Atlas Nightshade

Day 80

There was a pause, broken by Jonathan Harker's voice:--

"Now, God be thanked, we shall soon meet!" Van Helsing turned to him

quickly and said:--

"God will act in His own way and time. Do not fear, and do not rejoice

as yet; for what we wish for at the moment may be our undoings."

"I care for nothing now," he answered hotly, "except to wipe out this

brute from the face of creation. I would sell my soul to do it!"

"Oh, hush, hush, my child!" said Van Helsing. "God does not purchase

souls in this wise; and the Devil, though he may purchase, does not keep

faith. But God is merciful and just, and knows your pain and your

devotion to that dear Madam Mina. Think you, how her pain would be

doubled, did she but hear your wild words. Do not fear any of us, we are

all devoted to this cause, and to-day shall see the end. The time is

coming for action; to-day this Vampire is limit to the powers of man,

and till sunset he may not change. It will take him time to arrive

here--see, it is twenty minutes past one--and there are yet some times

before he can hither come, be he never so quick. What we must hope for

is that my Lord Arthur and Quincey arrive first."

About half an hour after we had received Mrs. Harker's telegram, there

came a quiet, resolute knock at the hall door. It was just an ordinary

knock, such as is given hourly by thousands of gentlemen, but it made

the Professor's heart and mine beat loudly. We looked at each other, and

together moved out into the hall; we each held ready to use our various

armaments--the spiritual in the left hand, the mortal in the right. Van

Helsing pulled back the latch, and, holding the door half open, stood

back, having both hands ready for action. The gladness of our hearts

must have shown upon our faces when on the step, close to the door, we

saw Lord Godalming and Quincey Morris. They came quickly in and closed

the door behind them, the former saying, as they moved along the

hall:--

"It is all right. We found both places; six boxes in each and we

destroyed them all!"

"Destroyed?" asked the Professor.

"For him!" We were silent for a minute, and then Quincey said:--

"There's nothing to do but to wait here. If, however, he doesn't turn up

by five o'clock, we must start off; for it won't do to leave Mrs. Harker

alone after sunset."