The sad story of a Vampire.
The Sad Story of a Vampire
1894
Count Stenbock Eric
Vampire stories are generally located in Styria; mine is also. Styria is by no
means the romantic kind of place described by those who have certainly never
been there. It is a flat, uninteresting country, only celebrated for its turkeys, its
capons, and the stupidity of its inhabitants. Vampires generally arrive at night, in
carriages drawn by two black horses.
Our Vampire arrived by the commonplace means of the railway train, and in the
afternoon.
You must think I am joking, or perhaps that by the word "Vampire" I mean a
financial vampire.
No, I am quite serious. The Vampire of whom I am speaking, who laid waste our
hearth and home, was a real vampire.
Vampires are generally described as dark, sinister-looking, and singularly
handsome. Our Vampire was, on the contrary, rather fair, and certainly was not at
first sight sinister-looking, and though decidedly attractive in appearance, not
what one would call singularly handsome.
Yes, he desolated our home, killed my brother—the one object of my
adoration—also my dear father. Yet, at the same time, I must say that I myself
came under the spell of his fascination, and, in spite of all, have no ill-will
towards him now.
Doubtless you have read in the papers passim of "the Baroness and her beasts." It
is to tell how I came to spend most of my useless wealth on an asylum for stray
animals that I am writing this.
I am old now; what happened then was when I was a little girl of about thirteen. I
will begin by describing our household. We were Poles: our name was Wronski:
we lived in Styria, where we had a castle. Our household was very limited. It
consisted, with the exclusion of domestics, of only my father, our governess—a
worthy Belgian named Mademoiselle Vonnaert—my brother, and myself. Let me
begin with my father: he was old and both my brother and I were children of his
old age. Of my mother I remember nothing: she died in giving birth to my
brother, who was only one year, or not as much, younger than in self. Our father
was studious, continually occupied in reading books, chiefly on recondite
subjects and in all kinds of unknown languages.
He had a long white beard, and wore habitually a black velvet skull-cap.
How kind he was to us! It was more than I could tell. Still it was not I who was
the favourite.
His whole heart went out to Gabriel—Gabryel as we spelt it in Polish. He was
always called by the Russian abbreviation Gavril—I mean, of course, my brother,
who had a resemblance to the only portrait of my mother, a slight chalk sketch
which hung in my father's study. But I was by no means jealous: my brother was
and has been the only love of my life. It is for his sake that I am now keeping in
Westbourne Park a home for stray cats and dogs.
I was at that time, as I said before, a little girl; my name was Carmela. My long
tangled hair was always all over the place, and never would combed straight. I
was not pretty—at least, looking at a photograph of me at that time. I do not think
I could describe myself as such. Yet at the same time, when I look at the
photograph, I think my expression may have been pleasing to some people:
irregular features, large mouth, and large wild eyes.
I was by way of being naughty—not so naughty Gabriel in the opinion of Mlle
Vonnaert. Mlle Vonnaert. I may intercalate, was a wholly excellent person,
middle-aged, who really did speak good French, although she was a Belgian, and
could also make herself understood in German, which, as you may or may not
know, is the current language of Styria.
I find it difficult to describe my brother Gabriel; there was something about him
strange and superhuman, or perhaps I should rather say praeterhuman, something
between the animal and the divine. Perhaps the Greek idea of the Faun might
illustrate what I mean: but that will not do either. He had large, wild, gazelle-like
eyes: his hair, like mine, was in a perpetual tangle—that point he had in common
with me, and indeed, as I afterwards heard, our mother having been of gipsy race,
it will account for much of the innate wildness there was in our natures. I was
wild enough, but Gabriel was much wilder. Nothing would induce him to put on
shoes and stockings, except on Sundays—when he also allowed his hair to be
combed, but only by me. How shall I describe the grace of that lovely mouth,
shaped verily "en arc d'amour." I always think of the text in the Psalm, "Grace is
shed forth on thy lips, therefore has God blessed thee eternally"— lips that
seemed to exhale the very breath of life. Then that beautiful, lithe, living, elastic
form!
He could run faster than any deer: spring like a squirrel to the topmost branch of
a tree: he might have stood for the sign and symbol of vitality itself. But seldom
could he be induced by Mlle Vonnaert to learn lessons; but when he did so, he
learnt with extraordinary quickness. He would play upon every conceivable
instrument, holding a violin here, there, and everywhere except the right place:
manufacturing instruments for himself out of reeds—even sticks. Mlle Vonnaert
made futile efforts to induce him to learn to play the piano. I suppose he was
what was called spoilt, though merely in the superficial sense of the word. Our
father allowed him to indulge in every caprice.
One of his peculiarities, when quite a little child, was horror at the sight of meat.
Nothing on earth would induce him to taste it. Another thing which was
particularly remarkable about him was his extraordinary power over animals.
Everything seemed to come tame to his hand. Birds would sit on his shoulder.
Then sometimes Mlle Vonnaert and I would lose him in the woods— he would
suddenly dart away. Then we would find him singing softly or whistling to
himself, with all manner of woodland creatures around him—hedgehogs, little
foxes, wild rabbits, marmots, squirrels, and such like. He would frequently bring
these things home with him and insist on keeping them. This strange menagerie
was the terror of poor Mlle Vonnaert's heart. He chose to live in a little room at
the top of a turret; but which, instead of going upstairs, he chose to reach by
means of a very tall chestnut-tree, through the window. But in contradiction of all
his, it was his custom to serve every Sunday Mass in the parish church, with hair
nicely combed and with white surplice and red cassock. He looked as demure and
tamed as possible. Then came the element of the divine. What an expression of
ecstasy there was in those glorious eyes!
Thus far I have not been speaking about the Vampire. However, let me begin
with my narrative at last. One day my father had to go to the neighbouring
town—as he frequently had. This time he returned accompanied by a guest. The
gentleman, he said, had missed his train, through the late arrival of another at our
station, which was a junction, and he would therefore, as trains were not frequent
in our parts, have had to wait there all night. He had joined in conversation with
my father in the too-late-arriving train from the town: and had consequently
accepted my father's invitation to stay the night at our house. But of course, you
know, in those out-of-the-way parts we are almost patriarchal in our hospitality.
He was announced under the name of Count Vardalek—the name being
Hungarian. But he spoke German well enough: not with the monotonous
accentuation of Hungarians, but rather, if anything, with a slight Slavonic
intonation. His voice was peculiarly soft and insinuating. We soon afterwards
found that he could talk Polish, and Mlle Vonnaert vouched for his good French.
Indeed he seemed to know all languages. But let me give my first impressions.
He was rather tall with fair wavy hair, rather long, which accentuated a certain
effeminacy about his smooth face.
His figure had something—I cannot say what—serpentine about it. The features
were refined; and he had long, slender, subtle, magnetic-looking hands, a
somewhat long sinuous nose, a graceful mouth, and an attractive smile, which
belied the intense sadness of the expression of the eyes. When he arrived his eyes
were half closed—indeed they were habitually so—so that I could not decide
their colour. He looked worn and wearied. I could not possibly guess his age.
Suddenly Gabriel burst into the room: a yellow butterfly was clinging to his hair.
He was carrying in his arms a little squirrel. Of course he was barelegged as
usual. The stranger looked up at his approach; then I noticed his eves. They were
green: they seemed to dilate and grow larger. Gabriel stood stock-still, with a
startled look, like that of a bird fascinated by a serpent.
But nevertheless he held out his hand to the newcomer Vardalek, taking his
hand—I don't know why I noticed this trivial thing—pressed the pulse with his
forefinger. Suddenly Gabriel darted from the room and rushed upstairs, going to
his turret-room this time by the staircase instead of the tree. I was in terror what
the Count might think of him. Great was my relief when he came down in his
velvet Sunday suit, and shoes and stockings. I combed his hair, and set him
generally right.
When the stranger came down to dinner his appearance had somewhat altered; he
looked much younger. There was an elasticity of the skin, combined with a
delicate complexion, rarely to be found in a man. Before, he had struck me as
being very pale.
Well, at dinner we were all charmed with him, especially my father. He seemed
to be thoroughly acquainted with all my father's particular hobbies. Once, when
my father was relating some of his military experiences, he said something about
a drummer-boy who was wounded in battle. His eyes opened completely again
and dilated: this time with a particularly disagreeable expression, dull and dead,
yet at the same time animated by some horrible excitement. But this was only
momentary.
The chief subject of his conversation with my father was about certain curious
mystical books which my father had just lately picked up, and which he could not
make out, but Vardalek seemed completely to understand. At dessert-time my
father asked him if he were in a great hurry to reach his destination: if not, would
he not stay with us a little while: though our place was out of the way, he would
find much that would interest him in his library.
He answered, "I am in no hurry. I have no particular reason for going to that
place at all, and if I can be of service to you in deciphering these books, I shall be
only too glad." He added with a smile which was bitter, very very bitter: "You
see I am a cosmopolitan, a wanderer on the face of the earth."
After dinner my father asked him if he played the piano. He said, "Yes, I can a
little," and he sat down at the piano. Then he played a Hungarian csardas—wild,
rhapsodic, wonderful.
That is the music which makes men mad. He went on in the same strain.
Gabriel stood stock-still by the piano, his eyes dilated and fixed, his form
quivering. At last he said very slowly, at one particular motive—for want of a
better word you may call it the relâche of a csardas, by which I mean that point
where the original quasi-slow movement begins again— "Yes, I think I could
play that."
Then he quickly fetched his fiddle and self-made xylophone, and did, actually
alternating the instruments, render the same very well indeed.
Vardalek looked at him, and said in. a very sad voice, "Poor child! you have the
soul of music within you."
I could not understand why he should seem to commiserate instead of
congratulate Gabriel on what certainly showed an extraordinary talent.
Gabriel was shy even as the wild animals who were tame to him. Never before
had he taken to a stranger. Indeed, as a rule, if any stranger came to the house by
any chance, he would hide himself, and I had to bring him up his food to the
turret chamber. You may imagine what was my surprise when I saw him walking
about hand in hand with Vardalek the next morning, in the garden, talking lively
with him, and showing his collection of pet animals, which he had gathered from
the woods, and for which we had had to fit up a regular zoological gardens. He
seemed utterly under the domination of Vardalek. What surprised us was (for
otherwise we liked the stranger, especially for being kind to him) that he seemed,
though not noticeably at first—except perhaps to me, who noticed everything
with regard to him—to be gradually losing his general health and vitality. He did
not become pale as yet; but there was a certain languor about his movements
which certainly there was by no means before.
My father got more and more devoted to Count Vardalek. He helped him in his
studies: and my father would hardly allow him to go away, which he did
sometimes—to Trieste, he said: he always came back, bringing us presents of
strange Oriental jewellery or textures.
I knew all kinds of people came to Trieste, Orientals included. Still, there was a
strangeness and magnificence about these things which I was sure even then
could not possibly have come from such a place as Trieste, memorable to me
chiefly for its necktie shops.
When Vardalek was away, Gabriel was continually asking for him and talking
about him. Then at the same time he seemed to regain his old vitality and spirits.
Vardalek always returned looking much older, wan, and weary. Gabriel would
rush to meet him, and kiss him on the mouth. Then he gave a slight shiver: and
after a little while began to look quite young again.
Things continued like this for some time. My father would not hear of Vardalek's
going away permanently. He came to be an inmate of our house. I indeed, and
Mlle Vonnaert also, could not help noticing what a difference there was
altogether about Gabriel. But my father seemed totally blind to it.
One night I had gone downstairs to fetch something which I had left in the
drawing-room. As I was going up again I passed Vardalek's room. He was
playing on a piano, which had been specially put there for him, one of Chopin's
nocturnes, very beautifully: I stopped, leaning on the banisters to listen.
Something white appeared on the dark staircase. We believed in ghosts in our
part. I was transfixed with terror, and clung to the baIlisters. What was my
astonishment to see Gabriel walking slowly down the staircase, his eyes fixed as
though in a trance! This terrified me even more than a ghost would. Could I
believe my senses? Could that be Gabriel?
I simply could not move. Gabriel, clad in his long white night-shirt, came
downstairs and opened the door. He left it open. Vardalek still continued playing,
but talked as he played.
He said—this time speaking in Polish—Nie umiem wyrazic jak ciechi kocham—
"My darling, I fain would spare thee: but thy life is my life, and I must live, I
who would rather die. Will God not have any mercy on me? Oh! Oh! life; oh, the
torture of life!" Here he struck one agonized and strange chord, then continued
playing softly, "O, Gabriel, my beloved! my life, yes life—oh, why life? I am
sure this is but a little that I demand of thee. Sorely thy superabundance of life
can spare little to one who is already dead. No, stay," he said now almost harshly,
"what must be, must be!"
Gabriel stood there quite still, with the same fixed vacant expression, in the
room. He was evidently walking in his sleep. Vardalek played on: then said,
"Ah!" with a sign of terrible agony. Then very gently, ''Go now, Gabriel; it is
enough." And Gabriel went out of the room.and ascended the staircase at the
same slow pace, with the same unconscious stare. Vardalek struck the piano, and
although he did not play loudly, it seemed as though the strings would break.
You never heard music so strange and so heart-rending!
I only know I was found by Mlle Vonnaert in the morning, in an unconscious
state, at the foot of the stairs. Was it a dream after all? I am sure now that it was
not. I thought then it might be, and said nothing to anyone about it. Indeed, what
could I say?
Well, to let me cut a long story short, Gabriel, who had never known a moment's
sickness in his life, grew ill: and we had to send to Gratz for a doctor, who could
give no explanation of Gabriel's strange illness. Gradual wasting away, he said:
absolutely no organic complaint. What could this mean?
My father at last became conscious of the fact that Gabriel was ill. His anxiety
was fearful. The last trace of grey faded from his hair, and it became quite white.
We sent to Vienna for doctors.
But all with the same result.
Gabriel was generally unconscious, and when conscious, only seemed to
recognize Vardalek, who sat continually by his bedside, nursing him with the
utmost tenderness.
One day I was alone in the room: and Vardalek cried suddenly, almost fiercely,
"Send for a priest at once, at once," he repeated. "It is now almost too late!"
Gabriel stretched out his arms spasmodically, and put them round Vardalek's
neck. This was the only movement he had made, for some time. Vardalek bent
down and kissed him on the lips.
I rushed downstairs: and the priest was sent for. When I came back Vardalek was
not there. The priest administered extreme unction. I think Gabriel was already
dead, although we did not think so at the time.
Vardalek had utterly disappeared; and when we looked for him he was nowhere
to be found; nor have I seen or heard of him since.
My father died very soon afterwards: suddenly aged, and bent down with grief.
And so the whole of the Wronski property came into my sole possession. And
here I am, an old woman, generally laughed at for keeping, in memory of
Gabriel, an asylum for stray animals—and— people do not, as a rule, believe in
Vampires!