Vranic

“ Trembling as if with a fit of palsy, he cast a fearful, furtive glance all around, even in the furthermost corner of the room; not the shadow of a ghost was to be seen; nevertheless, the footsteps of the invisible person grew louder as they approached at a slow, sure, inexorable pace.
At last they stopped; they were by his bed. Vranic felt the breath of a person on his very face.
Except a person who has felt it, no one can realise the horror of having an invisible being leaning over you, of feeling his breath on your face. ”

“ The only man on board who did not fear Vranic was the mate, for he possessed a charm far more potent than a crooked nail, a horse-shoe, a bit of horned coral, or even a little silver hump-backed man—this was a horse-chestnut, which he was once fortunate enough to catch as it was falling from the tree, and before it had touched the ground. ”

“ The man who, after the quarrel at the inn, had followed Radonic to his house, and told him of his wife's levity in her conduct towards Uros, was a certain Vranic, one of Milena's rejected suitors. He was more than a plain-looking man; he was mean and puny. Besides this, he had a cast in his eye, which rendered him hateful to all people, and justly so, for does not the wisdom of our ancients say: "Beware of a man branded by the hand of God?" Still, as if this was not enough, Vranic possessed the gift of second sight, if it can be called a gift. ”

“ Such men never keep shape—at least, not for any length of time."
"He'll keep shape till he goes, for that's to-morrow; then——" and he winked at her as he said this.
"Come, Vranic, be kind for once in your life."
"Has anybody ever been kind to me?"
"'Do good, and don't repent having done it; do evil, and expect evil,' says the proverb."
"I never do anything for nothing; so to-morrow night I'll come for my reward."
"Leave me alone, Vranic; if not for my sake, do it for your own good. Fancy, if Radonic were to return. Surely you wouldn't shave him quite as easily as you think." ”

“ Gennaro crossed himself devoutly, then he muttered a prayer; at last he took up the dagger and stabbed the pentagon in the very middle, just where Vranic had pointed to him with his finger; still, he grew ghastly pale as he did so.
"Holy Mother," said the youth, "forgive me if I have done wrong!"
All the eyes anxiously turned from the bit of paper to the waterspout, whirling round and coming ever nearer. ”

“ But come, Vranic, if you really are as fond of me as you pretend to be, have some pity on me, be kind; think how wretched my whole life has hitherto been, leave me alone, forget me."
"Ask me anything else but that. How can I forget you? How can I cease loving you, when I live only for you? I only see through your eyes."
"Then I'll ask Radonic to take me to Montenegro with him, and I'll remain with my family." ”

“ Roaming in the lonely forests, climbing on the trackless mountains, lurking amidst the dark rocks and crags, his heart yearned for the wife he had ill-treated.
A month, and even more, had elapsed since Vranic had been murdered. Zwillievic, his father-in-law, had been in Budua, and he had then come back to Cettinje; but, far from bringing Milena with him, he had left his wife there to take care of this daughter of his, who, in the state in which she was, had never recovered from the terrible shock she had received on that morning when she stumbled upon Vranic's corpse. ”

“ Having got to the flinty, winding path leading to the fort of Kosmac:
"Now," said Radonic, "you must positively come no farther."
The road was uneven and very steep. Vranic yielded.
"Go back, and take care of Milena."
"Well, I do not say it as a boast, but you could not leave her in better hands."
"She is young, and, like all women—well, she has long hair and short brains. Look after her."
"Vranic has his eyes open, and will keep good watch."
"I know I can rely on you. Have we not always been friends, we two? ”

“ Masses were said for the dead man's soul, still that was of no avail; Vranic's dreams got always more frightful. The morina, the dreadful mara or nightmare, took up its dwelling in the tailor's house. No sooner did the poor man close his eyes than the ponderous ghost came hovering over him, and at last crushed him with its weight. The sign of the pentacle was drawn on every door and window. A witch drew it for him on paper with magical ink, and he placed the paper under his pillow. ”

“ Radonic tried to keep up his character of an esprit-fort, and said:
"Humbug!" but there was a catch in his voice as he uttered this word.
"Now, I feel sure that as long as you have this talisman you'll not open your mouth or reveal a single word of what I've told you."
"Whom do you take me for?"
"Yes, but at times our very eyes deceive us; moreover, Vranic is a man to whom everybody is like glass. He reads your innermost thoughts." ”

“ Vranic is not a seer for nothing," and he winked knowingly with his blinking eyes.
"You don't know Radonic: if you are a fox, he is no goose. He is capable of coming back just to see what I am doing."
"I think I know him a little better than you do, and a longer time.
We have been friends from childhood; in fact, all but pobratim."
"That's the reason why you are ready to deceive him, then?"
"What business had he to marry you? What would I not do for your love, Milena? Why, I'd give my soul to Satan, if he wanted it." ”

“ Put yourself in the murderer's place, and tell us what you would have done."
Vranic shrugged his shoulders scornfully.
"We do not appeal to you alone, but to any man of honour, to any Iugo Slav, to any husband of the Kotar. What would he have done to a man who, pretending to be his friend, came by stealth, in the middle of the night, into his home to——"
"Then," cried Vranic, in that shrill, womanish voice peculiar to all his family, "it is not my brother that ought to have been killed. ”

“ Another fact, which somewhat upset our town, was the death of Vranic, who was found murdered in Radonic's house whilst Milena was spending the evening with us. You may well understand how astonished every one was, for Radonic and Vranic had been friends from their youth. Although no one was ever very fond of Radonic, still nobody regretted Vranic, who, as you know, was gifted with the evil eye; and although I myself, not being superstitious, do not believe that persons can harm you simply by looking at you, still it is useless to go against facts. ”

“ Taunted by his own family with having made a muddle of the whole affair, treated with scornful disdain by friends and foes, the poor tailor, who had never been very good-tempered, had got to look upon all mankind as his enemies.
Thus it happened, one day, that Bellacic was at the coffee-house with
Markovic and some other friends, when Vranic came in to get shaved.
"What! do you shear poodles and curs?" he asked.
The loungers began to laugh. Vranic, whose face was being lathered, ground his teeth and grunted. ”

“ Was he to blame if he was enticed——"
"What do you mean?" cried Radonic, clasping the haft of the dagger, which he ought to have given up to Vranic.
"Silence!" said the umpire: "you forget that you have promised to love——"
"If you intend to speak of Milena," said Bellacic, interrupting the judge, "you must remember that the evening upon which your brother was killed she was spending the evening——"
"At your house? No!" said Vranic, with a scornful laugh, shrugging his shoulders again.
"Come, come," said one of the jury; "let's settle the karvarina." ”

“ Vranic had, therefore, always been not only shunned by all the girls as an uncanny kind of man who always saw ghosts, but even all the men avoided him. He ought to have left Budua and gone to live abroad in a place where he was not known, but it is a hard thing for a man to leave his own country for ever. ”

“ The seer insisted upon walking a little way out of town with him.
"No, thank you; go back. The weather is threatening, and we'll soon have rain."
"Well, what does it matter? If you don't melt, no more shall I," and he laughed at his would-be witticism.
"The roads are bad, and you are no great walker."
Vranic, however, insisted.
Thus they went on together, through vineyards and olive-groves, until they got in sight of the white-walled convent. There Radonic tried once more to get rid of his friend. At last they reached the foot of the rocky mountain, usually fragrant with sage and thyme. ”

“ Not knowing what to do, she had gone to Mara, and had confessed part of her troubles to her; she had asked her for help against Vranic. Although Uros' mother did not dabble in witchcraft, still she was a woman with great experience. So she thought for a while, and then she gave Milena a tiny bit of red stuff, and told her to wear it under her left arm-pit; it was the most powerful spell she knew of, and people could not harm her as long as she wore it. She followed Mara's advice; but Vranic was a seer, and such simples were powerless against him. ”

“ Milena blushed.
"Then you must bear your husband's ill-humour, even his blows, patiently, and, little by little, get him to understand what kind of a man Vranic is. Radonic is in love with you; therefore, 'the sack cannot remain without the twine.' You must not fear Vranic ”

“ As for Vranic, he was but too glad to quit a ship where he was hated by everybody, even by the captain, who had treated him more like a galley slave than a fellow-creature.
After having earned a pittance as a porter for a short time, he again embarked on board the Ave Maria, an Austrian ship bound for Marseilles. This ship had had a remarkably prosperous voyage from the Levant. The captain had received a handsome gratuity, and now a cargo had been taken at a very high freight; therefore, from the captain to the cabin-boy, every man on board was merry and worked with a good will. ”

“ I'll be revenged on all of you, and you the very first!" and livid with rage, grinding his teeth, shaking his fist, Vranic left the coffee-house, followed by the laughter of the by-standers, and the barking of the boys outside.
"He means mischief!" quoth the kafedgee.
"When did he not mean mischief," replied Markovic, "or his brother either?"
"Don't speak of his brother."
"Why, he's dead and buried."
"The less you speak of some dead people, the better," and the kafedgee crossed himself.
"He's a sly fox," said one of the men waiting to be shaved. ”

“ Vranic got cuffed and kicked about; he had been born in an unlucky moment, and everyone hated him without really understanding why or wherefore.
Why do most people dislike toads or blind-worms?
The mate, seeing the poor cook unfairly used, interfered on his behalf, and tried to put an end to the fight. This only made matters worse. The captain, hearing the noise, appeared on deck, and a mutiny at once broke out.
The boatswain, who was at the head of the revolted crew, snatching up a hatchet which happened to be there within his reach, advanced and demanded a distribution of provisions. ”

“ Moreover, I'll call myself during the day and speak to them. May I add that, perhaps, you'll be induced to turn caloyer yourself some day or other. Meanwhile, a little charity to the convent would render your stay more agreeable. You know the brotherhood is poor."
Vranic thanked the priest, and promised to be guided by his advice; still, he could not help thinking of all the money this new scheme might cost him. It is true, if he turned friar, he might get rid of the vampire, but would he not also lose all his money into the bargain? ”

“ That night, Vranic had not a wink of sleep. No one would have him in his house; nobody would sleep with him, for fear of falling afterwards a prey to the vampire. As soon as he lay down and tried to shut his eyes, the terrifying sight appeared before him. The festering ghost with the horrible gash in the cheek, just over the jaw-bone, was ever present to his eyes; nor could he get rid of the loathsome, sickening stench with which his clothes, nay, his very body, seemed saturated. If a mouse stirred he fancied he could see the ghost standing by him. ”

“ They now came up to the foremost man of the band.
"Who is wounded?" asked Bellacic of him.
"Radonic," answered he.
"Is the wound a bad one?"
"He is dying!" replied the Montenegrin, in a whisper.
CHAPTER XVI THE VAMPIRE Vranic, having found out that the Austrian law could do nothing for him, except punish him for his crime in cutting down the vines of a man who had done him no harm, shut himself up at home to nurse his wounded head, to brood over his revenge, and pity himself for all the mishaps that had befallen him. ”

“ Some towns—Venice, for instance—were all life and bustle at that hour of the night; the streets and squares all thronged with masks and merry revellers; the theatres, coffee-houses, dancing-rooms, were blazing with light, teeming with life, echoing with music and merriment. Budua is, instead, as dark, as lonesome, and as silent as a city of the dead. The whole town is now fast asleep.
"It is useless to wait any longer," mutters Radonic to himself; "nobody is coming."
The thought that his wife had fled with Vranic has almost become a certainty. Jealousy is torturing him. ”

“ No, the justice of God and man would absolve him; if not—well, he had rather be hanged, and put his soul in jeopardy, than forego his vengeance. He was a Slav.
All these thoughts flitted through his brain in an instant, like flashes of lightning following one another on a stormy night.
Radonic watched the approaching shadow, from the cranny of the door ajar, with a beating heart.
Before Vranic came to the doorstep, he stopped. He looked round on one side, then on the other; after that he cast a glance all around. He bent his head forward to try and pierce the darkness that surrounded him. ”