The Chain of Destiny by Bram Stoker (read full novel TXT) đź“–
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a light upon the subject. We have rather a good library now, Frank,
for we have all our own books, and all those which belonged to
the Scarp library also. They are in great disorder, for we have
been waiting till you came to arrange them, for we knew that you
delighted in such work.”
“There is nothing I should enjoy more than arranging all these
splendid books. What a magnificent library. It is almost a pity to
keep it in a private house.”
We proceeded to look for some of those old books of family
history which are occasionally to be found in old county houses.
The library of Scarp, I saw, was very valuable, and as we prosecuted
our search I came across many splendid and rare volumes which I
determined to examine at my leisure, for I had come to Scarp for a
long visit.
We searched first in the old folio shelves, and, after some few
disappointments, found at length a large volume, magnificently
printed and bound, which contained views and plans of the house,
illuminations of the armorial bearings of the family of Kirk, and
all the families with whom it was connected, and having the history
of all these families carefully set forth. It was called on the
title-page “The Book of Kirk,” and was full of anecdotes and legends,
and contained a large stock of family tradition. As this was exactly
the book which we required, we searched no further, but, having
carefully dusted the volume, bore it to Mrs. Trevor’s boudoir where
we could look over it quite undisturbed.
On looking in the index, we found the name of Fothering
mentioned, and on turning to the page specified, found the arms
of Kirk quartered on those of Fothering. From the text we learned
that one of the daughters of Kirk had, in the year 1573, married
the brother of Fothering against the united wills of her father and
brother, and that after a bitter feud of some ten or twelve years,
the latter, then master of Scarp, had met the brother of Fothering
in a duel and had killed him. Upon receiving the news Fothering had
sworn a great oath to revenge his brother, invoking the most fearful
curses upon himself and his race if he should fail to cut off the
hand that had slain his brother, and to nail it over the gate of
Fothering. The feud then became so bitter that Kirk seems to have
gone quite mad on the subject. When he heard of Fothering’s oath he
knew that he had but little chance of escape, since his enemy was
his master at every weapon; so he determined upon a mode of revenge
which, although costing him his own life, he fondly hoped would
accomplish the eternal destruction of his brother-in-law through
his violated oath. He sent Fothering a letter cursing him and his
race, and praying for the consummation of his own curse invoked
in case of failure. He concluded his missive by a prayer for the
complete destruction, soul, mind, and body, of the first Fothering
who should enter the gate of Scarp, who he hoped would be the
fairest and best of the race. Having despatched this letter he
cut off his right hand and threw it into the centre of a roaring
fire, which he had made for the purpose. When it was entirely
consumed he threw himself upon his sword, and so died.
A cold shiver went through me when I read the words “fairest
and best.” All my dream came back in a moment, and I seemed to hear
in my ears again the echo of the fiendish laughter. I looked up at
Mrs. Trevor, and saw that she had become very grave.Her face had
a half-frightened look, as if some wild thought had struck her. I
was more frightened than ever, for nothing increases our alarms so
much as the sympathy of others with regard to them; however, I
tried to conceal my fear. We sat silent for some minutes, and then
Mrs. Trevor rose up saying:
“Come with me, and let us look at the portrait.”
I remember her saying the and not that portrait, as if some
concealed thought of it had been occupying her mind. The same
dread had assailed her from a coincidence as had grown in me
from a vision. Surely—surely I had good grounds for fear!
We went to the bedroom and stood before the picture, which
seemed to gaze upon us with an expression which reflected our own
fears. My companion said to me in slightly excited tones: “Frank,
lift down the picture till we see its back.” I did so, and we
found written in strange old writing on the grimy canvas a name
and a date, which, after a great deal of trouble, we made out to
be “Margaret Kirk, 1572.” It was the name of the lady in the book.
Mrs. Trevor turned round and faced me slowly, with a look of
horror on her face.
“Frank, I don’t like this at all. There is something very
strange here.”
I had it on my tongue to tell her my dream, but was ashamed to
do so. Besides, I feared that it might frighten her too much, as
she was already alarmed.
I continued to look at the picture as a relief from my
embarrassment, and was struck with the excessive griminess of the
back in comparison to the freshness of the front. I mentioned my
difficulty to my companion, who thought for a moment, and then
suddenly said—
“I see how it is. It has been turned with its face to the wall.”
I said no word but hung up the picture again; and we went back
to the boudoir.
On the way I began to think that my fears were too wildly
improbable to bear to be spoken about. It was so hard to believe
in the horrors of darkness when the sunlight was falling brightly
around me. The same idea seemed to have struck Mrs. Trevor, for
she said, when we entered the room:
“Frank, it strikes me that we are both rather silly to let our
imaginations carry us away so. The story is merely a tradition,
and we know how report distorts even the most innocent facts. It
is true that the Fothering family was formerly connected with the
Kirks, and that the picture is that of the Miss Kirk who married
against her father’s will; it is likely that he quarrelled with her
for so doing, and had her picture turned to the wall—a common trick
of angry fathers at all times—but that is all. There can be nothing
beyond that. Let us not think any more upon the subject, as it is
one likely to lead us into absurdities. However, the picture is a
really beautiful one—independent of its being such a likeness of
Diana, and I will have it placed in the dining-room.”
The change was effected that afternoon, but she did not again
allude to the subject. She appeared, when talking to me, to be a
little constrained in manner—a very unusual thing with her, and
seemed to fear that I would renew the forbidden topic. I think
that she did not wish to let her imagination lead her astray, and
was distrustful of herself. However, the feeling of constraint
wore off before night—but she did not renew the subject.
I slept well that night, without dreams of any kind; and next
morning—the third to-morrow promised in the dream—when I came down
to breakfast, I was told that I would see Miss Fothering before
that evening.
I could not help blushing, and stammered out some commonplace
remark, and then glancing up, feeling very sheepish, I saw my
hostess looking at me with her kindly smile intensified. She said:
“Do you know, Frank, I felt quite frightened yesterday when we
were looking at the picture; but I have been thinking the matter
over since, and have come to the conclusion that my folly was
perfectly unfounded. I am sure you agree with me. In fact, I look
now upon our fright as a good joke, and will tell it to Diana when
she arrives.”
Once again I was about to tell my dream; but again was
restrained by shame. I knew, of course, that Mrs. Trevor would
not laugh at me or even think little of me for my fears, for
she was too well-bred, and kind-hearted, and sympathetic to do
anything of the kind, and, besides, the fear was one which we
had shared in common.
But how could I confess my fright at what might appear to
others to be a ridiculous dream, when she had conquered the
fear that had been common to us both, and which had arisen
from a really strange conjuncture of facts. She appeared to
look on the matter so lightly that I could not do otherwise.
And I did it honestly for the time.
III. The Third To-morrow
In the afternoon I was out in the garden lying in the shadow of
an immense beech, when I saw Mrs. Trevor approaching. I had been
reading Shelley’s “Stanzas Written in Dejection,” and my heart
was full of melancholy and a vague yearning after human sympathy.
I had thought of Mrs. Trevor’s love for me, but even that did not
seem sufficient. I wanted the love of some one more nearly of my
own level, some equal spirit, for I looked on her, of course, as I
would have regarded my mother. Somehow my thoughts kept returning
to Miss Fothering till I could almost see her before me in my
memory of the portrait. I had begun to ask myself the question:
“Are you in love?” when I heard the voice of my hostess as she
drew near.
“Ha! Frank, I thought I would find you here. I want you to
come to my boudoir.”
“What for?” I inquired, as I rose from the grass and picked
up my volume of Shelley.
“Di has come ever so long ago; and I want to introduce you
and have a chat before dinner,” said she, as we went towards
the house.
“But won’t you let me change my dress? I am not in correct
costume for the afternoon.”
I felt somewhat afraid of the unknown beauty when the
introduction was imminent. Perhaps it was because I had come
to believe too firmly in Mrs. Trevor’s prediction.
“Nonsense, Frank, just as if any woman worth thinking about
cares how a man is dressed.”
We entered the boudoir and found a young lady seated by a
window that overlooked the croquet-ground. She turned round as
we came in, so Mrs. Trevor introduced us, and we were soon
engaged in a lively conversation. I observed her, as may be
supposed, with more than curiosity, and shortly found that she
was worth looking at. She was very beautiful, and her beauty
lay not only in her features but in her expression. At first
her appearance did not seem to me so perfect as it afterwards
did, on account of her wonderful resemblance to the portrait
with whose beauty I was already acquainted. But it was not
long before I came to experience the difference between the
portrait and the reality. No matter how well it may be painted
a picture falls far short of its prototype. There is something
in a real face which cannot exist on canvas—some difference
far greater than that contained in the contrast between the
one expression, however beautiful of the picture, and the
moving features and varying expression of the reality. There
is something living and
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