The Chain of Destiny by Bram Stoker (read full novel TXT) 📖
- Author: Bram Stoker
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When we had been talking for a while in the usual conventional
style, Mrs. Trevor said, “Di, my love, I want to tell you of a
discovery Frank and I have made. You must know that I always call
Mr. Stanford, Frank—he is more like my own son than my friend, and
that I am very fond of him.”
She then put her arms round Miss Fothering’s waist, as they sat
on the sofa together, and kissed her, and then, turning towards
me, said, “I don’t approve of kissing girls in the presence of
gentlemen, but you know that Frank is not supposed to be here.
This is my sanctum, and who invades it must take the consequences.
But I must tell you about the discovery.”
She then proceeded to tell the legend, and about her finding
the name of Margaret Kirk on the back of the picture.
Miss Fothering laughed gleefully as she heard the story, and
then said, suddenly,
“Oh, I had forgotten to tell you, dear Mrs. Trevor, that I
had such a fright the other day. I thought I was going to be
prevented coming here. Aunt Deborah came to us last week for a
few days, and when she heard that I was about to go on a visit
to Scarp she seemed quite frightened, and went straight off to
papa and asked him to forbid me to go. Papa asked her why she
made the request, so she told a long family legend about any
of us coming to Scarp—just the same story that you have been
telling me. She said she was sure that some misfortune would
happen if I came; so you see that the tradition exists in our
branch of the family too. Oh, you can’t fancy the scene there
was between papa and Aunt Deborah. I must laugh whenever I
think of it, although I did not laugh then, for I was greatly
afraid that aunty would prevent me coming. Papa got very grave,
and aunty thought she had carried her point when he said, in
his dear, old, pompous manner,
“‘Deborah, Diana has promised to pay Mrs. Trevor, of Scarp, a
visit, and, of course, must keep her engagement. And if it were
for no other reason than the one you have just alleged, I would
strain a point of convenience to have her go to Scarp. I have
always educated my children in such a manner that they ought not
to be influenced by such vain superstitions; and with my will
their practice shall never be at variance with the precepts which
I have instilled into them.’
“Poor aunty was quite overcome. She seemed almost speechless
for a time at the thought that her wishes had been neglected, for
you know that Aunt Deborah’s wishes are commands to all our
family.”
Mrs. Trevor said—
“I hope Mrs. Howard was not offended?”
“Oh, no. Papa talked to her seriously, and at length—with a great
deal of difficulty I must say—succeeded in convincing her that her
fears were groundless—at least, he forced her to confess that such
things as she was afraid of could not be.”
I thought of the couplet—
“A man convinced against his will
Is of the same opinion still,”
but said nothing.
Miss Fothering finished her story by saying—
“Aunty ended by hoping that I might enjoy myself, which I am
sure, my dear Mrs. Trevor, that I will do.”
“I hope you will, my love.”
I had been struck during the above conversation by the mention
of Mrs. Howard. I was trying to think of where I had heard the name,
Deborah Howard, when suddenly it all came back to me. Mrs. Howard
had been Miss Fothering, and was an old friend of my mother’s. It
was thus that I had been accustomed to her name when I was a child.
I remembered now that once she had brought a nice little girl,
almost a baby, with her to visit. The child was her niece, and it
was thus that I now accounted for my half-recollection of the name
and the circumstance on the first night of my arrival at Scarp. The
thought of my dream here recalled me to Mrs. Trevor’s object in
bringing Miss Fothering to her boudoir, so I said to the latter—
“Do you believe these legends?”
“Indeed I do not, Mr. Stanford; I do not believe in anything
half so silly.”
“Then you do not believe in ghosts or visions?”
“Most certainly not.”
How could I tell my dream to a girl who had such profound
disbelief? And yet I felt something whispering to me that I ought
to tell it to her. It was, no doubt, foolish of me to have this
fear of a dream, but I could not help it. I was just going to risk
being laughed at, and unburden my mind, when Mrs. Trevor started
up, after looking at her watch, saying—
“Dear me, I never thought it was so late. I must go and see if
any others have come. It will not do for me to neglect my guests.”
We all left the boudoir, and as we did so the gong sounded for
dressing for dinner, and so we each sought our rooms.
When I came down to the drawingroom I found assembled a number
of persons who had arrived during the course of the afternoon. I
was introduced to them all, and chatted with them till dinner was
announced. I was given Miss Fothering to take into dinner, and when
it was over I found that we had improved our acquaintance very much.
She was a delightful girl, and as I looked at her I thought with a
glow of pleasure of Mrs. Trevor’s prediction. Occasionally I saw
our hostess observing us, and as she saw us chatting pleasantly
together as though we enjoyed it a more than happy look came into
her face. It was one of her most fascinating points that in the
midst of gaiety, while she never neglected anyone, she specially
remembered her particular friends. No matter what position she
might be placed in she would still remember that there were some
persons who would treasure up her recognition at such moments.
After dinner, as I did not feel inclined to enter the drawingroom
with the other gentlemen, I strolled out into the garden by myself,
and thought over things in general, and Miss Fothering in particular.
The subject was such a pleasant one that I quite lost myself in it,
and strayed off farther than I had intended. Suddenly I remembered
myself and looked around. I was far away from the house, and in the
midst of a dark, gloomy walk between old yew trees. I could not see
through them on either side on account of their thickness, and as
the walk was curved I could see but a short distance either before
or behind me. I looked up and saw a yellowish, luminous sky with
heavy clouds passing sluggishly across it. The moon had not yet
risen, and the general gloom reminded me forcibly of some of the
weird pictures which William Blake so loved to paint. There was a
sort of vague melancholy and ghostliness in the place that made me
shiver, and I hurried on.
At length the walk opened and I came out on a large sloping
lawn, dotted here and there with yew trees and tufts of pampass
grass of immense height, whose stalks were crowned with large
flowers. To the right lay the house, grim and gigantic in the
gloom, and to the left the lake which stretched away so far that
it was lost in the evening shadow. The lawn sloped from the
terrace round the house down to the water’s edge, and was only
broken by the walk which continued to run on round the house in
a wide sweep.
As I came near the house a light appeared in one of the windows
which lay before me, and as I looked into the room I saw that it
was the chamber of my dream.
Unconsciously I approached nearer and ascended the terrace
from the top of which I could see across the deep trench which
surrounded the house, and looked earnestly into the room. I
shivered as I looked. My spirits had been damped by the gloom
and desolation of the yew walk, and now the dream and all the
subsequent revelations came before my mind with such vividness
that the horror of the thing again seized me, but more forcibly
than before. I looked at the sleeping arrangements, and groaned
as I saw that the bed where the dying woman had seemed to lie
was alone prepared, while the other bed, that in which I had
slept, had its curtains drawn all round. This was but another
link in the chain of doom. Whilst I stood looking, the servant
who was in the room came and pulled down one of the blinds, but,
as she was about to do the same with the other, Miss Fothering
entered the room, and, seeing what she was about, evidently gave
her contrary directions, for she let go the window string, and
then went and pulled up again the blind which she had let down.
Having done so she followed her mistress out of the room. So
wrapped up was I in all that took place with reference to that
chamber, that it never even struck me that I was guilty of any
impropriety in watching what took place.
I stayed there for some little time longer purposeless and
terrified. The horror grew so great to me as I thought of the
events of the last few days, that I determined to tell Miss
Fothering of my dream, in order that she might not be frightened
in case she should see anything like it, or at least that she
might be prepared for anything that might happen. As soon as I
had come to this determination the inevitable question “when?”
presented itself. The means of making the communication was a
subject most disagreeable to contemplate, but as I had made up
my mind to do it, I thought that there was no time like the
present. Accordingly I was determined to seek the drawingroom,
where I knew I should find Miss Fothering and Mrs. Trevor,
for, of course, I had determined to take the latter into our
confidence. As I was really afraid to go through the awful
yew walk again, I completed the half circle of the house and
entered the backdoor, from which I easily found my way to the
drawingroom.
When I entered Mrs. Trevor, who was sitting near the door,
said to me, “Good gracious, Frank, where have you been to make
you look so pale? One would think you had seen a ghost!”
I answered that I had been strolling in the garden, but made
no other remark, as I did not wish to say anything about my dream
before the persons to whom she was talking, as they were strangers
to me. I waited for some time for an opportunity of speaking to
her alone, but her duties, as hostess, kept her so constantly
occupied that I waited in vain. Accordingly I determined to tell
Miss Fothering at all events, at once, and then to tell Mrs.
Trevor as soon as an opportunity for doing so presented itself.
With a good deal of difficulty—for I did not wish to do
anything marked—I succeeded in getting Miss Fothering away from
the persons by whom she was surrounded, and took her to one of
the embrasures, under the pretence of looking out
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