Chapter XIII. Awaking from the Trance

by Bram Stoker

　　The first unexpected words may always startle a hearer; but when theshock is over, the listener's reason has asserted itself, and he canjudge of the manner, as well as of the matter, of speech. Thus it wason this occasion. With intelligence now alert, I could not doubt of thesimple sincerity of Margaret's next question:'What have you two men been talking about all this time, Mr. Ross? Isuppose, Mr. Corbeck has been telling you all his adventures' infinding the lamps. I hope yon will tell me too, some day, Mr. Corbeck;but that must not be until my poor Father is better. He would like, Iam sure, to tell me all about these things himself; or to be presentwhen I heard them.' She glanced sharply from one to the other. 'Oh!that was what you were saying as I came in? All right! I shall wait;but I hope it won't be long. The continuance of Father's condition is,I feel, breaking me down. A little while ago I felt that my nerves weregiving out; so I determined to go out for a walk in the Park. I am sureit will do me good. I want you, if you will, Mr. Ross, to be withFather whilst I am away. I shall feel secure then!'I rose with alacrity, rejoicing that the poor girl was going out,even for half an hour. She was looking terribly wearied and haggard;and the sight of her pale cheeks made my heart ache. I went to thesick-room; and sat down in my usual place. Mrs. Grant was then on duty;we had not found it necessary to have more than one person in the roomduring the day. When I came in, she took occasion to go about somehousehold duty. The blinds were up, but the north aspect of the roomsoftened the hot glare of the sunlight without.I sat for a long time thinking over all that Mr. Corbeck had toldme; and weaving its wonders into the tissue of strange things which hadcome to pass since I had entered the house. At times I was inclined todoubt; to doubt everything and everyone; to doubt even the evidences ofmy own senses. The warnings of the skilled detective kept coming backto my mind. He had put down Mr. Corbeck as a clever liar and- aconfederate of Miss Trelawny. Of Margaret! That settled it! Face toface with such a proposition as that, doubt vanished. Each time whenher image, her name, the merest thought of her, came before my mind,each event stood out stark as a living fact. My life upon her faith!I was recalled from my reverie, which was fast becoming a dream oflove, in a startling manner. A voice came from the bed; a deep, strong,masterful voice. The first note of it called up like a clarion my eyesand my ears. The sick man was awake and speaking!'Who are you? What are you doing here?'Whatever ideas any of us had ever formed of his waking, I am quitesure that none of us expected to see him start up all awake and fullmaster of himself. I was so surprised that I answered almostmechanically:'Ross is my name. I have been watching by you!' He looked surprisedfor an instant, and then I could see that his habit' of judging forhimself came into play.'Watching by me! How do you mean? Why watching by me?' His eye hadnow lit on his heavily bandaged wrist. He went on in a different tone;less aggressive, more genial, as of one accepting facts:'Are you a doctor?' I felt myself almost smiling as I answered; therelief from the long pressure of anxiety regarding his life wasbeginning to tell:'No, sir!''Then why are you here? If you are not a doctor, what are you?' Histone was again more dictatorial. Thought is quick; the whole train ofreasoning on which my answer must be based flooded through my brainbefore the words could leave my lips. Margaret! I must think ofMargaret! This was her father, who as yet knew nothing of me; even ofmy very existence. He would be naturally curious, if not anxious, toknow why I amongst men had been chosen as his daughter's friend on theoccasion of his illness. Fathers are naturally a little jealous in suchmatters as a daughter's choice, and in the undeclared state of my lovefor Margaret I must do nothing which could ultimately embarrass her.'I am a Barrister. It is not, however, in that capacity I am here;but simply as a friend of your daughter. It was probably her knowledgeof my being a lawyer which first determined her to ask me to come whenshe thought you had been murdered. Afterwards she was good enough toconsider me to be a friend, and to allow me to remain in accordancewith your expressed wish that someone should remain to watch.'Mr. Trelawny was manifestly a man of quick thought, and of fewwords. He gazed at me keenly as I spoke, and his piercing eyes seemedto read my thought. To my relief he said no more on the subject justthen, seeming to accept my words in simple faith. There was evidentlyin his own mind some cause for the acceptance deeper than my ownknowledge. His eyes flashed, and there was an unconscious movement ofthe mouth--it could hardly be called a twitch--which betokenedsatisfaction. He was following out some train of reasoning in his ownmind. Suddenly he said: 'She thought I had been murdered! Was that lastnight?' 'No! Four days ago.' He seemed surprised. Whilst he had beenspeaking the first time he had sat up in bed; now he made a movement asthough he would jump out. With an effort, however, he restrainedhimself; leaning back on his pillows he said quietly:'Tell me all about it! All you know! Every detail! Omit nothing! Butstay; first lock the door! I want to know, before I see anyone, exactlyhow things stand.'Somehow his last words made my heart leap. 'Anyone!' He evidentlyaccepted me, then, as an exception. In my present state of feeling forhis daughter, this was a comforting thought I felt exultant as I wentover to the door and softly turned the key. When I came back I foundhim sitting up again. He said: 'Go on!'Accordingly, I told him every detail; even of the slightest which Icould remember, of what had happened from the moment of my arrival atthe house. Of course I said nothing of my feeling towards Margaret, andspoke only concerning those things already within his own knowledge.With regard to Corbeck, I simply said that he had brought back somelamps of which he had been in quest. Then I proceeded to tell him fullyof their loss, and of their rediscovery in the house.He listened with a self-control which, under the circumstances, wasto me little less man marvellous. It was not impassiveness, for attimes his eyes would flash or blaze, and the strong fingers of hisuninjured hand would grip the sheet, pulling it into far-extendingwrinkles. This was most noticeable when I told him of the return ofCorbeck, and the finding of the lamps in the boudoir. At times hespoke, but only a few words, and as if unconsciously in emotionalcomment. The mysterious parts, those which had most puzzled us, seemedto have no special interest for him; he seemed to know them already.The utmost concern he showed was when I told him of Daw's shooting. Hismuttered comment: 'Stupid ass!' together with a quick glance across theroom at the injured cabinet, marked the measure of his disgust. As Itold him of his daughter's harrowing anxiety for him, of her unendingcare and devotion, of the tender love which she had shown, he seemedmuch moved. There was a sort of veiled surprise in his unconsciouswhisper:'Margaret! Margaret!'When I had finished my narration, bringing matters up to the momentwhen Miss Trelawny had gone out for her walk--I thought of her as 'MissTrelawny', not as 'Margaret' now, in the presence of her father--heremained silent for quite a long time. It was probably two or threeminutes; but it seemed interminable. All at once he turned to me andsaid briskly:'Now tell me all about yourself!' This was something of a floorer; Ifelt myself grow red hot. Mr. Trelawny's eyes were upon me; they werenow calm and enquiring, but never ceasing in their soul-searchingscrutiny. There was just a suspicion of a smile on the mouth which,though it added to my embarrassment, gave me a certain measure ofrelief. I was, however, face to face with difficulty; and the habit ofmy life stood me in good stead. I looked him straight in the eyes as Ispoke:' "My name, as I told you, is Ross, Malcolm Ross. I am by professiona Barrister. I was made a QC in the last year of the Queen's reign. Ihave been fairly successful in my work.' To my relief he said:'Yes, I know. I have always heard well of you! Where and when didyou meet Margaret?''First at the Hay's in Belgrave Square, ten days ago. Then at apicnic up the river with Lady Strathconnell. We went from Windsor toCookham. Mar--Miss Trelawny was in 'my boat. I scull a little, and Ihad my own boat at Windsor. We had a good deal ofconversation--naturally.''Naturally!' There was just a suspicion of something sardonic in thetone of acquiescence; but there was no other intimation of his feeling.I began to think that as I was in the presence of a strong man, Ishould show something of my own strength. My friends, and sometimes myopponents, say that I am a strong man. In my present circumstances, notto be absolutely truthful would be to be weak. So I stood up to thedifficulty before me; always bearing in mind, however, that my wordsmight affect Margaret's happiness through her love for her father. Iwent on:'In conversation at a place and time and amid surroundings sopleasing, and in a solitude inviting to confidence, I got a glimpse ofher inner life. Such a glimpse as a man of my years and experience mayget from a young girl!' The father's face grew graver as I went on: buthe said nothing. I was committed now to a definite line of speech, andwent on with such mastery of my mind as I could exercise. The occasionmight be fraught with serious consequences to me too:'I could not but see that there was over her spirit a sense ofloneliness which was habitual to her. I thought I understood it; I ammyself an only child. I ventured to encourage her to speak to mefreely; and was happy enough to succeed. A sort of confidence becameestablished between us.'' There was something in the father's facewhich made me add hurriedly:'Nothing was said by her, sir, as you can well imagine, which wasnot right and proper. She only told me in the impulsive way of onelonging to give voice to thoughts long carefully concealed, of heryearning to be closer to the fat (her whom she loved; more enrapport with him; more in his confidence; closer within the circleof his sympathies.' Oh, believe me, sir, that it was all good! All thata father's heart could hope or wish for! It was all loyal! That shespoke it to me was perhaps because I was almost a stranger with whomthere was no previous barrier to confidence.'Here I paused. It was hard to go on; and I feared lest I might in myzeal do Margaret a disservice. The relief of the strain came from herfather.'And you?''Sir, Miss Trelawny is very sweet and beautiful! She is young; andher mind is like crystal! Her sympathy is a joy! I am not an old man,and my affections were not engaged. They never had been till then. Ihope I may say so much, even to a father!' My eyes involuntarilydropped. When I raised them again, Mr. Trelawny was still gazing at mekeenly. All the kindliness of his nature seemed to wreathe itself in asmile as he held out his hand and said:'Malcolm Ross I have always heard of you as a fearless andhonourable gentleman. I am glad my girl has such a friend! Go on!'My heart leaped. The first step to the winning of Margaret's fatherwas gained. I dare say I was somewhat more effusive in my words and mymanner as I went on. I certainly felt that way.'One thing we gain as we grow older: to use our age judiciously! Ihave had much experience. I have fought for it and worked for it all mylife; and I felt that I was justified in using it. I ventured to askMiss Trelawny to count on me as a friend; to let me serve her shouldoccasion arise. She promised me that she would. I had little idea thatmy chance of serving her should come so soon or in such a way; but thatvery night you were stricken down. In her desolation and anxiety shesent for me!' I paused. He continued to look at me as I went on:'When your letter of instructions was found, I offered my services.They were accepted, as you know!''And these days, how did they pass for you?' The question startledme. There was in it something of Margaret's own voice and manner;something so greatly resembling her lighter moments that it brought outall the masculinity in me. I felt more sure of my ground now as I said:'These days, sir, despite all their harrowing anxiety, despite allthe pain they held for a girl whom I grew to love more and more witheach passing hour, have been the happiest of my life!' He kept silencefor a long time; so long that, as I waited for him to speak, with myheart beating, I began to wonder if my frankness had been too effusive.At last he said:'I suppose it is hard to say so much vicariously. Her poor mothershould have heard you; it would have made her heart glad!' Then ashadow swept across his face; and he went on more hurriedly:'But are you quite sure of all this?' 'I know my own heart, sir; or,at least, I think I do!' 'No! no!' he answered, 'I don't mean you. Thatis all right! But you spoke of my girl's affection for me... andyet...! And yet she has been living here, in my house, a whole year....Still, she spoke to you of her loneliness-- her desolation. I never--itgrieves me to say it, but it is true--I never saw sign of suchaffection towards myself in all the year!...' His voice trembled awayinto sad, reminiscent introspection.'Then, sir,' I said, 'I have been privileged to see more in a fewdays than you in her whole lifetime!' My words seemed to call him upfrom himself; and I thought that it was with pleasure as well assurprise that he said:'I had no idea of it. I thought that she was indifferent to me. Thatwhat seemed the neglect of her youth was revenging itself on me. Thatshe was cold of heart.... It is a joy unspeakable to me that hermother's daughter loves me too!' Unconsciously he sank back upon hispillow, lost in memories of the past.How he must have loved her mother! It was the love of her mother'schild, rather than the love of his own daughter, that appealed to him.My heart went out to him in a great wave of sympathy and kindliness. Ibegan to under-. stand. To understand the passion of these two great,silent, reserved natures, that successfully concealed the burninghunger for the other's love! It did not surprise me when presently hemurmured to himself:'Margaret, my child! Tender and thoughtful, and strong, and true,and brave! Like her dear mother! Like her dear mother!'And then to the very depths of my heart I rejoiced that I had spokenfrankly.Presently Mr. Trelawny said:'Four days! The sixteenth! Then this is the twentieth of July?' Inodded affirmation; he went on:'So I have been lying in a trance for four days. It is not the firsttime. I was in a trance once under strange conditions for three days;and never even suspected it till I was told of the lapse of time. Ishall tell you all about it some day, if you care to hear.'That made me thrill with pleasure. That he, Margaret's father, wouldso take me into his confidence made it possible.... The businesslike,everyday alertness of his voice as he spoke next quite recalled me:'I had better get up now. When Margaret comes in, tell her yourselfthat I am all right. It will avoid any shock! And will you tell Corbeckthat I would like to see him as soon as I can. I want to see thoselamps, and hear all about them!'His attitude towards me filled me with delight. There was a possiblefather-in-law aspect that would have raised me from a deathbed. I washurrying away to carry out his wishes; when, however, my hand was onthe key of the door, his voice recalled me:'Mr. Ross!'I did not like to hear him say 'Mr.'. After he knew of my friendshipwith his daughter he had called me Malcolm Ross; and this obviousreturn to formality not only pained, but filled me with apprehension.It must be something about Margaret. I thought of her as 'Margaret' andnot as 'Miss Trelawny', now that there was danger of losing her. I knownow what I felt then: that I was determined to fight for her ratherthan lose her. I came back, unconsciously holding myself erect. Mr.Trelawny, the keen observer of men, seemed to read my thought; hisface, which was set in a new anxiety, relaxed as he said:'Sit down a minute, it is better that we speak now than later. Weare both men, and men of the world. All this about my daughter is verynew to me, and very sudden; and I want to know exactly how and where Istand. Mind, I am making no objection; but as a father I have dutieswhich are grave, and may prove to be painful. I--I'--he seemed slightlyat a loss how to begin, and this gave me hope---'I suppose I am to takeit, from what you have said to me of your feelings towards my girl,that it is in your mind to be a suitor for her hand, later on?' Ianswered at once:'Absolutely! Firm and fixed; it was my intention the evening after Ihad been with her on the river, to seek you, of course after a properand respectful interval, and to ask you if I might approach her on thesubject. Events forced me into closer relationship more quickly than Ihad dared to hope would be possible; but that first purpose hasremained fresh in my heart, and has grown in intensity, and multiplieditself with every hour which has passed since then.' His face seemed tosoften as he looked at me; the memory of his own youth was coming backto him instinctively. After a pause he said:'I suppose I may take it, too, Malcolm Ross'--the return to thefamiliarity of address swept through me with a glorious thrill--'thatas yet you have not made any protestation to my daughter?''Not in words, sir.' The arriere pense of my phrase struckme, not by its own inherent humour, but through the grave, kindly smileon the father's face. There was a pleasant sarcasm in his comment:'Not in words! That is dangerous! She might have doubted words, oreven disbelieved them.'I felt myself blushing to the roots of my hair as I went on:'The duty of delicacy in her defenceless position; my respect forher father--I did not know you then, sir, as yourself, but only as herfather--restrained me. But even had not these barriers existed, Ishould not have dared in the presence of such grief and anxiety to havedeclared myself. Mr. Trelawny, I assure you on my word of honour thatyour daughter and I are as yet, on her part, but friends and nothingmore!' Once again he held out his hands, and we clasped each otherwarmly. Then he said heartily: - 'I am satisfied, Malcolm Ross. Ofcourse, I take it that until I have seen her and have given youpermission, you will not make any declaration to my daughter--inwords,' he added, with an indulgent smile. But his face became sternagain as he went on: 'Time presses; and I have to think of some matters so urgent and sostrange that I dare not lose an hour. Otherwise I should not have beenprepared to enter, at so short a notice and to so new a friend, on thesubject of my daughter's settlement in life, and for her futurehappiness.' There was a dignity and a certain proudness in his mannerwhich impressed me much.'I shall respect your wishes, sir!' I said as I went back and openedthe door. I heard him lock it behind me.When I told Mr. Corbeck that Mr. Trelawny had quite recovered, hebegan to dance about like a wild man. But he suddenly stopped, andasked me to be careful not to draw any inferences, at all events atfirst, when in the future speaking of the finding of the lamps, or ofthe first visits to ' the tomb. This was in case Mr. Trelawny shouldspeak to me on the subject; 'as, of course, he will,' he added, with asidelong look at me which meant knowledge of the affairs of my heart. Iagreed to this, feeling that it was quite right I did not quiteunderstand why; but I knew that Mr. Trelawny was a peculiar man. In nocase could one make a mistake by being reticent. Reticence is a qualitywhich a strong man always respects.The manner in which the others of the house took the news of therecovery varied much. Mrs. Grant wept with emotion; then she hurriedoff to see if she could do anything personally, and to set the house inorder for 'Master', as she always called him. The Nurse's face fell;she was deprived of an interesting case. But the disappointment wasonly momentary; and she rejoiced that the trouble was over. She wasready to come to the patient the moment she should be wanted; but inthe meantime she occupied herself in packing her portmanteau.I took Sergeant Daw into the study, so that we should be alone whenI told him the news. It surprised even his iron self-control when Itold him the method of the waking. I was myself surprised in turn byhis first words:'And how did he explain the first attack? He was unconscious whenthe second was made.' Up to that moment the nature of the attack, which was the cause ofmy coming to the house, had never even crossed my mind, except when Ihad simply narrated the various occurrences in sequence to Mr.Trelawny. The Detective did not seem to think much of my answer:'Do you know, it never occurred to me to ask him?' The professionalinstinct was strong in the man, and seemed to supersede everything else.'That is why so few cases are ever followed out,' he said, 'unlessour people are in them. Your amateur detective never hunts down to theend. As for ordinary people, the moment things begin to mend, and thestrain of suspense is off them, they drop the matter in hand. It islike seasickness,' he added philosophically after a pause, 'the momentyou touch the shore you never, give it a thought, but run off to thebuffet to feed! Well, Mr. Ross, I'm glad the case is over; for over itis, so far as I am concerned. I suppose that Mr. Trelawny knows his ownbusiness; and that now he is well again, he will take it up himself.Perhaps, however, he will not do anything. As he seemed to expectsomething to happen, but did not ask for protection from the police inany way, I take it that he don't want them to interfere with an eye topunishment. We'll be told officially, I suppose, that it was anaccident, or sleep-walking, or something of the kind, to satisfy theconscience of our Record Department; and that will be the end. As forme, I tell you frankly, sir, that it will be the saving of me. I verilybelieve I was beginning to get dotty over it all. There were too manymysteries, that aren't in my line, for me to be really satisfied as toeither facts or the causes of them. Now, I'll be able to wash my handsof it, and get back to clean, wholesome, criminal work. Of course, sir,I'll be glad to know if you ever do light on a cause of any kind. AndI'll be grateful if you can ever tell me how the man was dragged out ofbed when the cat bit him, and who used the knife the second time. Formaster Silvio could never have done it by himself. But there! I keepthinking of it still. I must look out and keep a check on myself, or I shall think of itwhen I have to keep my mind on other things!'When Margaret returned from her walk, I met her in the hall. -Shewas still pale and sad; somehow, I had expected to see her radiantafter her walk. The moment she saw me her eyes brightened, and shelooked at me keenly.'You have some good news for me?' she said. 'Is Father better?''He is! Why did you think so?''I saw it in your face. I must go to him at once.' She was hurryingaway when I stopped her.'He said he would send for you the moment he was dressed.''He said he would send for me!' she repeated in amazement. 'Then heis awake again, and conscious? I had no idea he was so well as that! OMalcolm!'She sat down on the nearest chair and began to cry. I felt overcomemyself. The sight of her joy and emotion, the mention of my own name insuch a way and at such a time, the rush of glorious possibilities allcoming together, quite unmanned me. She saw my emotion, and seemed tounderstand. She put out her hand. I held it hard, and kissed it Suchmoments as these, the opportunities of lovers, are gifts of the gods!Up to this instant, though I knew I loved her, and though I believedshe returned my affection, I had had only hope. Now, however, theself-surrender manifest in her willingness to let me squeeze her hand,the ardour of her pressure in return, and the glorious flush of love inher beautiful, deep, dark eyes as she lifted them to mine, were all theeloquences which the most impatient or exacting lover could expect ordemand.No word was spoken; none was needed. Even had I not been pledged toverbal silence, words would have been poor and dull to express what wefelt. Hand in hand, like two little children, we went up the staircaseand waited on the landing, till the summons from Mr. Trelawny shouldcome.I whispered in her ear--it was -nicer than speaking aloud and at agreater distance--how her father had awakened, and what he had said;and all that had passed between us, except when she herself had beenthe subject of conversation.Presently a bell rang from the room. Margaret slipped from me, andlooked back with warning finger on lip. She went over to her father'sdoor and knocked softly.'Come in!' said the strong voice.'It is I, Father!' The voice was tremulous with love and hope.There was a quick step inside the room; the door was hurriedlythrown open, and in an instant Margaret, who had sprung forward, wasclasped in her father's arms. There was little speech; only a fewbroken phrases.'Father! Dear, dear Father!''My child! Margaret! My dear, dear child!''O Father, Father! At last! At last!'Here the father and daughter went into the room together, and thedoor closed.