garden, and saw the
house a short distance in front of him, standing upon a well got-up
lawn.

He cared not if Varney should see him before he reached the house,
because the fact was sufficiently evident to himself that after all he
could not actually enforce an interview with the vampyre. He only hoped
that as he had found him out it would be conceded to him.

He, therefore, walked up the lawn without making the least attempt at
concealment, and when he reached the house he allowed his footsteps to
make what noise they would upon the stone steps which led up to it. But
no one appeared; nor was there, either by sight or by sound, any
indication of the presence of any living being in the place besides
himself.

Insensibly, as he contemplated the deserted place around him, the solemn
sort of stillness began to have its effect upon his imagination, and,
without being aware that he did so, he had, with softness and caution,
glided onwards, as if he were bent on some errand requiring the utmost
amount of caution and discrimination in the conduction of it.

And so he entered the hall of the house, where he stood some time, and
listened with the greatest attention, without, however, being able to
hear the least sound throughout the whole of the house.

"And yet he must be here," thought Charles to himself; "I was not gone
many minutes, and it is extremely unlikely that in so short a space of
time he has left, after taking so much trouble, by making such a detour
around the meadows to get here, without being observed. I will examine
every room in the place, but I will find him."

Charles immediately commenced going from room to room of that house in
his search for the vampyre. There were but four apartments upon the
ground floor, and these, of course, he quickly ran through. Nothing
whatever at all indicative of any one having been there met his gaze,
and with a feeling of disappointment creeping over him, he commenced the
ascent of the staircase.

The day had now fairly commenced, so that there was abundance of light,
although, even for the country, it was an early hour, and probably Mr.
Nash had been not a little surprised to have a call from one whose
appearance bespoke no necessity for rising with the lark at such an
hour.

All these considerations, however, sank into insignificance in Charles's
mind, compared with the object he had in view, namely, the unravelling
the many mysteries that hung around that man. He