The admiral, after looking at it for some time with very great wonder,
came at last to the conclusion that probably to open it would be the
shortest way of arriving at a knowledge of who had sent it, and he
accordingly did so. The note was as follows:--

    "My dear sir,--Feeling assured that you cannot be surrounded
    with those means and appliances for comfort in the Hall, in its
    now deserted condition, which you have a right to expect, and so
    eminently deserve, I flatter myself that I shall receive an
    answer in the affirmative, when I request the favour of your
    company to breakfast, as well as that of your learned friend. Mr. Chillingworth. "In consequence of a little accident which occurred last evening
    to my own residence, I am, _ad interim_, until the county build
    it up for me again, staying at a house called Walmesley Lodge,
    where I shall expect you with all the impatience of one
    soliciting an honour, and hoping that it will be conferred upon
    him. "I trust that any little difference of opinion on other subjects
    will not interfere to prevent the harmony of our morning's meal
    together. "Believe me to be, my dear sir, with the greatest possible
    consideration, your very obedient, humble servant,

    "FRANCIS VARNEY." The admiral gasped again, and looked at Mr. Chillingworth, and then at
the note, and then at Mr. Chillingworth again, as if he was perfectly
bewildered. "That's about the coolest piece of business," said Mr. Chillingworth,
"that ever I heard of." "Hang me," said the admiral, "if I sha'n't like the fellow at last. It
is cool, and I like it because it is cool. Where's my hat? where's my
stick!" "What are you going to do?" "Accept his invitation, to be sure, and breakfast with him; and, my
learned friend, as he calls you, I hope you'll come likewise. I'll take
the fellow at his word. By fair means, or by foul, I'll know what he
wants here; and why he persecutes this family, for whom I have an
attachment; and what hand he has in the disappearance of my nephew,
Charles Holland; for, as sure as there's a Heaven above us, he's at the
bottom of that affair. Where is this Walmesley Lodge?" "Just in the neighbourhood; but--"

"Come on, then; come on." "But, really, admiral, you don't mean to say you'll breakfast
with--with--"

"A vampyre? Yes, I would, and will, and mean to do so. Here, Jack, you
needn't go to Mr. Bannerworth's yet. Come, my learned friend, let's take
Time by the forelock." CHAPTER LX. THE INTERRUPTED BREAKFAST AT SIR FRANCIS VARNEY'S. [Illustration]

Notwithstanding all Mr. Chillingworth could say to the contrary, the
admiral really meant to breakfast with Sir Francis Varney. The worthy doctor could not for some time believe but that the admiral
must be joking, when he talked in such a strain; but he was very soon
convinced to the contrary, by the latter actually walking out and once
more asking him, Mr. Chillingworth, if he meant to go with him, or not. This was conclusive, so the doctor said,--

"Well, admiral, this appears to me rather a mad sort of freak; but, as I
have begun the adventure with you, I will conclude it with you." "That's right," said the admiral; "I'm not deceived in you, doctor; so
come along. Hang these vampyres, I don't know how to tackle them,
myself. I think, after all, Sir Francis Varney is more in your line than
line is in mine." "How do you mean?" "Why, couldn't you persuade him he's ill, and wants some physic? That
would soon settle him, you know." "Settle him!" said Mr. Chillingworth; "I beg to say that if I did give
him any physic, the dose would be much to his advantage; but, however,
my opinion is, that this invitation to breakfast is, after all, a mere
piece of irony; and that, when we get to Walmesley Lodge, we shall not
see anything of him; on the contrary, we shall probably find it's a
hoax." "I certainly shouldn't like that, but still it's worth the trying. The
fellow has really behaved himself in such an extraordinary manner, that,
if I can make terms with him I will; and there's one thing, you know,
doctor, that I think we may say we have discovered." "And what may that be? Is it, not to make too sure of a vampyre, even
when you have him by the leg?" "No, that ain't it, though that's a very good thing in its way: but it
is just this, that Sir Francis Varney, whoever he is and whatever he is,
is after Bannerworth Hall, and not the Bannerworth family. If you
recollect, Mr. Chillingworth, in our conversation, I have always
insisted upon that fact." "You have; and it seems to me to be completely verified by the
proceedings of the night. There, then, admiral, is the great
mystery--what can he want at Bannerworth Hall that makes him take such a
world of trouble, and run so many fearful risks in trying to get at it?" "That is, indeed, the mystery; and if he really means this invitation to
breakfast, I shall ask him plumply, and tell him, at the same time, that
possibly his very best way to secure his object will be to be candid,
vampyre as he is." "But really, admiral, you do not still cling to that foolish
superstition of believing that Sir Francis Varney is in reality a
vampyre?" "I don't know, and I can't say; if anybody was to give me a description
of a strange sort of fish that I had never seen, I wouldn't take upon
myself to say there wasn't such a thing; nor would you, doctor, if you
had really seen the many odd ones that I have encountered at various
times." "Well, well, admiral, I'm certainly not belonging to that school of
philosophy which declares the impossible to be what it don't understand;
there may be vampyres, and there may be apparitions, for all I know to
the contrary; I only doubt these things, because I think, if they were
true, that, as a phenomena of nature, they would have been by this time
established by repeated instances without the possibility of doubt or
cavil." "Well, there's something in that; but how far have we got to go now?" "No further than to yon enclosure where you see those park-like looking
gates, and that cedar-tree stretching its dark-green foliage so far into
the road; that is Walmesley Lodge, whither you have been invited." "And you, my learned friend, recollect that you were invited too; so
that you are no intruder upon the hospitality of Varney the vampyre." "I say, admiral," said Mr. Chillingworth, when they reached the gates,
"you know it is not quite the thing to call a man a vampyre at his own
breakfast-table, so just oblige me by promising not to make any such
remark to Sir Francis." "A likely thing!" said the admiral; "he knows I know what he is, and he
knows I'm a plain man and a blunt speaker; however, I'll be civil to
him, and more than that I can't promise. I must wring out of him, if I
can, what has become of Charles Holland, and what the deuce he really
wants himself." "Well, well; come to no collision with him, while we're his guests." "Not if I can help it."