thanked him, gave the address at Dr. Seward's and came away. It was
now dark, and I was tired and hungry. I got a cup of tea at the
Aerated Bread Company and came down to Purfleet by the next
train.
I found all the others at home. Mina was looking tired and pale,
but she made a gallant effort to be bright and cheerful. It wrung
my heart to think that I had had to keep anything from her and so
caused her inquietude. Thank God, this will be the last night of
her looking on at our conferences, and feeling the sting of our not
showing our confidence. It took all my courage to hold to the wise
resolution of keeping her out of our grim task. She seems somehow
more reconciled, or else the very subject seems to have become
repugnant to her, for when any accidental allusion is made she
actually shudders. I am glad we made our resolution in time, as
with such a feeling as this,our growing knowledge would be torture
to her.
I could not tell the others of the day's discovery till we were
alone, so after dinner, followed by a little music to save
appearances even amongst ourselves, I took Mina to her room and
left her to go to bed. The dear girl was more affectionate with me
than ever, and clung to me as though she would detain me, but there
was much to be talked of and I came away. Thank God, the ceasing of
telling things has made no difference between us.
When I came down again I found the others all gathered round the
fire in the study. In the train I had written my diary so far, and
simply read it off to them as the best means of letting them get
abreast of my own information.
When I had finished Van Helsing said, "This has been a great
day's work, friend Jonathan. Doubtless we are on the track of the
missing boxes. If we find them all in that house, then our work is
near the end. But if there be some missing, we must search until we
find them. Then shall we make our final coup, and hunt the wretch
to his real death."
We all sat silent awhile and all at once Mr. Morris spoke, "Say!to his real death."
We all sat silent awhile and all at once Mr. Morris spoke, "Say!
How are we going to get into that house?"
"We got into the other,"answered Lord Godalming quickly.
"But, Art, this is different. We broke house at Carfax, but we
had night and a walled park to protect us. It will be a mighty
different thing to commit burglary in Piccadilly, either by day or
night. I confess I don't see how we are going to get in unless that
agency duck can find us a key of some sort."
Lord Godalming's brows contracted, and he stood up and walked
about the room. By-and-by he stopped and said, turning from one to
another of us, "Quincey's head is level. This burglary business is
getting serious. We got off once all right, but we have now a rare
job on hand. Unless we can find the Count's key basket."
As nothing could well be done before morning, and as it would be
at least advisable to wait till Lord Godalming should hear from
Mitchell's, we decided not to take any active step before breakfast
time. For a good while we sat and smoked, discussing the matter in
its various lights and bearings. I took the opportunity of bringing
this diary right up to the moment. I am very sleepy and shall go to
bed …
Just a line. Mina sleeps soundly and her breathing is regular.
Her forehead is puckered up into little wrinkles, as though she
thinks even in her sleep. She is still too pale, but does not look
so haggard as she did this morning. Tomorrow will, I hope, mend all
this. She will be herself at home in Exeter. Oh, but I am
sleepy!
DR. SEWARD'S DIARY
1 October.—I am puzzled afresh about Renfield. His moods change
so rapidly that I find it difficult to keep touch of them, and as
they always mean something more than his own well-being, they form
a more than interesting study. This morning, when I went to see him
after his repulse of Van Helsing, his manner was that of a man
commanding destiny. He was, in fact, commanding destiny,
subjectively. He did not really care for any of the things of meresubjectively. He did not really care for any of the things of mere
earth, he was in the clouds and looked down on all the weaknesses
and wants of us poor mortals.
I thought I would improve the occasion and learn something, so I
asked him, "What about the flies these times?"
He smiled on me in quite a superior sort of way, such a smile as
would have become the face of Malvolio, as he answered me, "The
fly, my dear sir, has one striking feature. It's wings are typical
of the aerial powers of the psychic faculties. The ancients did
well when they typified the soul as a butterfly!"
I thought I would push his analogy to its utmost logically, so I
said quickly, "Oh, it is a soul you are after now, is it?"
His madness foiled his reason, and a puzzled look spread over
his face as, shaking his head with a decision which I had but
seldom seen in him.
He said, "Oh, no, oh no! I want no souls. Life is all I want."
Here he brightened up. "I am pretty indifferent about it at
present. Life is all right. I have all I want. You must get a new
patient, doctor, if you wish to study zoophagy!"
This puzzled me a little, so I drew him on. "Then you command
life. You are a god, I suppose?"
He smiled with an ineffably benign superiority. "Oh no! Far be
it from me to arrogate to myself the attributes of the Deity. I am
not even concerned in His especially spiritual doings. If I may
state my intellectual position I am, so far as concerns things
purely terrestrial, somewhat in the position which Enoch occupied
spiritually!"
This was a poser to me. I could not at the moment recall Enoch's
appositeness, so I had to ask a simple question, though I felt that
by so doing I was lowering myself in the eyes of the lunatic. "And
why with Enoch?"
"Because he walked with God."
I could not see the analogy, but did not like to admit it, so I
harked back to what he had denied. "So you don't care about life
and you don't want souls. Why not?" I put my question quickly and
somewhat sternly, on purpose to disconcert him.