Authors: George W. M. Reynolds,James Malcolm Rymer
"Good,
Jack," said Mr. Chillingworth; "very good: let us begin to beat our
retreat at once."
"Very
good," said Jack.
They
both rose and approached the picture, which stood up in one corner, half
reclining against the wall; the light, at least so much as there was, fell upon
it, and gave it a ghastly and deathly hue, which made Mr. Chillingworth feel an
emotion he could not at all understand; but, as soon as he could, he withdrew
his eyes from off the picture, and they proceeded to secure it with some cord,
so that they might carry it between them the easier—with less trouble and more
safety.
These
preparations did not take long in making, and, when completed, they gave
another inquiring look round the chamber, and Mr. Chillingworth again
approached the window, and gazed out upon the garden below, but saw nothing to
attract his attention.
Turning
away, he came to the picture, with which Jack Pringle had been standing. They
proceeded towards the stairs, adopting every precaution they could take to
prevent any surprise and any attempt upon the object of their solicitude.
Then
they came to the great hall, and, having opened the door, they carried it out;
then shutting the door, they both stood outside of Bannerworth Hall; and,
before taking the picture up in their hands, they once more looked suspiciously
around them.
There
was nothing to be seen, and so, shouldering the ominous portrait, they
proceeded along the garden till they conveyed it into the roadway.
"Now,"
said Jack, "we are off; we can scud along under press of sail, you
know."
"I
would rather not," said the doctor, "for two reasons; one of which
is, I can't do it myself, and the other is, we should run the risk of injuring
the picture; besides this, there is no reason for so doing."
"Very
well," said Jack, "make it agreeable to yourself, doctor. See you,
Jack's alive, and I am willing to do all I can to help you."
"I
am very glad of your aid," said Mr. Chillingworth; "so we will
proceed slowly. I shall be glad when we are there; for there are few things
more awkward than this picture to carry."
"It
is not heavy," said Jack, giving it a hitch up, that first pulled the
doctor back, and then pushed him forward again.
"No;
but stop, don't do that often, Jack, or else I shall be obliged to let go, to
save myself from falling," said the doctor.
"Very
sorry," said Jack; "hope it didn't inconvenience you; but I could
carry this by myself."
"And
so could I," returned Mr. Chillingworth; "but the probability is
there would be some mischief done to it, and then we should be doing more harm
than good."
"So
we should," said Jack.
They
proceeded along with much care and caution. It was growing late now, and no one
was about—at least, they met none. People did not roam about much after dark,
especially since the reports of the vampyre became current, for,
notwithstanding all their bravery and violence while in a body, yet to meet and
contend with him singly, and unseen, was not at all a popular notion among
them; indeed, they would sooner go a mile out of their way, or remain in doors,
which they usually did.
The
evening was not precisely dark, there was moonlight enough to save it from
that, but there was a mist hanging about, that rendered objects, at a short
distance, very indistinct.
Their
walk was uninterrupted by any one, and they had got through half the distance
without any disturbance or interruption whatever.
When they
arrived at the precincts of the village, Jack Pringle said to Dr.
Chillingworth, "Do you intend going through the village, doctor?"
"Why
not? there will be nobody about, and if there should be, we shall be safe
enough from any molestation, seeing there are none here who would dare to harm
us; it is the shortest way, too."
"Very
good," said Jack; "I am agreeable, and as for any one harming me,
they know better; but, at all events, there's company, and there's less danger,
you know, doctor; though I'm always company to myself, but haven't any
objection to a messmate, now and then."
They
pursued their way in silence, for some distance, the doctor not caring about
continuing the talk of Jack, which amounted to nothing; besides, he had too
much to do, for, notwithstanding the lightness of the picture, which Jack had
endeavoured to persuade the doctor of, he found it was heavy and ungainly;
indeed, had he been by himself he would have had some trouble to have got it
away.
"We
are nearly there," said Jack, putting down his end of the picture, which
brought Doctor Chillingworth to a standstill.
"Yes,
we are; but what made you stop?"
"Why,
you see," said Jack, giving his trowsers a hitch, "as I said before,
we are nearly there."
"Well,
what of that? we intended to go there, did we not?" inquired
Chillingworth.
"Yes,
exactly; that is, you intended to do so, I know, but I didn't."
"What
do you mean by that?" inquired Chillingworth; "you are a complete
riddle to-night, Jack; what is the matter with you?"
"Nothing;
only, you see, I don't want to go into the cottage, 'cause, you see, the
admiral and I have had what you may call a bit of a growl, and I am in disgrace
there a little, though I don't know why, or wherefore; I always did my duty by
him, as I did by my country. The ould man, however, takes fits into his head;
at the same time I shall take some too; Jack's as good as his master, ashore,
at all events."
"Well,
then, you object to go in?" said Chillingworth.
"That
is the state of the case; not that I'm afraid, or have any cause to be ashamed
of myself; but I don't want to make anybody else uncomfortable, by causing
black looks."
"Very
well, Jack," said the doctor. "I am much obliged to you, and, if you
don't like to come, I won't press you against your inclination."
"I
understand, doctor. I will leave you here, if you can manage the rest of the
way by yourself; there are not two hundred yards now to go, so you are all
safe; so good bye."
"Good
bye, Jack," said Doctor Chillingworth, who stood wiping his forehead, whilst
the picture was standing up against the poles.
"Do
you want a hand up first?"
"No,
thank you; I can get it up very well without any trouble—it's not so
heavy."
"Good
bye, then," said Jack; and, in a few moments more, Jack Pringle was out of
sight, and the doctor was alone with the ominous picture. He had not far to go,
and was within hail of the cottage; but it was late, and yet he believed he
should find them up, for the quietude and calmness of the evening hour was that
which most chimed with their feelings. At such a time they could look out upon
the face of nature, and the freedom of thought appeared the greater, because
there was no human being to clash with the silence and stillness of the scene.
"Well,"
muttered Chillingworth, "I'll go at once to the cottage with my burthen.
How they will look at me, and wonder what could induce me to bring this away. I
can hardly help smiling at the thought of how they will look at the apparition
I shall make."
Thus
filled with notions that appeared to please him, the doctor shouldered the
picture, and walked slowly along until he reached the dead wall that ran up to
the entrance, or nearly so, of the gardens.
There
was a plantation of young trees that overhung the path, and cast a deep shadow
below—a pleasant spot in hot weather.
The
doctor had been carrying the picture, resting the side of it on the small of
his arm, and against his shoulder; but this was an inconvenient posture,
because the weight of the picture cut his arm so much, that he was compelled to
pause, and shift it more on his shoulder.
"There,"
he muttered, "that will do for the present, and last until I reach the
cottage garden."
He
was proceeding along at a slow and steady pace, bestowing all his care and
attention to the manner of holding the picture, when he was suddenly paralysed
by the sound of a great shout of such a peculiar character, that he
involuntarily stopped, and the next moment, something heavy came against him
with great force, just as if a man had jumped from the wall on to him.
This was
the truth, for, in another moment, and before he could recover himself, he
found that there was an attempt to deprive him of the picture.
This
at once aroused him, and he made an instant and a vigorous defence; but he was
compelled to let go his hold of the picture, and turn to resist the infuriated
attack that was now commenced upon himself.
For
some moments it was doubtful who would be the victor; but the wind and strength
of the doctor were not enough to resist the powerful adversary against whom he had
to contend, and the heavy blows that were showered down upon him.
At
first he was enabled to bear up against this attack; and then he returned many
of the blows with interest; but the stunning effect of the blows he received
himself, was such that he could not help himself, and felt his senses gradually
failing, his strength becoming less and less.
In a
short time, he received such a blow, that he was laid senseless on the earth in
an instant.
How
long he remained thus he could not say; but it could not have been long, for
all around him seemed just as it was before he was attacked.
The
moon had scarcely moved, and the shadows, such as they were, were falling in
the same direction as before.
"I
have not been long here," he muttered, after a few moments' reflection;
"but—but—"
He
stopped short; for, on looking around him, he saw the object of his solicitude
was gone. The picture was nowhere to be seen. It had been carried off the
instant he had been vanquished.
"Gone!"
he said, in a low, disconsolate tone; "and after all I have done!"
He
wiped his hand across his brow, and finding it cut, he looked at the back of
his hand, and saw by the deep colour that it was blood, indeed, he could now
feel it trickle down his face.
What
to do he hardly knew; he could stand, and after having got upon his feet, he
staggered back against the wall, against which he leaned for support, and
afterwards he crept along with the aid of its support, until he came to the
door.
He
was observed from the window, where Henry and Charles Holland, seeing him come
up with such an unsteady gait, rushed to the door to ascertain what was the
matter.
"What,
doctor!" exclaimed Henry Bannerworth; "what is the matter?"
"I
am almost dead, I think," said Chillingworth. "Lend me your arm,
Henry."
Henry
and Charles Holland immediately stepped out, and took him between them into the
parlour, and placed him upon a couch.
"What
on earth has happened, doctor?—have you got into disgrace with the
populace?"
"No,
no; give me some drink—some water, I am very faint—very faint."
"Give
him some wine, or, what's better, some grog," said the admiral. "Why,
he's been yard-arm with some pirate or other, and he's damaged about the
figure-head. You ain't hurt in your lower works, are you, doctor?" said
the admiral.
But the
doctor took no notice of the inquiry; but eagerly sipped the contents of a
glass that Charles Holland had poured out of a bottle containing some strong
Hollands, and which appeared to nerve him much.
"There!"
said the admiral, "that will do you good. How did all this damage to your
upper works come about, eh?"
"Let
him wash his face and hands first; he will be better able to talk
afterwards."
"Oh,
thank you," said Chillingworth. "I am much better; but I have had
some hard bruises."
"How
did it happen?"
"I
went by myself to watch in the room where the picture was in Bannerworth
Hall."
"Where
the picture was!" said Henry; "where it is, you mean, do you not,
doctor?"
"No;
where it was, and where it is not now."
"Gone!"
"Yes,
gone away; I'll tell you all about it. I went there to watch, but found nobody
or nothing there; but suddenly a man stepped out from behind the picture, and
we had a fight over it; after which, just as I was getting the worst of it,
Jack Pringle came in."
"The
dog!" muttered the admiral.
"Yes,
he came in just in time, I believe, to save my life; for the man, whoever he
was, would not have hesitated about it."
"Well,
Jack is a good man," said the admiral; "there may be worse, at
least."
"Well,
we had a desperate encounter for some minutes, during which this fellow wanted
to carry off the picture."
"Carry
off the picture?"
"Yes;
we had a struggle for that; but we could not capture him; he was so violent
that he broke away and got clear off."