| We men are all in a fever of excitement, except... 689 |
[Jan. 27th, 2010|02:17 am] |
We men are all in a fever of excitement, except Harker, who is calmHis hands are cold as ice, and an hour ago I found him whetting the edge of the great Ghoorka knife which he now always carries with himIt will be a bad lookout for the Count if the edge of that "Kukri" ever touches his throat, driven by that stern, ice-cold hand!
Van Helsing and I were a little alarmed about MrsAbout noon she got into a sort of lethargy which we did not likeAlthough we kept silence to the others, we were neither of us happy about itShe had been restless all the morning, so that we were at first glad to know that she was sleepingWhen, however, her husband mentioned casually that she was sleeping so soundly that he could not wake her, we went to her room to see for ourselvesShe was breathing naturally and looked so well and peaceful that we agreed that the sleep was better for her than anything elsePoor girl, she has so much to forget that it is no wonder that sleep, if it brings oblivion to her, does her good-Our opinion was justified, for when after a refreshing sleep of some hours she woke up, she seemed brighter and better than she had been for daysAt sunset she made the usual hypnotic reportWherever he may be in the Black Sea, the Count is hurrying to his destinationTo his doom, I trust!
26 October-Another day and no tidings of the Czarina CatherineShe ought to be here by nowThat she is still journeying somewhere is apparent, for MrsHarker's hypnotic report at sunrise was still the sameIt is possible that the vessel may be lying by, at times, for fogSome of the steamers which came in last evening reported patches of fog both to north and south of the portWe must continue our watching, as the ship may now be signalled any moment
27 October, NoonNo news yet of the ship we wait forHarker reported last night and this morning as usual"Lapping waves and rushing water," though she added that "the waves were very faint The telegrams from London have been the same, "no further report Van Helsing is terribly anxious, and told me just now that he fears the Count is escaping us
He added significantly, "I did not like that lethargy of Madam Mina'sSouls and memories can do strange things during trance I was about to ask him more, but Harker just then came in, and he held up a warning handWe must try tonight at sunset to make her speak more fully when in her hypnotic stateRufus Smith, London, to Lord Godalming, care HVice Consul, Varna
"Czarina Catherine reported entering Galatz at one o'clock todaySEWARD'S DIARY
28 October-When the telegram came announcing the arrival in Galatz I do not think it was such a shock to any of us as might have been expectedTrue, we did not know whence, or how, or when, the bolt would comeBut I think we all expected that something strange would happenThe day of arrival at Varna made us individually satisfied that things would not be just as we had expectedWe only waited to learn where the change would occurNone the less, however, it was a surpriseI suppose that nature works on such a hopeful basis that we believe against ourselves that things will be as they ought to be, not as we should know that they will |
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