permission to suck
the blood of other people, to live themselves, and to make other people
vampyres, too."

"The lord have mercy upon us!"--"Ay, but they have driven a stake
through this one, and he can't get in moonlight or daylight; it's all
over--he's certainly done for; we may congratulate ourselves on this
point."

"So we may--so we may."

They now neared the grave, the clergyman officiating as usual on such
occasions. There was a large mob of persons on all sides, with serious
faces, watching the progress of the ceremony, and who listened in
quietness.

There was no sign of any disturbance amongst the people, and the
authorities were well pleased; they congratulated themselves upon the
quietness and orderliness of the assemblage.

The service was ended and the coffin lowered, and the earth was thrown
on the coffin-lid with a hollow sound. Nobody could hear that sound
unmoved. But in a short while the sound ceased as the grave became
filled; it was then trodden carefully down.

There were no relatives there to feel affected at the last scene of all.
They were far away, and, according to popular belief upon the subject,
they must have been dead some ages.

* * * * *

The mob watched the last shovel-full of earth thrown upon the coffin,
and witnessed the ramming down of the soil, and the heaping of it over
at top to make the usual monument; for all this was done speedily and
carefully, lest there should be any tendency to exhume the body of the
deceased.

The people were now somewhat relieved, as to their state of solemnity
and silence. They would all of them converse freely on the matter that
had so long occupied their thoughts.

They seemed now let loose, and everybody found himself at liberty to say
or do something, no matter if it were not very reasonable; that is not
always required of human beings who have souls, or, at least it is
unexpected; and were it expected, the expectation would never be
realized.

The day was likely to wear away without a riot, nay, even without a
fight; a most extraordinary occurrence for such a place under the
existing circumstances; for of late the populace, or, perhaps, the
townspeople, were extremely pugnacious, and many were the disputes that
were settled by the very satisfactory application of the knuckles to the
head of the party holding a contrary opinion.

Thus it was they were ready to take fire, and a hubbub would be the
res