in her eye!"
"But I--"
"You are a wretch--a confounded lubberly boy--a swab--a d----d badgrampus."
"You mistake, uncle."
"No, I don't. God bless you, Charles, you shall have her--if a wholeship's crew of vampyres said no, you shall have her. Let me seeher--just let me see her."
The admiral gave his lips a vigorous wipe with his sleeve, and Charlessaid hastily,--
"My dear uncle, you will recollect that Miss Bannerworth is quite ayoung lady."
"I suppose she is."
"Well, then, for God's sake, don't attempt to kiss her."
"Not kiss her! d----e, they like it. Not kiss her, because she's a younglady! D----e, do you think I'd kiss a corporal of marines?"
"No, uncle; but you know young ladies are very delicate."
"And ain't I delicate--shiver my timbers, ain't I delicate? Where isshe? that's what I want to know."
"Then you approve of what I have done?"
"You are a young scamp, but you have got some of the old admiral'sfamily blood in you, so don't take any credit for acting like an honestman--you couldn't help it."
"But if I had not so acted," said Charles, with a smile, "what wouldhave become of the family blood, then?"
"What's that to you? I would have disowned you, because that very thingwould have convinced me you were an impostor, and did not belong to thefamily at all."
"Well, that would have been one way of getting over the difficulty."
"No difficulty at all. The man who deserts the good ship that carrieshim through the waves, or the girl that trusts her heart to him, oughtto be chopped up into meat for wild monkeys."
"Well, I think so to."
"Of course you do."
"Why, of course?"
"Because it's so d----d reasonable that, being a nephew of mine, youcan't possibly help it."
"Bravo, uncle! I had no idea you were so argumentative."
"Hadn't you, spooney; you'd be an ornament to the gun-room, you would;but where's the 'young lady' who is so infernal delicate--where is she,I say?"
"I will fetch her, uncle."
"Ah, do; I'll be bound, now, she's one of the right build--a goodfigure-head, and don't make too much stern-way."
"Well, well, whatever you do, now don't pay her any compliments, foryour efforts in that line are of such a very doubtful order, that Ishall dread to hear you."
"You be off, and mind your own business; I haven't been at sea fortyyears without picking up some out-and-out delicate compliments to say toa young lady."
"But do you really imagine, now, that the deck of a man-of-war is a niceplace to pick up courtly compliments in?"
"Of course I do. There you hear the best of language, d----e! You don'tknow what you are talking about, you fellows that have stuck on shoreall your lives; it's we seamen who learn life."
"Well, well--hark!"
"What's that?"
"A cry--did you not hear a cry?"
"A signal of distress, by G--d!"
In their efforts to leave the room, the uncle and nephew for about aminute actually blocked up the door-way, but the superior bulk of theadmiral prevailed, and after nearly squeezing poor Charles flat, he gotout first.
But this did not avail him, for he knew not where to go. Now, the secondscream which Flora had uttered when the vampyre had clasped her waistcame up
on their ears, and, as they were outside the room, it acted wellas a guide in which direction to come.
Charles fancied correctly enough at once that it proceeded from the roomwhich was called "Flora's own room," and thitherward accordingly hedashed at tremendous speed.
Henry, however, happened to be nearer at hand, and, moreover, he did nothesitate a moment, because he knew that Flora was in her own room; so hereached it first, and Charles saw him rush in a few moments before hecould reach the room.
The difference of time, however, was very slight, and Henry had onlyjust raised Flora from the floor as Charles appeared.
"God of Heaven!" cried the latter, "what has happened?"
"I know not," said Henry; "as God is my judge, I know not. Flora, Flora,speak to us! Flora! Flora!"
"She has fainted!" cried Charles. "Some water may restore her. Oh,Henry, Henry, is not this horrible?"
"Courage! courage!" said Henry although his voice betrayed what aterrible state of anxiety he was himself in; "you will find water inthat decanter, Charles. Here is my mother, too! Another visit! God helpus!"
Mrs. Bannerworth sat down on the edge of the sofa which was in the room,and could only wring her hands and weep.
"Avast!" cried the admiral, making his appearance. "Where's the enemy,lads?"
"Uncle," said Charles, "uncle, uncle, the vampyre has been hereagain--the dreadful vampyre!"
"D--n me, and he's gone, too, and carried half the window with him. Lookthere!"
It was literally true; the window, which was a long latticed one, wassmashed through.
"Help! oh, help!" said Flora, as the water that was dashed in her facebegan to recover her.
"You are safe!" cried Henry, "you are safe!"
"Flora," said Charles; "you know my voice, dear Flora? Look up, and youwill see there are none here but those who love you."
Flora opened her eyes timidly as the said,--
"Has it gone?"
"Yes, yes, dear," said Charles. "Look around you; here are none but truefriends."
"And tried friends, my dear," said Admiral Bell, "excepting me; andwhenever you like to try me, afloat or ashore, d--n me, shew me Old Nickhimself, and I won't shrink--yard arm and yard arm--grapnel tograpnel--pitch pots and grenades!"
"This is my uncle, Flora," said Charles.
"I thank you, sir," said Flora, faintly.
"All right!" whispered the admiral to Charles; "what a figure-head, tobe sure! Poll at Swansea would have made just about four of her, but shewasn't so delicate, d--n me!"
"I should think not."
"You are right for once in a way, Charley."
"What was it that alarmed you?" said Charles, tenderly, as he now tookone of Flora's hands in his.
"Varney--Varney, the vampyre."
"Varney!" exclaimed Henry; "Varney here!"
"Yes, he came in at that door: and when I screamed, I suppose--for Ihardly was conscious--he darted out through the window."
"This," said Henry, "is beyond all human patience. By Heaven! I cannotand will not endure it."
"It shall be my quarrel," said Charles; "I shall go at once and defyhim. He shall meet me."
"Oh, no, no, no," said Flora, as she clung convulsively to Charles. "No,no; there is a better way."
"What way?"
"The place has become full of terrors. Let us leave it. Let him, as hewishes, have it."
"Let _him_ have it?"
"Yes, yes. God knows, if it purchase an immunity from these visits, wemay well be overjoyed. Remember that we have ample reason to believe himmore than human. Why should you allow yourselves to risk a personalencounter with such a man, who might be glad to kill you that he mighthave an opportunity of replenishing his own hideous existence from yourbest heart's blood?"
The young men looked aghast.
"Besides," added Flora, "you cannot tell what dreadful powers ofmischief he may have, against which human courage might be of no avail."
"There is truth and reason," said Mr. Marchdale, stepping forward, "inwhat Flora says."
"Only let me come across him, that's all," said Admiral Bell, "and I'llsoon find out what he is. I suppose he's some long slab of a lubberafter all, ain't he, with no strength."
"His strength is immense," said Marchdale. "I tried to seize him, and Ifell beneath his arm as if I had been struck by the hammer of aCyclops."
"A what?" cried the admiral.
"A Cyclops."
"D--n me, I served aboard the Cyclops eleven years, and never saw a verybig hammer aboard of her."
"What on earth is to be done?" said Henry.
"Oh," chimed in the admiral, "there's always a bother about what's to bedone on earth. Now, at sea, I could soon tell you what was to be done."
"We must hold a solemn consultation over this matter," said Henry. "Youare safe now, Flora."
"Oh, be ruled by me. Give up the Hall."
"You tremble."
"I do tremble, brother, for what may yet ensue. I implore you to give upthe Hall. It is but a terror to us now--give it up. Have no more to dowith it. Let us make terms with Sir Francis Varney. Remember, we darenot kill him."
"He ought to be smothered," said the admiral.
"It is true," remarked Henry, "we dare not, even holding all theterrible suspicions we do, take his life."
"By foul means certainly not," said Charles, "were he ten times avampyre. I cannot, however, believe that he is so invulnerable as he isrepresented."
"No one represents him here," said Marchdale. "I speak, sir, because Isaw you glance at me. I only know that, having made two unsuccessfulattempts to seize him, he eluded me, once by leaving in my grasp a pieceof his coat, and the next time he struck me down, and I feel yet theeffects of the terrific blow."
"You hear?" said Flora.
"Yes, I hear," said Charles.
"For some reason," added Marchdale, in a tone of emotion, "what I sayseems to fall always badly upon Mr. Holland's ear. I know not why; butif it will give him any satisfaction, I will leave Bannerworth Hallto-night."
"No, no, no," said Henry; "for the love of Heaven, do not let usquarrel."
"Hear, hear," cried the admiral. "We can never fight the enemy well ifthe ship's crew are on bad terms. Come now, you Charles, this appears tobe an honest, gentlemanly fellow--give him your hand."
"If Mr. Charles Holland," said Marchdale, "knows aught to my prejudicein any way, however slight, I here beg of him to declare it at once, andopenly."
"I cannot assert that I do," said Charles.
"Then what the deuce do you make yourself so disagreeable for, eh?"cried the admiral.
"One cannot help one's impression and feelings," said Charles; "but I amwilling to take Mr. Marchdale's hand."
"And I yours, young sir," said Marchdale, "in all sincerity of spirit,and with good will towards you."
They shook hands; but it required no conjuror to perceive that it wasnot done willingly or cordially. It was a handshaking of that characterwhich seemed to imply on each side, "I don't like you, but I don't knowpositively any harm of you."
"There now," said the admiral, "that's better."
"Now, let us hold counsel about this Varney," said Henry. "Come to theparlour all of you, and we will endeavour to come to some decidedarrangement."
"Do not weep, mother," said Flora. "All may yet be well. We will leavethis place."
"We will consider that question, Flora," said Henry; "and believe meyour wishes will go a long way with all of us, as you may well supposethey always would."
They left Mrs. Bannerworth with Flora, and proceeded to the small oakenparlour, in which were the elaborate and beautiful carvings which havebeen before mentioned.
Henry's countenance, perhaps, wore the most determined expression ofall. He appeared now as if he had thoroughly made up his mind to dosomething which should have a decided tendency to put a stop to theterrible scenes which were now day by day taking place beneath thatroof.
Charles Holland looked seriou
s and thoughtful, as if he were revolvingsome course of action in his mind concerning which he was not quiteclear.
Mr. Marchdale was more sad and depressed, to all appearance, than any ofthem.
As for the admiral, he was evidently in a state of amazement, and knewnot what to think. He was anxious to do something, and yet what that wasto be he had not the most remote idea, any more than as if he was not atall cognisant of any of those circumstances, every one of which was socompletely out of the line of his former life and experience.
George had gone to call on Mr. Chillingworth, so he was not present atthe first part of this serious council of war.