irritable. If you only knew the problem I have to face, and that I
am working out, you would pity, and tolerate, and pardon me. Pray
do not put me in a strait waistcoat. I want to think and I cannot
think freely when my body is confined. I am sure you will
understand!"
He had evidently self-control, so when the attendants came I
told them not to mind, and they withdrew. Renfield watched them go.
When the door was closed he said with considerable dignity and
sweetness, "Dr. Seward, you have been very considerate towards me.
Believe me that I am very, very grateful to you!"
I thought it well to leave him in this mood, and so I came away.
There is certainly something to ponder over in this man's state.
Several points seem to make what the American interviewer calls "a
story," if one could only get them in proper order. Here they
are:
Will not mention "drinking."
Fears the thought of being burdened with the "soul" of
anything.
Has no dread of wanting "life" in the future.
Despises the meaner forms of life altogether, though he dreads
being haunted by their souls.
Logically all these things point one way! He has assurance of
some kind that he will acquire some higher life.
He dreads the consequence, the burden of a soul. Then it is a
human life he looks to!
And the assurance …  ?
Merciful God! The Count has been to him, and there is some new
scheme of terror afoot!
Later.—I went after my round to Van Helsing and told him my
suspicion. He grew very grave, and after thinking the matter over
for a while asked me to take him to Renfield. I did so. As we came
to the door we heard the lunatic within singing gaily, as he used
to do in the time which now seems so long ago.
When we entered we saw with amazement that he had spread out his
sugar as of old. The flies, lethargic with the autumn, were
beginning to buzz into the room. We tried to make him talk of the
subject of our previous conversation, but he would not attend. He
went on with his singing, just as though we had not been present.went on with his singing, just as though we had not been present.
He had got a scrap of paper and was folding it into a notebook. We
had to come away as ignorant as we went in.
His is a curious case indeed. We must watch him tonight.
LETTER, MITCHELL, SONS & CANDY TO LORD GODALMING.
"1 October. "My Lord,
"We are at all times only too happy to meet your wishes. We beg,
with regard to the desire of your Lordship, expressed by Mr. Harker
on your behalf, to supply the following information concerning the
sale and purchase of No.347,Piccadilly. The original vendors are
the executors of the late Mr. Archibald Winter-Suffield. The
purchaser is a foreign nobleman, Count de Ville, who effected the
purchase himself paying the purchase money in notes `over the
counter,' if your Lordship will pardon us using so vulgar an
expression. Beyond this we know nothing whatever of him.
"We are, my Lord,
"Your Lordship's humble servants,
"MITCHELL, SONS & CANDY."
DR. SEWARD'S DIARY
2 October.—I placed a man in the corridor last night, and told
him to make an accurate note of any sound he might hear from
Renfield's room, and gave him instructions that if there should be
anything strange he was to call me. After dinner, when we had all
gathered round the fire in the study, Mrs. Harker having gone to
bed, we discussed the attempts and discoveries of the day. Harker
was the only one who had any result, and we are in great hopes that
his clue may be an important one.
Before going to bed I went round to the patient's room and
looked in through the observation trap. He was sleeping soundly,
his heart rose and fell with regular respiration.
This morning the man on duty reported to me that a little after
midnight he was restless and kept saying his prayers somewhat
loudly. I asked him if that was all. He replied that it was all he
heard. There was something about his manner, so suspicious that I
asked him point blank if he had been asleep. He denied sleep, but
admitted to having "dozed" for a while. It is too bad that menadmitted to having "dozed" for a while. It is too bad that men
cannot be trusted unless they are watched.
Today Harker is out following up his clue, and Art and Quincey
are looking after horses. Godalming thinks that it will be well to
have horses always in readiness, for when we get the information
which we seek there will be no time to lose. We must sterilize all
the imported earth between sunrise and sunset. We shall thus catch
the Count at his weakest, and without a refuge to fly to. Van
Helsing is off to the British Museum looking up some authorities on
ancient medicine. The old physicians took account of things which
their followers do not accept, and the Professor is searching for
witch and demon cures which may be useful to us later.
I sometimes think we must be all mad and that we shall wake to
sanity in strait waistcoats.
Later.—We have met again. We seem at last to be on the track,
and our work of tomorrow may be the beginning of the end. I wonder
if Renfield's quiet has anything to do with this. His moods have so
followed the doings of the Count, that the coming destruction of
the monster may be carried to him some subtle way. If we could only
get some hint as to what passed in his mind, between the time of my
argument with him today and his resumption of fly-catching, it
might afford us a valuable clue. He is now seemingly quiet for a
spell … Is he? That wild yell seemed to come from his
room …
The attendant came bursting into my room and told me that
Renfield had somehow met with some accident. He had heard him yell,
and when he went to him found him lying on his face on the floor,
all covered with blood. I must go at once …