to brain. He be of child brain in much. Now this criminal of ours
is pre-destinate to crime also. He, too, have child brain, and it
is of the child to do what he have done. The little bird, the
little fish, the little animal learn not by principle, but
empirically. And when he learn to do, then there is to him the
ground to start from to do more. `Dos pou sto,' said Archimedes.
`Give me a fulcrum, and I shall move the world!' To do once, is the
fulcrum whereby child brain become man brain. And until he have the
purpose to do more, he continue to do the same again every time,
just as he have done before! Oh, my dear, I see that your eyes are
opened, and that to you the lightning flash show all the
leagues,"for Mrs. Harker began to clap her hands and her eyes
sparkled.
He went on, "Now you shall speak. Tell us two dry men of science
what you see with those so bright eyes." He took her hand and held
it whilst he spoke. His finger and thumb closed on her pulse, as I
thought instinctively and unconsciously, as she spoke.
"The Count is a criminal and of criminal type. Nordau and
Lombroso would so classify him, and qua criminal he is of an
imperfectly formed mind. Thus, in a difficulty he has to seek
resource in habit. His past is a clue, and the one page of it that
we know, and that from his own lips, tells that once before, when
in what Mr. Morris would call a`tight place,' he went back to his
own country from the land he had tried to invade, and thence,
without losing purpose, prepared himself for a new effort. He came
again better equipped for his work, and won. So he came to London
to invade a new land. He was beaten, and when all hope of success
was lost, and his existence in danger, he fled back over the sea to
his home. Just as formerly he had fled back over the Danube from
Turkey Land."
"Good, good! Oh, you so clever lady!" said Van Helsing,
enthusiastically, as he stooped and kissed her hand. A moment later
he said to me, as calmly as though we had been having a sick roomhe said to me, as calmly as though we had been having a sick room
consultation, "Seventy-two only, and in all this excitement. I have
hope."
Turning to her again, he said with keen expectation, "But go on.
Go on! There is more to tell if you will. Be not afraid. John and I
know. I do in any case, and shall tell you if you are right. Speak,
without fear!"
"I will try to. But you will forgive me if I seem too
egotistical."
"Nay! Fear not, you must be egotist, for it is of you that we
think."
"Then, as he is criminal he is selfish. And as his intellect is
small and his action is based on selfishness, he confines himself
to one purpose. That purpose is remorseless. As he fled back over
the Danube, leaving his forces to be cut to pieces, so now he is
intent on being safe, careless of all. So his own selfishness frees
my soul somewhat from the terrible power which he acquired over me
on that dreadful night. I felt it! Oh, I felt it! Thank God, for
His great mercy! My soul is freer than it has been since that awful
hour. And all that haunts me is a fear lest in some trance or dream
he may have used my knowledge for his ends."
The Professor stood up, "He has so used your mind, and by it he
has left us here in Varna, whilst the ship that carried him rushed
through enveloping fog up to Galatz, where, doubtless, he had made
preparation for escaping from us. But his child mind only saw so
far. And it may be that as ever is in God's Providence, the very
thing that the evil doer most reckoned on for his selfish good,
turns out to be his chiefest harm. The hunter is taken in his own
snare, as the great Psalmist says. For now that he think he is free
from every trace of us all, and that he has escaped us with so many
hours to him, then his selfish child brain will whisper him to
sleep. He think, too, that as he cut himself off from knowing your
mind, there can be no knowledge of him to you. There is where he
fail! That terrible baptism of blood which he give you makes youfail! That terrible baptism of blood which he give you makes you
free to go to him in spirit, as you have as yet done in your times
of freedom, when the sun rise and set. At such times you go by my
volition and not by his. And this power to good of you and others,
you have won from your suffering at his hands. This is now all more
precious that he know it not, and to guard himself have even cut
himself off from his knowledge of our where. We, however, are not
selfish, and we believe that God is with us through all this
blackness, and these many dark hours. We shall follow him, and we
shall not flinch. Even if we peril ourselves that we become like
him. Friend John, this has been a great hour, and it have done much
to advance us on our way. You must be scribe and write him all
down, so that when the others return from their work you can give
it to them, then they shall know as we do."
And so I have written it whilst we wait their return, and Mrs.
Harker has written with the typewriter all since she brought the MS
to us.29 October.—This is written in the train from Varna to Galatz.
Last night we all assembled a little before the time of sunset.
Each of us had done his work as well as he could, so far as
thought, and endeavor, and opportunity go, we are prepared for the
whole of our journey, and for our work when we get to Galatz. When
the usual time came round Mrs. Harker prepared herself for her
hypnotic effort, and after a longer and more serious effort on the
part of Van Helsing than has been usually necessary, she sank into
the trance. Usually she speaks on a hint, but this time the
Professor had to ask her questions, and to ask them pretty
resolutely, before we could learn anything. At last her answer
came.
"I can see nothing. We are still. There are no waves lapping,
but only a steady swirl of water softly running against the hawser.
I can hear men's voices calling, near and far, and the roll and
creak of oars in the rowlocks. A gun is fired somewhere, the echo
of it seems far away. There is tramping of feet overhead, and ropes
and chains are dragged along. What is this? There is a gleam of
light. I can feel the air blowing upon me."
Here she stopped. She had risen, as if impulsively, from where
she lay on the sofa, and raised both her hands, palms upwards, as
if lifting a weight. Van Helsing and I looked at each other with
understanding. Quincey raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at
her intently, whilst Harker's hand instinctively closed round the
hilt of his Kukri. There was a long pause. We all knew that the
time when she could speak was passing, but we felt that it was
useless to say anything.
Suddenly she sat up, and as she opened her eyes said sweetly,
"Would none of you like a cup of tea? You must all be so
tired!"
We could only make her happy, and so acqueisced. She bustled off
to get tea. When she had gone Van Helsing said, "You see, my
friends. He is close to land. He has left his earth chest. But he
has yet to get on shore. In the night he may lie hidden somewhere,