CHAPTER XCIV.
THE VISITOR, AND THE DEATH IN THE SUBTERRANEAN PASSAGE.
About an hour and a half after the baron had retired to rest, and whilethe landlord was still creeping about enjoining silence on the part ofthe establishment, so that the slumbers of a wealthy and, no doubt,illustrious personage should not be disturbed, there arrived a horsemanat the Anderbury Arms.
He was rather a singular-looking man, with a shifting, uneasy-lookingglance, as if he were afraid of being suddenly pounced upon andsurprised by some one; and although his apparel was plain, yet it wasgood in quality, and his whole appearance was such as to inducerespectful attention.
The only singular circumstance was, that such a traveller, so wellmounted, should be alone; but that might have been his own fancy, sothat the absence of an attendant went for nothing. Doubtless, if thewhole inn had not been in such a commotion about the illustrious andwealthy baron, this stranger would have received more consideration andattention than he did.
Upon alighting, he walked at once into what is called the coffee-room ofthe hotel, and after ordering some refreshments, of which he partook butsparingly, he said, in a mild but solemn sort of tone, to the waiter whoattended upon him,--
"Tell the Baron Stolmuyer, of Saltzburgh, that there is one here whowants to see him."
"I beg your pardon, sir," said the waiter, "but the baron is gone tobed."
"It matters not to me. If you nor no one else in this establishment willdeliver the message I charge you with, I must do so myself."
"I'll speak to my master, sir; but the baron is a very great gentlemanindeed, and I don't think my master would like to have him disturbed."
The stranger hesitated for a time, and then he said,--
"Show me the baron's apartment. Perhaps I ought not to ask any oneperson connected with this establishment to disturb him, when I am quitewilling to do so myself. Show me the way."
"Well, but, sir, the baron may get in a rage, and say, very naturally,that we had no business to let anybody walk up to his room and disturbhim, because we wouldn't do so ourselves. So that you see, sir, when youcome to consider, it hardly seems the right sort of thing."
"Since," said the stranger, rising, "I cannot procure even the commoncourtesy of being shown to the apartment of the person whom I seek, Imust find him myself."
As he spoke he walked out of the room, and began ascending thestaircase, despite the remonstrances of the waiter, who called after himrepeatedly, but could not induce him to stop; and when he found thatsuch was the case, he made his way to the landlord, to give the alarmthat, for all he knew to the contrary, some one had gone up stairs tomurder the baron.
This information threw the landlord into such a fix, that he knew notwhat to be at. At one moment he was for rushing up stairs andendeavouring to interfere, and at another he thought the best plan wouldbe to pretend that he knew nothing about it.
While he was in this state of uncertainty, the stranger succeeded inmaking his way up stairs to the floor from which proceeded the bedrooms,and, apparently, having no fear whatever of the Baron Stolmuyer'sindignation before his eyes, he opened door after door, until he came toone which led him into the apartment occupied by that illustriousindividual.
The baron, half undressed only, lay in an uneasy slumber upon the bed,and the stranger stood opposite to him for some minutes, as ifconsidering what he should do.
"It would be easy," he said, "to kill him; but it will pay me better tospare him. I may be wrong in supposing that he has the means which Ihope he has; but that I shall soon discover by his conversation."
Stretching out, his hand, he tapped the baron lightly on the shoulder,who thereupon opened his eyes and sprang to his feet instantly, glancingwith fixed earnestness at the intruder, upon whose face shone the lightof a lamp which was burning in the apartment.
Then the baron shrunk back, and the stranger, folding his arms, said,--
"You know me. Let our interview be as brief as possible. There needs noexplanations between us, for we both know all that could be said. Bysome accident you have become rich, while I continue quite otherwise. Itmatters not how this has occurred, the fact is everything. I don't knowthe amount of your possessions; but, from your style of living, theymust be great, and therefore it is that I make no hesitation in askingof you, as a price for not exposing who and what you are, a moderatesum."
"I thought that you were dead."
"I know you did; but you behold me here, and, consequently, thatdelusion vanishes."
"What sum do you require, and what assurance can I have that, when youget it, the demand will not be repeated on the first opportunity?"
"I can give you no such assurance, perhaps, that would satisfy youentirely; but, for more reasons than I choose to enter into, I amextremely anxious to leave England at once and forever. Give me thepower to do so that I require, and you will never hear of me again."
The baron hesitated for some few seconds, during which he lookedscrutinizingly at his companion, and then he said, in a tone of voicethat seemed as if he were making the remark to himself rather than tothe other,--
"You look no older than you did when last we parted, and that was yearsago."
"Why should I look older? You know as well as I that I need not. But, tobe brief, I do not wish to interfere with any plans or projects you mayhave on hand. I do not wish to be a hindrance to you. Let me have fivethousand pounds, and I am off at once and forever, I tell you."
"Five thousand! the man raves--five thousand pounds! Say one thousand,and it is yours."
"No; I have fixed my price; and if you do not consent, I now tell youthat I will blazon forth, even in this house, who and what you are; and,let your schemes of ambition or of cupidity be what they may, you may beassured that I will blast them all."
"This is no place in which to argue such a point; come out into the openair; 'walls have ears;' but come out, and I will give you such specialreasons why you should not now press your claim at all, that you shallfeel much beholden to me for them, and not regret your visit."
"If that we come to terms, I no more desire than you can do that any oneshould overhear our conversation. I prefer the open air for anyconference, be it whatever it may--much prefer it; and therefore mostwillingly embrace your proposition. Come out."
The baron put on his travelling cap, and the rich velvet cloak, edgedwith fur, that he possessed, and leaving his chamber a few paces inadvance of his strange visitor, he descended the staircase, followed byhim. In the hall of the hotel they found the landlord and almost thewhole of the establishment assembled, in deep consultation as to whetheror not any one was to go up stairs and ascertain if the stranger who hadsought the baron's chamber was really a friend or an enemy.
But when they saw the two men coming down, at all events apparentlyamicably, it was a great relief, and the landlord rushed forward andopened the door, for which piece of service he got a very stately bowfrom the baron, and a slight inclination of the head from his visitor,and then they both passed out.
"I have ascertained," said the man who came on horseback, "that for thelast week in London you have lived in a style of the most princelymagnificence, and that you came down here, attended as if you were oneof the first nobles of the land."
"These things amuse the vulgar," said the baron. "I do not mindadmitting to you that I contemplate residing on this spot, and perhapscontracting a marriage."
"Another marriage?"
"And why not? If wives will die suddenly, and no one knows why, who isto help it. I do not pretend to control the fates."
"This, between us, is idle talk indeed--most idle; for we know there arecertain circumstances which account for the strangest phenomena; butwhat roaring sound is that which comes so regularly and steadily uponthe ear."
"It is the sea washing upon the coast. The tide is no doubt advancing,and, as the eddying surges roll in upon the pebbly shore, they makewhat, to my mind, is this pleasant music."
"I did no
t think we were so near the ocean. The moon is rising; let uswalk upon the beach, and as that sound is such pleasant music, you shallhear it while I convince you what unpleasant consequences will arisefrom a refusal of the modest and moderate terms I offer you."
"We shall see, we shall see; but I must confess it does seem to me mostextraordinary that you ask of me a positive fortune, for fear you shoulddeprive me of a portion of one; but you cannot mean what you say."
While they were talking they reached a long strip of sand which was bythe seashore, at the base of some cliffs, through which was excavatedthe passage from the coast into the grounds of Anderbury House, andwhich had been so expatiated upon by the landlord of the inn, in hisdescription of the advantages attendant upon that property.
There were some rude steps, leading to a narrow arched door-way, whichconstituted an entrance to this subterraneous region; and as themoonlight streamed over the wide waste of waters, and fell upon thislittle door-way in the face of the cliff, he became convinced that itwas the entrance to that excavation, and he eyed it curiously.
"What place is that?" said his companion.
"It is a private entrance to the grounds of a mansion in thisneighbourhood."
"Private enough, I should presume; for if there be any other means ofreaching the house, surely no one would go through such a dismal hole asthat towards it; but come, make up your mind at once. There need be noquarrelling upon the subject of our conference, but let it be a plainmatter of yes or no. Is it worth your while to be left alone in peace,or is it not?"
"It is worth my while, but not at such a price as that you mentioned;and I cannot help thinking that some cheaper mode of accomplishing thesame object will surely present itself very shortly."
"I do not understand you; you talk ambiguously."
"But my acts," said the baron, "shall be clear and plain enough, as youshall see. Could you believe it possible that I was the sort of personto submit tamely to any amount of extortion you chose to practise uponme. There was a time when I thought you possessed great sense andjudgment when I thought that you were a man who weighed well the chancesof what you were about; but now I know to the contrary; and I think forless than a thousand pounds I may succeed in ridding myself of you."
"I do not understand you; you had better beware how you tamper with me,for I am not one who will be calmly disposed to put up with much. Thesense, tact, and worldly knowledge which you say you have before, fromtime to time, given me credit for, belongs to me still, and I am notlikely easily to commit myself."
"Indeed; do you think you bear such a charmed life that nothing canshake it?"
"I think nothing of the sort; but I know what I can do--I am armed."
"And I; and since it comes to this, take the reward of your villany; forit was you who made me what I am, and would now seek to destroy my everyhope of satisfaction."
As the baron spoke he drew from his breast a small pistol, which, withthe quickness of thought, he held full in the face of his companion, andpulled the trigger.
There can be no doubt on earth that his intention was to commit themurder, but the pistol missed fire, and he was defeated in his intentionat that moment. Then the stranger laughed scornfully, and drawing apistol from his pocket, he presented it at the baron's head, saying,--
"Do I not bear a charmed life? If I had not, should I have escaped deathfrom you now? No, I could not; but you perceive that even a weapon thatmight not fail you upon another occasion is harmless against me; and canyou expect that I will hesitate now to take full and ample revenge uponyou for this dastardly attempt?"
These words were spoken with great volubility, so much so, indeed, thatthey only occupied a few very brief seconds in delivering; and then,perhaps, the baron's career might have ended, for it seemed to be fullythe intention of the other to conclude what he said by firing the pistolin his face; but the wily aspect of the baron's countenance was, afterall, but a fair index of the mind, and, just as the last words passedthe lips of his irritated companion, he suddenly dropped in a crouchingposition to the ground, and, seizing his legs, threw him over his headin an instant.
The pistol was discharged, at the same moment, and then, with a shout ofrage and satisfaction, the baron sprang upon his foe, and, kneeling uponhis breast, he held aloft in his hand a glittering dagger, thehighly-polished blade of which caught the moonbeams, and reflected theminto the dazzled eyes of the conquered man, whose fate now appeared tobe certain.
"Fool!" said the baron, "you must needs, then, try conclusions with me,and, not content with the safety of insignificance, you must be absurdenough to think it possible you could extort from me whatever sums yourfancy dictated, or with any effect threaten me, if I complied not withyour desires."
"Have mercy upon me. I meant not to take your life; and, therefore, whyshould you take mine?"
"You would have taken it, and, therefore, you shall die. Know, too, asthis is your last moment, that, vampyre as you are, and as I, of allmen, best know you to be, I will take especial care that you shall beplaced in some position after death where the revivifying moonbeams maynot touch you, so that this shall truly be your end, and you shall rotaway, leaving no trace behind of your existence, sufficient to containthe vital principle."
"No--no! you cannot--will not. You will have mercy."
"Ask the famished tiger for mercy, when you intrude upon his den."
As he spoke the baron ground his teeth together with rage, and, in aninstant, buried the poniard in the throat of his victim. The blade wentthrough to the yellow sand beneath, and the murderer still knelt uponthe man's chest, while he who had thus received so fatal a blow tossedhis arms about with agony, and tried in vain to shriek.
The nature of the wound, however, prevented him from uttering anythingbut a low gurgling sound, for he was nearly choked with his own blood,and soon his eyes became fixed and of a glassy appearance; he stretchedout his two arms, and dug his fingers deep into the sand.
The baron drew forth the poniard, and a gush of blood immediatelyfollowed it, and then one deep groan testified to the fact, that thespirit, if there be a spirit, had left its mortal habitation, and wingedits flight to other realms, if there be other realms for it to wing itsflight to.
"He is dead," said the baron, and, at the same moment, a roll of theadvancing tide swept over the body, drenching the living, as well as thedead, with the brine of the ocean.
The baron stooped and rinsed the dagger in the advancing tide from theclotted blood which had clung to it, and then, wiping it carefully, hereturned it to its sheath, which was hidden within the folds of hisdress; and, rising from his kneeling posture upon the body, he stood byits side, with folded arms, gazing upon it, for some minutes, insilence, heedless of the still advancing water, which was alreadyconsiderably above his feet.
Then he spoke in his ordinary accents, and evidently caring nothing forthe fact that he had done such a deed.
"I must dispose of this carcase," he said, "which now seems so lifeless,for the moon is up, and if its beams fall upon it, I know, from formerexperience, what will happen; it will rise again, and walk the earth,seeking for vengeance upon me, and the thirst for that vengeance willbecome such a part of its very nature, that it will surely accomplishsomething, if not all that it desires."
After a few moments' consideration, he stooped, and, with more strengththan one would have thought it possible a man reduced almost, as he was,to a skeleton could have exerted, he lifted the body, and carried itrapidly up the beach towards the cliffs. He threw it down upon the stonesteps that led to the small door of the excavation in the cliff, and itfell upon them with a sickening sound, as if some of the bones weresurely broken by the fall.
The object, then, of the baron seemed to be to get this door open, if hepossibly could; but that was an object easier to be desired than carriedinto effect, for, although he exerted his utmost power, he did notsucceed in moving it an inch, and he began evidently to think that itwould be impossible to do so.
/> But yet he did not give up the attempt at once, but looking about uponthe beach, until he found a large heavy stone, he raised it in his arms,and, approaching the door, he flung it against it with such tremendousforce, that it flew open instantly, disclosing within a dark and narrowpassage.
Apparently rejoiced that he had accomplished this much, he stoppedcautiously within the entrance, and then, taking from a concealed pocketthat was in the velvet cloak which he wore a little box, he producedfrom it some wax-lights and some chemical matches, which, by theslightest effort, he succeeded in igniting, and then, with one of thelights in his hand to guide him on his way, he went on exploring thepassage, and treading with extreme caution as he went, for fear offalling into any of the ice-wells which were reported to be in thatplace.
After proceeding about twenty yards, and finding that there was nodanger, he became less cautious; but, in consequence of such lesscaution, he very nearly sacrificed his life, for he came upon anice-well which seemed a considerable depth, and into which he had nearlyplunged headlong.
He started back with some degree of horror; but that soon left him, andthen, after a moment's thought, he sought for some little nook in thewall, in which he might place the candle, and soon finding one thatanswered the purpose well, he there left it, having all the appearanceof a little shrine, while he proceeded again to the mouth of thatsingular and cavernous-looking place. He had, evidently, quite made uphis mind what to do, for, without a moment's hesitation, he lifted thebody again, and carried it within the entrance, walking boldly andfirmly, now that he knew there was no danger between him and the light,which shed a gleam through the darkness of the place of a very faint andflickering character.
He reached it rapidly, and when he got to the side of the well, he,without a moment's hesitation, flung it headlong down, and, listeningattentively, he heard it fall with a slight plash, as if there was somewater at the bottom of the pit.
It was an annoyance, however, for him to find that the distance was notso deep as he had anticipated, and when he took the light from the nichewhere he had placed it, and looked earnestly down, he could see thelivid, ghastly-looking face of the dead man, for the body hadaccidentally fallen upon its back, which was a circumstance he had notcounted upon, and one which increased the chances greatly of its beingseen, should any one be exploring, from curiosity, that not veryinviting place.
This was annoyance, but how could it be prevented, unless, indeed, hechose to descend, and make an alteration in the disposition of thecorpse? But this was evidently what he did not choose to do; so, aftermuttering to himself a few words expressive of his intention to leave itwhere it was, he replaced the candle, after extinguishing it, in the boxfrom whence he had taken it, and carefully walked out of the dismalplace.
The moonbeams were shining very brightly and beautifully upon the faceof the cliffs, when he emerged from the subterranean passage, so that hecould see the door, the steps, and every object quite distinctly; and,to his gratification, he found that he had not destroyed any fasteningthat was to the door, but that when it was slammed shut, it struck sohard and fast, that the strength of one man could not possibly move it,even the smallest fraction of an inch.
"I shall be shown all this to-morrow," he said; "and if I take thishouse I must have an alteration made in this door, so that it may openwith a lock, instead of by main violence, as at present; but if, in themorning, when I view Anderbury House, I can avoid an entrance into thisregion, I will do so, and at my leisure, if I become the possessor ofthe estate, I can explore every nook and cranny of it."
He then folded his cloak about him, after pulling the door as closely ashe could. He walked slowly and thoughtfully back to the inn. It wasquite evident that the idea of the murder he had committed did not annoyhim in the least, and that in his speculations upon the subject hecongratulated himself much upon having so far succeeded in getting ridof certainly a most troublesome acquaintance.
"'Tis well, indeed," he said, "that just at this juncture he shouldthrow himself in my way, and enable me so easy to feel certain that Ishall never more be troubled with him. Truly, I ran some risk, and whenmy pistol missed fire, it seemed as if my evil star was in itsascendant, and that I was doomed myself to become the victim of him whomI have laid in so cold a grave. But I have been victorious, and I amwilling to accept the circumstance as an omen of the past--that myfortunes are on the change. I think I shall be successful now, and withthe ample means which I now possess, surely, in this country, where goldis loved so well, I shall be able to overcome all difficulties, and tounite myself to some one, who--but no matter, her fate is an afterconsideration."
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