?I beg pardon, ma?am,? said Haley, bowing slightly, with a still lowering brow; ?but still I say, as I said before, this yer?s a sing?lar reportIs it true, sir?? ?Sir,? said MrShelby, ?if you wish to communicate with me, you must observe something of the decorum of a gentlemanHaley?s hat and riding-whipYes, sir; I regret to say that the young woman, excited by overhearing, or having reported to her, something of this business, has taken her child in the night, and made off ?I did expect fair dealing in this matter, I confess,? said Haley ?Well, sir,? said MrShelby, turning sharply round upon him, ?what am I to understand by that remark? If any man calls my honor in question, I have but one answer for him The trader cowered at this, and in a somewhat lower tone said that ?it was plaguy hard on a fellow, that had made a fair bargain, to be gulled that wayShelby, ?if I did not think you had some cause for disappointment, I should not have borne from you the rude and unceremonious style of your entrance into my parlor this morningI say thus much, however, since appearances call for it, that I shall allow of no insinuations cast upon me, as if I were at all partner to any unfairness in this matterMoreover, I shall feel bound to give you every assistance, in the use of horses, servants,

When I got on the coach, the driver had not taken his seat, and I saw him talking to the landlady They were evidently talking of me, for every now and then they looked at me, and some of the people who were sitting on the bench outside the door--came and listened, and then looked at me, most of them pityinglyI could hear a lot of words often repeated, queer words, for there were many nationalities in the crowd, so I quietly got my polyglot dictionary from my bag and looked them out I must say they were not cheering to me, for amongst them were "Ordog"--Satan, "Pokol"--hell, "stregoica"--witch, "vrolok" and "vlkoslak"--both mean the same thing, one being Slovak and the other Servian for something that is either werewolf or vampire I must ask the Count about these superstitions When we started, the crowd round the inn door, which had by this time swelled to a considerable size, all made the sign of the cross and pointed two fingers towards me With some difficulty, I got a fellow passenger to tell me what they meantHe would not answer at first, but on learning that I was English, he explained that it was a charm or guard against the evil eye This was not very pleasant for me, just starting for an unknown place to meet an unknown manBut everyone seemed so kind-hearted, and so sorrowful, and so sympathetic that I could not but be touched I shall never forget the last glimpse which I had of the inn yard and its crowd of picturesque figures, all crossing themselves, as they stood round the wide archway, with its background of rich foliage of oleander and orange trees in green tubs clustered in the centre of the yard Then our driver, whose wide linen drawers covered the whole front of the boxseat,--"gotza" they call them--cracked his big whip over his four small horses, which ran abreast, and we set off on our journey I soon lost sight and recollection of ghostly fears in the beauty of the scene as we drove along, although had I known the language, or rather languages, which my fellow-passengers were speaking, I might not have been able to throw them off so easilyBefore us lay a green sloping land full of forests and woods, with here and there steep hills, crowned with clumps of trees or with farmhouses, the blank gable end to the roadThere was everywhere a bewildering mass of fruit blossom--apple, plum, pear, cherryAnd as we drove by I could see the green grass under the trees spangled with the fallen petalsIn and out amongst these green hills of what they call here the "Mittel Land" ran the road, losing itself as it swept round the grassy curve, or was shut out by the straggling ends of pine woods, which here and there ran down the hillsides like tongues of flameThe road was rugged, but still we seemed to fly over it with a feverish hasteI could not understand then what the haste meant, but the driver was evidently bent on losing no time in reaching Borgo PrundI was told that this road is in summertime excellent, but that it had not yet been put in order after the winter snowsIn this respect it is different from the general run of roads in the Carpathians, for it is an old tradition that they are not to be kept in too good orderOf old the Hospadars would not repair them, lest the Turk should think that they were preparing to bring in foreign troops, and so hasten the war which was always really at loading point Beyond the green swelling hills of the Mittel Land rose mighty slopes of forest up to the lofty steeps of the Carpathians themselvesRight and left of us they towered, with the afternoon sun falling full upon them and bringing out all the glorious colours of this beautiful range, deep blue and purple in the shadows of the peaks, green and brown where grass and rock mingled, and an endless perspective of jagged rock and pointed crags, till these were themselves lost in the distance, where the snowy peaks rose grandlyHere and there seemed mighty rifts in the mountains, through which, as the sun began to sink, we saw now and again the white gleam of falling waterOne of my companions touched my arm as we swept round the base of a hill and opened up the lofty, snow-covered peak of a mountain, which seemed, as we wound on our serpentine way, to be right before us "Look! Isten szek!"--"God's seat!"--and he crossed himself reverently As we wound on our endless way, and the sun sank lower and lower behind us, the shadows of the evening began to creep round usThis was emphasized by the fact that the snowy mountain-top still held the sunset, and seemed to glow out with a delicate cool pinkHere and there we passed Cszeks and slovaks, all in picturesque attire, but I noticed that goitre was painfully prevalentBy the roadside were many crosses, and as we swept by, my companions all crossed themselvesHere and there was a peasant man or woman kneeling before a shrine, who did not even turn round as we approached, but seemed in the self-surrender of devotion to have neither eyes nor ears for the outer worldThere were many things new to meFor instance, hay-ricks in the trees, and here and there very beautiful masses of weeping birch, their white stems shining like silver through the delicate green of the leaves Now and again we passed a leiter-wagon--the ordinary peasants's cart--with its long, snakelike vertebra, calculated to suit the inequalities of the roadOn this were sure to be seated quite a group of homecoming peasants, the Cszeks with their white, and the Slovaks with their coloured sheepskins, the latter carrying lance-fashion their long staves, with axe at endAs the evening fell it began to get very cold, and the growing twilight seemed to merge into one dark mistiness the gloom of the trees, oak, beech, and pine, though in the valleys which ran deep between the spurs of the hills, as we ascended through the Pass, the dark firs stood out here and there against the background of late-lying snowSometimes, as the road was cut through the pine woods that seemed in the darkness to be closing down upon us, great masses of greyness which here and there bestrewed the trees, produced a peculiarly weird and solemn effect, which carried on the thoughts and grim fancies engendered earlier in the evening, when the falling sunset threw into strange relief the ghost-like clouds which amongst the Carpathians seem to wind ceaselessly through the valleysSometimes the hills were so steep that, despite our driver's haste, the horses could only go slowlyI wished to get down and walk up them, as we do at home, but the driver would not hear of shop it

?Well, dear!? ?She couldn?t wear one of your gowns, could she, by any letting down, or such matter? She seems to be rather larger than you are A quite perceptible smile glimmered on MrsBird?s face, as she answered, ?We?ll see Another pause, and MrBird again broke out, ?I say, wife!? ?Well! What now?? ?Why, there?s that old bombazin cloak, that you keep on purpose to put over me when I take my afternoon?s nap; you might as well give her that,?she needs clothes At this instant, Dinah looked in to say that the woman was awake, and wanted to see MissisBird went into the kitchen, followed by the two eldest boys, the smaller fry having, by this time, been safely disposed of in bed The woman was now sitting up on the settle, by the fireShe was looking steadily into the blaze, with a calm, heart-broken expression, very different from her former agitated wildness ?Did you want me?? said MrsBird, in gentle tones?I hope you feel better now, poor woman!? A long-drawn, shivering sigh was the only answer; but she lifted her dark eyes, and fixed them on her with such a forlorn and imploring expression, that the tears came into the little woman?s eyes ?You needn?t be afraid of anything; we are friends here, poor woman! Tell me where you came from, and what you want,? said she ?I came from Kentucky,? said the womanBird, taking up the interogatory ?How did you come?? ?I crossed on the ice ?Crossed on the ice!? said every one present ?Yes,? said the woman, slowly, ?I didGod helping me, I crossed on the ice; for they were behind me?right behind?and there was no other way!? ?Law, Missis,? said Cudjoe, ?the ice is all in broken-up blocks, a swinging and a tetering up and down in the water!? ?I know it was?I know it!? said she, wildly; ?but I did it! I wouldn?t have thought I could,?I didn?t think I should get over, but I didn?t care! I could but die, if I didn?tThe Lord helped me; nobody knows how much the Lord can help ?em, till they try,? said the woman, with a flashing eye ?Were you a slave?? said Mr ?Yes, sir; I belonged to a man in Kentucky ?Was he unkind to you?? ?No, sir; he was a good master ?And was your mistress unkind to you?? ?No, sir?no! my mistress was always good to me ?What could induce you to leave a good home, then, and run away, and go through such dangers?? The woman looked up at MrsBird, with a keen, scrutinizing glance, and it did not escape her that she was dressed in deep mourning ?Ma?am,? she said, suddenly, ?have you ever lost a child?? The question was unexpected, and it was thrust on a new wound; for it was only a month since a darling child of the family had been laid in the graveBird turned around and walked to the window, and MrsBird burst into tears; but, recovering her voice, she said, ?Why do you ask that? I have lost a little one ?Then you will feel for meI have lost two, one after another,?left ?em buried there when I came away; and I had only this one leftI never slept a night without him; he was all I hadHe was my comfort and pride, day and night; and, ma?am, they were going to take him away from me,?to sell him,?sell him down south, ma?am, to go all alone,?a baby that had never been away from his mother in his life! I couldn?t stand it, ma?amI knew I never should be good for anything, if they did; and when I knew the papers the papers were signed, and he was sold, I took him and came off in the night; and they chased me,?the man that bought him, and some of Mas?r?s folks,?and they were coming down right behind me, and I heard ?emI jumped right on to the ice; and how I got across, I don?t know,?but, first I knew, a man was helping me up the bank The woman did not sob nor weepShe had gone to a place where tears are dry; but every one around her was, in some way characteristic of themselves, showing signs of hearty sympathy The two little boys, after a desperate rummaging in their pockets, in search of those pocket-handkerchiefs which mothers know are never to be found there, had thrown themselves disconsolately into the skirts of their mother?s gown, where they were sobbing, and wiping their eyes and noses, to their hearts? content;?MrsBird had her face fairly hidden in her pocket-handkerchief; and old Dinah, with tears streaming down her black, honest face, was ejaculating, ?Lord have mercy on us!? with all the fervor of a camp-meeting;?while old Cudjoe, rubbing his eyes very hard with his cuffs, and making a most uncommon variety of wry faces, occasionally responded in the same key, with great fervorOur senator was a statesman, and of course could not be expected to cry, like other mortals; and so he turned his back to the company, and looked out of the window, and seemed particularly busy in clearing his throat and wiping his spectacle-glasses, occasionally blowing his nose in a manner that was calculated to excite suspicion, had any one been in a state to observe shop critically

Come! I am informed that your supper is ready He took my arm, and we went into the next room, where I found an excellent supper ready on the tableThe Count again excused himself, as he had dined out on his being away from homeBut he sat as on the previous night, and chatted whilst I ateAfter supper I smoked, as on the last evening, and the Count stayed with me, chatting and asking questions on every conceivable subject, hour after hourI felt that it was getting very late indeed, but I did not say anything, for I felt under obligation to meet my host's wishes in every wayI was not sleepy, as the long sleep yesterday had fortified me, but I could not help experiencing that chill which comes over one at the coming of the dawn, which is like, in its way, the turn of the tideThey say that people who are near death die generally at the change to dawn or at the turn of the tideAnyone who has when tired, and tied as it were to his post, experienced this change in the atmosphere can well believe itAll at once we heard the crow of the cock coming up with preternatural shrillness through the clear morning air Count Dracula, jumping to his feet, said, "Why there is the morning again! How remiss I am to let you stay up so longYou must make your conversation regarding my dear new country of England less interesting, so that I may not forget how time flies by us," and with a courtly bow, he quickly left me I went into my room and drew the curtains, but there was little to noticeMy window opened into the courtyard, all I could see was the warm grey of quickening skySo I pulled the curtains again, and have written of this day-I began to fear as I wrote in this book that I was getting too diffuseBut now I am glad that I went into detail from the first, for there is something so strange about this place and all in it that I cannot but feel uneasyI wish I were safe out of it, or that I had never comeIt may be that this strange night existence is telling on me, but would that that were all! If there were any one to talk to I could bear it, but there is no oneI have only the Count to speak with, and he--I fear I am myself the only living soul within the placeLet me be prosaic so far as facts can beIt will help me to bear up, and imagination must not run riot with meLet me say at once how I stand, or seem to I only slept a few hours when I went to bed, and feeling that I could not sleep any more, got upI had hung my shaving glass by the window, and was just beginning to shaveSuddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, and heard the Count's voice saying to me, "Good morning I started, for it amazed me that I had not seen him, since the reflection of the glass covered the whole room behind meIn starting I had cut myself slightly, but did not notice it at the momentHaving answered the Count's salutation, I turned to the glass again to see how I had been mistakenThis time there could be no error, for the man was close to me, and I could see him over my shoulderBut there was no reflection of him in the mirror! The whole room behind me was displayed, but there was no sign of a man in it, except myself This was startling, and coming on the top of so many strange things, was beginning to increase that vague feeling of uneasiness which I always have when the Count is nearBut at the instant I saw that the cut had bled a little, and the blood was trickling over my chinI laid down the razor, turning as I did so half round to look for some sticking plasterWhen the Count saw my face, his eyes blazed with a sort of demoniac fury, and he suddenly made a grab at my throatI drew away and his hand touched the string of beads which held the crucifixIt made an instant change in him, for the fury passed so quickly that I could hardly believe that it was ever there "Take care," he said, "take care how you cut yourselfIt is more dangerous that you think in this country Then seizing the shaving glass, he went on, "And this is the wretched thing that has done the shop mischief

He will not be back tonight, for the sky is reddening in the east, and the dawn is closeWe must work tomorrow!" He said the latter words through his shut teethFor a space of perhaps a couple of minutes there was silence, and I could fancy that I could hear the sound of our hearts beating Then Van Helsing said, placing his hand tenderly on MrsHarker's head, "And now, Madam Mina, poor dear, dear, Madam Mina, tell us exactly what happenedGod knows that I do not want that you be pained, but it is need that we know allFor now more than ever has all work to be done quick and sharp, and in deadly earnestThe day is close to us that must end all, if it may be so, and now is the chance that we may live and learn The poor dear lady shivered, and I could see the tension of her nerves as she clasped her husband closer to her and bent her head lower and lower still on his breastThen she raised her head proudly, and held out one hand to Van Helsing who took it in his, and after stooping and kissing it reverently, held it fastThe other hand was locked in that of her husband, who held his other arm thrown round her protectinglyAfter a pause in which she was evidently ordering her thoughts, she began "I took the sleeping draught which you had so kindly given me, but for a long time it did not actI seemed to become more wakeful, and myriads of horrible fancies began to crowd in upon my mindAll of them connected with death, and vampires, with blood, and pain, and trouble Her husband involuntarily groaned as she turned to him and said lovingly, "Do not fret, dearYou must be brave and strong, and help me through the horrible taskIf you only knew what an effort it is to me to tell of this fearful thing at all, you would understand how much I need your helpWell, I saw I must try to help the medicine to its work with my will, if it was to do me any good, so I resolutely set myself to sleepSure enough sleep must soon have come to me, for I remember no moreJonathan coming in had not waked me, for he lay by my side when next I rememberThere was in the room the same thin white mist that I had before noticedBut I forget now if you know of thisYou will find it in my diary which I shall show you laterI felt the same vague terror which had come to me before and the same sense of some presenceI turned to wake Jonathan, but found that he slept so soundly that it seemed as if it was he who had taken the sleeping draught, and not II tried, but I could not wake himThis caused me a great fear, and I looked around terrifiedThen indeed, my heart sank within meBeside the bed, as if he had stepped out of the mist, or rather as if the mist had turned into his figure, for it had entirely disappeared, stood a tall, thin man, all in blackI knew him at once from the description of the othersThe waxen face, the high aquiline nose, on which the light fell in a thin white line, the parted red lips, with the sharp white teeth showing between, and the red eyes that I had seemed to see in the sunset on the windows of StMary's Church at WhitbyI knew, too, the red scar on his forehead where Jonathan had struck himFor an instant my heart stood still, and I would have screamed out, only that I was paralyzedIn the pause he spoke in a sort of keen, cutting whisper, pointing as he spoke to Jonathan "'Silence! If you make a sound I shall take him and dash his brains out before your very eyes' I was appalled and was too bewildered to do or say anythingWith a mocking smile, he placed one hand upon my shoulder and, holding me tight, bared my throat with the other, saying as he did so, 'First, a little refreshment to reward my exertionsYou may as well be shop quiet