VARNEY, THE VAMPYRE; OR, THE FEAST OF BLOOD. CHAPTER CLXXIV. [sic] [Chapter 192] THE MEETING IN THE MORNING AT THE HOTEL -- THE PREPARATIONS OF THE ATTORNEY. It is no less than strange, the difference that takes place in people's feelings with regard to precisely the same circumstances in the morning, from what they really felt and thought in the evening, and when the shadows of night were upon them. This mental phenomenon was not wanting in the case of Mr. Lake. He felt as he rose the next day, and the sun was shining in at the window of his bedroom, most thoroughly ashamed of his fears and his nervous tremours of the preceding night. His wife saw with a smile the change in his feelings. "You are no longer," she said, "afraid of the vampyre." "Oh, say no more about it," was his reply. "I shall go immediately after breakfast and see Mr. Miller, and with him make such arrangements as will bring the affair upon which we have set our hearts to a crisis, and while I am gone you can instruct our son in what he has to do." "I will." The breakfast passed over in rather a constrained manner. Mrs. Lake had made an attempt to persuade Annetta that she was really too unwell to get up for an hour or two, but that Annette [sic] would not submit to, as she felt herself, notwithstanding all her sufferings and all her fright, really capable of rising. The consequence was, that she appeared at the breakfast table, and stopped most effectually anything in the shape of a confidential discourse taking place among the Lakes. The meal therefore passed off rather silently, and there were only a few remarks made, incidentally, about the preceding night's alarm. Annetta was evidently in a state of great nervousness, as well she might be, for the idea that she would be again subjected to the frightful visits of the vampyre, was ever present to her, and she was denied the consolation which the letter of Varney might, and most probably would have given her. After the morning meal, Mr. Lake gave his wife a significant look to intimate that he was then going to Mr. Miller's, and that in his absence she was to play her part. She perfectly understood him, and nodded in return, and thus this worthy pair separated. We will follow Mr. Lake. The attorney did not live in one of the most respectable haunts of the profession, but he was a man of his word, and by the time Mr. Lake reached his chambers he was there, it being then not much above ten o'clock. There was some delay in admitting Mr. Lake to the private room of the attorney, and he thought that the clerk who was in the outer office looked a little confused. "Is anybody with Mr. Miller?" asked Lake. "Yes-- that is to say-- I mean no." "A strange answer. Yes, and you mean no." "Why, Sir, I only meant that Mr. Miller was rather busy, and we are so much in the habit when that is the case, of saying that he has some one with him that it slipped out unawares, only as we would not deceive you, sir, for the world, you understand that that was why, you perceive, sir, that in a manner of speaking, I corrected myself." This explanation was rather more wordy than satisfactory to Mr. Lake, however, for want of a better, he was compelled to put up with it, and he said nothing, but waited with the most exemplary patience, until Mr. Miller's bell rang. The clerk answered it, and in a few moments returned to say that Mr. Miller had got through a legal document he had been engaged upon, and the he much regretted having kept Mr. Lake waiting, but was then quite at his disposal. Now Lake could have sworn that he had heard the sound of a voice from the private room of the attorney, and he consequently did not feel quite easy. When he went in he found Mr. Miller with a number of letters before him. "Ah, my dear sir," cried the lawyer, "sit down." "Thank you. I thought somebody was with you?" "Oh, dear no, not at all. I was going through a lease, you see, and from long experience in such matters, I have found that I have a better and clearer understanding of the matter, if I read it aloud to myself, but perhaps that is only a peculiarity of mine." "Then it was your voice I heard just now?" Mr. Lake's suspicions were about half removed, certainly not more than half, but he could say no more about it, although he cast now and then suspicious glances round the room; yet if he had been asked what he was suspicious of, he would hardly have been able to give a clear and understandable answer to the question. It is one of the curses of conscious guilt ever to live in an atmosphere of doubt and dread, and to the full did Mr. Lake feel that curse. "Well, Mr. Miller," he said, after a pause, "I have called upon you to say that I hope it will suit your convenience to settle a little affair to-day at twelve o'clock at the hotel." "Twelve-- let me see-- twelve. Not at the hotel my dear sir, I am compelled to be in chambers in case of a letter coming on very particular business, but if you will bring her here, I can manage it very nicely; if she don't leave this place with a conviction that she has a father in London, I'll eat my boots." "Well, I don't see why we should not come here, as you give me great satisfaction Mr. Miller by avowing yourself to be so confident of the result." "I am as confident as that I sit on this three legged stool." "Good-- then you may depend upon our coming here at twelve o'clock precisely. There will be myself, Mrs. Lake, my son and the young lady. Mind she is no fool, she must be perfectly overwhelmed with proofs of what we wish to make her believe." "Exactly, that she is not the daughter of Lord Lake, but a mere changling imposed upon him as his own child-- the said own child being dead." "Precisely." "Agreed, sir, agreed. With respect to my reward, I have been thinking that I should like, you know, to have some acknowledgment. You tell me you have no money now, but that this obstacle once removed you will come in for all the Lake estates, and that Lord Lake cannot live long." "That's the state of the case." "Then sir, will you give me a note for [#]2000 [pounds], payable on demand." "On demand?" "Yes; of course it would be needless folly of me to present it until you have money you know." "True, true." We need not pursue the conversation further, but satisfy the reader by stating the result, which was, that the attorney got the note for [#]2000 [pounds] form Lake, likewise a paper signed, which admitted the debt more fully still, and effectually barred Lake from objecting to any proceedings on account of want of consideration for the promissory note, or that it had not been fairly obtained of him, pleas which might have inconvenienced Mr. Miller if he chose to pursue Lake for the amount. In the meantime Mrs. Lake had not been idle, but had spoken to her booby and cowardly son, making him aware of what he had to do in the business, namely, to shew his great disinterestedness in taking for his wife Annetta after she was supposed to be proved not the daughter of Lord Lake, but quite a different personage, and altogether destitute of pecuniary resources. He managed pretty well always to understand any villany, and so entered life and soul into the scheme of his mother. "Ah! I like that a monstrous deal better than keeping watch for a vampyre, which is a sort of job that don't at all suit such a constitution as mine, do you see?" Mrs. Lake not being aware of the alteration of arrangements by which they were all to proceed to the lawyer's chambers, instead of coming to the hotel, took no trouble with Annetta, conceiving that it would perhaps be better at twelve o'clock, when the parties were assembled, to take her by surprise, than to say anything to her beforehand, which might have the effect of preparing her for what was to come, and so getting up a spirit of resistance and of inquiry which it might be difficult to resist or satisfactorily to meet. When Mr. Lake came home from Gray's Inn, she was made aware of the alteration, and consultations ensued as to how Annetta was to be got there at all. At length after several modes of managing the matter had been discussed, Mrs. Lake said, "You two can walk there, and then I can say to Annetta that I am going for a drive and to make a few purchases, so that she will have no objection to go with me for an airing, and I will take good care to be with you at the hour of twelve." "That will do prime," said the son. "Leave mother alone for managing things." "Well," said Mr. Lake, "it shall be so, I don't see any objection to the scheme, nor can I suggest a better one, so we will look upon that as settled. "All you have to do," turning to his son, "is to play your part well." "Oh! never fear me, I like the girl and I like money." -+- Next Time: The Vampyre's Visit to the Barracks at Kingston. -- The Young Officer. +=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+ | This Varney the Vampyre e-text was entered by members of the | | Science Fiction Round Table #1 (SFRT1) on the Genie online | | service. | | The Varney Project, a reincarnation of this "penny dreadful" bit | | of fiction, was begun in November of 1993 by James Macdonald and | | should take about four years for re-serialization. | | These chapters are being posted once a week to the Round Table | | Bulletin Board and are also being placed in the Round Table File | | Library. | | For further information concerning Varney e-texts, please send | | email to: | | h.liu@juno.com | +=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+ ============================================================================== The Varney Project Chapter 192 Ver 1.00 09/01/1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ General notes on this chapter Source: H.Liu entry from the Arno edition, 1970, text is reprint of 1847 edition Drop capital: No Figures in source: 0 Page numbers in source: 764-766 Sections: 1 Approximate number of characters: Number of paragraphs: Comments: Chapter appears mis-numbered as CLXXIV. With the new morning returns some confidence to Mr. Lake, and the day has arrived for his scheme with the lawyer Mr. Miller to be carried out. After some preliminary discussions with his wife, Mr. Lake sets out to see the lawyer and arrange for the particulars of the meeting. Upon his arrival at the lawyer's office, it is unclear whether the lawyer is meeting someone. But Mr. Lake's suspicions are calmed with Mr. Miller declaring that he was alone, and that he had no doubt of the success of the plan. Mr. Miller extracts a promissory note of 2000 pounds from Mr. Lake, and convinces him to bring Annetta to his office, rather than having the meeting at the hotel. To this Mr. Lake agrees, and he goes back to inform his wife of the final plans. Mrs. Lake has prepared the "booby" son and when informed of the change in plans, comes up with a way of getting Annetta to the noon meeting at the lawyer's office. The despicable nature of Annetta's aunt, uncle, and cousin is most evident. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Modification History Version Date Who What changes made -------- -------- ------------- ---------------------------------- 1.00 09/01/1997 H.Liu Initial gold version, rough proof read. ==================================End of File=================================