1 October, 5 a. m.—I went with the party to the search with an
1 October, 5 a. m.—I went with the party to the search with an
easy mind, for I think I never saw Mina so absolutely strong and
well. I am so glad that she consented to hold back and let us men
do the work. Somehow, it was a dread to me that she was in this
fearful business at all, but now that her work is done, and that it
is due to her energy and brains and foresight that the whole story
is put together in such a way that every point tells, she may well
feel that her part is finished, and that she can henceforth leave
the rest to us. When we came away from his room we were silent
till we got back to the study.
Then Mr. Morris said to Dr. Seward, “Say, Jack, if that man
wasn’t attempting a bluff, he is about the sanest lunatic I ever
saw. I’m not sure, but I believe that he had some serious purpose,
and if he had, it was pretty rough on him not to get a chance.”
Lord Godalming and I were silent, but Dr. Van Helsing added,
“Friend John, you know more lunatics than I do, and I’m glad of it,
for I fear that if it had been to me to decide I would before that
last hysterical outburst have given him free. But we live and
learn, and in our present task we must take no chance, as my friend
Quincey would say. All is best as they are.”
Dr. Seward seemed to answer them both in a dreamy kind of way,
“I don’t know but that I agree with you. If that man had been an
ordinary lunatic I would have taken my chance of trusting him, but
he seems so mixed up with the Count in an indexy kind of way that I
am afraid of doing anything wrong by helping his fads. I can’t
forget how he prayed with almost equal fervor for a cat, and then
tried to tear my throat out with his teeth. Besides, he called the
Count `lord and master’, and he may want to get out to help him in
some diabolical way. That horrid thing has the wolves and the rats
and his own kind to help him, so I suppose he isn’t above trying to
use a respectable lunatic. He certainly did seem earnest, though. I
only hope we have done what is best. These things, in conjunction
with the wild work we have in hand, help to unnerve a man.”
The Professor stepped over, and laying his hand on his shoulder,
said in his grave, kindly way, “Friend John, have no fear. We are
trying to do our duty in a very sad and terrible case, we can only
do as we deem best. What else have we to hope for, except the pity
of the good God?”
Lord Godalming had slipped away for a few minutes, but now he
returned.
Having passed the wall, we took our way to the house, taking
care to keep in the shadows of the trees on the lawn when the
moonlight shone out. When we got to the porch the Professor opened
his bag and took out a lot of things, which he laid on the step,
sorting them into four little groups, evidently one for each. Then
he spoke.
“My friends, we are going into a terrible danger, and we need
arms of many kinds. Our enemy is not merely spiritual. Remember
that he has the strength of twenty men, and that, though our necks
or our windpipes