"Confound the fellow!" muttered the old admiral, "he is well lodged at all events. I should say he was not one of those sort of vampyres who have nowhere to go to but their own coffins when the evening comes."
The room into which the admiral was shewn had green blinds to it, and they were all drawn down. It is true that the sun was shining brightly outside, although transiently, but still a strange green tinge was thrown over everything in the room, and more particularly did it appear to fall upon the face of Varney, converting his usually sallow countenance into a still more hideous and strange colour. He was sitting upon a couch, and, when the admiral came in, he rose, and said, in a deep-toned voice, extremely different to that he usually spoke in,--
"My humble home is much honoured, sir, by your presence in it."
"Good morning," said the admiral. "I have come to speak to you, sir, rather seriously."
"However abrupt this announcement may sound to me," said Varney, "I am quite sure I shall always hear, with the most profound respect, whatever Admiral Bell may have to say."
"There is no respect required," said the admiral, "but only a little attention."
Sir Francis bowed in a stately manner, saying,--
"I shall be quite unhappy if you will not be seated, Admiral Bell."
"Oh, never mind that, Sir Francis Varney, if you be Sir Francis Varney; for you may be the devil himself, for all I know. My nephew, Charles Holland, considers that, one way and another, he has a very tolerable quarrel with you."
"I much grieve to hear it."
"Do you?"
"Believe me, I do. I am most scrupulous in what I say; and an assertion that I am grieved, you may thoroughly and entirely depend upon."
"Well, well, never mind that; Charles Holland is a young man just entering into life. He loves a girl who is, I think, every way worthy of him."
"Oh, what a felicitous prospect!"
"Just hear me out, if you please."
"With pleasure, sir--with pleasure."
"Well, then, when a young, hot-headed fellow thinks he has a good ground of quarrel with anybody, you will not be surprised at his wanting to fight it out."
"Not at all."
"Well, then, to come to the point, my nephew, Charles Holland, has a fancy for fighting with you."
"Ah!"
"You take it d----d easy."
"My dear sir, why should I be uneasy? He is not my nephew, you know. I shall have no particular cause, beyond those feelings of common compassion which I hope inhabit my breast as well as every one else's."
"What do you mean?"
"Why, he is a young man just, as you say, entering into life, and I cannot help thinking it would be a pity to cut him off like a flower in the bud, so very soon."
"Oh, you make quite sure, then, of settling him, do you?"
"My dear sir, only consider; he might be very troublesome, indeed; you know young men are hot-headed and troublesome. Even if I were only to maim him, he might be a continual and never-ceasing annoyance to me. I think I should be absolutely, in a manner of speaking, compelled to cut him off."
"The devil you do!"
"As you say, sir."
"D--n your assurance, Mr. Vampyre, or whatever odd fish you may be."
"Admiral Bell, I never called upon you and received a courteous reception, and then insulted you."
"Then why do you talk of cutting off a better man than yourself? D--n it, what would you say to him cutting you off?"
"Oh, as for me, my good sir, that's quite another thing. Cutting me off is very doubtful."
Sir Francis Varney gave a strange smile as he spoke, and shook his head, as if some most extraordinary and extravagant proposition had been mooted, which it was scarcely worth the while of anybody possessed of common sense to set about expecting.
Admiral Bell felt strongly inclined to get into a rage, but he repressed the idea as much as he could, although, but for the curious faint green light that came through the blinds, his heightened colour would have sufficiently proclaimed what state of mind he was in.
"Mr. Varney," he said, "all this is quite beside the question; but, at all events, if it have any weight at all, it ought to have a considerable influence in deciding you to accept of what terms I propose."
"What are they, sir?"
"Why, that you permit me to espouse my nephew Charles's quarrel, and meet you instead of him."
"You meet me?"