Speaker 1: Cool Zone Media book Club book Club. It's not as
Speaker 1: fun when I'm the only one here doing that chant.
Speaker 1: Oh well, I can do it anyway. Book Club, book Club,
Speaker 1: book Club. It's the Cool Zone Media. Book Club, your
Speaker 1: weekly fiction podcast that you get on a couple of
Speaker 1: different podcast feeds. I'm your host, Margaret Kiljoy, And last
Speaker 1: week we started to tell you the story of the Vampire.
Speaker 1: The vampire story that's old enough, you know eighteen nineteen
Speaker 1: that it's the vampire not a vampire, or like Lord Ruthven,
Speaker 1: the Destroyer of all innocence aka Lord Byron, who I
Speaker 1: may or may not be sleeping with and am jealous
Speaker 1: of the ways that he lives his life, or Lord
Speaker 1: Byron's an absolute terrible monster. I don't know whatever he's
Speaker 1: certainly being presented this one. It's hard to know because
Speaker 1: of the mists of time. But when we last left,
Speaker 1: our hero Aubrey had been traveling with Lord Ruthven and
Speaker 1: then was like, you know what, this is no good
Speaker 1: for me. You're kind of a terrible person. And so
Speaker 1: then he's in Greece and like he's you know, interested
Speaker 1: in this lady and she's like, I'm afraid of vampires.
Speaker 1: And he's like, don't be silly, I'm going to go
Speaker 1: out a night into the vampire lands. And then he
Speaker 1: comes across her being killed by a vampire, and he's
Speaker 1: very nearly killed himself when he's saved by the people
Speaker 1: who are out looking for aante. His his dead love interest.
Speaker 1: That's where we left it. Oh, and he has a
Speaker 1: dagger that he found of peculiar construction. Aubrey, being put
Speaker 1: to bed, was seized with the most violent fever and
Speaker 1: was often delirious. In these intervals, he would call upon
Speaker 1: Lord Ruthven and upon Ayonte. By some unaccountable combination, he
Speaker 1: seemed to beg of his former companion to spare the
Speaker 1: being he loved. At other times he would imprecate maledictions
Speaker 1: upon his head and curse him as her destroyer. Lord
Speaker 1: Ruthven chanced at this time to arrive at Athens, and,
Speaker 1: from whatever motive, upon hearing of the state of Aubrey,
Speaker 1: immediately placed himself in the same house and became his
Speaker 1: constant attendant. When the latter recovered from his delirium, he
Speaker 1: was horrified and startled at the sight of him, whose
Speaker 1: image he had now combined with that of a vampire.
Speaker 1: But Lord Ruthven, by his kind words, implying almost repentance
Speaker 1: for the fault that had caused their separation, and still
Speaker 1: more by the attention, anxiety and care which he showed,
Speaker 1: soon reconciled him to his presence. His lordship seemed quite changed.
Speaker 1: He no longer appeared that apathetic being who had so
Speaker 1: astonished Aubrey. But as soon as his convalescences began to
Speaker 1: be rapid, he again gradually retired into the same state
Speaker 1: of mind, and Aubrey perceived no difference from the former man,
Speaker 1: except that at times he was surprised to meet his
Speaker 1: gaze fixed intently upon him, with a smile of malicious
Speaker 1: exultation played upon his lips. He knew not why, but
Speaker 1: this smile haunted him. During the last stage of the
Speaker 1: invalid's recovery, Lord Ruthven was apparently engaged in watching the
Speaker 1: tideless waves raised by the cooling breeze, or in marking
Speaker 1: the progress of those orbs circling like our world the
Speaker 1: moveless sun. Indeed, he appeared to wish to avoid the
Speaker 1: eyes of all. Aubrey's mind by this shock was much weakened,
Speaker 1: and that elasticity of spirit, which had once so distinguished him,
Speaker 1: now seemed to have fled forever. He was now as
Speaker 1: much a lover of solitude and silence as Lord Ruthven.
Speaker 1: But much as he wished for solitude, his mind could
Speaker 1: not find it in the neighborhood of Athens. If he
Speaker 1: sought it amidst the ruins he had formerly frequented Ayanthe's
Speaker 1: form stood by his side. If he sought it in
Speaker 1: the woods, her light step would appear, wandering amidst the
Speaker 1: underwood in quest of the modest violet, and suddenly, turning round,
Speaker 1: would show to his wild imagination her pale face and
Speaker 1: wounded throat, with a smile upon her lips. He determined
Speaker 1: to fly scenes, every feature of which created such bitter
Speaker 1: associations in his mind. He proposed to Lord Ruthven, to
Speaker 1: whom he held himself bound by the tender care he
Speaker 1: had taken of him during his illness, that they should
Speaker 1: visit those parts of Greece neither had yet seen. They
Speaker 1: traveled in every direction, and soon sought every spot to
Speaker 1: which a recollection could be attached. But though that they
Speaker 1: had hastened from place to place, yet they seemed not
Speaker 1: to heed what they gazed upon, they heard much of robbers,
Speaker 1: but they gradually began to slight those reports, which they
Speaker 1: imagined were only the invention of individuals whose interest was
Speaker 1: to excite the generosity of those whom they defended from
Speaker 1: pretended dangers. In consequence of thus neglecting the advice the inhabitants,
Speaker 1: on one occasion, they traveled with only a few guards,
Speaker 1: more to serve as guides than as defense. Upon entering, however,
Speaker 1: a narrow defile at the bottom of which was the
Speaker 1: beda a torrent, with large masses of rocks brought down
Speaker 1: from the neighboring precipices, they had a reason to repent
Speaker 1: their negligence, for scarcely were the whole of the party
Speaker 1: engaged in the narrow paths when they were startled by
Speaker 1: the whistling of bullets close to their heads and by
Speaker 1: the echoed report of several guns. In an instant, their
Speaker 1: guards had left them, and, placing themselves behind rocks, had
Speaker 1: begun to fire in the direction. Whence the report came.
Speaker 1: Lord Ruthven and Aubrey, imitating their example, retired for a
Speaker 1: moment behind the sheltering turn of the defile, but ashamed
Speaker 1: of being thus detained by a foe, who, with insulting
Speaker 1: shouts bade them advance, and being exposed to unresisting slaughter
Speaker 1: if any of the robbers should climb above and take
Speaker 1: them in their rear, they determined at once to rush
Speaker 1: forward in search of the enemy. Hardly had they lost
Speaker 1: the shelter of the rock when Lord Ruthven received a
Speaker 1: shot in the shoulder which brought him to the ground.
Speaker 1: Aubrey hastened to his assistants, and, no longer heeding the
Speaker 1: contest or his own pairs, girl was soon surprised by
Speaker 1: seeing the robbers faces around him. His guards, having upon
Speaker 1: Lord Ruthven's being wounded, immediately thrown up their arms and
Speaker 1: surrendered by promises of great reward. Aubrey soon induced them
Speaker 1: to convey his wounded friend to a neighboring cabin, and,
Speaker 1: having agreed upon a ransom, he was no more disturbed
Speaker 1: by their presence, they being content merely to guard the
Speaker 1: entrance till their comrade should return with the promised sum
Speaker 1: for which he had an order. Lord Ruthven's strength rapidly decreased.
Speaker 1: In two days, mortification ensued, and death seemed advancing. With
Speaker 1: hasty steps. His conduct and appearance had not changed. He
Speaker 1: seemed as unconscious of pain as he had been of
Speaker 1: the objects about him. But towards the close of the
Speaker 1: last evening his mind became apparently uneasy, and his eye
Speaker 1: often fixed upon Aubrey, who was induced to offer his
Speaker 1: assistance with more than usual earnestness. Assist me. You may
Speaker 1: save me. You may do more than that. I mean
Speaker 1: not my life, the death of my existence, as little
Speaker 1: as that of the passing day. But you may save
Speaker 1: my honor, your friend's honor. How tell me how I
Speaker 1: would do anything, replied Aubrey. I need but little my life,
Speaker 1: ebbs apace. I cannot explain the whole. But if you
Speaker 1: would conceal all you know of me, my honor were
Speaker 1: free from stain in the world's mouth. And if my
Speaker 1: death were unknown for some time in England, I I
Speaker 1: but life it shall not be known. Swear, cried the
Speaker 1: dying man, raising himself with exultant violence. Swear by all
Speaker 1: your soul, revers by all your nature fears. Swear that
Speaker 1: for a year and a day you will not impart
Speaker 1: your knowledge of my crimes or death to any living
Speaker 1: being in any way whatever may happen, or whatever you
Speaker 1: may see, his eyes seem bursting from their sockets, I swear,
Speaker 1: said Aubrey. He sunk, laughing upon his pillar, and breathed
Speaker 1: no more. Aubrey retired to rest, but did not sleep.
Speaker 1: The many circumstances attending his acquaintance with this man rose
Speaker 1: upon his mind, and he knew not why. When he
Speaker 1: remembered his oath, a cold shivering came over him, as
Speaker 1: if from the presentiment of something horrible awaiting him. Rising
Speaker 1: early in the morning, he was about to enter the
Speaker 1: hovel in which he had left the corpse, when a
Speaker 1: robber met him and informed him that it was no
Speaker 1: longer there, having been conveyed by himself and comrades upon
Speaker 1: his retiring to the pinnacle of a neighboring mount, according
Speaker 1: to a promise they had given his lordship that it
Speaker 1: should be exposed to the first cold ray of the
Speaker 1: moon that rose after his death. Aubrey, astonished, and taking
Speaker 1: several of the men, determined to go and bury it
Speaker 1: upon the spot where it lay. But when they had
Speaker 1: mounted to the summit, he found no trace of either
Speaker 1: the corpse or the clothes. Though the robbers swore they
Speaker 1: pointed out the identical rock upon which they had laid
Speaker 1: the body. For a time his mind was bewildered in conjectures,
Speaker 1: but at last he returned convinced that they had buried
Speaker 1: the corpse for the sake of the clothes. And if
Speaker 1: you want to buy new clothes, buy them from our
Speaker 1: sponsors whatever else is being advertised to, just ask them
Speaker 1: for clothes. Be like, but do you sell clothes and
Speaker 1: buy clothes from them? There's those ads for clothing, And
Speaker 1: we're back. Weary of a country in which he had
Speaker 1: met with such terrible misfortunes, and which all apparently conspired
Speaker 1: to heighten that superstitious melancholy that had seized upon his mind,
Speaker 1: he resolved to leave it, and soon arrived at Smyrna.
Speaker 1: While waiting for a vessel to convey him to Ontronto
Speaker 1: or to Naples, he occupied himself in arranging those effects
Speaker 1: he had with him belonging to Lord Ruthven. Amongst other things,
Speaker 1: there was a case containing several weapons of offense, more
Speaker 1: or less adapted to ensure the death of the victim.
Speaker 1: There were several daggers and attigans. An atagan as a
Speaker 1: Southwest Asian sword whilst turning them over and examining their
Speaker 1: curious forms. What was his surprise at finding a sheath
Speaker 1: apparently ornamented in the same style as the dagger discovered
Speaker 1: in the Fatal Hut. He shuddered, hastening to gain further proof.
Speaker 1: He found the weapon, and his horror may be imagined
Speaker 1: when he discovered that it fitted, though peculiarly shaped, the
Speaker 1: sheath he held in his hand. His eyes seemed to
Speaker 1: need no further certainty. They seemed gazing to be bound
Speaker 1: to the dagger. Yet still he wished to disbelieve. But
Speaker 1: the particular form, the same varying tints upon the haft
Speaker 1: and sheath were alike in splendor on both and left
Speaker 1: no room for doubt. There were also drops of blood
Speaker 1: on each. He left Smyrna, and on his way home
Speaker 1: at Rome, his first inquiries were concerning the lady he
Speaker 1: had attempted to snatch from Lord Ruthven's seductive arts. Her
Speaker 1: parents were in distress, their fortune ruined, and she had
Speaker 1: not been heard of since the departure of his lordship.
Speaker 1: Aubrey's mind became almost broken under so many repeated horrors.
Speaker 1: He was afraid that this lady had fallen a victim
Speaker 1: to the destroyer of Eanthe. He became morose and silent,
Speaker 1: and his only occupation consisted in urging the speed of
Speaker 1: his postilions, as if he were going to save the
Speaker 1: life of someone he held dear. He arrived in Calais.
Speaker 1: A breeze which seemed obedient to his will, soon wafted
Speaker 1: him to the English shores, and he hastened to the
Speaker 1: mansion of his father's, and there, for a moment appeared
Speaker 1: to lose in the embraces and caresses of his sister
Speaker 1: all memory of the past. If she before, by her
Speaker 1: infantine caresses had gained his affection, now that the woman
Speaker 1: began to appear, she was still more attaching. As a companion.
Speaker 1: Miss Aubrey had not that winning grace which gains the
Speaker 1: grays and applause of the drawing room assemblies. There was
Speaker 1: none of that light brilliancy which only exists in the
Speaker 1: heated atmosphere of a crowded apartment. Her blue eye was
Speaker 1: never lit up by the levity of the mind beneath.
Speaker 1: There was a melancholy charm about it, which did not
Speaker 1: seem to arise from misfortune, but from some feeling within
Speaker 1: that appeared to indicate a sole conscious of a brighter realm.
Speaker 1: Her step was not that light footing which strays where'er
Speaker 1: a butterfly or a color may attract. It was sedate
Speaker 1: and pensive when alone, Her face was never brighted by
Speaker 1: the smile of joy. But when her brother breathed to
Speaker 1: her his affection, and would, in her presence forget those
Speaker 1: griefs she knew destroyed his rest, who would have exchanged
Speaker 1: her smile for that of a voluptuary. It seemed as
Speaker 1: if those eyes that face were then playing in the
Speaker 1: light of their own native sphere. She was yet only eighteen,
Speaker 1: and had not been presented to the world. It having
Speaker 1: been thought by her guardians more or fit that her
Speaker 1: presentation should be delayed until her brother's return from the continent,
Speaker 1: when he might be her protector. It was now therefore
Speaker 1: resolved that the next drawing room, which was fast approaching,
Speaker 1: should be the epoch of her entry into the busy scene.
Speaker 1: Aubrey would rather have remained in the mansion of his
Speaker 1: father's and fed upon the melancholy which overpowered him. He
Speaker 1: could not feel interest about the friviolities of fashionable strangers
Speaker 1: when his mind had been so torn by the events
Speaker 1: he had witnessed, but he determined to sacrifice his own
Speaker 1: comfort for the protection of his sister. They soon arrived
Speaker 1: in town and prepared for the next day, which had
Speaker 1: been announced as a drawing room. The crowd was excessive,
Speaker 1: a drawing room had not been held for a long time,
Speaker 1: and all who were anxious to bask in the smile
Speaker 1: of royalty hastened thither. Aubrey was there with his sister.
Speaker 1: While he was standing in a corner by himself, heedless
Speaker 1: of all around him, engaged in the remembrance of the
Speaker 1: first time he had seen Lord Ruthven was in that
Speaker 1: very place, he felt himself suddenly seized by the arm
Speaker 1: and a voice he recognized too well sounded in his ear.
Speaker 1: Remember your oath. He had hardly courage to turn, fearful
Speaker 1: of seeing a specter that would blast him. When he perceived,
Speaker 1: at a little distance the same figure which had attracted
Speaker 1: his notice on this spot upon his first entry into society,
Speaker 1: he gazed till his limbs almost refused to bear their weight.
Speaker 1: He was obliged to take the arm of a friend,
Speaker 1: and forcing a passage through the crowd, he threw himself
Speaker 1: into his carriage and was driven home. He paced the
Speaker 1: room with hurried steps and fixed his hands upon his head,
Speaker 1: as if he were afraid. His thoughts were bursting from
Speaker 1: his brain. Lord Ruthven again before him. Circumstance started up
Speaker 1: in dreadful array, the dagger his oath. He roused himself.
Speaker 1: He could not believe it possible the dead rise again.
Speaker 1: He thought his imagination had conjured up the image his
Speaker 1: mind was resting upon. It was impossible that it could
Speaker 1: be real. He determined therefore to go again into society.
Speaker 1: For though he attempted to ask concerning Lord Ruthven, the
Speaker 1: name hung upon his lips and he could not succeed
Speaker 1: in gaining information. He went a few nights after his
Speaker 1: sister to the assembly of a near relation, leaving her
Speaker 1: under the protection of a matron. He retired into a
Speaker 1: recess and there gave himself up to his own devouring thoughts.
Speaker 1: Perceiving at last that many were leaving, he roused himself, and,
Speaker 1: entering another room, found his sister surrounded by several apparently
Speaker 1: in earnest conversation. He attempted to pass and get near her,
Speaker 1: when one whom he had requested to move, turned round,
Speaker 1: and revealed to him those features he most abhorred. He
Speaker 1: sprang forward, seized his sister's arm, and with hurried step,
Speaker 1: forced her towards the street. At the door, he found
Speaker 1: himself impeded by a crowd of servants who were waiting
Speaker 1: for their lords. And while he was engaged in passing them,
Speaker 1: he again heard the voice whisper close to him, Remember
Speaker 1: your oath. He did not dare to turn, but, hurrying
Speaker 1: to his sister, soon reached home. Aubrey became almost distracted.
Speaker 1: If before his mind had been absorbed by one subject,
Speaker 1: how much more completely it was engrossed now that the
Speaker 1: certainty of the monster's living again pressed upon his thoughts.
Speaker 1: His sister's attentions were now unheeded, and it was in
Speaker 1: vain that she entreated him to explain to her what
Speaker 1: had caused his abrupt conduct. He only uttered a few words,
Speaker 1: and those terrified her. The more he thought, the more
Speaker 1: he was bewildered. His oath startled him. Was he then
Speaker 1: to allow this monster to roam bearing ruin upon his
Speaker 1: breath amidst all he held dear, and not avert its progress.
Speaker 1: His very sister might have been touched by him. But
Speaker 1: even if he were to break his oath and disclose
Speaker 1: his suspicions, who would believe him. He soon thought of
Speaker 1: employing his own hand to free the world from such
Speaker 1: a wretch. But death, he remembered, had already been mocked.
Speaker 1: For days, he remembered, in his state, shut up in
Speaker 1: his room, he saw no one, and ate only when
Speaker 1: his sister came, who, with eyes streaming from her tears,
Speaker 1: besought him for her sake to support nature. At last,
Speaker 1: no longer capable of bearing stillness and solitude, he left
Speaker 1: his house roamed from street to street, anxious to fly
Speaker 1: that image which haunted him. His dress became neglected, and
Speaker 1: he wandered oz as often exposed to the noonday sun
Speaker 1: as to the midnight damps, he was no longer to
Speaker 1: be recognized. At first He returned with the evening to
Speaker 1: the house, but at last he laid him down to
Speaker 1: rest wherever fatigue overtook him. His sister, anxious for his safety,
Speaker 1: employed people to follow him, but they were soon distanced
Speaker 1: by him, who fled from a pursuer swifter than any
Speaker 1: From thought. His conduct, however, soon suddenly changed, struck with
Speaker 1: the idea that he had left by his absence the
Speaker 1: whole of his friends, with a fiend amongst them, of
Speaker 1: whose presence they were unconscious. He determined to enter again
Speaker 1: into society to watch him closely, anxious to forewarn, in
Speaker 1: spite of his oath, all all whom Lord Ruthven approached
Speaker 1: with intimacy. But when he entered into a room, his
Speaker 1: haggard and suspicious looks were so striking, his inward shuddering
Speaker 1: so visible, that his sister was at last obliged to
Speaker 1: beg of him to abstain from seeking, for her sake
Speaker 1: a society which affected him so strongly. When, however, remonstrance
Speaker 1: proved unavailing, the guardians thought proper to interpose, and, fearing
Speaker 1: that his mind was becoming alienated, they thought it high
Speaker 1: time to resume again that trust which had been before
Speaker 1: imposed upon them by Aubrey's parents. It's also high time
Speaker 1: that you hear from today's sponsors and Rebecca. Desirous of
Speaker 1: saving him from the injuries and sufferings he had daily
Speaker 1: encountered in his wanderings, and preventing him from exposing to
Speaker 1: the general eye those marks of what they considered folly,
Speaker 1: they engaged a physician to reside in the house and
Speaker 1: take constant care of him. He hardly appeared to notice it,
Speaker 1: so completely was his mind absorbed by one terrible subject.
Speaker 1: His incoherence became at last so great that he was
Speaker 1: confined to his chamber. There he would often lie for days,
Speaker 1: incapable of being roused. He had become emaciated, his eyes
Speaker 1: had attained a glassy luster. The only sign of affection
Speaker 1: and recollection remaining displayed itself upon the entry of his sister.
Speaker 1: Then he would sometimes start and seizing her hands with
Speaker 1: looks that severely afflicted her. He would desire her not
Speaker 1: to touch him. Oh, do not touch him. If your
Speaker 1: love for me is aught, do not go near him. When, however,
Speaker 1: she inquired to whom he referred, his only answer was true, true,
Speaker 1: And again he sank into a state whence not even
Speaker 1: she could him. This lasted many months. Gradually, however, as
Speaker 1: the year was passing, his incoherences became less frequent, and
Speaker 1: his mind threw off a portion of its gloom. Whilst
Speaker 1: his guardians observed that several times in the day he
Speaker 1: would count upon his fingers a definite number, then smile.
Speaker 1: The time had nearly elapsed. Then, when, upon the last
Speaker 1: day of the year, one of his guardians, entering his room,
Speaker 1: began to converse with his physician upon the melancholy circumstances
Speaker 1: of Aubrey's being in so awful a situation when his
Speaker 1: sister was going next day to be married. Instantly Aubrey's
Speaker 1: attention was attracted. He asked anxiously to whom glad of
Speaker 1: this mark of returning intellect, of which they feared he
Speaker 1: had been deprived. They mentioned the name of the Earl
Speaker 1: of Marsden, thinking this was a young earl whom he
Speaker 1: had met with in society. Aubrey seemed pleased, and astonished
Speaker 1: them still more by his expressing his attention to be
Speaker 1: present of the nuptials and desiring to see his sister.
Speaker 1: They answered not, But in a few minutes his sister
Speaker 1: was with him. He was apparently again incapable of being
Speaker 1: affected by the influence of a loving smile, for he
Speaker 1: pressed her to his breast and kissed her cheek. Wet
Speaker 1: with tears flowing at the thought of her brother's being
Speaker 1: once more alive to the feelings of affection. He began
Speaker 1: to speak with all his wonted warmth, and to congratulate
Speaker 1: her upon her marriage with a person so distinguished for
Speaker 1: rank and every accomplishment. When he suddenly perceived a locket
Speaker 1: upon her breast, opening it, what was his surprise at
Speaker 1: beholding the features of the monster who had so long
Speaker 1: influenced his life. He seized the portrait in a paroxym
Speaker 1: of rage and trampled it under foot. Upon her asking
Speaker 1: him why he thus destroyed the resemblance of her future husband,
Speaker 1: He looked as if he did not understand her. Then,
Speaker 1: seizing her hands, gazing on her with a frantic expression
Speaker 1: of countenance, he bade her swear that she would never
Speaker 1: wed this monster for he. But he could not advance.
Speaker 1: It seemed as if the voice again bade him remember
Speaker 1: his oath. He turned suddenly round, thinking Lord Ruthven was
Speaker 1: near him, but saw no one. In the meantime, the
Speaker 1: guardians and physician, who had heard the whole and thought
Speaker 1: this was but a return of his disorder, entered and
Speaker 1: forcing him, for Miss Aubrey desired her to leave him.
Speaker 1: He fell upon his knees to them, he implored, He
Speaker 1: begged of them to delay, but for one day. They,
Speaker 1: attributing this to the insanity, they imagined had taken possession
Speaker 1: of his mind, endeavored to pacify him, and retired. Lord
Speaker 1: Ruthven had called the morning after the drawing room, and
Speaker 1: had been refused with everyone else. When he heard of
Speaker 1: Aubrey's ill health, he readily understood himself to be the
Speaker 1: cause of it. But when he learned that he was
Speaker 1: deemed insane, his exultation and pleasure could hardly be concealed
Speaker 1: from those among whom he had gained this information. He
Speaker 1: hastened to the house of his former companion, and, by
Speaker 1: constant attendants and pretense of great affection for his brother
Speaker 1: and interest in his fate, he gradually won the ear
Speaker 1: of Miss Aubrey, who could resist his power, his tongue
Speaker 1: at dangers and toils to recount, could speak of himself
Speaker 1: as an individual, having no sympathy with any being on
Speaker 1: the crowded earth, save with her, to whom he addressed himself,
Speaker 1: could tell how, since he knew her, his existence had
Speaker 1: begun to seem worthy of preservation, if it were merely
Speaker 1: that he might listen to her soothing accents. In fine,
Speaker 1: he knew so well how to use the serpent's act,
Speaker 1: or such was the will of fate that he gained
Speaker 1: her affections, the title of the elder branch falling at
Speaker 1: length to him. He obtained an important embassy, which served
Speaker 1: as an excuse for hastening the marriage in spite of
Speaker 1: her brother's deranged state, which was to take place the
Speaker 1: very day before his departure for the continent. Aubrey, when
Speaker 1: he was left by the physician and his guardians, attempted
Speaker 1: to bribe the servants, but in vain he asked for
Speaker 1: pen and paper. It was given him a letter to
Speaker 1: his sister, conjuring her, as she valued her own happiness,
Speaker 1: her own honor, and the honor of those now in
Speaker 1: the grave who once held her in their arms, and
Speaker 1: the hope of their house, to delay but for a
Speaker 1: few hours that marriage, on which he denounced the most
Speaker 1: heavy curses. The servants promised they would deliver it, but
Speaker 1: giving it to the physician, he thought it better not
Speaker 1: to harass any more the mind of miss Aubrey by
Speaker 1: what he considered the ravings of a maniac. Night passed
Speaker 1: on without rest to the busy inmates of the house,
Speaker 1: and Aubrey heard with a horror that may more easily
Speaker 1: be convinced than described the notes of busy preparation. Morning
Speaker 1: came and the sound of carriages broke upon his ear.
Speaker 1: Aubrey grew almost frantic the curiosity of the servants. At
Speaker 1: last overcame their vigilance. They gradually stole away, leaving him
Speaker 1: in the custody of a helpless old woman. He seized
Speaker 1: the opportunity. With one bound, he was out of the
Speaker 1: room in a moment. He found himself in the apartment
Speaker 1: where all were nearly assembled. Lord Ruthven was the first
Speaker 1: to perceive him. He immediately approached, and taking his arm
Speaker 1: by force, hurried him from the room, speechless with rage.
Speaker 1: When on the staircase, Lord Ruthven whispered in his ear,
Speaker 1: remember your oath, and know if not my bride to day,
Speaker 1: your sister is dishonored. Women are frail, so saying, he
Speaker 1: pushed himself towards his attendants, who, roused by the old woman,
Speaker 1: had come in search of him. Aubrey could no longer
Speaker 1: support himself. His rage, not finding vent, had broken a
Speaker 1: blood vessel, and he was conveyed to bed. This was
Speaker 1: not mentioned to his sister, who was not present when
Speaker 1: he entered, as the physician was afraid of agitating her.
Speaker 1: The marriage was solemnized and the bride and bridegroom left London.
Speaker 1: Aubrey's weakness increased, the effusion of blood produced symptoms of
Speaker 1: the near approach of death. He desired his sister's guardians
Speaker 1: might be called, and when the midnight hour had struck
Speaker 1: he related composedly what the reader has perused. He died
Speaker 1: immediately after. The guardians hastened to protect miss Aubrey, but
Speaker 1: when they arrived it was too late. Lord Ruthven had disappeared,
Speaker 1: and Aubrey's sister had glutted the thirst of a vampire.
Speaker 1: In case anyone's curious, vampires in all caps in that
Speaker 1: last line, that's the end of the story. That's the
Speaker 1: first vampire story. There's other vampire stories that come before,
Speaker 1: but this is the first that is recognizably the aristocratic vampire.
Speaker 1: I already told you all of this at the beginning,
Speaker 1: and I would also say, I guess it's a lesson
Speaker 1: to all of us. Don't sign nine non disclosure agreements
Speaker 1: or exclusivity clauses. I mean, I don't know. Maybe I have,
Speaker 1: maybe I haven't. Maybe there's a vampire I'm not telling
Speaker 1: you about. Maybe that Vampire works for cool Zone Media,
Speaker 1: but I can't say channel. It could Happen here as
Speaker 1: a production of cool Zone Media. For more podcasts from
Speaker 1: cool Zone Media, visit our website coolzonemedia dot com or
Speaker 1: check us out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
Speaker 1: wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find sources for
Speaker 1: It could Happen Here, updated monthly at coolzonemedia dot com
Speaker 1: slash sources. Thanks for listening.