It was no political riot, on which men might be supposed, in consequence
of differing in opinion, to have their passions inflamed; so that,
although the call of the civil authorities for military aid had been
acceded to, yet it was hoped, and, indeed, almost understood by the
officers, that their operations would lie confined more to a
demonstration of power, than anything else. Besides, some of the men had got talking to the townspeople, and had
heard all about the vampyre story, and not being of the most refined or
educated class themselves, they felt rather interested than otherwise in
the affair. Under these circumstances, then, we are inclined to think, that the
disorderly mob of that inn had not so wholesome a fear as it was most
certainly intended they should have of the redcoats. Then, again, they
were not attacking the churchyard, which, in the first case, was the
main point in dispute, and about which the authorities had felt so very
sore, inasmuch as they felt that, if once the common people found out
that the sanctity of such places could be outraged with impunity, they
would lose their reverence for the church; that is to say, for the host
of persons who live well and get fat in this country by the trade of
religion. [Illustration]

Consequently, this churchyard was the main point of defence, and it was
zealously looked to when it need not have been done so, while the
public-house where there really reigned mischief was half unguarded. There are always in all communities, whether large or small, a number of
persons who really have, or fancy they have, something to gain by
disturbance. These people, of course, care not for what pretext the
public peace is violated; so long as there is a row, and something like
an excuse for running into other people's houses, they are satisfied. To get into a public-house under such circumstances is an unexpected
treat; and thus, when the mob rushed into the inn with such symptoms of
fury and excitement, there went with the leaders of the disturbance a
number of persons who never thought of getting further than the bar,
where they attacked the spirit-taps with an alacrity which showed how
great was their love for ardent compounds. Leaving these persons behind, however, we will follow those who, with a
real superstition, and a furious interest in the affair of the vampyre,
made their way towards the upper chamber, determining to satisfy
themselves if there were truth in the statement so alarmingly made by
the woman who had created such an emotion. It is astonishing what people will do in crowds, in comparison with the
acts that they would be able to commit individually. There is usually a
calmness, a sanctity, a sublimity about death, which irresistibly
induces a respect for its presence, alike from the educated or from the
illiterate; and let the object of the fell-destroyer's presence be whom
it may, the very consciousness that death has claimed it for its own,
invests it with a halo of respect, that, in life, the individual could
never aspire to probably. Let us precede these furious rioters for a few moments, and look upon
the chamber of the dead--that chamber, which for a whole week, had been
looked upon with a kind of shuddering terror--that chamber which had
been darkened by having its sources of light closed, as if it were a
kind of disrespect to the dead to allow the pleasant sunshine to fall
upon the faded form. And every inhabitant of that house, upon ascending and descending its
intricate and ancient staircases, had walked with a quiet and subdued
step past that one particular door. Even the tones of voice in which they spoke to each other, while they
knew that that sad remnant of mortality was in the house, was quiet and
subdued, as if the repose of death was but a mortal sleep, and could be
broken by rude sounds. Ay, even some of these very persons, who now with loud and boisterous
clamour, had rushed into the place, had visited the house and talked in
whispers; but then they were alone, and men will do in throngs acts
which, individually, they would shrink from with compunction or
cowardice, call it which we will. The chamber of death is upon the second story of the house. It is a back
room, the windows of which command a view of that half garden, half
farm-yard, which we find generally belonging to country inns. But now the shutters were closed, with the exception of one small
opening, that, in daylight, would have admitted a straggling ray of
light to fall upon the corpse. Now, however, that the sombre shades of
evening had wrapped everything in gloom, the room appeared in total
darkness, so that the most of those adventurers who had ventured into
the place shrunk back until lights were procured from the lower part of
the house, with which to enter the room. A dim oil lamp in a niche sufficiently lighted the staircase, and, by
the friendly aid of its glimmering beams, they had found their way up to
the landing tolerably well, and had not thought of the necessity of
having lights with which to enter the apartments, until they found them
in utter darkness. These requisites, however, were speedily procured from the kitchen of
the inn. Indeed, anything that was wanted was laid hold of without the
least word of remark to the people of the place, as if might, from that
evening forthwith, was understood to constitute right, in that town. Up to this point no one had taken a very prominent part in the attack
upon the inn if attack it could be called; but now the man whom chance,
or his own nimbleness, made the first of the throng, assumed to himself
a sort of control over his companions and, turning to them, he said,--

"Hark ye, my friends; we'll do everything quietly and properly; so I
think we'd better three or four of us go in at once, arm-in-arm." "Psha!" cried one who had just arrived with a light; "it's your
cowardice that speaks. I'll go in first; let those follow me who like,
and those who are afraid may remain where they are." He at once dashed into the room, and this immediately broke the spell of
fear which was beginning to creep over the others in consequence of the
timid suggestion of the man who, up to that moment, had been first and
foremost in the enterprise. In an instant the chamber was half filled with persons, four or five of
whom carried lights; so that, as it was not of very large dimensions, it
was sufficiently illuminated for every object in it to be clearly
visible. There was the bed, smooth and unruffled, as if waiting for some expected
guest; while close by its side a coffin, supported upon tressles, over
which a sheet was partially thrown, contained the sad remains of him who
little expected in life that, after death, he should be stigmatised as
an example of one of the ghastliest superstitions that ever found a home
in the human imagination.