Atlas Nightshade

Day 59

"The first thing is to see how many of the boxes are left; we must then

examine every hole and corner and cranny and see if we cannot get some

clue as to what has become of the rest." A glance was sufficient to show

how many remained, for the great earth chests were bulky, and there was

no mistaking them.

There were only twenty-nine left out of the fifty! Once I got a fright,

for, seeing Lord Godalming suddenly turn and look out of the vaulted

door into the dark passage beyond, I looked too, and for an instant my

heart stood still. Somewhere, looking out from the shadow, I seemed to

see the high lights of the Count's evil face, the ridge of the nose, the

red eyes, the red lips, the awful pallor. It was only for a moment, for,

as Lord Godalming said, "I thought I saw a face, but it was only the

shadows," and resumed his inquiry, I turned my lamp in the direction,

and stepped into the passage. There was no sign of any one; and as there

were no corners, no doors, no aperture of any kind, but only the solid

walls of the passage, there could be no hiding-place even for _him_. I

took it that fear had helped imagination, and said nothing.

A few minutes later I saw Morris step suddenly back from a corner, which

he was examining. We all followed his movements with our eyes, for

undoubtedly some nervousness was growing on us, and we saw a whole mass

of phosphorescence, which twinkled like stars. We all instinctively drew

back. The whole place was becoming alive with rats.

For a moment or two we stood appalled, all save Lord Godalming, who was

seemingly prepared for such an emergency. Rushing over to the great

iron-bound oaken door, which Dr. Seward had described from the outside,

and which I had seen myself, he turned the key in the lock, drew the

huge bolts, and swung the door open. Then, taking his little silver

whistle from his pocket, he blew a low, shrill call. It was answered

from behind Dr. Seward's house by the yelping of dogs, and after about a

minute three terriers came dashing round the corner of the house.

Unconsciously we had all moved towards the door, and as we moved I

noticed that the dust had been much disturbed: the boxes which had been

taken out had been brought this way. But even in the minute that had

elapsed the number of the rats had vastly increased. They seemed to

swarm over the place all at once, till the lamplight, shining on their

moving dark bodies and glittering, baleful eyes, made the place look

like a bank of earth set with fireflies. The dogs dashed on, but at the

threshold suddenly stopped and snarled, and then, simultaneously lifting

their noses, began to howl in most lugubrious fashion. The rats were

multiplying in thousands, and we moved out.

Lord Godalming lifted one of the dogs, and carrying him in, placed him

on the floor. The instant his feet touched the ground he seemed to

recover his courage, and rushed at his natural enemies. They fled before

him so fast that before he had shaken the life out of a score, the other

dogs, who had by now been lifted in the same manner, had but small prey

ere the whole mass had vanished.

With their going it seemed as if some evil presence had departed, for

the dogs frisked about and barked merrily as they made sudden darts at

their prostrate foes, and turned them over and over and tossed them in

the air with vicious shakes. We all seemed to find our spirits rise.

Whether it was the purifying of the deadly atmosphere by the opening of

the chapel door, or the relief which we experienced by finding ourselves

in the open I know not; but most certainly the shadow of dread seemed to

slip from us like a robe, and the occasion of our coming lost something

of its grim significance, though we did not slacken a whit in our

resolution. We closed the outer door and barred and locked it, and

bringing the dogs with us, began our search of the house. We found

nothing throughout except dust in extraordinary proportions, and all

untouched save for my own footsteps when I had made my first visit.

Never once did the dogs exhibit any symptom of uneasiness, and even when

we returned to the chapel they frisked about as though they had been

rabbit-hunting in a summer wood.

The morning was quickening in the east when we emerged from the front.

Dr. Van Helsing had taken the key of the hall-door from the bunch, and

locked the door in orthodox fashion, putting the key into his pocket

when he had done.

"So far," he said, "our night has been eminently successful. No harm has

come to us such as I feared might be and yet we have ascertained how

many boxes are missing. More than all do I rejoice that this, our

first--and perhaps our most difficult and dangerous--step has been

accomplished without the bringing thereinto our most sweet Madam Mina or

troubling her waking or sleeping thoughts with sights and sounds and

smells of horror which she might never forget. One lesson, too, we have

learned, if it be allowable to argue _a particulari_: that the brute

beasts which are to the Count's command are yet themselves not amenable

to his spiritual power; for look, these rats that would come to his

call, just as from his castle top he summon the wolves to your going and

to that poor mother's cry, though they come to him, they run pell-mell

from the so little dogs of my friend Arthur. We have other matters

before us, other dangers, other fears; and that monster--he has not used

his power over the brute world for the only or the last time to-night.

So be it that he has gone elsewhere. Good! It has given us opportunity

to cry 'check' in some ways in this chess game, which we play for the

stake of human souls. And now let us go home. The dawn is close at hand,

and we have reason to be content with our first night's work. It may be

ordained that we have many nights and days to follow, if full of peril;

but we must go on, and from no danger shall we shrink."

The house was silent when we got back, save for some poor creature who

was screaming away in one of the distant wards, and a low, moaning sound

from Renfield's room. The poor wretch was doubtless torturing himself,

after the manner of the insane, with needless thoughts of pain.

I came tiptoe into our own room, and found Mina asleep, breathing so

softly that I had to put my ear down to hear it. She looks paler than

usual. I hope the meeting to-night has not upset her. I am truly

thankful that she is to be left out of our future work, and even of our

deliberations. It is too great a strain for a woman to bear. I did not

think so at first, but I know better now. Therefore I am glad that it is

settled. There may be things which would frighten her to hear; and yet

to conceal them from her might be worse than to tell her if once she

suspected that there was any concealment. Henceforth our work is to be a

sealed book to her, till at least such time as we can tell her that all

is finished, and the earth free from a monster of the nether world. I

daresay it will be difficult to begin to keep silence after such

confidence as ours; but I must be resolute, and to-morrow I shall keep

dark over to-night's doings, and shall refuse to speak of anything that

has happened. I rest on the sofa, so as not to disturb her.

* * * * *

_1 October, later._--I suppose it was natural that we should have all

overslept ourselves, for the day was a busy one, and the night had no

rest at all. Even Mina must have felt its exhaustion, for though I slept

till the sun was high, I was awake before her, and had to call two or

three times before she awoke. Indeed, she was so sound asleep that for a

few seconds she did not recognize me, but looked at me with a sort of

blank terror, as one looks who has been waked out of a bad dream. She

complained a little of being tired, and I let her rest till later in the

day. We now know of twenty-one boxes having been removed, and if it be

that several were taken in any of these removals we may be able to trace

them all. Such will, of course, immensely simplify our labour, and the

sooner the matter is attended to the better. I shall look up Thomas

Snelling to-day.

_Dr. Seward's Diary._

_1 October._--It was towards noon when I was awakened by the Professor

walking into my room. He was more jolly and cheerful than usual, and it

is quite evident that last night's work has helped to take some of the

brooding weight off his mind. After going over the adventure of the

night he suddenly said:--

"Your patient interests me much. May it be that with you I visit him

this morning? Or if that you are too occupy, I can go alone if it may

be. It is a new experience to me to find a lunatic who talk philosophy,

and reason so sound." I had some work to do which pressed, so I told him

that if he would go alone I would be glad, as then I should not have to

keep him waiting; so I called an attendant and gave him the necessary

instructions. Before the Professor left the room I cautioned him against

getting any false impression from my patient. "But," he answered, "I

want him to talk of himself and of his delusion as to consuming live

things. He said to Madam Mina, as I see in your diary of yesterday, that

he had once had such a belief. Why do you smile, friend John?"

"Excuse me," I said, "but the answer is here." I laid my hand on the

type-written matter. "When our sane and learned lunatic made that very

statement of how he _used_ to consume life, his mouth was actually

nauseous with the flies and spiders which he had eaten just before Mrs.

Harker entered the room." Van Helsing smiled in turn. "Good!" he said.

"Your memory is true, friend John. I should have remembered. And yet it

is this very obliquity of thought and memory which makes mental disease

such a fascinating study. Perhaps I may gain more knowledge out of the

folly of this madman than I shall from the teaching of the most wise.

Who knows?" I went on with my work, and before long was through that in

hand. It seemed that the time had been very short indeed, but there was

Van Helsing back in the study. "Do I interrupt?" he asked politely as he

stood at the door.

"Not at all," I answered. "Come in. My work is finished, and I am free.

I can go with you now, if you like.

"It is needless; I have seen him!"

"Well?"

"I fear that he does not appraise me at much. Our interview was short.

When I entered his room he was sitting on a stool in the centre, with

his elbows on his knees, and his face was the picture of sullen

discontent. I spoke to him as cheerfully as I could, and with such a

measure of respect as I could assume. He made no reply whatever. "Don't

you know me?" I asked. His answer was not reassuring: "I know you well

enough; you are the old fool Van Helsing. I wish you would take yourself

and your idiotic brain theories somewhere else. Damn all thick-headed

Dutchmen!" Not a word more would he say, but sat in his implacable

sullenness as indifferent to me as though I had not been in the room at

all. Thus departed for this time my chance of much learning from this so

clever lunatic; so I shall go, if I may, and cheer myself with a few

happy words with that sweet soul Madam Mina. Friend John, it does

rejoice me unspeakable that she is no more to be pained, no more to be

worried with our terrible things. Though we shall much miss her help, it

is better so."

"I agree with you with all my heart," I answered earnestly, for I did

not want him to weaken in this matter. "Mrs. Harker is better out of it.

Things are quite bad enough for us, all men of the world, and who have

been in many tight places in our time; but it is no place for a woman,

and if she had remained in touch with the affair, it would in time

infallibly have wrecked her."

So Van Helsing has gone to confer with Mrs. Harker and Harker; Quincey

and Art are all out following up the clues as to the earth-boxes. I

shall finish my round of work and we shall meet to-night.

_Mina Harker's Journal._