Chapter XXVI: Face to Face

by Bram Stoker

　　Mimi was greatly distressed when she saw her cousin lying prone.She had a few times in her life seen Lilla on the verge of fainting,but never senseless; and now she was frightened. She threw herselfon her knees beside Lilla, and tried, by rubbing her hands and othermeasures commonly known, to restore her. But all her efforts wereunavailing. Lilla still lay white and senseless. In fact, eachmoment she looked worse; her breast, that had been heaving with thestress, became still, and the pallor of her face grew like marble.At these succeeding changes Mimi's fright grew, till it altogethermastered her. She succeeded in controlling herself only to theextent that she did not scream.Lady Arabella had followed Caswall, when he had recoveredsufficiently to get up and walk--though stumblingly--in thedirection of Castra Regis. When Mimi was quite alone with Lilla andthe need for effort had ceased, she felt weak and trembled. In herown mind, she attributed it to a sudden change in the weather--itwas momentarily becoming apparent that a storm was coming on.She raised Lilla's head and laid it on her warm young breast, butall in vain. The cold of the white features thrilled through her,and she utterly collapsed when it was borne in on her that Lilla hadpassed away.The dusk gradually deepened and the shades of evening closed in, butMimi did not seem to notice or to care. She sat on the floor withher arms round the body of the girl whom she loved. Darker andblacker grew the sky as the coming storm and the closing nightjoined forces. Still she sat on--alone--tearless--unable to think.Mimi did not know how long she sat there. Though it seemed to herthat ages had passed, it could not have been more than half-an-hour.She suddenly came to herself, and was surprised to find that hergrandfather had not returned. For a while she lay quiet, thinkingof the immediate past. Lilla's hand was still in hers, and to hersurprise it was still warm. Somehow this helped her consciousness,and without any special act of will she stood up. She lit a lampand looked at her cousin. There was no doubt that Lilla was dead;but when the lamp-light fell on her eyes, they seemed to look atMimi with intent--with meaning. In this state of dark isolation anew resolution came to her, and grew and grew until it became afixed definite purpose. She would face Caswall and call him toaccount for his murder of Lilla--that was what she called it toherself. She would also take steps--she knew not what or how--toavenge the part taken by Lady Arabella.In this frame of mind she lit all the lamps in the room, got waterand linen from her room, and set about the decent ordering ofLilla's body. This took some time; but when it was finished, sheput on her hat and cloak, put out the lights, and set out quietlyfor Castra Regis.As Mimi drew near the Castle, she saw no lights except those in andaround the tower room. The lights showed her that Mr. Caswall wasthere, so she entered by the hall door, which as usual was open, andfelt her way in the darkness up the staircase to the lobby of theroom. The door was ajar, and the light from within showedbrilliantly through the opening. She saw Edgar Caswall walkingrestlessly to and fro in the room, with his hands clasped behind hisback. She opened the door without knocking, and walked right intothe room. As she entered, he ceased walking, and stared at her insurprise. She made no remark, no comment, but continued the fixedlook which he had seen on her entrance.For a time silence reigned, and the two stood looking fixedly ateach other. Mimi was the first to speak."You murderer! Lilla is dead!""Dead! Good God! When did she die?""She died this afternoon, just after you left her.""Are you sure?""Yes--and so are you--or you ought to be. You killed her!""I killed her! Be careful what you say!""As God sees us, it is true; and you know it. You came to MercyFarm on purpose to break her--if you could. And the accomplice ofyour guilt, Lady Arabella March, came for the same purpose.""Be careful, woman," he said hotly. "Do not use such names in thatway, or you shall suffer for it.""I am suffering for it--have suffered for it--shall suffer for it.Not for speaking the truth as I have done, but because you two, withdevilish malignity, did my darling to death. It is you and youraccomplice who have to dread punishment, not I.""Take care!" he said again."Oh, I am not afraid of you or your accomplice," she answeredspiritedly. "I am content to stand by every word I have said, everyact I have done. Moreover, I believe in God's justice. I fear notthe grinding of His mills; if necessary I shall set the wheels inmotion myself. But you don't care for God, or believe in Him. Yourgod is your great kite, which cows the birds of a whole district.But be sure that His hand, when it rises, always falls at theappointed time. It may be that your name is being called even atthis very moment at the Great Assize. Repent while there is stilltime. Happy you, if you may be allowed to enter those mighty hallsin the company of the pure-souled angel whose voice has only towhisper one word of justice, and you disappear for ever intoeverlasting torment."The sudden death of Lilla caused consternation among Mimi's friendsand well-wishers. Such a tragedy was totally unexpected, as Adamand Sir Nathaniel had been expecting the White Worm's vengeance tofall upon themselves.Adam, leaving his wife free to follow her own desires with regard toLilla and her grandfather, busied himself with filling the well-holewith the fine sand prepared for the purpose, taking care to havelowered at stated intervals quantities of the store of dynamite, soas to be ready for the final explosion. He had under his immediatesupervision a corps of workmen, and was assisted by Sir Nathaniel,who had come over for the purpose, and all were now staying atLesser Hill.Mr. Salton, too, showed much interest in the job, and was constantlycoming in and out, nothing escaping his observation.Since her marriage to Adam and their coming to stay at Doom Tower,Mimi had been fettered by fear of the horrible monster at Diana'sGrove. But now she dreaded it no longer. She accepted the fact ofits assuming at will the form of Lady Arabella. She had still totax and upbraid her for her part in the unhappiness which had beenwrought on Lilla, and for her share in causing her death.One evening, when Mimi entered her own room, she went to the windowand threw an eager look round the whole circle of sight. A singleglance satisfied her that the White Worm in propria persona was notvisible. So she sat down in the window-seat and enjoyed thepleasure of a full view, from which she had been so long cut off.The maid who waited on her had told her that Mr. Salton had not yetreturned home, so she felt free to enjoy the luxury of peace andquiet.As she looked out of the window, she saw something thin and whitemove along the avenue. She thought she recognised the figure ofLady Arabella, and instinctively drew back behind the curtain. Whenshe had ascertained, by peeping out several times, that the lady hadnot seen her, she watched more carefully, all her instinctive hatredflooding back at the sight of her. Lady Arabella was moving swiftlyand stealthily, looking back and around her at intervals, as if shefeared to be followed. This gave Mimi an idea that she was up to nogood, so she determined to seize the occasion for watching her inmore detail.Hastily putting on a dark cloak and hat, she ran downstairs and outinto the avenue. Lady Arabella had moved, but the sheen of herwhite dress was still to be seen among the young oaks around thegateway. Keeping in shadow, Mimi followed, taking care not to comeso close as to awake the other's suspicion, and watched her quarrypass along the road in the direction of Castra Regis.She followed on steadily through the gloom of the trees, dependingon the glint of the white dress to keep her right. The wood beganto thicken, and presently, when the road widened and the trees grewfarther back, she lost sight of any indication of her whereabouts.Under the present conditions it was impossible for her to do anymore, so, after waiting for a while, still hidden in the shadow tosee if she could catch another glimpse of the white frock, shedetermined to go on slowly towards Castra Regis, and trust to thechapter of accidents to pick up the trail again. She went onslowly, taking advantage of every obstacle and shadow to keepherself concealed.At last she entered on the grounds of the Castle, at a spot fromwhich the windows of the turret were dimly visible, without havingseen again any sign of Lady Arabella.Meanwhile, during most of the time that Mimi Salton had been movingwarily along in the gloom, she was in reality being followed by LadyArabella, who had caught sight of her leaving the house and hadnever again lost touch with her. It was a case of the hunter beinghunted. For a time Mimi's many turnings, with the natural obstaclesthat were perpetually intervening, caused Lady Arabella sometrouble; but when she was close to Castra Regis, there was no morepossibility of concealment, and the strange double following wentswiftly on.When she saw Mimi close to the hall door of Castra Regis andascending the steps, she followed. When Mimi entered the dark halland felt her way up the staircase, still, as she believed, followingLady Arabella, the latter kept on her way. When they reached thelobby of the turret-rooms, Mimi believed that the object of hersearch was ahead of her.Edgar Caswall sat in the gloom of the great room, occasionallystirred to curiosity when the drifting clouds allowed a little lightto fall from the storm-swept sky. But nothing really interested himnow. Since he had heard of Lilla's death, the gloom of his remorse,emphasised by Mimi's upbraiding, had made more hopeless his cruel,selfish, saturnine nature. He heard no sound, for his normalfaculties seemed benumbed.Mimi, when she came to the door, which stood ajar, gave a light tap.So light was it that it did not reach Caswall's ears. Then, takingher courage in both hands, she boldly pushed the door and entered.As she did so, her heart sank, for now she was face to face with adifficulty which had not, in her state of mental perturbation,occurred to her.