SOURCE: Varney the Vampire by Thomas Peckett Prest (The Feast of Blood, 1845-7) .

DESCRIPTION: "A tall figure is standing on the ledge immediately outside the long window. It is its finger-nails upon the glass that produces the sound so like the hail, now that the hail has ceased. Intense fear paralysed the limbs of that beautiful girl. That one shriek is all she can utter—with hands clasped, a face of marble, a heart beating so wildly in her bosom, that each moment it seems as if it would break its confines, eyes distended and fixed upon the window, she waits, froze with horror. The pattering and clattering of the nails continue. No word is spoken, and now she fancies she can trace the darker form of that figure against the window, and she can see the long arms moving to and fro, feeling for some mode of entrance. What strange light is that which now gradually creeps up into the air? red and terrible—brighter and brighter it grows. The lightning has set fire to a mill, and the reflection of the rapidly consuming building falls upon that long window. There can be no mistake. The figure is there, still feeling for an entrance, and clattering against the glass with its long nails, that appear as if the growth of many years had been untouched. She tries to scream again but a choking sensation comes over her, and she cannot. It is too dreadful—she tries to move—each limb seems weighed down by tons of lead—she can but in a hoarse faint whisper cry,—...The figure turns half round, and the light falls upon the face. It is perfectly white—perfectly bloodless. The eyes look like polished tin; the lips are drawn back, and the principal feature next to those dreadful eyes is the teeth—the fearful looking teeth—projecting like those of some wild animal, hideously, glaringly white, and fang-like. It approaches the bed with a strange, gliding movement. It clashes together the long nails that literally appear to hang from the finger ends. No sound comes from its lips. Is she going mad—that young and beautiful girl exposed to so much terror? she has drawn up all her limbs; she cannot even now say help. The power of articulation is gone, but the power of movement has returned to her; she can draw herself slowly along to the other side of the bed from that towards which the hideous appearance is coming." (The Feast of Blood by Thomas Peckett Prest)

NOTES: Sir Francis Varney is a hideous vampire with metallic grey eyeballs and huge fangs. He is impervious weapons but fears fire. He is affected by sunlight. He bears a strong resemblance to a portrait in the Bannerworth home, that of Marmaduke Bannerworth (perhaps who really is). Varney loathes his half-life as a vampire, though he does turn Clara Crofton into a vampire despite this. Eventually, so unhappy with his vampiric life, Varney throws himself into Mount Vesuvius, burning himself up.

HISTORY: Varney the Vampire is one of the first famous vampires in literature. Written for a penny dreadful publication, Varney's adventures were sold in chapter segments over three years. The story is long, confusing and not often read any more. Despite the difficulties of the dated writing, Prest (or James Malcolm Rymer, according to some) does fairly well at evoking horrific images. There can be no doubt the story influenced Bram Stoker (fifty years later) on some level.

---