Brood of the Witch-Queen · Chapter
The Secret of Dhoon explained
Lord Lashmore visits Dr.
What happens
Lord Lashmore visits Dr. Cairn to consult him about mysterious throat wounds and a family curse. Dr. Cairn reveals his knowledge of the secret chamber at Dhoon Castle and the hidden history of Mirza, a Polish Jewess who married the third Baron Lashmore. Lashmore recounts the horrifying initiation on his twenty-first birthday, when his father led him to a subterranean cell beneath the moat where the preserved corpse of Paul Dhoon, a vampire, lay impaled with an aspen stake.
Themes in this chapter
Hereditary Curse and Taint
Lord Lashmore reveals the family curse of the Dhoon line, stemming from the vampire Paul Dhoon, and his fear of the blood of a vampire in his veins.
The Occult and Ancient Egypt
Dr. Cairn's role as an occultist and the discussion of psychical ailments and secret chambers reflect occult themes, though Egypt is not directly mentioned.
Appearance vs. Reality
The seemingly solid wall of the library conceals a hidden passage; the preserved corpse of Paul Dhoon appears lifelike despite being centuries old.
Characters to notice
- Lord Lashmore
Visits Dr. Cairn to consult about throat wounds and reveals the family secret of the vampire Paul Dhoon.
- Dr. Bruce Cairn
Interrogates Lord Lashmore about the attacks and demonstrates knowledge of the Dhoon family curse and secret chamber.
- Sir Elwin Groves
Mentioned as the physician attending Lord Lashmore for throat wounds and who referred him to Dr. Cairn.
- Lady Lashmore
Mentioned as having been found insensible after the second attack; her nerves are shaken and she is being taken abroad.
- Mirza
The Polish Jewess wife of the third Baron Lashmore, whose secret marriage and child led to the curse.
- Paul Dhoon
The fourth Baron Lashmore, son of Mirza, whose preserved vampire corpse lies impaled in a secret cell beneath Dhoon Castle.
Key passages
“Lord Lashmore was a big, blonde man, fresh coloured, and having his nearly white hair worn close cut and his moustache trimmed in the neat military fashion.”
Lord Lashmore is a large, fair-haired man with a military-style moustache and close-cropped white hair.
Physical description of Lord Lashmore upon his arrival.
“I have seen her portrait in Dhoon Castle; you were not in residence at the time. Mirza, Lady Lashmore, was evidently a very beautiful woman.”
Dr. Cairn mentions having seen a portrait of Mirza at Dhoon Castle while Lord Lashmore was away.
Dr. Cairn reveals his prior knowledge of the family secret.
“It contains Paul, fourth Baron Lashmore, son of Mirza, the Polish Jewess!”
The secret chamber holds the body of Paul Dhoon, the fourth baron and son of Mirza.
Dr. Cairn states the contents of the hidden room.
“He lay there upon the floor of the dungeon, his fists clenched and his knees drawn up as if in agony. He had lain there for generations; yet, as God is my witness, there was flesh on his bones.”
Paul Dhoon's corpse remained in the dungeon for centuries, still with flesh on its bones, in a contorted posture of pain.
Lord Lashmore describes the horrifying state of the vampire's body.
“An aspen stake was driven through his breast, pinning him to the earthern floor, and there he lay in the agonised attitude of one who had died by such awful means.”
A wooden stake through his chest pinned Paul Dhoon to the ground, leaving him in a death pose of agony.
Description of the vampire's impalement.
