Authors: George W. M. Reynolds,James Malcolm Rymer
"What's
that to you, snob? Is your master, Sir Francis Varney, in? because, if he be,
let him know old Admiral Bell wants to speak to him. D'ye hear?"
"Yes,
sir," replied the servant, who had paused a few moments to examine the
individual who gave this odd kind of address.
In
another minute word was brought to him that Sir Francis Varney would be very
happy to see Admiral Bell.
"Ay,
ay," he muttered; "just as the devil likes to meet with holy water,
or as I like any water save salt water."
He
was speedily introduced to Sir Francis Varney, who was seated in the same
posture as he had been left by Henry Bannerworth not many minutes before.
"Admiral
Bell," said Sir Francis, rising, and bowing to that individual in the most
polite, calm, and dignified manner imaginable, "permit me to express the
honour I feel at this unexpected visit."
"None
of your gammon."
"Will
you be seated. Allow me to offer you such refreshments as this poor house
affords."
"D—n
all this! You know, Sir Francis, I don't want none o' this palaver. It's for
all the world like a Frenchman, when you are going to give him a broadside; he
makes grimaces, throws dust in your eyes, and tries to stab you in the back.
Oh, no! none of that for me."
"I
should say not, Admiral Bell. I should not like it myself, and I dare say you
are a man of too much experience not to perceive when you are or are not
imposed upon."
"Well,
what is that to you? D—n me, I didn't come here to talk to you about
myself."
"Then
may I presume upon your courtesy so far as to beg that you will enlighten me
upon the object of your visit!"
"Yes;
in pretty quick time. Just tell me where you have stowed away my nephew,
Charles Holland?"
"Really,
I—"
"Hold
your slack, will you, and hear me out; if he's living, let him out, and I'll
say no more about it; that's liberal, you know; it ain't terms everybody would
offer you."
"I
must, in truth, admit they are not; and, moreover, they quite surprise even me,
and I have learned not to be surprised at almost anything."
"Well,
will you give him up alive? but, hark ye, you mustn't have made very queer fish
of him, do ye see?"
"I
hear you," said Sir Francis, with a bland smile, passing one hand gently
over the other, and showing his front teeth in a peculiar manner; "but I
really cannot comprehend all this; but I may say, generally, that Mr. Holland
is no acquaintance of mine, and I have no sort of knowledge where he may
be."
"That
won't do for me," said the admiral, positively, shaking his head.
"I
am particularly sorry, Admiral Bell, that it will not, seeing that I have
nothing else to say."
"I
see how it is; you've put him out of the way, and I'm d——d if you shan't bring
him to life, whole and sound, or I'll know the reason why."
"With
that I have already furnished you, Admiral Bell," quietly rejoined Varney;
"anything more on that head is out of my power, though my willingness to
oblige a person of such consideration as yourself, is very great; but, permit
me to add, this is a very strange and odd communication from one gentleman to
another. You have lost a relative, who has, very probably, taken some offence,
or some notion into his head, of which nobody but himself knows anything, and
you come to one yet more unlikely to know anything of him, than even yourself.
"Gammon
again, now, Sir Francis Varney, or Blarney."
"Varney,
if you please, Admiral Bell; I was christened Varney."
"Christened,
eh?"
"Yes,
christened—were you not christened? If not, I dare say you understand the
ceremony well enough."
"I
should think I did; but, as for christening, a—"
"Go
on, sir."
"A
vampyre! why I should as soon think of reading the burial service of a
pig."
"Very
possible; but what has all this to do with your visit to me?"
"This
much, you lubber. Now, d—n my carcass from head to stern, if I don't call you
out."
"Well,
Admiral Bell," slid Varney, mildly, "in that case, I suppose I must
come out; but why do you insist that I have any knowledge of your nephew, Mr.
Charles Holland?"
"You
were to have fought a duel with him, and now he's gone."
"I
am here," said Varney.
"Ay,"
said the admiral, "that's as plain as a purser's shirt upon a handspike;
but that's the very reason why my nevey ain't here, and that's all about
it."
"And
that's marvellous little, so far as the sense is concerned," said Varney,
without the movement of a muscle.
"It
is said that people of your class don't like fighting mortal men; now you have
disposed of him, lest he should dispose of you."
"That
is explicit, but it is to no purpose, since the gentleman in question hasn't
placed himself at my disposal."
"Then,
d——e, I will; fish, flesh, or fowl, I don't care; all's one to Admiral Bell.
Come fair or fowl, I'm a tar for all men; a seaman ever ready to face a foe, so
here goes, you lubberly moon manufactured calf."
"I
hear, admiral, but it is scarcely civil, to say the least of it; however, as
you are somewhat eccentric, and do not, I dare say, mean all your words imply,
I am quite willing to make every allowance."
"I
don't want any allowance; d—n you and your allowance, too; nothing but
allowance of grog, and a pretty good allowance, too, will do for me, and tell
you, Sir Francis Varney," said the admiral, with much wrath, "that
you are a d——d lubberly hound, and I'll fight you; yes, I'm ready to hammer
away, or with anything from a pop-gun to a ship's gun; you don't come over me
with your gammon, I tell you. You've murdered Charles Holland because you
couldn't face him—that's the truth of it."
"With
the other part of your speech, Admiral Bell, allow me to say, you have mixed up
a serious accusation—one I cannot permit to pass lightly."
"Will
you or not fight?"
"Oh,
yes; I shall be happy to serve you any way that I can. I hope this will be an
answer to your accusation, also."
"That's
settled, then."
"Why,
I am not captious, Admiral Bell, but it is not generally usual for the
principals to settle the preliminaries themselves; doubtless you, in your
career of fame and glory, know something of the manner in which gentlemen
demean themselves on these occasions."
"Oh,
d—n you! Yes, I'll send some one to do all this. Yes, yes, Jack Pringle will be
the man, though Jack ain't a holiday, shore-going, smooth-spoken swab, but as
good a seaman as ever trod deck or handled a boarding-pike."
"Any
friend of yours," said Varney, blandly, "will be received and treated
as such upon an errand of such consequence; and now our conference has, I
presume, concluded."
"Yes,
yes, I've done—d——e, no—yes—no. I will keel-haul you but I'll know something of
my neavy, Charles Holland."
"Good
day, Admiral Bell." As Varney spoke, he placed his hand upon the bell
which he had near him, to summon an attendant to conduct the admiral out. The
latter, who had said a vast deal more than he ever intended, left the room in a
great rage, protesting to himself that he would amply avenge his nephew,
Charles Holland.
He
proceeded homeward, considerably vexed and annoyed that he had been treated
with so much calmness, and all knowledge of his nephew denied.
When
he got back, he quarrelled heartily with Jack Pringle—made it up—drank
grog—quarrelled—made it up, and finished with grog again—until he went to bed
swearing he should like to fire a broadside at the whole of the French army,
and annihilate it at once.
With
this wish, he fell asleep.
Early
next morning, Henry Bannerworth sought Mr. Chillingworth, and having found him,
he said in a serious tone,—
"Mr.
Chillingworth, I have rather a serious favour to ask you, and one which you may
hesitate in granting."
"It
must be very serious indeed," said Mr. Chillingworth, "that I should
hesitate to grant it to you; but pray inform me what it is that you deem so
serious?"
"Sir
Francis Varney and I must have a meeting," said Henry.
"Have
you really determined upon such a course?" said Mr. Chillingworth;
"you know the character of your adversary?"
"That
is all settled,—I have given a challenge, and he has accepted it; so all other
considerations verge themselves into one—and that is the when, where, and
how."
"I
see," said Mr. Chillingworth. "Well, since it cannot be helped on
your part, I will do what is requisite for you—do you wish anything to be done
or insisted on in particular in this affair."
"Nothing
with regard to Sir Francis Varney that I may not leave to your discretion. I
feel convinced that he is the assassin of Charles Holland, whom he feared to
fight in duel."
"Then
there remains but little else to do, but to arrange preliminaries, I believe.
Are you prepared on every other point?"
"I
am—you will see that I am the challenger, and that he must now fight. What
accident may turn up to save him, I fear not, but sure I am, that he will
endeavour to take every advantage that may arise, and so escape the
encounter."
"And
what do you imagine he will do now he has accepted your challenge?" said
Mr. Chillingworth; "one would imagine he could not very well escape."
"No—but
he accepted the challenge which Charles Holland sent him—a duel was inevitable,
and it seems to me to be a necessary consequence that he disappeared from
amongst us, for Mr. Holland would never have shrunk from the encounter."
"There
can be no sort of suspicion about that," remarked Chillingworth; "but
allow me to advise you that you take care of yourself, and keep a watchful eye
upon every one—do not be seen out alone."
"I
fear not."
"Nay,
the gentleman who has disappeared was, I am sure, fearless enough; but yet that
has not saved him. I would not advise you to be fearful, only watchful; you
have now an event awaiting upon you, which it is well you should go through
with, unless circumstances should so turn out, that it is needless; therefore I
say, when you have the suspicions you do entertain of this man's conduct,
beware, be cautious, and vigilant."
"I
will do so—in the mean time, I trust myself confidently in your hands—you know
all that is necessary."
"This
affair is quite a secret from all of the family?"
"Most
certainly so, and will remain so—I shall be at the Hall."
"And
there I will see you—but be careful not to be drawn into any adventure of any
kind—it is best to be on the safe side under all circumstances."
"I
will be especially careful, be assured, but farewell; see Sir Francis Varney as
early as you can, and let the meeting be as early as you can, and thus diminish
the chance of accident."
"That
I will attend to. Farewell for the present."
Mr.
Chillingworth immediately set about the conducting of the affair thus confided
to him; and that no time might be lost, he determined to set out at once for
Sir Francis Varney's residence.
"Things
with regard to this family seem to have gone on wild of late," thought Mr.
Chillingworth; "this may bring affairs to a conclusion, though I had much
rather they had come to some other. My life for it, there is a juggle or a
mystery somewhere; I will do this, and then we shall see what will come of it;
if this Sir Francis Varney meets him—and at this moment I can see no reason why
he should not do so—it will tend much to deprive him of the mystery about him;
but if, on the other hand, he refuse—but then that's all improbable, because he
has agreed to do so. I fear, however, that such a man as Varney is a dreadful
enemy to encounter—he is cool and unruffled—and that gives him all the advantage
in such affairs; but Henry's nerves are not bad, though shaken by these
untowards events; but time will show—I would it were all over."
With
these thoughts and feelings strangely intermixed, Mr. Chillingworth set forward
for Sir Francis Varney's house.
Admiral
Bell slept soundly enough though, towards morning, he fell into a strange
dream, and thought he was yard arm and yard arm with a strange fish—something
of the mermaid species.
"Well,"
exclaimed the admiral, after a customary benediction of his eyes and limbs,
"what's to come next? may I be spliced to a shark if I understand what
this is all about. I had some grog last night, but then grog, d'y'see, is—is—a
seaman's native element, as the newspapers say, though I never read 'em now,
it's such a plague."
He
lay quiet for a short time, considering in his own mind what was best to be
done, and what was the proper course to pursue, and why he should dream.