VARNEY, THE VAMPYRE; OR, THE FEAST OF BLOOD. CHAPTER CLXXXVII. [sic] [Chapter 204] THE SICK CHAMBER AT THE GRANGE. -- THE NIGHT. "Is he dead? Is he dead? cried Sir George. "We don't know, sir," replied one of the fishermen; "some of us think he is, and some of us think he is not." "What is to be done?" "Have him taken at once to the Grange, father," said Charles, "and let us get medical assistance; who knows but the affair may turn out in reality very different from what it first appeared. He may be only stunned by a fall." "I hope to Heaven it may be so. Can you, among you, my men, make anything like a litter to carry him on?" This was soon done. Some of the loose seats from some boats close at hand, and a rough cloak or two, made a capital couch for the dead or wounded man, as the case might be. They lifted him carefully into it, and then four of them lifted the rude but easy and appropriate conveyance, and carried him towards the hall. "How could this have happened?" said Sir George. "Perhaps I may be able to throw some light upon it," said Varney. "As I came here to your hospitable house, a horse without a rider, but caparisoned for one, passed me furiously." "That must have been his horse then," said Charles. "You may depend, father, he was riding on to see Clara before the hour appointed for their marriage, and has met with this accident. Come, there is some consolation in that. A fall from his horse is not likely to kill him." "Where is Edwin?" "Oh, he went off at once for Dr. North, and no doubt he will get to the Grange about as soon as we shall." "That was right-- that was right. I really have been taken so much by surprise that I hardly know what I am about. It was very right of Edwin." Nothing of any importance now passed in the way of conversation, nor did any incident worth recording take place until the melancholy little procession reached the Grange, and by the advice of Varney, the young bridegroom was carried direct to a bed-chamber before he was removed from the litter on which he had been carried. The operation was scarcely performed, and he laid upon a bed, when Dr. North came, having mounted his horse upon hearing the information from Edwin that he was wanted in a case of such great emergency at the Grange, and ridden hard all the way. He was at once introduced to his patient, and upon a cursory examination, he said, -- "This is a concussion of the brain, but don't let that alarm you. It may be very slight, although it certainly has an awkward sound, and a little rest and blood-letting may put him all to rights." This was to some extent cheering, and the doctor at once proceeded to bleed his patient. As the ruddy stream fell into a crystal goblet, the young man gradually opened his eyes, and looked round him with a bewildered glare. "Darken the room," said Dr. North; "he is right enough, but he must be kept quiet for a day or two at all events." "What has happened?" said the wounded man. "Nothing particular," replied Dr. North, "nothing particular. You have had a fall from your horse." "Clara!" "Ah, I know, and now listen to me. If you remain quiet and don't speak, you will see Clara soon; but if you are wilful and disobey orders, you will bring on a brain fever and you wont [sic] see her at all in this world; so now you can judge for yourself." "You are rather harsh," said Sir George. "Pardon me sir, I am not. There is nothing like making a patient thoroughly understand his own position; and I give this young gentleman credit for sufficient wisdom to enable him to profit by what I say to him." Mr. Ringwood nodded. "There, you see, all's right; now he will go to sleep, and as all will depend upon the state in which he awakens, I will, if you please wait here, unless I should be urgently sent for from home, for I have left word where I am." "Pardon me, doctor, for finding any fault with you." "Don't mention it; what I said did sound harsh." Sir George went now at once to the room where his daughter Clara had been taken to, for the purpose of informing her of the hopeful state of affairs. He found her just recovered from her swoon, so that recollection had not yet sufficiently returned to give her all the agony of thinking that the news so heedlessly and so suddenly communicated by the servant might be true in its full intensity. "My dear, you must not distress yourself," said Sir George. "Ringwood was riding over here, it seems, to see you, and his horse, getting restive, has thrown him; Dr. North says, there is nothing particular the matter, and that after a little rest he will recover." Clara tried to speak, but she could not -- she burst into tears. "Ah!" said the old nurse, who was attending her, and who had been in her family many years, "ah, poor dear, she will be all right now. I was just wishing that she would have a good cry; it does any one a world of good, it does." "What an agitating night and day this has been, to be sure," said Sir George. "First the terror of losing both my boys, then their return with the dead man, who, so oddly comes to life again; Then this dreadful accident to Ringwood; upon my word the incidents of a whole year have been crammed into a few hours. I only hope this is the last of it." "And I shall see him again, father," sobbed Clara. "Of course you will." "You-- you have sent him home very carefully?" "Home? no. He is here under this roof and here he shall stay till he recovers, poor lad. Oh dear no, I never thought of sending him home, but I must send some one, by-the-by, with the news of what has happened. This is well thought of." The knowledge that her lover, and her affianced husband was doing well, and that he was under the same roof with her, gave Clara the most unalloyed satisfaction, and she recovered rapidly her good and healthful looks. It was duly explained to her, that she must not go near Ringwood to disturb him, as rest was so very essential to his recovery; so she did not attempt it. The whole household was commanded to be unusally quiet, and never had the Grange before presented such a collection of creeping domestics, for they went up and down stairs like so many cats. Clara did not omit to thank Mr. Smith for the assistance he had rendered them in this evil emergency, and Dr. North stood with the family in the dining room waiting, perhaps with greater anxiety than he chose to express, the awaking of his patient. A servant was left in the adjoining chamber to that occupied by Ringwood, who was told to bring to the dining-room the first intimation that the wounded man was living. About two hours elapsed when the servant came in with an air of affright. Dr. North sprang to his feet in a moment. "What is it, is he awake?" "Not exactly awake, sir, but he is speaking in his sleep, and it's all about a-- a----" "A what?" "A vampyre." "Stuff." "Well, sir, he's a having some horrid dream, I can tell you, sir, and he said, 'Keep off the vampyre; save her, oh, save her from the vampyre!'" "How singular!" said Varney, "what an absurd belief that is! A vampyre! what on earth could have put such a thing in his head, I wonder?" "I will go to him," said Dr. North, "if he should be very much disturbed, perhaps I shall think it preferable to awake him; but I can inform you all that such dreams show that there is much excitement going on in the brain.["] "Then you do not consider the symptom favourable, doctor?" "Certainly not; quite the reverse of favourable." Dr. North rose, and as Varney offered very politely to accompany him, he made no sort of objection, and they proceeded to the chamber of the bridegroom. During the time that the doctor had been in the society of Varney, he had been much pleased with him, for he found that he possessed a vast store of knowledge upon almost any subject that could be touched upon, besides no small amount of skill and theoretical information upon medical matters, so he let him come with him, when perhaps he would have objected to any one else. Varney the vampyre could fascinate when he liked. When they reached the chamber the young man was quiet, but in a few minutes he began to toss about his head, and mutter in his sleep, -- "The vampyre, the dreadful vampyre. Oh, save her! Help, help, help!" "This won't do," said the doctor." He went to the toilette table, and procuring a large towel he soaked it well in cold water, and then wrapped it round the head of Ringwood, and so carefully too as not to arouse him. The effect was almost instantaneous. The vexed sleeper relapsed into a much easier attitute, the breathing was more regular, and the distressing fancies that had tortured his fevered brain were chased away. "A simple plan," said Varney. "Yes, but a most efficacious one." -+- Next Time: A Midnight Alarm. -- The Chase. -- The Mystery. +=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+ | 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 204 Ver 1.00 11/22/1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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: 790-792 Sections: 1 Approximate number of characters: Number of paragraphs: Comments: Chapter appears mis-numbered as CLXXXVII. The condition of the thrown rider, Ringwood, is not immediately apparent, but the decision is quickly made to carry him to the Grange. A litter is made and the injured man placed upon it, and he is carried toward the Crofton family hall. Varney, while not telling all he knows of the accident, does say that he was passed by a riderless horse. One of the brothers, Edwin, goes to summons a doctor, who will meet them at the Grange. The injured Ringwood is taken to a bed room and the doctor, a Dr. North, soon arrives to examine him. The doctor pronounces the injury to be a concussion and recommends, for the short term, rest and a blood-letting. This is done, and Ringwood recovers enough to be told of his condition and that quiet and rest are essential to his recovery. Clara is eventually informed of the situation and that both Ringwood and the doctor would be staying at the Grange. After two hours, Ringwood begins to speak in his sleep, talking about a vampyre and the need to save some female from the monster. Varney, predictably, dismisses such talk of vampyres as being absurd. The doctor, accompanied by Varney, look in on the patient, and a cold compress to the head is able to calm Ringwood and allow him to sleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Modification History Version Date Who What changes made -------- -------- ------------- ---------------------------------- 1.00 11/22/1997 H.Liu Initial gold version, rough proof read. ==================================End of File=================================