Carmilla | Page 7

add my consolations to those of Madame Perrodon when
Mademoiselle De Lafontaine placed her hand upon my arm, saying:
"Don't approach, one at a time is as much as she can at present
converse with; a very little excitement would possibly overpower her
now."
As soon as she is comfortably in bed, I thought, I will run up to her
room and see her.
My father in the meantime had sent a servant on horseback for the
physician, who lived about two leagues away; and a bedroom was
being prepared for the young lady's reception.
The stranger now rose, and leaning on Madame's arm, walked slowly
over the drawbridge and into the castle gate.
In the hall, servants waited to receive her, and she was conducted

forthwith to her room. The room we usually sat in as our drawing room
is long, having four windows, that looked over the moat and
drawbridge, upon the forest scene I have just described.
It is furnished in old carved oak, with large carved cabinets, and the
chairs are cushioned with crimson Utrecht velvet. The walls are
covered with tapestry, and surrounded with great gold frames, the
figures being as large as life, in ancient and very curious costume, and
the subjects represented are hunting, hawking, and generally festive. It
is not too stately to be extremely comfortable; and here we had our tea,
for with his usual patriotic leanings he insisted that the national
beverage should make its appearance regularly with our coffee and
chocolate.
We sat here this night, and with candles lighted, were talking over the
adventure of the evening.
Madame Perrodon and Mademoiselle De Lafontaine were both of our
party. The young stranger had hardly lain down in her bed when she
sank into a deep sleep; and those ladies had left her in the care of a
servant.
"How do you like our guest?" I asked, as soon as Madame entered.
"Tell me all about her?"
"I like her extremely," answered Madame, "she is, I almost think, the
prettiest creature I ever saw; about your age, and so gentle and nice."
"She is absolutely beautiful," threw in Mademoiselle, who had peeped
for a moment into the stranger's room.
"And such a sweet voice!" added Madame Perrodon.
"Did you remark a woman in the carriage, after it was set up again, who
did not get out," inquired Mademoiselle, "but only looked from the
window?"
"No, we had not seen her."

Then she described a hideous black woman, with a sort of colored
turban on her head, and who was gazing all the time from the carriage
window, nodding and grinning derisively towards the ladies, with
gleaming eyes and large white eyeballs, and her teeth set as if in fury.
"Did you remark what an ill-looking pack of men the servants were?"
asked Madame.
"Yes," said my father, who had just come in, "ugly, hang-dog looking
fellows as ever I beheld in my life. I hope they mayn't rob the poor lady
in the forest. They are clever rogues, however; they got everything to
rights in a minute."
"I dare say they are worn out with too long traveling," said Madame.
"Besides looking wicked, their faces were so strangely lean, and dark,
and sullen. I am very curious, I own; but I dare say the young lady will
tell you all about it tomorrow, if she is sufficiently recovered."
"I don't think she will," said my father, with a mysterious smile, and a
little nod of his head, as if he knew more about it than he cared to tell
us.
This made us all the more inquisitive as to what had passed between
him and the lady in the black velvet, in the brief but earnest interview
that had immediately preceded her departure.
We were scarcely alone, when I entreated him to tell me. He did not
need much pressing.
"There is no particular reason why I should not tell you. She expressed
a reluctance to trouble us with the care of her daughter, saying she was
in delicate health, and nervous, but not subject to any kind of
seizure--she volunteered that--nor to any illusion; being, in fact,
perfectly sane."
"How very odd to say all that!" I interpolated. "It was so unnecessary."

"At all events it was said," he laughed, "and as you wish to know all
that passed, which was indeed very little, I tell you. She then said, 'I am
making a long journey of vital importance--she emphasized the
word--rapid and secret; I shall return for my child in three months; in
the meantime, she will be silent as to who we are, whence we come,
and whither we are traveling.' That is all she said. She spoke very pure
French. When she said the word 'secret,' she paused for