Atlas Nightshade

Day 79

CHAPTER XXIII

DR. SEWARD'S DIARY

_3 October._--The time seemed terrible long whilst we were waiting for

the coming of Godalming and Quincey Morris. The Professor tried to keep

our minds active by using them all the time. I could see his beneficent

purpose, by the side glances which he threw from time to time at Harker.

The poor fellow is overwhelmed in a misery that is appalling to see.

Last night he was a frank, happy-looking man, with strong, youthful

face, full of energy, and with dark brown hair. To-day he is a drawn,

haggard old man, whose white hair matches well with the hollow burning

eyes and grief-written lines of his face. His energy is still intact; in

fact, he is like a living flame. This may yet be his salvation, for, if

all go well, it will tide him over the despairing period; he will then,

in a kind of way, wake again to the realities of life. Poor fellow, I

thought my own trouble was bad enough, but his----! The Professor knows

this well enough, and is doing his best to keep his mind active. What he

has been saying was, under the circumstances, of absorbing interest. So

well as I can remember, here it is:--

"I have studied, over and over again since they came into my hands, all

the papers relating to this monster; and the more I have studied, the

greater seems the necessity to utterly stamp him out. All through there

are signs of his advance; not only of his power, but of his knowledge of

it. As I learned from the researches of my friend Arminus of Buda-Pesth,

he was in life a most wonderful man. Soldier, statesman, and

alchemist--which latter was the highest development of the

science-knowledge of his time. He had a mighty brain, a learning beyond

compare, and a heart that knew no fear and no remorse. He dared even to

attend the Scholomance, and there was no branch of knowledge of his time

that he did not essay. Well, in him the brain powers survived the

physical death; though it would seem that memory was not all complete.

In some faculties of mind he has been, and is, only a child; but he is

growing, and some things that were childish at the first are now of

man's stature. He is experimenting, and doing it well; and if it had not

been that we have crossed his path he would be yet--he may be yet if we

fail--the father or furtherer of a new order of beings, whose road must

lead through Death, not Life."

Harker groaned and said, "And this is all arrayed against my darling!

But how is he experimenting? The knowledge may help us to defeat him!"

"He has all along, since his coming, been trying his power, slowly but

surely; that big child-brain of his is working. Well for us, it is, as

yet, a child-brain; for had he dared, at the first, to attempt certain

things he would long ago have been beyond our power. However, he means

to succeed, and a man who has centuries before him can afford to wait

and to go slow. _Festina lente_ may well be his motto."

"I fail to understand," said Harker wearily. "Oh, do be more plain to

me! Perhaps grief and trouble are dulling my brain."

The Professor laid his hand tenderly on his shoulder as he spoke:--

"Ah, my child, I will be plain. Do you not see how, of late, this

monster has been creeping into knowledge experimentally. How he has been

making use of the zoöphagous patient to effect his entry into friend

John's home; for your Vampire, though in all afterwards he can come when

and how he will, must at the first make entry only when asked thereto by

an inmate. But these are not his most important experiments. Do we not

see how at the first all these so great boxes were moved by others. He

knew not then but that must be so. But all the time that so great

child-brain of his was growing, and he began to consider whether he

might not himself move the box. So he began to help; and then, when he

found that this be all-right, he try to move them all alone. And so he

progress, and he scatter these graves of him; and none but he know where

they are hidden. He may have intend to bury them deep in the ground. So

that he only use them in the night, or at such time as he can change his

form, they do him equal well; and none may know these are his

hiding-place! But, my child, do not despair; this knowledge come to him

just too late! Already all of his lairs but one be sterilise as for him;

and before the sunset this shall be so. Then he have no place where he

can move and hide. I delayed this morning that so we might be sure. Is

there not more at stake for us than for him? Then why we not be even

more careful than him? By my clock it is one hour and already, if all be

well, friend Arthur and Quincey are on their way to us. To-day is our

day, and we must go sure, if slow, and lose no chance. See! there are

five of us when those absent ones return."

Whilst he was speaking we were startled by a knock at the hall door, the

double postman's knock of the telegraph boy. We all moved out to the

hall with one impulse, and Van Helsing, holding up his hand to us to

keep silence, stepped to the door and opened it. The boy handed in a

despatch. The Professor closed the door again, and, after looking at the

direction, opened it and read aloud.

"Look out for D. He has just now, 12:45, come from Carfax hurriedly and

hastened towards the South. He seems to be going the round and may want

to see you: Mina."