The Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker (books to read in your 20s TXT) 📕
- Author: Bram Stoker
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“From first to last the cryptic writing and symbolism of that wondrous
tomb of that wondrous woman is fullof guiding light; and the key of the
many mysteries lies in that most wondrous Jewel which she held in her
dead hand over the dead heart, which she hoped and believed would beat
again in a newer and nobler world!
“There are only loose ends now to consider. Margaret has given us the
true inwardness of the feeling of the other Queen!” He looked at her
fondly, and stroked her hand as he said it. “For my own part I
sincerely hope she is right; for in such case it will be a joy, I am
sure, to all of us to assist at such a realisation of hope. But we must
not go too fast, or believe too much in our present state of knowledge.
The voice that we hearken for comes out of times strangely other than
our own; when human life counted for little, and when the morality of
the time made little account of the removing of obstacles in the way to
achievement of desire. We must keep our eyes fixed on the scientific
side, and wait for the developments on the psychic side.
“Now, as to this stone box, which we call the Magic Coffer. As I have
said, I am convinced that it opens only in obedience to some principle
of light, or the exercise of some of its forces at present unknown to
us. There is here much ground for conjecture and for experiment; for as
yet the scientists have not thoroughly differentiated the kinds, and
powers, and degrees of light. Without analysing various rays we may, I
think, take it for granted that there are different qualities and powers
of light; and this great field of scientific investigation is almost
virgin soil. We know as yet so little of natural forces, that
imagination need set no bounds to its flights in considering the
possibilities of the future. Within but a few years we have made such
discoveries as two centuries ago would have sent the discoverer’s to the
flames. The liquefaction of oxygen; the existence of radium, of helium,
of polonium, of argon; the different powers of Rontgen and Cathode and
Bequerel rays. And as we may finally prove that there are different
kinds and qualities of light, so we may find tht combustion may have its
own powers of differentiation; that there are qualities in some flames
non-existent in others. It may be that some of the essential conditions
of substance are continuous, even in the destruction of their bases.
Last night I was thinking of this, and reasoning that as there are
certain qualities in some oils which are not in others, so there may be
certain similar or corresponding qualities or powers in the combinations
of each. I suppose we have all noticed some time or other that the
light of colza oil is not quite the same as that of paraffin, or that
the flames of coal gas and whale oil are different. They find it so in
the light-houses! All at once it occurred to me that there might be some
special virtue in the oil which had been found in the jars when Queen
Tera’s tomb was opened. These had not been used to preserve the
intestines as usual, so they must have been placed there for some other
purpose. I remembered that in Van Huyn’s narrative he had commented on
the way the jars were sealed. This was lightly, though effectually;
they could be opened without force. The jars were themselves preserved
in a sarcophagus which, though of immense strength and hermetically
sealed, could be opened easily. Accordingly, I went at once to examine
the jars. A little—a very little of the oil still remained, but it had
grown thick in the two and a half centuries in which the jars had been
open. Still, it was not rancid; and on examining it I found it was
cedar oil, and that it still exhaled something of its original aroma.
This gave me the idea that it was to be used to fill the lamps. Whoever
had placed the oil in the jars, and the jars in the sarcophagus, knew
that there might be shrinkage in process of time, even in vases of
alabaster, and fully allowed for it; for each of the jars would have
filled the lamps half a dozen times. With part of the oil remaining I
made some experiments, therefore, which may give useful results. You
know, Doctor, that cedar oil, which was much used in the preparation and
ceremonials of the Egyptian dead, has a certain refractive power which
we do not find in other oils. For instance, we use it on the lenses of
our microscopes to give additional clearness of vision. Last night I
put some in one of the lamps, and placed it near a translucent part of
the Magic Coffer. The effect was very great; the glow of light within
was fuller and more intense than I could have imagined, where an
electric light similarly placed had little, if any, effect. I should
have tried others of the seven lamps, but that my supply of oil ran out.
This, however, is on the road to rectification. I have sent for more
cedar oil, and expect to have before long an ample supply. Whatever may
happen from other causes, our experiment shall not, at all events, fail
from this. We shall see! We shall see!”
Doctor Winchester had evidently been following the logical process of
the other’s mind, for his comment was:
“I do hope that when the light is effective in opening the box, the
mechanism will not be impaired or destroyed.”
His doubt as to this gave anxious thought to some of us.
In the evening Mr. Trelawny took again the whole party into the study.
When we were all attention he began to unfold his plans:
“I have come to the conclusion that for the proper carrying out of what
we will call our Great Experiment we must have absolute and complete
isolation. Isolation not merely for a day or two, but for as long as we
may require. Here such a thing would be impossible; the needs and
habits of a great city with its ingrained possibilities of interruption,
would, or might, quite upset us. Telegrams, registered letters, or
express messengers would alone be sufficient; but the great army of
those who want to get something would make disaster certain. In
addition, the occurrences of the last week have drawn police attention
to this house. Even if special instructions to keep an eye on it have
not been issued from Scotland Yard or the District Station, you may be
sure that the individual policeman on his rounds will keep it well under
observation. Besides, the servants who have discharged themselves will
before long begin to talk. They must; for they have, for the sake of
their own characters, to give some reason for the termination of a
service which has I should say a position in the neighbourhood. The
servants of the neighbours will begin to talk, and, perhaps the
neighbours themselves. Then the active and intelligent Press will, with
its usual zeal for the enlightenment of the public and its eye to
increase of circulation, get hold of the matter. When the reporter is
after us we shall not have much chance of privacy. Even if we were to
bar ourselves in, we should not be free from interruption, possibly from
intrusion. Either would ruin our plans, and so we must take measures to
effect a retreat, carrying all our impedimenta with us. For this I am
prepared. For a long time past I have foreseen such a possibility, and
have made preparation for it. Of course, I had no foreknowledge of what
has happened; but I knew something would, or might, happen. For more
than two years past my house in Cornwall has been made ready to receive
all the curios which are preserved here. When Corbeck went off on his
search for the lamps I had the old house at Kyllion made ready; it is
fitted with electric light all over, and all the appliances for
manufacture of the light are complete. I had perhaps better tell you,
for none of you, not even Margaret, knows anything of it, that the house
is absolutely shut out from public access or even from view. It stands
on a little rocky promontory behind a steep hill, and except from the
sea cannot be seen. Of old it was fenced in by a high stone wall, for
the house which it succeeded was built by an ancestor of mine in the
days when a great house far away from a centre had to be prepared to
defend itself. Here, then, is a place so well adapted to our needs that
it might have been prepared on purpose. I shall explain it to you when
we are all there. This will not be long, for already our movement is in
train. I have sent word to Marvin to have all preparation for our
transport ready. He is to have a special train, which is to run at
night so as to avoid notice. Also a number of carts and stone-wagons,
with sufficient men and appliances to take all our packing-cases to
Paddington. We shall be away before the Argus-eyed Pressman is on the
watch. We shall today begin our packing up; and I dare say that by
tomorrow night we shall be ready. In the outhouses I have all the
packing-cases which were used for bringing the things from Egypt, and I
am satisfied that as they were sufficient for the journey across the
desert and down the Nile to Alexandria and thence on to London, they
will serve without fail between here and Kyllion. We four men, with
Margaret to hand us such things as we may require, will be able to get
the things packed safely; and the carrier’s men will take them to the
trucks.
“today the servants go to Kyllion, and Mrs. Grant will make such
arrangements as may be required. She will take a stock of necessaries
with her, so that we will not attract local attention by our daily
needs; and will keep us supplied with perishable food from London.
Thanks to Margaret’s wise and generous treatment of the servants who
decided to remain, we have got a staff on which we can depend. They
have been already cautioned to secrecy, so that we need not fear gossip
from within. Indeed, as the servants will be in London after their
preparations at Kyllion are complete, there will not be much subject for
gossip, in detail at any rate.
“As, however, we should commence the immediate work of packing at once,
we will leave over the after proceedings till later when we have
leisure.”
Accordingly we set about our work. Under Mr. Trelawny’s guidance, and
aided by the servants, we took from the outhouses great packing-cases.
Some of these were of enormous strength, fortified by many thicknesses
of wood, and by iron bands and rods with screw-ends and nuts. We placed
them throughout the house, each close to the object which it was to
contain. When this preliminary work had been effected, and there had
been placed in each room and in the hall great masses of new hay,
cotton-waste and paper, the servants were sent away. Then we set about
packing.
No one, not accustomed to packing, could have the slightest idea of the
amount of the amount of work involved in such a task as that in which in
we were engaged. For my own part I had had a vague idea that there
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