of life amongst the insane is beginning to tell upon my own
brain.
LUCY WESTENRA'S DIARY
17 September.—Four days and nights of peace. I am getting so
strong again that I hardly know myself. It is as if I had passed
through some long nightmare, and had just awakened to see the
beautiful sunshine and feel the fresh air of the morning around me.
I have a dim half remembrance of long, anxious times of waiting and
fearing, darkness in which there was not even the pain of hope to
make present distress more poignant. And then long spells of
oblivion, and the rising back to life as a diver coming up through
a great press of water. Since, however, Dr. Van Helsing has been
with me, all this bad dreaming seems to have passed away. The
noises that used to frighten me out of my wits, the flapping
against the windows, the distant voices which seemed so close to
me, the harsh sounds that came from I know not where and commanded
me to do I know not what, have all ceased. I go to bed now without
any fear of sleep. I do not even try to keep awake. I have grown
quite fond of the garlic, and a boxful arrives for me every day
from Haarlem. Tonight Dr. Van Helsing is going away, as he has to
be for a day in Amsterdam. But I need not be watched. I am well
enough to be left alone.
Thank God for Mother's sake, and dear Arthur's, and for all our
friends who have been so kind! I shall not even feel the change,
for last night Dr. Van Helsing slept in his chair a lot of the
time. I found him asleep twice when I awoke. But I did not fear to
go to sleep again, although the boughs or bats or something flapped
almost angrily against the window panes.
THE PALL MALL GAZETTE 18 September.
THE ESCAPED WOLF PERILOUS ADVENTURE OF OUR INTERVIEWER
INTERVIEW WITH THE KEEPER IN THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS
After many inquiries and almost as many refusals, and
perpetually using the words `PALL MALL GAZETTE ' as a sort of
talisman, I managed to find the keeper of the section of the
Zoological Gardens in which the wold department is included. ThomasZoological Gardens in which the wold department is included. Thomas
Bilder lives in one of the cottages in the enclosure behind the
elephant house, and was just sitting down to his tea when I found
him. Thomas and his wife are hospitable folk, elderly, and without
children, and if the specimen I enjoyed of their hospitality be of
the average kind, their lives must be pretty comfortable. The
keeper would not enter on what he called business until the supper
was over, and we were all satisfied. Then when the table was
cleared, and he had lit his pipe, he said,
"Now, Sir, you can go on and arsk me what you want. You'll
excoose me refoosin' to talk of perfeshunal subjucts afore meals. I
gives the wolves and the jackals and the hyenas in all our section
their tea afore I begins to arsk them questions."
"How do you mean, ask them questions?" I queried, wishful to get
him into a talkative humor.
" `Ittin' of them over the `ead with a pole is one way.
Scratchin' of their ears in another, when gents as is flush wants a
bit of a show-orf to their gals. I don't so much mind the fust, the
`ittin of the pole part afore I chucks in their dinner, but I waits
till they've `ad their sherry and kawffee, so to speak,afore I
tries on with the ear scratchin'. Mind you," he added
philosophically, "there's a deal of the same nature in us as in
them theer animiles. Here's you a-comin' and arskin' of me
questions about my business, and I that grump-like that only for
your bloomin' `arf-quid I'd `a' seen you blowed fust `fore I'd
answer. Not even when you arsked me sarcastic like if I'd like you
to arsk the Superintendent if you might arsk me questions. Without
offence did I tell yer to go to `ell?"
"You did."
"An' when you said you'd report me for usin' obscene language
that was `ittin' me over the `ead. But the `arfquid made that all
right. I weren't a-goin' to fight, so I waited for the food, and
did with my `owl as the wolves and lions and tigers does. But, lor'
love yer `art, now that the old `ooman has stuck a chunk of herlove yer `art, now that the old `ooman has stuck a chunk of her
tea-cake in me, an' rinsed me out with her bloomin' old teapot, and
I've lit hup, you may scratch my ears for all you're worth, and
won't even get a growl out of me. Drive along with your questions.
I know what yer a-comin' at, that `ere escaped wolf."
"Exactly. I want you to give me your view of it. Just tell me
how it happened, and when I know the facts I'll get you to say what
you consider was the cause of it, and how you think the whole
affair will end."
"All right, guv'nor. This `ere is about the `ole story. That`ere
wolf what we called Bersicker was one of three gray ones that came
from Norway to Jamrach's, which we bought off him four years ago.
He was a nice well-behaved wolf, that never gave no trouble to talk
of. I'm more surprised at `im for wantin' to get out nor any other
animile in the place. But, there, you can't trust wolves no more
nor women."
"Don't you mind him, Sir!" broke in Mrs. Tom, with a cheery
laugh. " `E's got mindin' the animiles so long that blest if he
ain't like a old wolf `isself! But there ain't no `arm in `im."
"Well, Sir, it was about two hours after feedin' yesterday when
I first hear my disturbance. I was makin' up a litter in the monkey
house for a young puma which is ill. But when I heard the yelpin'
and `owlin' I kem away straight. There was Bersicker a-tearin' like
a mad thing at the bars as if he wanted to get out. There wasn't
much people about that day, and close at hand was only one man, a
tall, thin chap, with a `ook nose and a pointed beard, with a few
white hairs runnin' through it. He had a `ard, cold look and red
eyes, and I took a sort of mislike to him, for it seemed as if it
was `im as they was hirritated at. He `ad white kid gloves on `is
`ands, and he pointed out the animiles to me and says, `Keeper,
these wolves seem upset at something.'
"`Maybe it's you,' says I, for I did not like the airs as he
give `isself. He didn't get angry, as I `oped he would, but he