Far from every cause of noise and
strife, it is quite as great a matter of mystery as the vampyre business
itself. "I have been so mixed up in this business that I must go through with
it. By the way, of the mysteries, the greatest that I have met with is
the fact of the vampyre having anything to do with so quiet a family as
the Bannerworths." Mr. Chillingworth pondered over the thought; but yet he could make
nothing of it. It in no way tended to elucidate anything connected with
the affair, and it was much too strange and singular in all its parts to
be submitted to any process of thought, with any hope of coming to
anything like a conclusion upon the subject--that must remain until some
facts were ascertained, and to obtain them Mr. Chillingworth now
determined to try. This was precisely what was most desirable in the present state of
affairs; while things remained in the present state of uncertainty,
there would be much more of mystery than could ever be brought to light. One or two circumstances cleared up, the minor ones would follow in the
same train, and they would be explained by the others; and if ever that
happy state of things were to come about, why, then there would be a
perfect calm in the town. As Mr. Chillingworth was going along, he thought he observed two men
sitting inside a hedge, close to a hay-rick, and thinking neither of
them had any business there, he determined to listen to their
conversation, and ascertain if it had any evil tendency, or whether it
concerned the late event. Having approached near the gate, and they being on the other side, he
got over without any noise, and, unperceived by either of them, crept
close up to them. "So you haven't long come from sea?" "No; I have just landed." "How is it you have thrown aside your seaman's clothes and taken to
these?" "Just to escape being found out." "Found out! what do you mean by that? Have you been up to anything?" "Yes, I have, Jack. I have been up to something, worse luck to me; but
I'm not to be blamed either." "What is it all about?" inquired his companion. "I always thought you
were such a steady-going old file that there was no going out of the
even path with you." "Nor would there have been, but for one simple circumstance." "What was that?" "I will tell you, Jack--I will tell you; you will never betray me, I am
sure." "Never, by heavens!" "Well, then, listen--it was this. I had been some time aboard our
vessel. I had sailed before, but the captain never showed any signs of
being a bad man, and I was willing enough to sail with him again. "He knew I was engaged to a young woman in this country, and that I was
willing to work hard to save money to make up a comfortable home for us
both, and that I would not sail again, but that I intended to remain
ashore, and make up my mind to a shore life." "Well, you would have a house then?" "Exactly; and that's what I wished to do. Well, I made a small venture
in the cargo, and thought, by so doing, that I should have a chance of
realizing a sum of money that would put us both in a comfortable line of
business. "Well, we went on very smoothly until we were coming back. We had
disposed of the cargo, and I had received some money, and this seemed to
cause our captain to hate me, because I had been successful; but I
thought there was something else in it than that, but I could not tell
what it was that made him so intolerably cross and tyrannous. "Well, I found out, at length, he knew my intended wife. He knew her
very well, and at the same time he made every effort he could to induce
me to commit some act of disobedience and insubordination; but I would
not, for it seemed to me he was trying all he could to prevent my doing
my duty with anything like comfort. "However, I learned the cause of all this afterwards. It was told me by
one of the crew. "'Bill,' said my mate, 'look out for yourself.' "'What's in the wind?' said I. "'Only the captain has made a dead set at you, and you'll be a lucky man
if you escape.' "'What's it all about?' said I. 'I cannot understand what he means. I
have done nothing wrong. I don't see why I should suddenly be treated in
this way.' "'It's all about your girl, Bill.' "'Indeed!' said I. 'What can that have to do with the captain? he knows
nothing of her.' "'Oh, yes, he does,' he said. 'If it were not for you he would have the
girl himself.' "'I see now,' said I. "'Ay, and so can a blind man if you open his eyes; but he wants to make
you do wrong--to goad you on to do something that will give him the
power of disgracing you, and, perhaps, of punishing you.' "'He won't do that,' said I. "'I am glad to hear you say so, Bill; for, to my mind, he has made up
his mind to go the whole length against you. I can't make it out, unless
he wishes you were dead.' "'I dare say he does,' said I; 'but I will take care I will live to
exact a reckoning when he comes ashore.' "'That is the best; and when we are paid off, Bill, if you will take it
out of him, and pay him off, why, I don't care if I lend you a hand.' "'We'll say more about that, Dick,' said I, 'when we get ashore and are
paid off. If we are overheard now, it will be said that we are
conspiring, or committing mutiny, or something of that sort.' "'You are right, Bill,' he said--'you are right. We'll say no more about
this now, but you may reckon upon me when we are no longer under his
orders.' "'Then there's no danger, you know.' "Well, we said nothing about this, but I thought of it, and I had cause
enough, too, to think of it; for each day the captain grew more and more
tyrannous and brutal. I knew not what to do, but kept my resolution of
doing my duty in spite of all he could do, though I don't mind admitting
I had more than one mind to kill him and myself afterwards. "However, I contrived to hold out for another week or two, and then we
came into port, and were released from his tyranny. I got paid off, and
then I met my messmate, and we had some talk about the matter. "'The worst of it is,' said I, 'we shall have some difficulty to catch
him; and, if we can, I'll be sworn we shall give him enough to last him
for at least a voyage or two.' "'He ought to have it smart,' said my messmate; 'and I know where he is
to be found.' "'Do you?--at what hour?' "'Late at night, when he may be met with as he comes from a house where
he spends his evenings." "'That will be the best time in the world, when we shall have less
interference than at any other time in the day. But we'll have a turn
to-night if you will be with me, as he will be able to make too good a
defence to one. It will be a fight, and not a chastisement.' "'It will. I will be with you; you know where to meet me. I shall be at
the old spot at the usual time, and then we will go.' "We parted; and, in the evening, we both went together, and sought the
place where we should find him out, and set upon him to advantage.