nearly midnight
The day was now , however , getting far advanced , and Charles Holland began to think of his engagement with the vampyre . He read and read the letter over and over again , but he could not come to a correct conclusion as to whether it intended to imply that he , Sir Francis Varney , would wish to fight him at the hour and place mentioned , or merely give him a meeting as a preliminary step . He was rather , on the whole , inclined to think that some explanation would be offered by Varney , but at all events he persevered in his determination of going well armed , lest anything in the shape of treachery should be intended . As nothing of any importance occurred now in the interval of time till nearly midnight , we will at once step to that time , and our readers will suppose it to be a quarter to twelve o'clock at night , and young Charles Holland on the point of leaving the house , to keep his appointment by the pollard oak , with the mysterious Sir Francis Varney . He placed his loaded pistols conveniently in his pocket , so that at a moment 's notice he could lay hands on them , and then wrapping himself up in a travelling cloak he had brought with him to Bannerworth Hall , he prepared to leave his chamber . The moon still shone , although now somewhat on the wane , and although there were certainly many clouds in the sky they were but of a light fleecy character , and very little interrupted the rays of light that came from the nearly full disc of the moon . From his window he could not perceive the spot in the park where he was to meet Varney , because the room in which he was occupied not a sufficiently high place in the house to enable him to look over a belt of trees that stopped the view .