[Illustration]

Yet knowing to what deeds of violence the passions of a lawless mob will
sometimes lead them, and having the experience of what had been
attempted by the alarmed and infuriated populace on a former occasion,
against the Hall, Henry Bannerworth was, reasonably enough, not without
his fears that something might occur of a nature yet highly dangerous to
the stability of his ancient house. He did not actually surmount the fence, but he crept so close to it,
that he could get over in a moment, if he wished; and, if any one should
move or speak on the other side, he should be quite certain to hear
them. For a few moments all was still, and then suddenly he heard some one
say, in a low voice,

"Hist! hist! did you hear nothing?" "I thought I did," said another; "but I now am doubtful." "Listen again." "What," thought Henry, "can be the motives of these men lying secreted
here? It is most extraordinary what they can possibly want, unless they
are brewing danger for the Hall." Most cautiously now he raised himself, so that his eyes could just look
over the fence, and then, indeed, he was astonished. He had expected to see two or three persons, at the utmost; what was his
surprise! to find a compact mass of men crouching down under the garden
wall, as far as his eye could reach. For a few moments, he was so surprised, that he continued to gaze on,
heedless of the danger there might be from a discovery that he was
playing the part of a spy upon them. When, however, his first sensations of surprise were over, he cautiously
removed to his former position, and, just as he did, so, he heard those
who had before spoken, again, in low tones, breaking the stillness of
the night. "I am resolved upon it," said one; "I am quite determined. I will,
please God, rid the country of that dreadful man." "Don't call him a man," said the oilier. "Well, well; it is a wrong name to apply to a vampyre." "It is Varney, after all, then," said Henry. Bannerworth, to
himself;--"it is his life that they seek. What can be done to save
him?--for saved he shall be if I can compass such an object. I feel that
there is yet a something in his character which is entitled to
consideration, and he shall not be savagely murdered while I have an arm
to raise in his defence. But if anything is now to be done, it must be
done by stratagem, for the enemy are, by far, in too great force to be
personally combatted with." Henry resolved to take the advice of his friends, and with that view he
went silently and quietly back to where they were, and communicated to
them the news that he had so unexpectedly discovered. They were all much surprised, and then the doctor said,

"You may depend, that since the disappointment of the mob in the
destruction of this place, they have had their eye upon Varney. He has
been dogged here by some one, and then by degrees that assemblage has
sought the spot." "He's a doomed man, then," remarked the admiral; "for what can save him
from a determined number of persons, who, by main force, will overcome
us, let us make what stand we may in his defence." "Is there no hiding-place in the house," said Charles, "where you might,
after warning him of his danger, conceal him?" "There are plenty, but of what avail would that be, if they burn down
the Hall, which in all probability they will!" "None, certainly." "There is but one chance," said Henry, "and that is to throw them off
the scent, and induce them to think that he whom they seek is not here;
I think that may possibly be done by boldness." "But how!" "I will go among them and make the effort." He at once left the friends, for he felt that there might be no time to
lose, and hastening to the same part of the wall, over which he had
looked so short a time before, he clambered over it, and cried, in a
loud voice,

"Stop the vampyre! stop the vampyre!" "Where, where?" shouted a number of persons at once, turning their eyes
eagerly towards the spot where Henry stood. "There, across the fields," cried Henry. "I have lain in wait for him
long; but he has eluded me, and is making his way again towards the old
ruins, where I am sure he has some hiding-place that he thinks will
elude all search. There, I see his dusky form speeding onwards." "Come on," cried several; "to the ruins! to the ruins! We'll smoke him
out if he will not come by fair means: we must have him, dead or alive." "Yes, to the ruins!" shouted the throng of persons, who up to this time
had preserved so cautious a silence, and, in a few moments more, Henry
Bannerworth had the satisfaction of finding that his ruse had been
perfectly successful, for Bannerworth Hall and its vicinity were
completely deserted, and the mob, in a straggling mass, went over hedge
and ditch towards those ruins in which there was nothing to reward the
exertions they might choose to make in the way of an exploration of
them, but the dead body of the villain Marchdale, who had come there to
so dreadful, but so deserved a death. CHAPTER LXXX. THE DISCOVERY OF THE BODY OF MARCHDALE IN THE RUINS BY THE MOB.--THE
BURNING OF THE CORPSE.--THE MURDER OF THE HANGMAN. [Illustration]

The mob reached the ruins of Bannerworth Hall, and crowded round it on
all sides, with the view of ascertaining if a human creature, dead or
alive, were there; various surmises were afloat, and some were for
considering that everybody but themselves, or their friends, must be
nothing less than vampyres. Indeed, a strange man, suddenly appearing
among them, would have caused a sensation, and a ring would no doubt
have been formed round him, and then a hasty council held, or, what was
more probable, some shout, or word uttered by some one behind, who could
not understand what was going on in front, would have determined them to
commit some desperate outrage, and the sacrifice of life would have been
the inevitable result of such an unfortunate concurrence of
circumstances. There was a pause before anyone ventured among the ruins; the walls were
carefully looked to, and in more than one instance, but they were found
dangerous, what were remaining; some parts had been so completely
destroyed, that there were nothing but heaps of rubbish. However, curiosity was exerted to such an extraordinary pitch that it
overcame the fear of danger, in search of the horrible; for they
believed that if there were any one in the ruins he must be a vampyre,
of course, and they were somewhat cautious in going near such a
creature, lest in so doing they should meet with some accident, and
become vampyres too. This was a dreadful reflection, and one that every now and then
impressed itself upon the individuals composing the mob; but at the same
time any new impulse, or a shout, and they immediately became insensible
to all fear; the mere impulse is the dominant one, and then all is
forgotten.