Alone and in the dark, so that he could not be probably seen, he watched
that one window of the chamber where the first appearance of the hideous
vampyre had taken place, and which seemed ever since to be the special
object of his attack. By remaining from twilight, and getting accustomed to the gradually
increasing darkness of the place, no doubt the doctor was able to see
well enough without the aid of any artificial light whether any one was
in the place besides himself. "Night after night," he said, "will I watch here until I have succeeded
in unravelling this mystery; for that there is some fearful and undreamt
of mystery at the bottom of all these proceedings I am well convinced." When he made such a determination as this, Dr. Chillingworth was not at
all a likely man to break it, so there, looking like a modern statue in
the arbour, he sat with his eyes fixed upon the balcony and the window
of what used to be called Flora's room for some hours. The doctor was a contemplative man, and therefore he did not so acutely
feel the loneliness of his position as many persons would have done;
moreover, he was decidedly not of a superstitious turn of mind, although
certainly we cannot deny an imagination to him. However, if he really
had harboured some strange fears and terrors they would have been
excusable, when we consider how many circumstances had combined to make
it almost a matter of demonstration that Sir Francis Varney was
something more than mortal. What quantities of subjects the doctor thought over during his vigil in
that garden it is hard to say, but never in his whole life, probably,
had he such a glorious opportunity for the most undisturbed
contemplation of subjects requiring deep thought to analyze, than as he
had then. At least he felt that since his marriage he had never been so
thoroughly quiet, and left so completely to himself. It is to be hoped that he succeeded in settling any medical points of a
knotty character that might be hovering in his brain, and certain it is
that he had become quite absorbed in an abstruse matter connected with
physiology, when his ears were startled, and he was at once aroused to a
full consciousness of where he was, and why he had come there, by the
distant sound of a man's footstep. It was a footstep which seemed to be that of a person who scarcely
thought it at all necessary to use any caution, and the doctor's heart
leaped within him as in the lowest possible whisper he said to
himself,--

"I am successful--I am successful. It is believed now that the Hall is
deserted, and no doubt that is Sir Francis Varney come with confidence,
to carry out his object in so sedulously attacking it, be that object
what it may." Elated with this idea, the doctor listened intently to the advancing
footstep, which each moment sounded more clearly upon his ears. It was evidently approaching from the garden entrance towards the house,
and he thought, by the occasional deadened sound of the person's feet,
be he whom he might, that he could not see his way very well, and,
consequently, frequently strayed from the path, on to some of the
numerous flower-beds which were in the way. "Yes," said the doctor, exultingly, "it must be Varney; and now I have
but to watch him, and not to resist him; for what good on earth is it to
stop him in what he wishes to do, and, by such means, never wrest his
secret from him. The only way is to let him go on, and that will I do,
most certainly." Now he heard the indistinct muttering of the voice of some one, so low
that he could not catch what words were uttered; but he fancied that, in
the deep tones, he recognised, without any doubt, the voice of Sir
Francis Varney. "It must be he," he said, "it surely must be he. Who else would come
here to disturb the solitude of an empty house? He comes! he comes!" Now the doctor could see a figure emerge from behind some thick beeches,
which had before obstructed his vision, and he looked scrutinisingly
about, while some doubts stole slowly over his mind now as to whether it
was the vampyre or not. The height was in favour of the supposition that
it was none other than Varney; but the figure looked so much stouter,
that Mr. Chillingworth felt a little staggered upon the subject, and
unable wholly to make up his mind upon it. The pausing of this visitor, too, opposite that window where Sir Francis
Varney had made his attempts, was another strong reason why the doctor
was inclined to believe it must be him, and yet he could not quite make
up his mind upon the subject, so as to speak with certainty. A very short time, however, indeed, must have sufficed to set such a
question as that at rest; and patience seemed the only quality of mind
necessary under those circumstances for Mr. Chillingworth to exert. The visitor continued gazing either at that window, or at the whole
front of the house, for several minutes, and then he turned away from a
contemplation of it, and walked slowly along, parallel with the windows
of that dining-room, one of which had been broken so completely on the
occasion of the admiral's attempt to take the vampyre prisoner. The moment the stranger altered his position, from looking at the
window, and commenced walking away from it, Mr. Chillingworth's mind was
made up. It was not Varney--of that he felt now most positively assured,
and could have no doubt whatever upon the subject. The gait, the general air, the walk, all were different; and then arose
the anxious question of who could it be that had intruded upon that
lonely place, and what could be the object of any one else but Varney
the vampyre to do so. The stranger looked a powerful man, and walked with a firm tread, and,
altogether he was an opponent that, had the doctor been ever so
belligerently inclined, it would have been the height of indiscretion
for him to attempt to cope with. It was a very vexatious thing, too, for any one to come there at such a
juncture, perhaps only from motives of curiosity, or possibly just to
endeavour to commit some petty depredations upon the deserted building,
if possible; and most heartily did the doctor wish that, in some way, he
could scare away the intruder. The man walked along very slowly, indeed, and seemed to be quite taking
his time in making his observations of the building; and this was the
more provoking, as it was getting late, and if having projected a visit
at all, it would surely soon be made, and then, when he found any one
there, of course, he would go. Amazed beyond expression, the doctor felt about on the ground at his
feet, until he found a tolerably large stone, which he threw at the
stranger with so good an aim, that it hit him a smart blow on the back,
which must have been anything but a pleasant surprise.