ld be highly imprudent to say anything to her of the proceedings of the nig

"you see you have been qu

ept long,

d pleasantly

and I feel much refreshed,

aven!" sa

er that I am awake, I will

it as a favourable sign, that Flora did not object to bein

uade ourselves that all this alarm would pass away, and that we should hear

ve, Henry, th

ot be satisfied in my mind,

sit?

family

thought you had ab

abandoned it; but it comes ac

h regr

pened has tended to confirm a belief in this most

ha

e of things, by getting something, however slight, or of a negative c

ehend yo

have been visited here by a vampyre but that that vampyre is our ancestor, whose portr

most

ces. If we find, as most surely we shall, the coffin of the ancestor of ours, who seems, in

how many years

great

could remain of any corpse p

ing to show that a corpse has so undergone the process common to all nature. Doubl

eason in th

f lead, and some of stone, so t

most

be that of our ancestor whom we seek, we find the evident remains of a

s adventure," said George; "if

I finally decide, I will again consult with Mr.

he garden," said George, as he looked fro

brothers warmly welcomed him

n early afoot

ould not sleep, and I went out once more to search about the spot where we had seen th

much in a name

" said Marchdale. "It is a

y discovery?

what

o trace of

the l

d I were talking over this proj

es

r judgments until we saw you

," said Mr. Marchdale, "becaus

o

t you make

dee

that one coffin is untenanted. Now, if you do find it so, you scarcely make matters worse, by an additional co

most

y in the tomb, and gone the way of all flesh, you will find yourselves much calmer,

t I was using to George," said

," said George,

cided then,"

ith caution," rep

manage it, of

course we lose nothing by making a night visit to a v

ainly

t it be

re the concurrence of some

ted in and belonging to yourself you wish to visit, and, therefore, you have righ

estine visit might produc

means of getting into it. There is only one objection that I

aid Henry. "I did

on," said Mr. Marchdale, "if she will consider herself sufficie

ll three present at the examinati

ive Flora a night of sleeplessness and uneasiness on that account, and the more par

ainly

am much bent upon the plan, and fain would not forego it; nei

go to-night; and, from your acquaintance with the place, dou

id Henry; "it is not only secured down, but it is l

dee

hort flight of stone steps, whic

it l

moderate chamber, and wit

e no difficu

d to think is very far from likely. All we shall require will be a screwdriver, with

vide, along with lights,

minds, and enabling you to make a successful stand against the streaming torrent o

I will go at once to Flora, and endeavour to

can induce Mr. Chillingworth to come with us, it

n accurate decision with respect to the remai

George. "He did not seem averse la

pon Flora; and should he not feel disposed to join us,

e, and Mr. Marchdale wished to go out for about a couple of hours in the evening

tly trembled, and then, as if a

u. Surely no harm can come to

nger than the time I men

be kept thus in fear all my life? Surely, sure

at the idea

u, do you think you would

o, H

f you to shoot any one without the least he

Heaven protect me from a repetition of the visit to which I have now been once subjected

tation that something may arise to afford a far less dreadful explanation of what has occurred than what you have put upon it. Be of good

hout his apprehension that when the night should come again, her fears would return with it; but he s

d, and Henry waited with much eagerness and anxiety now for the coming night, which he hoped would

uld depend, and he took good care to load them well, so that there coul

er than you are now, and therefore I need give you no instructions. If any int

ill; and you will b

suredly

al to what it had been on the preceding night Still, however, it had sufficient power over the vapours that frequently covered it for many minutes togeth

that they had with them all the tools that were necessary, inclusive of the same small, but well-tempered iron crow-bar with which Marchdale had, on

uch alarmed," said Marchda

courage which I knew was in her disposition to resist as much as poss

e driven some

ason tottered on its throne, but,

h her life," added Marchdale, "she

nt believe that such a

ng girls would never at all have recov

it, which I am rejoiced to see, because it is one whi

u before-but she actually asked me for

ch surp

ised, as well as

d I been aware of her having made such a re

yes;

I have them

e is pr

ovi

nent, and she has them both well loaded, so that if the vampyre make

was it not

all, I

e may have the pleasure, when we return, of finding him dead. By-the-bye, I-I-. Ble

nfortu

while I run bac

are to

t this moment, some dis

hillingworth

octor again. "Is that you, m

" cried

h now came up to

rch, which would have exposed me to observation perhaps, I

we should c

ly. It is unquestionably your m

l go back," sa

imed the doct

g lights. We have candles, bu

never without some chemical matches of my own manufacture, so that

ortunate,"

ile's hard walking for me, or at least hal

ry, it was situated at the end of a long lane, which was a mile nearly from the village, in the direction of the hall, therefore,

t were occupied by persons who held situations about the sacred edifice,

me, had acquired almost the consistency of stone itself. There were numerous arched windows, partaking something of the more florid gothic style, although scarcely ornamental enough to be called such.

s way while travelling in the neighbourhood to look at it, and it had an extensive

courage, in older to erect flimsy, Italianised structures in their stead, yet sufficient of them remain dotted over England to interest the traveller. At Walesden there is a church of this description which will well repay a visit. This, then, was the ki

hat evening, when they reached the little wicket-gate which led in

remarked Henry, "for we are

et in?" said Mr. Chillingworth, as he paus

George, "would eff

it be don

glass from one of the low windows, and then we can one of us put in our hands, and undo the fasteni

d Marchdale. "We

low window indeed, near to an angle of the wall, where

it, Henry?"

astenings. Just give me a slight

of the leadwork which held in one of the panes of glass, and

t when we leave, so that there can be no si

Henry had succeeded in opening the window, and the mode of ingress to the

hat a place so inefficiently p

"There is nothing to take that I am aware of t

dee

velvet; but beyond that, and an old box, in which I believe n

n knows, is litt

there is nothing beneath the windo

cred edifice, and then Henry closed the wind

and I trust that Heaven will pardon me for thus desecrating the tomb of my

amper with the secrets of the

k!" said the doctor. "What s

ut, my d

te of us all, should be regarded with more philosophic eyes than it is. There ar

do you

y probably we shall fin

h is

nimal remains-beyond that I know of nothing

sion hardens you

ething almost too dreadful to look upon, and by far too horrible to touch, surgery would lose

hall run the greatest chance in the world of

Mr. Chillingworth. "A match held low down

l be the

elonged to his family, and in the

st opened?" inq

id Henry; "some ten month

had ample time to fix th

ingworth, as he suddenly irradiated the pew with a c

the short time that the light lasted had enabled Henr

light now," he said, "I

n y

ere are

it, t

required, with deep indentations to receive the screw-driver, he found no difficulty in feeling for the proper places,

r matches, if you please. I have all the screws s

said the

r greater security, since, of course, the intention was to replace everything exactly as it was found, in order that not the least surm

"There is no further obstacl

at I should be descending into a vault for the purpose of ascertaining if a dead body, which had been nearly a century there, was removed

hat we may not. What appears to us so improbable as to border even upon the impossible at one time

r the one beside the other. As Henry had stated, the vault was by no means of large extent. Indeed, sever

ave been expected, considering the number of months which had elapsed since

rth. You say you have the candles, I think,

They ar

contained several wax candles, and when it w

tches," said Mr. Chillingworth,

well provided as you are with the means of getting a light. These matches, which I thought I had not with me, have been

to him by Marchdale, and in another moment the vault fro