1 November.—All day long we have travelled, and at a good speed.
1 November.—All day long we have travelled, and at a good speed.
The horses seem to know that they are being kindly treated, for
they go willingly their full stage at best speed. We have now had
so many changes and find the same thing so constantly that we are
encouraged to think that the journey will be an easy one. Dr. Van
Helsing is laconic, he tells the farmers that he is hurrying to
Bistritz, and pays them well to make the exchange of horses. We get
hot soup, or coffee, or tea, and off we go. It is a lovely country.
Full of beauties of all imaginable kinds, and the people are brave,
and strong, and simple, and seem full of nice qualities. They are
very, very superstitious. In the first house where we stopped, when
the woman who served us saw the scar on my forehead, she crossed
herself and put out two fingers towards me, to keep off the evil
eye. I believe they went to the trouble of putting an extra amount
of garlic into our food, and I can’t abide garlic. Ever since then
I have taken care not to take off my hat or veil, and so have
escaped their suspicions. We are travelling fast, and as we have no
driver with us to carry tales, we go ahead of scandal. But I
daresay that fear of the evil eye will follow hard behind us all
the way. The Professor seems tireless. All day he would not take
any rest, though he made me sleep for a long spell. At sunset time
he hypnotized me, and he says I answered as usual,”darkness,
lapping water and creaking wood.” So our enemy is still on the
river. I am afraid to think of Jonathan, but somehow I have now no
fear for him, or for myself. I write this whilst we wait in a
farmhouse for the horses to be ready. Dr. Van Helsing is sleeping.
Poor dear, he looks very tired and old and grey, but his mouth is
set as firmly as a conqueror’s. Even in his sleep he is intense
with resolution. When we have well started I must make him rest
whilst I drive. I shall tell him that we have days before us, and
he must not break down when most of all his strength will be
needed … All is ready. We are off shortly.
2 November, morning.—I was successful, and we took turns driving
all night. Now the day is on us, bright though cold. There is a
strange heaviness in the air. I say heaviness for want of a better
word. I mean that it oppresses us both. It is very cold, and only
our warm furs keep us comfortable. At dawn Van Helsing hypnotized
me. He says I answered “darkness, creaking wood and roaring water,”
so the river is changing as they ascend. I do hope that my darling
will not run any chance of danger, more than need be, but we are in
God’s hands.
2 November, night.—All day long driving. The country gets wilder
as we go, and the great spurs of the Carpathians, which at Veresti
seemed so far from us and so low on the horizon, now seem to gather
round us and tower in front. We both seem in good spirits. I think
we make an effort each to cheer the other, in the doing so we cheer
ourselves. Dr. Van Helsing says that by morning we shall