admission.

He, accordingly, went at once to this Mr. Nash, and asked about the
house; of course he had to affect an interest in its rental and
accommodations, which he did not feel, in order to lull any suspicion,
and, finally, he said,--

"I should like to look over it if you will lend me the key, which I will
shortly bring back to you."

There was an evident hesitation about the agent when this proposal was
communicated by Charles Holland, and he said,--

"I dare say, sir, you wonder that I don't say yes, at once; but the fact
is there came a gentleman here one day when I was out, and got a key,
for we have two to open the house, from my wife, and he never came back
again."

That this was the means by which Varney, the vampyre, had obtained the
key, by the aid of which Charles had seen him effect so immediate an
entrance to the house, there could be no doubt.

"How long ago were you served that trick?" he said.

"About two days ago, sir."

"Well, it only shows how, when one person acts wrongly, another is at
once suspected of a capability to do so likewise. There is my name and
my address; I should like rather to go alone to see the house, because I
always fancy I can judge better by myself of the accommodation, and I
can stay as long as I like, and ascertain the sizes of all the rooms
without the disagreeable feeling upon my mind, which no amount of
complaisance on your part, could ever get me over, that I was most
unaccountably detaining somebody from more important business of their
own."

"Oh, I assure you, sir," said Mr. Nash, "that I should not be at all
impatient. But if you would rather go alone--"

"Indeed I would."

"Oh, then, sir, there is the key. A gentleman who leaves his name and
address, of course, we can have no objection to. I only told you of what
happened, sir, in the mere way of conversation, and I hope you won't
imagine for a moment that I meant to insinuate that you were going to
keep the key."

"Oh, certainly not--certainly not," said Charles, who was only too glad
to get the key upon any terms. "You are quite right, and I beg you will
say no more about it; I quite understand."

He then walked off to the empty house again, and, proceeding to the
avenue, he fitted the key to the lock, and had the satisfaction of
finding the gate instantly yield to him.

When he passed through it, and closed the door after him, which he did
carefully, he found himself in a handsomely laid-out