[Illustration]

There was certainly a loud wrangling in the Hall, just as the doctor
finished his most remarkable revelation concerning Sir Francis Varney, a
revelation which by no means attacked the fact of his being a vampyre or
not; but rather on the contrary, had a tendency to confirm any opinion
that might arise from the circumstance of his being restored to life
after his execution, favourable to that belief. They all three now carefully approached the windows of the Hall, to
listen to what was going on, and after a few moments they distinctly
heard the voice of the hangman, saying in loud and rather angry
accents,--

"I do not deny but that you have kept your word with me--our bargain has
been, as you say, a profitable one: but, still I cannot see why that
circumstance should give you any sort of control over my actions." "But what do you here?" said Varney, impatiently. "What do you?" cried the other. "Nay, to ask another question, is not to answer mine. I tell you that I
have special and most important business in this house; you can have no
motive but curiosity." "Can I not, indeed? What, too, if I have serious and important business
here?" "Impossible." "Well, I may as easily use such a term as regards what you call
important business, but here I shall remain." "Here you shall not remain." "And will you make the somewhat hazardous attempt to force me to leave?" "Yes, much as I dislike lifting my hand against you, I must do so; I
tell you that I must be alone in this house. I have most special
reasons--reasons which concern my continued existence. "Your continued existence you talk of.--Tell me, now, how is it that you
have acquired so frightful a reputation in this neighbourhood? Go where
I will, the theme of conversation is Varney, the vampyre! and it is
implicitly believed that you are one of those dreadful characters that
feed upon the life-blood of others, only now and then revisiting the
tomb to which you ought long since to have gone in peace." "Indeed!" "Yes; what, in the name of all that's inexplicable, has induced you to
enact such a character?" "Enact it! you say. Can you, then, from all you have heard of me, and
from all you know of me, not conceive it possible that I am not enacting
any such character? Why may it not be real? Look at me. Do I look like
one of the inhabitants of the earth?" "In sooth, you do not." "And yet I am, as you see, upon it. Do not, with an affected philosophy,
doubt all that may happen to be in any degree repugnant to your usual
experiences." "I am not one disposed to do so; nor am I prepared to deny that such
dreadful beings may exist as vampyres. However, whether or not you
belong to so frightful a class of creatures, I do not intend to leave
here; but, I will make an agreement with you." Varney was silent; and after a few moments' pause, the other
exclaimed,--

"There are people, even now, watching the place, and no doubt you have
been seen coming into it." "No, no, I was satisfied no one was here but you." "Then you are wrong. A Doctor Chillingworth, of whom you know something,
is here; and him, you have said, you would do no harm to, even to save
your life." "I do know him. You told me that it was to him that I was mainly
indebted for my mere existence; and although I do not consider human
life to be a great boon, I cannot bring myself to raise my hand against
the man who, whatever might have been the motives for the deed, at all
events, did snatch me from the grave." "Upon my word," whispered the admiral, "there is something about that
fellow that I like, after all." "Hush!" said Henry, "listen to them. This would all have been
unintelligible to us, if you had not related to us what you have." "I have just told you in time," said Chillingworth, "it seems." "Will you, then," said the hangman, "listen to proposals?" "Yes," said Varney. "Come along, then, and I will show you what I have been about; and I
rather think you have already a shrewd guess as to my motive. This
way--this way." They moved off to some other part of the mansion, and the sound of their
voices gradually died away, so that after all, the friends had not got
the least idea of what that motive was, which still induced the vampyre
and the hangman, rather than leave the other on the premises, to make an
agreement to stay with each other. "What's to be done now?" said Henry. "Wait," said Dr. Chillingworth, "wait, and watch still. I see nothing
else that can be done with any degree of safety." "But what are we to wait for?" said the admiral. "By waiting, we shall, perhaps, find out," was the doctor's reply; "but
you may depend that we never shall by interfering." "Well, well, be it so. It seems that we have no other resource. And when
either or both of those fellows make their appearance, and seem about to
leave, what is to be done with them?" "They must be seized then, and in order that that may be done without
any bloodshed, we ought to have plenty of force here. Henry, could you
get your brother, and Charles, if he be sufficiently recovered, to
come?" "Certainly, and Jack Pringle." "No," said the admiral, "no Jack Pringle for me; I have done with him
completely, and I have made up my mind to strike him off the ship's
books, and have nothing more to do with him." "Well, well," added the doctor, "we will not have him, then; and it is
just as well, for, in all likelihood, he would come drunk, and we shall
be--let me see--five strong without him, which ought to be enough to
take prisoners two men." "Yes," said Henry, "although one of them may be a vampyre." "That makes no difference," said the admiral. "I'd as soon take a ship
manned with vampyres as with Frenchmen." Henry started off upon his errand, certainly leaving the admiral and the
doctor in rather a critical situation while he was gone; for had Varney
the vampyre and the hangman chosen, they could certainly easily have
overcome so inefficient a force. The admiral would, of course, have fought, and so might the doctor, as
far as his hands would permit him; but if the others had really been
intent upon mischief, they could, from their downright superior physical
power, have taken the lives of the two that were opposed to them. But somehow the doctor appeared to have a great confidence in the
affair. Whether that confidence arose from what the vampyre had said
with regard to him, or from any hidden conviction of his own that they
would not yet emerge from the Hall, we cannot say; but certain it is, he
waited the course of events with great coolness. No noise for some time came from the house; but then the sounds, as if
workmen were busy within it, were suddenly resumed, and with more vigour
than before.