Authors: George W. M. Reynolds,James Malcolm Rymer
"Then
I suspect that, being alone, and left to the gloom of his own miserable
thoughts, they reverted so painfully to the past that he was compelled to drink
deeply for the purpose of drowning reflection.
"The
natural consequence of this, in his state, was, that partial insanity
supervened, and at a moment when frenzy rose far above reflection, he must have
committed the dreadful act which hurried him instantaneously to eternity."
"Yes,"
said Henry; "it must have been so; you have guessed truly. He did on that
occasion drink an immense quantity of wine; but instead of stilling the pangs
of remorse it must have increased them, and placed him in such a frenzied
condition of intellect, that he found it impossible to withstand the impulse of
it, unless by the terrific act which ended his existence."
"Yes,
and which at once crushed all my expectations of the large fortune which was to
have been mine; for even the one-half of the sum which had been taken from the
gamester's pocket would have been sufficient to have enabled me to live for the
future in affluence.
"I
became perfectly maddened at the idea that so large a sum had passed out of my
hands. I constantly hovered about Bannerworth Hall, hoping and expecting that
something might arise which would enable me to get admittance to it, and make
an active search through its recesses for the hidden treasure.
"All
my exertions were in vain. I could hit upon no scheme whatever; and at length,
wearied and exhausted, I was compelled to proceed to London for the sake of a
subsistence. It is only in that great metropolis that such persons as myself,
destitute of real resources, but infinitely reckless as regards the means by
which they acquire a subsistence, can hope to do so. Once again, therefore, I
plunged into the vortex of London life, and proceeded, heedless of the
criminality of what I was about, to cater for myself by robbery, or, indeed, in
any manner which presented a prospect of success. It was during this career of
mine, that I became associated with some of the most desperate characters of
the time; and the offences we committed were of that daring character that it
could not be wondered at eventually so formidable a gang of desperadoes must be
by force broken up.
"It
so occurred, but unknown to us, that the police resolved upon making one of the
most vigorous efforts to put an end to the affair, and in consequence a watch
was set upon every one of our movements.
"The
result of this was, as might have been expected, our complete dispersion, and
the arrest of some our members, and among them myself.
"I
knew my fate almost from the first. Our depredations had created such a
sensation, that the legislature, even, had made it a matter of importance that
we should be suppressed, and it was an understood thing among the judges, that
the severest penalties of the law should be inflicted upon any one of the gang
who might be apprehended and convicted.
"My
trial scarcely occupied an hour, and then I was convicted and sentenced to
execution, with an intimation from the judge that it would be perfectly absurd
of me to dream, for one moment, of a remission of that sentence.
"In
this state of affairs, and seeing nothing but death before me, I gave myself up
to despair, and narrowly missed cheating the hangman of his victim.
"More
dead than alive, I was, however, dragged out to be judicially murdered, and I
shall never forget the crowd of frightful sensations that came across my mind
upon that terrific occasion.
"It
seemed as if my fate had then reached its climax, and I have really but a dim
recollection of the terrible scene.
"I
remember something of the confused murmur arising from an immense throng of
persons. I remember looking about me, and seeing nothing but what appeared to
me an immense sea of human heads, and then suddenly I heard a loud roar of
execration burst from the multitude.
"I
shrunk back terrified, and it did, indeed, seem to me a brutal thing thus to
roar and shout at a man who was brought out to die. I soon, however, found that
the mob who came to see such a spectacle was not so debased as I imagined, but
that it was at the hangman, who had suddenly made his appearance on the
scaffold, at whom they raised that fearful yell.
"Some
one—I think it was one of the sheriffs—must have noticed that I was labouring
under the impression that the cry from the mob was levelled at me, for he
spoke, saying,—
"'It
is at the hangman they shout,' and he indicated with his finger that public
functionary. In my mind's eye I think I see him now, and I am certain that I
shall never forget the expression of his face. It was perfectly fearful; and
afterwards, when I learned who and what he was, I was not surprised that he
should feel so acutely the painfully degrading office which he had to perform.
"The
fatal rope was in a few minutes adjusted to my neck. I felt its pressure, and I
heard the confused sounds of the monotonous voice of the clergyman, as he
muttered some prayers, that I must confess sounded to me at the time like a
mockery of human suffering.
"Then
suddenly there was a loud shout—I felt the platform give way beneath my feet—I
tried to utter a yell of agony, but could not—it seemed to me as if I was
encompassed by fire, and then sensation left me, and I knew no more.
"The
next feelings of existence that came over me consisted in a frightful tingling
sensation throughout my veins, and I felt myself making vain efforts to scream.
All the sensations of a person suffering from a severe attack of nightmare came
across me, and I was in such an agony, that I inwardly prayed for death to
release me from such a cruel state of suffering. Then suddenly the power to
utter a sound came to me, and I made use of it well, for the piercing shriek I
uttered, must have struck terror into the hearts of all who heard it, since it
appalled even myself.
"Then
I suppose I must have fainted, but when I recovered consciousness again, I
found myself upon a couch, and a man presenting some stimulus to me in a cup. I
could not distinguish objects distinctly, but I heard him say, 'Drink, and you
will be better.'
"I
did drink, for a raging thirst consumed me, and then I fell into a sound sleep,
which, I was afterwards told, lasted nearly twenty-four hours, and when I
recovered from that, I heard again the same voice that had before spoken to me,
asking me how I was.
"I
turned in the direction of the sound, and, as my vision was now clearer, I
could see that it was the hangman, whose face had made upon the scaffold such
an impression upon me—an impression which I then considered my last in this
world, but which turned out not to be such by many a mingled one of pain and
pleasure since.
"It
was some time before I could speak, and when I did, it was only in a few
muttered words, to ask what had happened, and where I was.
"'Do
you not remember,' he said, 'that you were hanged?'
"'I
do—I do,' was my reply. 'Is this the region of damned souls?'
"'No;
you are still in this world, however strange you may think it. Listen to me,
and I will briefly tell you how it is that you have come back again, as it
were, from the very grave, to live and walk about among the living."
"I
listened to him with a strange and rapt attention, and then he told how a young
and enthusiastic medical man had been anxious to try some experiments with
regard to the restoration of persons apparently dead, and he proceeded to
relate how it was that he had given ear to the solicitations of the man, and
had consented to bring my body after it was hung for him to experiment upon. He
related how the doctor had been successful, but how he was so terrified at his
own success, that he hastily fled, and had left London, no one knowing whither
he had gone.
"I
listened to this with the most profound attention, and then he concluded, by
saying to me,—
"'There
can be no doubt but my duty requires of me to give you up again to the offended
laws of your country. I will not, however, do that, if you will consent to an
arrangement that I shall propose to you.'
"I
asked him what the arrangement was, and he said that if I would solemnly bind
myself to pay to him a certain sum per annum, he would keep my secret, and
forsaking his calling as hangman, endeavour to do something that should bring
with it pleasanter results. I did so solemnly promise him, and I have kept my
word. By one means or another I have succeeded in procuring the required
amount, and now he is no more."
"I
believe," cried Henry, "that he has fallen a victim to the blind fury
of the populace."
"You
are right, he has so, and accordingly I am relieved from the burden of those
payments; but it matters little, for now I am so near the tomb myself, that,
together with all my obligations, I shall soon be beyond the reach of mortal
cavilling."
"You
need not think so, Varney; you must remember that you are at present suffering
from circumstances, the pressure of which will soon pass away, and then you
will resume your wonted habits."
"What
did you do next?" said the admiral.—"Let's know all while you are
about it."
"I
remained at the hangman's house for some time, until all fear of discovery was
over, and then he removed me to a place of greater security, providing me from
his own resources with the means of existence, until I had fully recovered my
health, and then he told me to shift for myself.
"During
my confinement though, I had not been idle mentally, for I concocted a plan, by
which I should be enabled not only to live well myself, but to pay to the
hangman, whose name was Mortimore, the annual sum I had agreed upon. I need not
go into the details of this plan. Of course it was neither an honest nor
respectable one, but it succeeded, and I soon found myself in a position to
enable me thereby to keep my engagement, as well as to supply me with means of
plotting and planning for my future fortunes.
"I
had never for a moment forgotten that so large a sum of money was somewhere
concealed about Bannerworth Hall, and I still looked forward to obtaining it by
some means or another.
"It
was in this juncture of affairs, that one night I was riding on horseback
through a desolate part of England. The moon was shining sweetly, as I came to
a broad stream of water, across which, about a mile further on, I saw that
there was a bridge, but being unwilling to waste time by riding up to it, and
fancying, by the lazy ripple of the waters, that the river was not shallow, I
plunged my horse boldly into the stream.
"When
we reached its centre, some sudden indisposition must have seized the horse,
for instead of swimming on well and gallantly as it had done before, it paused
for a moment, and then plunged headlong into the torrent.
"I
could not swim, and so, for a second time, death, with all its terrors,
appeared to be taking possession of me. The waters rolled over my head,
gurgling and hissing in my ears, and then all was past. I know no more, until I
found myself lying upon a bright green meadow, and the full beams of the moon
shining upon me.
"I
was giddy and sick, but I rose, and walked slowly away, each moment gathering
fresh strength, and from that time to this, I never discovered how I came to be
rescued from the water, and lying upon that green bank. It has ever been a
mystery to me, and I expect it ever will.
"Then
from that moment the idea that I had a sort of charmed life came across me, and
I walked about with an impression that such was the case, until I came across a
man who said that he was a Hungarian, and who was full of strange stories of
vampyres. Among other things, he told me that a vampyre could not be drowned,
for that the waters would cast him upon its banks, and, if the moonbeams fell
upon him, he would be restored to life.
"This
was precisely my story, and from that moment I believed myself to be one of
those horrible, but charmed beings, doomed to such a protracted existence. The
notion grew upon me day by day, and hour by hour, until it became quite a fixed
and strong belief, and I was deceiving no one when I played the horrible part
that has been attributed to me."
"But
you don't mean to say that you believe you are a vampyre now?" said the
admiral.
"I
say nothing, and know not what to think. I am a desperate man, and what there
is at all human in me, strange to say, all of you whom I sought to injure, have
awakened."
"Heed
not that," said Henry, "but continue your narrative. We have forgiven
everything, and that ought to suffice to quiet your mind upon such a
subject."
"I
will continue; and, believe me, I will conceal nothing from you. I look upon
the words I am now uttering as a full, candid, and free confession; and,
therefore, it shall be complete.
"The
idea struck me that if, by taking advantage of my supposed preternatural gifts,
I could drive you from Bannerworth Hall, I should have it to myself to hunt
through at my leisure, and possibly find the treasure. I had heard from Marmaduke
Bannerworth some slight allusion to concealing the money behind a picture that
was in a bed-room called the panelled chamber. By inquiry, I ascertained that
in that bed-room slept Flora Bannerworth.