VARNEY, THE VAMPYRE; OR, THE FEAST OF BLOOD. CHAPTER CCXVII. [sic] [Chapter 234] VARNEY DETAILS HIS SECOND DEATH. The clergyman was perfectly amazed, as well he might be, at these revelations of the vampyre. He looked up from the manuscript that Varney had left him, with a far more bewildered look than he had ever worn when studying the most abstruse sciences or difficult languages. "Can I," he said, -- "ought I to believe it?" This was a question more easily asked than answered, and after pacing the little room for a time, he thought he had better finish the papers of the vampyre, before he tortured his mind with any more suppositions upon the subject. The papers continued thus, and the clergyman was soon completely absorbed in the great interest of the strange recital they contained. * * * * I cared nothing as regarded my last adventure, so that it had one termination which was of any importance to me, namely, that termination which insured my safety. When I got into the street, I walked hurriedly on, never once looking behind me, until I was far enough off, and I felt assured all pursuit was out of the question. I then began to bethink me what I had next to do. I was much revived by the draught of blood I had already had, but as yet I was sufficiently new to my vampyre-like existence not to know how long such a renewal of my life and strength would last me. I certainly felt vigorous, but it was a strange, unearthly sort of vigour, having no sort of resemblance whatever to the strength which persons in an ordinary state of existence may be supposed to feel, when the faculties are all full of life, and acting together harmoniously and well. When I paused, I found myself in Pall Mall, and not far off from the palace of St. James, which of late had seen so many changes, and been the witness of such remarkable mutations in the affair of monarchs, that its real chronicles would even then have afforded an instructive volume. I wandered right up to the gates of the royal pile, but then as I was about to enter the quadrangle called the colour court, I was rudely repulsed by a sentinel. It was not so in the time of Cromwell, but at the same moment I had quite forgotten all that was so completely changed. I always bow to authority when I cannot help it, so I turned aside at once, without making any remark; but as I did so I saw a small door open, not far from where I was, and two figures emerged muffled up in brown cloaks. They looked nothing peculiar at the first glance, but when you came to examine the form and features, and to observe the manners of those two men, you could not but come to a conclusion that they were what the world would estimate as something great. Adventure to me was life itself, now that I had so strangely shuffled off all other ties that bound me to the world, and I had a reckless disregard of danger, which arose naturally enough from my most singular and horrible tenure of existence. I resolved to follow these two men closely enough, and yet, if possible, without exciting their observation. "Shall we have any sport?" said one. "I trust that the ladies," replied the other, "will afford us some." "And yet they were rather coy, do you not think, on the last meeting, Rochester?" "Your majesty----" "Hush, man-- hush! why are you so imprudent as to majesty me in the public streets. Here would be a court scandal if any eaves-dropper had heard you. You were wont to be much more careful than that." "I spoke," said the other, "to recal [sic] your majesty to care. The name of Rochester, which you pronounced, is just as likely in the streets at such a time to create court scandal as that of---" "Hush, hush! Did I say Rochester? Well-- well, man, hold your peace if I did, and come on quickly-- if we can but persuade them to come out, we can take them into the garden of the palace; I have the key of that most handy little door in the wall, which has served us more than once." Of course, after this, I had no difficulty in knowing that the one speaker was the restored monarch, Charles the Second, and the other was his favourite, and dissolute companion, Rochester, of whom I had heard something, although I had been far too short a time in the land of the living again, to have had any opportunity of seeing either of them before, but since they had now confessed themselves to be what they were, I could have no sort of difficulty in their recognition at any other time. I had carefully kept out of sight while the little dialogue I have just recorded took place, so that although they more than once glanced around them suspiciously and keenly, they saw me not, and having quite satisfied them that their imprudent speech had done them no harm, they walked on hurriedly in the direction of Pimlico. Little did Charles and his companion guess how horrible a being was following close upon their track. If they had done so they might have paused, aghast, and pursued another course to that which was occupying their attention I had a difficult part to play in following them, for although the king was incautious enough to have been safely and easily followed by any one, Rochester was not, but kept a wary eye around him, so that I was really more than once upon the point of being detected, and yet by dint of good management I did escape. Pimlico at that time was rather a miserable neighbourhood, and far, very far indeed from being what it is now, but both the king and Rochester appeared to be well acquainted with it and they went on for a considerable distance until they came to a turning of a narrow dismal-looking character bounded on, each side not by houses but by the garden walls of houses, and to judge from the solidity and the height of those walls, the houses should have been houses of some importance. "Bravo, bravissimo!" said the king, "we are thus far into the enemy territory without observation." "So it seems," replied Rochester; "and now think you we can find the particular wall again." "Of a surety, yes. Did I not ask them to hang out a handkerchief or some other signal, by which we might be this night guided in our search, and there it flutters." The king pointed to the top of the wall, where a handkerchief waved and something certainly in the shape of a human head appeared against the night sky, and as sweet a voice as ever I heard in my life, said, -- "Gentlemen, I pray you to go away." "What," said the king; "go away just as the sun has risen?" "Nay, but gentlemen," said the voice, "we are afraid we are watched." "We!" said Rochester, "you say we, and yet your fair companion is not visible." "Fair sir," said the lady, "it is not the easiet task in the world for one of us to stand upon a ladder. It certainly will not hold two." "Fair lady," said the king, "and if you can but manage to come over the wall, we will all four take one of the pleasantest strolls in the world; a friend of mine, who is a captain in the Royal Guard, will at my request, allow us to walk in the private garden of St. James's palace." "Indeed." "Yes, fair one. That garden of which you may have heard as the favourite resort of the gay Charles." "But we are afraid," said the lady; "our uncle may come home. It's very improper indeed-- very indiscret-- [sic] we ought not to think of such a thing for a moment. In fact, it's decidedly wrong gentlemen, but how are we to get over the wall?" The party all laughed out together. -+- Next Time: The Palace Garden in St. James's. +=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+ | 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 234 Ver 1.00 06/20/1998 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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: 1 Page numbers in source: 863-866 Sections: 2 Approximate number of characters: Number of paragraphs: Comments: Chapter appears mis-numbered as CCXVII. Varney's tale continues, and he describes how he walks until he finds himself near the palace of St. James, where he is refused entrance by a sentinel. Avoiding any confrontation, Varney turns away, but then sees two cloaked figures exit through a door. Varney soon realizes these are people of some importance, and begins to follow them. He is able to hear some of their conversation, and learns that these two men are none other than the restored king, Charles II, and his favorite companion, Rochester. Their conversation implied they were going to seek out some female companionship. Varney discretely follows the two to the neighborhood of Pimlico, and they soon arrive at a garden wall of a house of some importance. They have been there before, as they marked the location with a handkerchief. From above the top of the wall a head appears, and it turns out to be a woman, whose sweet voice at first implores the men to go away. The king, however, is skilled at flirting and he tells the woman, who has a companion of her own, that if they can make it over the wall, he will get them into the private garden of St. James's palace. This impresses the woman, but she is afraid of being discovered by her uncle, and is unsure of how to come over the wall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Modification History Version Date Who What changes made -------- -------- ------------- ---------------------------------- 1.00 06/20/1998 H.Liu Initial gold version, rough proof read. ==================================End of File=================================